James Harden: I Don’t Think Rockets Situation “Can Be Fixed”
On the heels of a second consecutive blowout loss to the Lakers on Tuesday night, Rockets star James Harden provided a brief, blunt assessment of the team in his postgame press conference.
“We’re just not good enough. Chemistry, talent-wise. And it was clear these last few games,” Harden said, per Alykhan Bijani of The Athletic (Twitter links). “I love this city. I’ve literally done everything I can. This situation is crazy. I don’t think it can be fixed. Thanks.”
Harden left the podium immediately after delivering those comments. As Tim MacMahon of ESPN tweets, it was about as close to an explicit trade request as a player is likely to get during a media session, given that the Collective Bargaining Agreement calls for a fine for any player who publicly asks to be dealt.
We’ve known since the offseason that Harden has wanted to be traded out of Houston, but the team’s asking price has remained high and has yet to be met. If the Rockets are going to make a move, they want to extract as much value as they can out of their superstar, particularly since he’s not in a contract year. As Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN notes (via Twitter), the club continues to explore potential trade scenarios, as Harden is aware, but no deal is imminent.
Harden’s comments tonight come on the heels of a report earlier this week from Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer that suggested the Rockets were growing more optimistic about the former MVP being comfortable remaining with the team for the rest of the season, given the promising early-season performances from players like John Wall and Christian Wood.
It’s not clear whether Harden’s statements were a direct response to that report, but they certainly constitute a rebuttal. Houston lost by 18 points to the Lakers on Sunday and by 17 points on Tuesday, dropping its record to 3-6.
Harden made it clear after tonight’s game that he doesn’t feel the Rockets have enough talent to compete with the defending champions, and it sounds like he’s growing impatient waiting for the team to find a deal it likes.
Following Harden’s brief presser, his teammates were left to address the Rockets’ situation, including Tuesday’s loss. John Wall told reporters that it’s a challenge when not everyone wants to “buy in,” and acknowledged that developing chemistry with Harden has been “a little rocky,” per Kelly Iko of The Athletic (Twitter links).
Harden’s contract doesn’t include any sort of no-trade protection, so the Rockets can trade him anywhere, but he has reportedly provided the club with a list of preferred destinations that includes Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Miami, Milwaukee, Portland, and Boston. Some of those teams are considered more likely than others to pursue a possible deal.
Michael Porter Jr. Tested Positive For COVID-19
After starting Nuggets small forward Michael Porter Jr. cleared his initial quarantine due to COVID-19 contact tracing last week, he saw his isolation window extended for an extra 10-to-14 days. The team did not disclose the reason for the new quarantine period when it was announced last week.
Tonight, head coach Michael Malone finally verified that Porter’s continued absence from the team was a result of his testing positive for the novel coronavirus, according to Kendra Andrews of The Athletic (Twitter link).
The Nuggets could certainly use the 22-year-old’s contributions on the floor. After a 122-116 loss to the Nets tonight, Denver fell to 5-6 on the season and currently hold the No. 11 seed in a talented Western Conference.
Across four games, the 6’10” forward out of Missouri is averaging 19.5 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 1.8 APG, 1.5 BPG, and 1.0 SPG in 29.4 MPG during the 2020/21 season. Veteran swingman Will Barton has started in Porter’s stead thus far. Denver is next scheduled to host the Warriors in a TNT broadcast on Thursday.
Wednesday’s Jazz/Wizards Game Postponed
The NBA is postponing tomorrow’s scheduled game between the Jazz and the Wizards, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). The Wizards will not have the minimum eight available players needed to participate as a result of coronavirus-related contact tracing protocols, Charania notes in a separate tweet.
This announcement marks the sixth game to be postponed during the 2020/21 season’s first 23 days, as Marc Stein of the New York Times points out (via Twitter). Tomorrow’s game between the Celtics and Magic was also postponed, as was yesterday’s game between the Mavericks and the Pelicans; the Sunday game between the Heat and Celtics; today’s game between the Celtics and Bulls; and the December 23 game between the Rockets and the Thunder.
Earlier today, Washington’s practice was canceled when big men Rui Hachimura and Moritz Wagner were both placed into the NBA’s health and safety protocols. The other affected players have not been announced — it’s unclear so far whether Hachimura, Wagner, and others will be required to undergo a quarantine period of seven days or more.
The 3-8 Wizards’ last game was a 128-107 route of the 7-4 Suns on Monday.
Kyrie Irving Not Expected To Play This Week
4:27pm: If the Nets determine that Irving has ultimately violated NBA COVID-19 protocols, he will lose approximately $410K for each night missed, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweets.
3:45pm: Nets general manager Sean Marks issued a statement on the Irving situation, confirming that the team and the league are “reviewing the circumstances” of the video showing the point guard at a family gathering. Irving’s return date has yet to be finalized, per Marks.
“Kyrie will have the opportunity to address his absence when he is ready to do so,” Marks said.
