James Harden Likely To Be Available On Saturday
Following James Harden‘s violation of the NBA’s health and safety protocols, the NBA will require the Rockets star to conduct a four-day quarantine that began on Tuesday, as Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports (via Twitter).
Harden must self-isolate through Friday and continue to test negative for the coronavirus in order to receive clearance to resume participating in practices, games, or other team activities, as Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston tweets. He won’t be able to travel with the team but would be eligible to return for Saturday’s game against the Trail Blazers as long as he doesn’t break quarantine or test positive for the virus.
An NBA investigation found that Harden violated the league’s COVID-19 protocols when he attended an indoor party of 15 or more people. Typically, a player who misses a game for violating those protocols would lose 1/72nd of his salary — in Harden’s case, that would be nearly $573K per game.
However, the Rockets/Thunder game on Wednesday was postponed because Houston also had eight other players unavailable for COVID-19 or injury reasons unrelated to Harden. As a result, it appears the 31-year-old may not actually miss any games as a result of his violation and won’t face any league discipline beyond a $50K fine. A player who is fined an amount greater than $50K is allowed to file a grievance.
It remains to be seen how long several other Rockets players will have to remain isolated or how many negative tests they’ll require, tweets Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. Positive or inconclusive tests for KJ Martin and another unknown player reportedly triggered contact tracing protocols for John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Jae’Sean Tate, and Mason Jones.
The Rockets still have seven other healthy, available players on their roster, so as long as Harden is cleared following his four-day quarantine, the team will have at least the league-mandated minimum of eight players available for Saturday’s game vs. Portland.
Players To Lose 1/81.6th Of Salary For Each Game Missed Due To COVID-19 Protocol Violation
JANUARY 12: Players who miss games due to COVID-19 protocol violations will actually forfeit 1/81.6th of their salary for 2020/21, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
DECEMBER 24: When an NBA player is suspended, he generally loses 1/145th of his salary for each game he misses. A long-term suspension of 20 games or more forces the player to forfeit 1/110th of his salary per game. The penalty for missing a game this season due to a violation of COVID-19 protocols is even more severe.
According to Marc Stein of The New York Times (Twitter link), the NBA will dock a player 1/72nd of his salary for each game he misses as a result of violating the league’s coronavirus protocols. The number is based on the 72-game season.
This penalty would have applied to James Harden if the Rockets‘ game against the Thunder had been played on Wednesday night, since the NBA determined the former MVP violated health and safety protocols by attending an indoor party of 15 or more people.
However, that opening-night contest was postponed because several other Rockets players were unavailable due to positive or inconclusive tests (or subsequent contact tracing) and the club didn’t have eight healthy players available. Since the game will be rescheduled, if possible, Harden didn’t technically miss it. As such, he was instead hit with a $50K fine by the NBA.
It’s not yet known how many negative coronavirus tests Harden will have to return before he’s cleared by the NBA to play following his COVID-19 protocol violation. If he hasn’t yet received clearance for the Rockets’ game on Saturday in Portland, it would cost him significantly more than $50K — 1/72nd of his $41,254,920 salary works out to $572,895 in lost money for each game he misses due to a protocol violation.
Harden is one of the NBA’s highest-paid players, so even though the 1/72 ratio applies to everyone equally, only a small handful of other stars would lose as much as $573K per game for violating the NBA’s health and safety protocols. A player earning the rookie minimum of $898,310, for instance, would be docked $12,477 for each game missed.
Harden Fined $50K For COVID-19 Protocol Violation
Rockets All-Star guard James Harden has been fined $50,000 by the NBA due to his violation of the league’s coronavirus-related health and safety protocols, according to a press release. The league will not suspend Harden, Marc Stein of the New York Times tweets.
Stein adds that the timeline and the number of required negative COVID-19 tests required for Harden to return remain up in the air. Harden has tested negative for the coronavirus over the past three days after a social media video of the eight-time All Star recently attending an indoor party emerged.
Interestingly, Bobby Marks of ESPN adds (via Twitter) that $50K is the maximum price permitted for a fine before an NBA player can file a grievance with the league. The fine will not make much of a dent in Harden’s wallet, as the star guard is set to earn $41.25MM this season.
The Rockets have been the big news story of the day, after the NBA announced it was postponing Houston’s first game, a bout against the Thunder, earlier this afternoon. Harden remains hopeful to be traded from the team he led to the cusp of a Finals appearance in 2018, the same year he was named league MVP.
