Not so Adam Silver was hoping to start the NBA season: Just before they open a season, the game between Houston and Oklahoma City has been postponed as the Rockets do not have eight players following a Corona outburst.
According to the report, published on ESPN, it all started when the rookie, the Martin Jr. Mall, presented a positive corona test and had to be tested again. John Wall and Demarcus Cousins, who had been in the actor’s apartment the day before, were diagnosed as negative though – but were asked to go into solitary confinement. And so, the plague began to erupt in the group. Next in line was rookie Jason Tate who was sent home as well. Overall: Three players returned positive or inconclusive tests, and four others went into isolation.
The new protocol allows the league the ability to make decisions regarding the schedules for returning players, to the extent that subsequent tests will be negative. In addition, according to the report, the league is examining whether James Harden violated the guidelines based on a video circulated in the US.
After the NBA, James Harden declared “unavailable due to violation of health and safety protocols,” it is still unclear to both Harden and the Rockets how long he’ll be unavailable or whether he’ll face league punishment, sources tell @ramonashelburne and me.
– Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) December 23, 2020