10:32am: The Nets announced on Monday that star point guard Kyrie Irving has been ruled out for Tuesday’s contest against Denver, making it the fourth consecutive game he will miss for personal reasons (Twitter link via Tim Bontemps of ESPN).
Asked about Irving’s status on Monday, head coach Steve Nash said he didn’t have any updates, per Brian Lewis of The New York Post.
Multiple reports – from Lewis and others – have suggested Irving’s personal leave has been related to his frustration over social issues, including last Wednesday’s riot at the U.S. Capitol. However, as NetsDaily details, his absence has become further complicated by new videos that appears to show him celebrating a birthday (believed to be his sister’s) amid a large gathering of people, without wearing a mask.
Sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Malika Andrews (Twitter link) that the NBA is examining those videos. If they’re found to be recent and constitute a violation of the league’s health and safety protocols, Irving would presumably be subject to a quarantine period when he returns to the Nets, like James Harden was last month when similar video emerged of him maskless in a nightclub.
Still, it remains to be seen when exactly the 28-year-old will report back to the team. In a separate tweet, Wojnarowski says sources expect Irving to remain sidelined for Brooklyn’s games against the Knicks on Wednesday and the Magic on Saturday — it’s unclear if his personal leave will extend through those games or if he’ll miss them due to an anticipated quarantine period.
NBA, NBPA Tighten COVID-19 Protocols For Players, Staffers
The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association have agreed to tighten several of the health and safety protocols related to COVID-19 for at least the next two weeks, they announced today in a joint press release.
The new, more restrictive measures are being introduced in the wake of a handful of game postponements since Sunday. Several teams around the NBA have had players test positive for the coronavirus within the last week and/or are missing several players due to the league’s contact tracing program.
The following changes will be implemented for at least the next two weeks, per the league and the union:
- While in their home markets, players and staffers must remain at home except to attend team-related activities, to exercise outside, or to perform essential activities.
- Players can no longer interact with non-team guests while at hotels on the road.
- Pregame meetings in the locker room will be limited to no more than 10 minutes, with all attendees wearing face masks. All other meetings involving players and staffers must occur on the court, in a league-approved space, or at the arena in a room large enough to social-distance.
- For team flights, teams must creating a seating plan to ensure that players who are closest to one another on the bench are also closest to one another on the plane.
- Players will be prohibited from arriving at the arena more than three hours before tip-off.
- Before and after games, physical interactions between players will be limited to elbow bumps or fist bumps (ie. no hugs or hand shakes). They also must avoid “extended socializing” and must attempt to maintain six feet of distance.
- Players must wear face masks on the bench at all times, except immediately after they come out of a game. Players checking out of a game can sit in “cool down chairs” at least 12 feet from the bench and at least six feet from other chairs. When they return to the bench area, they must put on a mask.
- Players will be required to wear face masks at all times in the locker room, during strength and conditioning activities, and when traveling with anyone besides a member of their household.
- Coaches and other staffers must wear face masks at all times during games.
- Any individual who regularly visits a player’s or staffer’s home for a professional purpose must undergo COVID-19 testing at least twice per week.
While all of these rules will be in place for at least two weeks, one source tells Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press (Twitter link) that “that’s probably the minimum.” Some of the changes figure to remain in effect for the rest of the season.
NBA Postpones Wednesday’s Celtics/Magic Game
A third consecutive Celtics game will be postponed, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who reports (via Twitter) that Wednesday’s contest between the C’s and the Magic won’t be played as scheduled.
The NBA issued a press release confirming the postponement, noting within its announcement that Boston doesn’t have the league-required minimum of eight players available.
As Tim Bontemps of ESPN observes (via Twitter), the Celtics’ most recent injury report, released on Sunday, included seven players (Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, Grant Williams, Tristan Thompson, Robert Williams, Javonte Green, and Semi Ojeleye) out due to health and safety protocols and two more (Kemba Walker and Romeo Langford) sidelined due to injuries. That would leave eight players available, so it seems likely that at least one more player has been ruled out since then.
The Celtics and Magic had been scheduled to play a pair of games in Boston this week. The second of those two contests, set to be played on Friday, remains up in the air for the time being. According to Wojnarowski (via Twitter), the Magic won’t be traveling to Boston today. However, they could do so later in the week.
Quartet Of Mavericks Players Have COVID-19
The Mavericks have four players with confirmed cases of COVID-19, Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News tweets. A pair of rotation players tested positive on Monday, according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon and Zach Lowe (Twitter link).
None of the players who have tested positive have been named publicly due to privacy issues. Mavericks veterans Josh Richardson, Dorian Finney-Smith and Jalen Brunson were self-isolating as of Friday, and Maxi Kleber joined that list over the weekend.
The NBA postponed Monday’s game between the Mavericks and Pelicans due to issues related to COVID-19 and the Mavericks’ game at Charlotte on Wednesday could also be in jeopardy.
Due to contact tracing, the Mavericks and the NBA could not say with certainty that Dallas would have at least eight non-infected/bodily healthy players for Monday’s game, Townsend notes in another tweet.