League Postpones Rockets-Thunder Game
One day into the condensed 2020/21 NBA season, a game has already been postponed due to the novel coronavirus COVID-19. The NBA has officially postponed the Rockets‘ opening-night game against the Thunder because Houston doesn’t have the mandated minimum of eight players available, the league announced in a press release.
Three Rockets players have returned positive or inconclusive tests for COVID-19, per the NBA’s announcement. KJ Martin and Ben McLemore fall into that group — the third player is unknown.
As we relayed earlier today, John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Jae’Sean Tate, and two-way player Mason Jones have been sent home to quarantine as a result of contact tracing protocol.
Additionally, Chris Clemons is unavailable due to a torn Achilles and All-Star Rockets guard James Harden violated health and safety protocols by recently visiting a Houston club. As a result, Houston only has seven players available.
The NBA’s press release notes that Harden has been ruled “unavailable due to a violation of Health and Safety Protocols.” The Rockets and Harden haven’t received clarity from the league on whether this is an official suspension and, if so, what its duration will be, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN. The 31-year-old has thus far tested negative for the coronavirus Monday, Tuesday, and today.
[UPDATE: Harden fined $50K for protocol violation]
Joe Mussatto of the Oklahoman tweets that the Thunder will now fly back to Oklahoma City. The club will then fly to Charlotte on Friday, ahead of a December 26 game against the Hornets. The status of the Rockets’ next scheduled game in Portland against the Trail Blazers, also on December 26, is now somewhat unclear.
Latest On Rockets’ Roster Situation For Opener
Half the Rockets‘ roster appears to be in jeopardy for the team’s opener against the Thunder, according to reports. As we relayed earlier today, James Harden may not be able to play tonight due to an apparent violation of the NBA’s coronavirus protocols, while several other players are caught up in contact tracing after KJ Martin returned a positive COVID-19 test.
As Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN explains (via Twitter), Martin tested positive and then returned a negative test in the last 24 hours. Martin and the Rockets are now awaiting the results of another test.
Several players that were in close contact with Martin have reportedly been sent home for contact tracing purposes as the team awaits the latest test results. Earlier today, we learned that group of players includes John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, and Jae’Sean Tate. Wojnarowski (Twitter link) adds two-way player Mason Jones to that list. However, there’s no indication that any of those players have tested positive.
In addition to the six players noted above, the Rockets are also missing Chris Clemons (torn Achilles) and Ben McLemore (self-isolating due to COVID-19). That would leave just eight players of the team’s 16-man squad available for tonight’s game — as Wojnarowski points out (via Twitter), that’s the minimum number of active players mandated by league rules.
Since this is the first instance of a potential positive test affecting an NBA regular season game since March 11, we’re in wait-and-see mode to see how the team and the league will handle it. If Martin returns another negative test and it’s determined that his positive test was a false positive, it would seemingly open the door for him – and those players in close contact with him – to be activated.
Meanwhile, Harden – who had COVID-19 over the summer prior to the restart, according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon – tested negative on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, tweets Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.
According to Shelburne, the league is still reviewing Harden’s situation and potential eligibility for tonight’s game. Harden, who was captured in a video that appears to show him partying at a Houston club this week – told investigators that he believed he was in compliance with the NBA’s healthy and safety protocols, Shelburne adds (via Twitter).
As Shelburne details, Harden told the league he attended a seated dinner for a friend who had been promoted at work and took a photo with her when he gave her a gift. He claimed he came in through a separate entrance and sat in a separate section of the venue with his security detail, then left after about 30 minutes (all Twitter links).
And-Ones: Coronavirus, Waiver Order, Lottery, Achilles Injuries
In a column for USA Today, NBA commissioner Adam Silver explained that while another bubble wasn’t a practical solution for the 2020/21 season, the league believes it can take the lessons learned during the Orlando summer restart and conduct its new season “safely and responsibly.” As it did prior to the summer restart, the NBA has designed thorough health and safety protocols in consultation with public health and medical experts, according to Silver.
“We recognize there are some people who believe we should wait to return until the pandemic is crushed, but we believe that on balance, the right approach is to start our season now,” Silver said.
While Silver claims in his column that “the health and safety of everyone remains our top priority,” it’s safe to say that financial considerations played a large part in the NBA’s decision to begin its new season now. Previous reports have indicated that starting the ’20/21 campaign before Christmas is expected to salvage between $500MM and $1 billion in projected revenue for the league.
