NBA commissioner Adam Silver explained during an ESPN appearance that Rockets star James Harden didn’t face a suspension for violating COVID-19 protocols because the NBA didn’t want to set that harsh a precedent to start the season, as Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle tweets. Harden was fined $50K after an NBA investigation found that Harden violated protocols when he attended an indoor party of 15 or more people.
“The precedent is that discipline gets ratcheted up,” Silver said. “It’s Christmas. It was a first offense.”
Silver said, adding “in a way he got lucky.” If the Rockets’ first game had not been postponed, Harden would have been docked one game’s pay, Feigen adds. Harden is expected to make his season debut on Saturday.
We have more from the Southwest Division:
- Mavericks big man Willie Cauley-Stein could see an uptick in minutes as Dwight Powell is eased back into the rotation from an Achilles injury, according to Callie Caplan of The Dallas Morning News. Cauley-Stein played well in a six-minute stint during the team’s opener. Cauley-Stein signed a two-year, $8.2MM contract with a team option at the beginning of the month.
- Off-season acquisitions Josh Richardson and James Johnson were identified as two players that would fit well with Mavericks star Luka Doncic, Caplan writes in a separate story. Richardson filled a need for a 3-and-D wing player who could also handle the ball while Johnson provides a measure of toughness.
- Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express News details how 71-year-old coach Gregg Popovich is connecting with his youthful Spurs roster.
It has become very clear that a deal to send him to Brooklyn won’t happen unless his price drops considerably. I think the only team desperate enough to trade their future for Harden might be Golden State
Warriors can only offer Wiggins Oubre Paschall and Wolves pick
2021 draft picks are very deep
I been thinking this hard the last few days. Seems like the most ideal trade. Wiggins and Wiseman for Harden. Houston gets a great young player and a scorer to go wiyh Wall. Golden state gets back toChampionship status. And Harden fits the timelind of their highest paid players. Bet it goes down.
Ytf would they trade wiseman? That wouldn’t be wise man
“I been thinking this hard the last few days” thats your problem, Wiseman has since proven he is an elite superstar in the last 3 days. You have not adjusted for this.
Harden for Wiggins, Oubre and any pick except Minnesota’s is all Harden’s value is at this point. No one wants him because he’s too egotistical.
Marty, there is not one team in the league that would decline to let Harden play for them because he’s “too egotistical”. That has nothing to do with his situation. To acquire Harden a team must 1.) Give up young talent, essentially trading their future to be competitive right now 2.) Draft compensation and a lot of it 3.) have an opening for him to play the way he needs to play to be effective 4.) big money contracts that are expendable. If a team meets ALL of those requirements they still need to work out a deal that doesn’t destroy the entire team just to bring Harden in. Unfortunately for the Warriors, the meet all they requirements AND seem to be about the most desperate team in the league this year. Everything has aligned for them again. As far as Wiseman, I’ll remind you that he has played less NBA games than he did college games and he played 3 college games. For you to call him an elite superstar is actually ridiculous. If the value of Wiseman is high enough to be the center piece of a Harden deal the Warriors wouldn’t think twice.
It’d be Wiggins, Looney and a huge bag of draft picks. Salaries match. Maybe Poole or EP added to the deal, but I doubt they’d want those guys over picks.
I don’t think this will happen, btw. I think it’s what the Warriors would do and the Rockets would listen to but ultimately reject. Unless Harden keeps babying s**t up down there. Then maybe they take what they can get and GS’s offer is the best they can find.
Unless the Warriors offer either Curry or Thompson, it ain’t happening.
Houstons club and fans would be fools to pass up Wiggins and Wiseman!!
Thats why they won’t be offered. Wiseman is going nowhere for now.
Wiggins and Oubre for Harden is happening whether you like it or not!
No need for GS to trade for harden. Even if they get him they will still be behind the two LA teams and Nets and bucks and Denver . They should just ride it out and develop Wiseman and get another good young player next year.