According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link), Dallas can file for a hardship exception on each of the four players that tested positive, even though none of the players have missed three consecutive games. The normal procedure to request the exception is to have four players miss three consecutive games and be out two additional weeks.
Several other teams, including the Heat, Celtics and Sixers, have been dealing with major personnel issues due to the coronavirus. The league’s Board of Governors is meeting on Tuesday to discuss potential changes to the protocols that have been in place this season.
Eight Heat Players Unavailable Due To COVID-19 Protocols
3:58pm: In addition to Bradley, the Heat will be without the following players for Tuesday’s game in Philadelphia due to the NBA’s health and safety protocols, per Reynolds (Twitter link): Jimmy Butler, Goran Dragic, Bam Adebayo, Kendrick Nunn, Maurice Harkless, Udonis Haslem, and KZ Okpala.
That would leave the team with nine available players, assuming everyone else is healthy. Meyers Leonard (shoulder) is currently listed as questionable, while Kelly Olynyk (groin) and Gabe Vincent (knee) are probable, Reynolds notes (via Twitter).
2:14pm: The Heat are preparing to be without “at least five” players for the next several days due to possible exposure to the coronavirus, reports Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press.
Miami didn’t have the required minimum of eight players available on Sunday due to an inconclusive COVID-19 test and subsequent contact tracing, per Shams Charania of The Athletic. As a result, the team’s scheduled game in Boston was postponed. Subsequently, the Heat spent Sunday and Monday awaiting the results of the NBA’s contact tracing investigation to find out which players may be required to self-isolate for the next week, says Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.
According to Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Heat are arranging for the players who need to self-isolate due to contact tracing to fly back to Miami on a private plane. The player who tested positive for COVID-19 will be sequestered in a hotel, while the rest of the team flies to Philadelphia in anticipation of playing vs. the Sixers.
Based on Winderman’s report, it sounds like the Heat expect to have enough players to resume their schedule on Tuesday vs. Philadelphia, though we don’t know yet who will and won’t be available. Avery Bradley‘s absence due to the league’s health and safety protocols was the only one reported on Sunday — all signs point to Bradley being the player who tested positive for the coronavirus, Winderman notes, but that hasn’t been confirmed.
NBA Meeting With GMs, Board Of Governors To Discuss COVID-19 Protocols
Following the postponements of three games in the last two days, the NBA is holding meetings to discuss possible changes to its health and safety protocols.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, who reported earlier today that the NBA will hold a call with its general managers on Monday to discuss those protocols, says (via Twitter) that the league also scheduled a Board of Governors meetings for Tuesday.
The NBA insisted over the weekend that it wasn’t seriously weighing the idea of pausing the season, with spokesman Mike Bass telling Wojnarowski that the league had anticipated some postponements and had planned the schedule accordingly. However, Jason Dumas of KRON4 News (Twitter link) hears that the league has considered the possibility of a seven- or 14-day stoppage in the wake of its recent influx of positive COVID-19 tests.
For now, the league is exploring ways its health and safety protocols might be adjusted and tightened to reduce the risk of spreading the virus. According to Wojnarowski (Twitter link), the NBA is expected to discuss the following topics with GMs in today’s meeting:
- Re-examining the lengths of team shootarounds and practices
- Limiting pre- and post-game socializing on the court (ie. hugs)
- Imposing further restrictions on restaurant dining
- Imposing stricter rules on mask-wearing
As has been previously reported, the NBA considered the possibility during the offseason of expanding rosters by two and allowing teams to carry four two-way players instead of just a pair. That’s an option that could be revisited if teams continue to struggle to meet the required minimum of eight active players.
Monday’s Mavericks/Pelicans Game Postponed
1:13pm: The Mavericks may have had enough players to meet the required minimum tonight, but the league chose to postpone the game in order to continue contact tracing and “to ensure the health and safety of players, coaches and other personnel,” VP of basketball communications Scott Tomlin told Caplan. The contact tracing process is ongoing, per Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press.
11:45am: The NBA is postponing Monday’s game between the Mavericks and Pelicans due to issues related to COVID-19, according to Callie Caplan of The Dallas Morning News. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports (via Twitter) that the Mavs don’t have the required minimum of eight players available.
It’s the fourth game this season that has been postponed, including the third in two days. The Sunday contest between the Heat and Celtics was also postponed, as was Tuesday’s game between the Celtics and Bulls. Before Sunday, all games since December 23 had been played.
Mavericks veterans Josh Richardson, Dorian Finney-Smith and Jalen Brunson were self-isolating as of Friday, and Maxi Kleber joined that list over the weekend. Tim MacMahon of ESPN said on Sunday night (via Twitter) that Dallas wasn’t expected to lose any more players to contact tracing, but it seems that’s no longer the case.
According to Wojnarowski (via Twitter), ongoing contact tracing will leave Dallas with fewer than eight players available tonight, despite the imminent return of Kristaps Porzingis. As MacMahon tweets, that suggests that at least five more Mavericks entered the protocols today.