As for the NBA’s COVID-19 vaccination plan, Silver said on Monday during an appearance on ESPN’s First Take that the league won’t “jump the line in any form whatsoever,” as Tim Bontemps of ESPN relays.
“For the most part, because our players are so young and healthy without some sort of comorbidity, they will not be a high priority for vaccinations,” Silver said. “There are some other members of the NBA community working on court who are older and will have a higher priority to get the vaccine.”
Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:
- From now until January 24, the NBA’s waiver order will be based on winning percentage as of March 11, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks. The teams with the worst records at that time will have the highest waiver priority. Typically, the waiver order is based on the current season’s records starting on December 1, but that won’t happen until January 25 this season due to the revamped calendar.
- Jonathan Tjarks of The Ringer makes the case that the NBA’s new lottery format – which went into effect in 2019 – has made it more difficult for teams to “tank their way to the top.”
- Taking into account how many Rockets players have suffered torn Achilles tendons, Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle takes a deep dive into the injury and the recovery process, explaining why it’s no longer considered the same sort of career-killer it once was for NBA players. DeMarcus Cousins, John Wall, and David Nwaba suffered Achilles tears in the past, while Chris Clemons tore his Achilles during a preseason game this month.
Coronavirus Notes: Two-Way Contracts, Cuban, Latest Testing, Vaccine
A proposal in November would have allowed teams to carry four players on two-way contracts to help ensure adequate personnel amid COVID-19 risks, according to Marc Stein of The New York Times. Teams are currently limited to two players at a time on two-way deals.
Although that idea wasn’t accepted, the league expanded the amount of time that two-way players can spend with their NBA teams. Previously limited to 45 days throughout the season, they can now be active for 50 of their team’s 72 games. The league will also allow teams to have 15 players in uniform each night, up from the previous limit of 13, with a formal announcement expected later this week.
While the change in two-way rules will benefit NBA teams, it will have the opposite effect on their G League affiliates, Stein notes. It’s another consideration to factor in as G League officials determine how to handle the upcoming season.
There’s more news related to the coronavirus:
- Mavericks owner Mark Cuban is optimistic that the league can begin to get back to normal by spring, Stein adds in the same story. Cuban expects a “huge snap back” by March or April, when much of the U.S. population should have access to the new COVID-19 vaccine. He believes that safety measures the Mavericks have imposed are working well so far. “The most important aspect is that the players and staff that are traveling are treating each game as a self-imposed bubble,” Cuban said. “We won’t be able to eliminate cases and outbreaks, but if we can minimize them, then hopefully it can be as close to a normal season as possible.”
- Only one new confirmed positive test was reported among the 549 players who have undergone COVID-19 testing since December 10, the NBA and the players union announced today.
- No decision has been reached on when the new vaccine will be made available to NBA personnel and whether it will become mandatory, writes Mark Medina of USA Today. For now, the league will continue to rely on testing, sanitary conditions, masks and social distancing to keep players safe. Under the league’s health and safety protocols, the NBA and its players union will hold discussions on whether the vaccine will be considered mandatory or voluntary once infectious disease specialists determine that it is “safe and effective.” “We’ll address that when it comes as far as a union and players,” said NBPA president Chris Paul. “But when it comes to all different types of vaccines, a lot of that stuff is personal.”
Central Notes: Bulls, Holiday, Nance, Dellavedova, Exum
The Bulls will be without six players when they travel to Oklahoma City this week for a pair of preseason games, writes Rob Schaefer of NBC Sports Chicago. In addition to Garrett Temple (coronavirus), Denzel Valentine (hamstring strain), and Thaddeus Young (lower leg infection), the club will also be missing Devon Dotson, Adam Mokoka, and Tomas Satoransky, who are simply listed as “not with team.”
As K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago noted on Sunday when those three players – and Noah Vonleh – were given excused absences for the Bulls’ previous exhibition contest, those vague designations will likely become common over the course of the 2020/21 season as teams navigate the NBA’s coronavirus protocols.
While Vonleh eventually confirmed he had tested positive for COVID-19, that doesn’t mean the same is true of Dotson, Mokoka, and Satoransky. It’s possible they’re being kept away from the Bulls temporarily for contact tracing purposes, or even for a reason unrelated to the coronavirus. With teams not formally announcing which of their players have tested positive for the virus, we may be left to speculate in situations like this throughout the coming season.