Yep that’s how it’s looking right now. The Warriors are not a player away to get them over the hump even if he is an outside shooter. The Warriors have so many new guys that their offense looks lost right now. Maybe Draymond and Curry on the floor at the same time will help the look of the offense but for now they’re lost.
So.., looking to next year, LOL, the Warriors have the Wolves pick plus it sure looks like they’ll keep their own first-rounder and only send second-rounders to OKC in the Kelly oubre Jr trade. That’s two great young players plus Klay coming back, fingers crossed, three rotation guys added to the squad here.
Future looks bright and James Wiseman looks like a keeper. Much better then I anticipated and I love his attitude. Keep his mouth shut hasn’t complained once and just seems like a fine young man attitude wise.
Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong.
Ok first, you are taking a Warriors team that has played zero minutes together as a unit. Draymond is everything to Kerr’s gameplan and he hasnt suited up yet.
Second, Draymond IS that “one player away” from success. But sure, add DRose, JaVale or PJ Tucker and suddenly that Warriors team is beating Giannis and KD.
Wiseman has had 5 total PRACTICES as a Warrior. No one on his team knows his game on court. The Warriors are destined to start something like 5-10 and then explode once the regular rotation gels. NBA really blew it with such a tiny preseason, they screwed the Warriors by doing this. Now, they must make adjustments on the fly instead of coming strong on day 1 like the Nets were able to.
Sorry but a team with the highest salary in the NBA with a brand new stadium that has never seen fans can’t be bottom feeders two years in a row, especially when you’re banking on the return of a healthy Klay from 2 years of rehab from devastating injuries on both legs. Its pretty clear Curry isn’t enough. The Warriors need to do something and they need to do it now
Chris Bosh stats rookie season
34 minutes per game
12, 7, 1, 1, 1
46%, 36%, 70%
Wiseman is comparable to Bosh
Warriors don’t trade Wiseman
19 year old Wiseman is comparable to 19 year old LeBron if you want to comp stats.
Nets don’t need Harden. Been saying it since the KD rumors came out. Nets are deep the way they are. Allen, Dinwiddie, LeVert are very good players. Rockets are idiots if they refused them and picks. All three are starters. Nets can build on this run. They come together and build chemistry. They are a dangerous team. KD and Kyrie look more than ready. I don’t even like them. Both look like they’re on top of their gm..
You don’t like Durant????
For real. Who the eff doesn’t like KD? lol
Lol where you guys been the last 5 years?? Tons of people aren’t KD fans…
People who don’t like KD don’t like watching perfect basketball, it sucks, but it says a lot more about them than it does Durant. They are too caught up in what idiot 12 year olds on twitter say, such a tragedy.
Found KDs burner account
The rumors were. KD was asking for Harden. Asking for another star. The first time Harden came out with trade demand. Keep up bro. KD has denied it. It was all over NY media and espn early Nov. I believe
link to essentiallysports.com
Til Kyrie snaps and loses it in a few months lol
Harden to kings or hawks…
#FreeTheBeard
James Harden to the Charlotte Bobcats. Write it down. They’re the only team in the entire league that would take the risk. Only team dumb enough to do it LOL. Nobody else is touching that guy. Michael Jordan will though, he sees everything as working out perfectly.
Write it down. The bobcats are making a comeback
which earth are we on again?
Lol. Harden is so toxic that only a team from another dimension would trade from him.
Celtics had a bad gm no Walker. Nets had a good shooting gm. The one thing you can take from this gm. If you got some knowledge of ball. Is the Nets looked deep and mixed well. KD n Kyrie looked like leaders. It’s only 2 gms but this is what. A good young deep team looks like. Nets don’t need Harden. You starting to believe me now.
I had a stroke trying to read this
just an idea,
76ers get: Harden,Tucker
Rockets get:Simmons,Milton and 2 FR picks
how about it?