Here’s more from around the Central:
- Now that the Bucks have secured a commitment from Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Pelton of ESPN (Insider link) wonders if an extension for Jrue Holiday might be next up on the team’s to-do list. Since he was recently traded, Holiday can only get a 5% raise and one extra year (beyond his 2021/22 player option) for now, but those restrictions will lift on February 26, allowing for more money and more years.
- Cavaliers veterans Larry Nance Jr. and Matthew Dellavedova are entering the NBA’s concussion protocol and neither player will travel to New York for the club’s final two preseason games, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.
- Dante Exum, who had 23 points and five assists and was a plus-33 in Monday’s win over Indiana, has solidified his spot as the Cavaliers‘ backup point guard entering the season, Fedor writes in a separate story for Cleveland.com. Exum, the fifth overall pick in the 2014 draft, is entering a contract year.
L.A. Notes: Horton-Tucker, LeBron, AD, COVID-19, Mann
With his second consecutive impressive preseason performance on Sunday, second-year Lakers guard Talen Horton-Tucker is making a strong case to be part of the team’s regular season rotation, as ESPN’s Dave McMenamin writes.
“It’s going to make my job difficult for sure,” head coach Frank Vogel said when asked about finding a role for Horton-Tucker, who poured in 33 points in Sunday’s win to go along with 10 rebounds, four assists, and four steals.
“We have a very deep team. No minutes are guaranteed,” Vogel added. “He’s going to keep playing at a high level, and that should push everybody else to stay playing at a high level. It does give us that luxury of having him carry the load some for some of our guys who played deep in the championship run last year and had a short offseason.”
Even if the Lakers stay relatively healthy this season, the club should prioritize finding regular minutes for Horton-Tucker, according to Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer, who says the franchise will need to develop young talent if it wants to remain a title contender for years to come
Here’s more on the NBA’s two Los Angeles-based teams:
- Lakers superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis didn’t play at all during the team’s first two preseason contests, but they’ll both be “ready to go” when the regular season gets underway next week, according to Vogel (link via Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times).
- Both the Lakers and Clippers were missing players on Sunday due to “excused absences” believed to be related to the NBA’s coronavirus protocols, writes Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times. Those absences may be related to inconclusive tests or contact tracing, so they don’t necessarily mean the individual tested positive for COVID-19, according to Greif, who notes that the Lakers were without Kostas Antetokounmpo and Devontae Cacok, while the Clippers were missing Reggie Jackson and assistant coach Chauncey Billups.
- Although Terance Mann has seen some time at shooting guard and small forward, the Clippers view the 24-year-old as a point guard and expect him to be a key contributor off the bench, as Mirjam Swanson of The Orange County Register writes.
Noah Vonleh Tests Positive For COVID-19, Waived By Bulls
DECEMBER 15: Vonleh’s release from the Bulls is now official, according to RealGM’s transactions log.
DECEMBER 14: Veteran forward Noah Vonleh has tested positive for COVID-19 and will be waived by the Bulls, reports Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). Teams won’t be announcing which of their players test positive for the coronavirus this season, but Vonleh confirmed his diagnosis to Haynes.
“Unfortunately, I have tested positive for COVID, and so my time with the Bulls has come to an end,” Vonleh said in a statement to Yahoo Sports. “Thank you to the organization for everything. Though it was a short time, I appreciate the opportunity. I am thankfully feeling good, and I look forward to working my way to another NBA opportunity once I’m cleared to play again!”
The Bulls are carrying 15 players on guaranteed contracts and Vonleh isn’t one of them, so his positive test likely just accelerated his release — unless he earned a spot on the regular season roster, he would’ve been waived within the next week anyway. He’ll undergo a mandatory 10-day quarantine as he awaits medical clearance, Haynes notes.
The ninth overall pick in the 2014 draft, Vonleh began his career in Charlotte before moving on to Portland, Chicago, and New York. In 2019/20, he began the season in Minnesota before being traded to Denver as part of the four-team mega-deal involving Clint Capela and Robert Covington.
In total, Vonleh averaged just 3.7 PPG and 3.4 RPG in 36 games (10.5 MPG) for the Timberwolves and Nuggets last season. He was more productive in 2018/19 for the Knicks, recording 8.4 PPG and 7.8 RPG in 68 games (25.3 MPG), and is still just 25 years old, so he should get another NBA opportunity.