Salman Ali: Eric Gordon: “There’s not a second thought about my knee. It’s all about what I’m going to do on the court.”
Houston Rockets Rumors
Salman Ali: Danuel House (who dealt with shoulder issues throughout the season): “I’m completely healthy. The break kind of gave a lot of people a chance to recover [from injuries].”
Kelly Iko: Rockets VP of BBall Ops Rafael Stone to @TheAthletic on the bubble: “It feels like the number one goal was to create the safest way possible. There are no guarantees in life and in the world, but they get an A from me in terms of creating a safe environment.”
NBA Central: Russell Westbrook reacts to Bleacher Report’s rankings.
Kendrick Perkins: Y’all will listen to a non hooper running the @BleacherReport App huh?! This is disrespectful to Max!!! 27.5-8-7 and shooting a career high 47 percent from the field. @BleacherReport Cleanse Your Soul!
Mark Berman: Houston graphic artist Terence Tang (@tinlunstudio)designed special shoes for #Rockets guard @Ben McLemore to wear in Orlando: “I’ve wanted to do sneaker art for NBA players for a really long time..To have it convey such a strong & meaningful message,that’s just icing on the cake” pic.twitter.com/aGR9tBRnun
Alykhan Bijani: I asked P.J. Tucker if playing without fans helps the #Rockets better communicate on defense: “Yeah and no. We got guys on our team that just don’t talk. No matter if there are fans in the crowd or not, so we still ain’t gonna be able to hear them. We worked on that a lot today.”
Alykhan Bijani: Coach D’Antoni: “It’s gonna come down to great plays and we have great players. We’re not gonna take a backseat to anybody. We think we can win it. It’s a long journey, and we’ll see how it goes.” #Rockets
Cayleigh Griffin: PJ Tucker has not decided yet what will be on the back of his jersey for the NBA restart. He wished the league had provided them with more options, but he is still weighing the options at the moment. #Rockets
Cayleigh Griffin: Tucker says his hotel room is his home for the next 3 months, so he wanted to make it feel as home, which is why he had the 85 inch TV delivered. He said it’s “perfect.”
Alykhan Bijani: Ben McLemore: “To be honest, we looked good today. It’s not shocking. I know all are guys stayed in shape and found ways to stay active. Everybody looked good today, for sure. #Rockets
Alykhan Bijani: Coach D’Antoni on today’s practice: “We went over all of our offense and defensive principles in film…It’s going to be a process, and everyday we’ll adjust our practice to how they’re feeling.” #Rockets
Jonathan Feigen: MDA: “Every coach has to be excited now. It’s like training camp again.” Earlier said, “I’m excited because I know what we can do. And being around these guys is infectious — no pun intended.”
Mark Berman: PJ Tucker never considered opting out & not playing.He hopes to win the NBA title:”I think anybody can win it so I say why not us” And he hopes to finish his career n Houston:”I want to retire as a Houston Rocket. I hope we can strike a deal & get it done” tinyurl.com/y6w3q4fa
“That’s solid cooking where I’m coming from.” @DeMarreCarroll1 is calling out the IG food posts😂
Mark Berman: Forward PJ Tucker flew with the #Rockets to Florida. He never thought for one second about opting out: “I want to play basketball. I love playing basketball. I got an eight-year-old son that loves watching me play. He’s so excited right now. He’s super-hyped for me to go play…”
Mark Berman: PJ Tucker has 1 year left on his contract & reiterates he’d like an extension: “I love Houston. I’ve said it many times. I want to retire as a Houston Rocket..The fans, the city have embraced me since day one. So fingers crossed, I hope we can strike a deal and get it done.”
Alykhan Bijani: The #Rockets have landed in Orlando.
James Harden, Russell Westbrook not traveling yet to Orlando
Shams Charania: Houston stars James Harden and Russell Westbrook did not travel with Rockets today to Orlando and will join the team in near future, sources tell @The Athletic @Stadium.
Jonathan Feigen: Can confirm that James Harden and Russell Westbrook were not on the flight to Orlando, per source. Luc Mbah a Moute and player development coach John Lucas also did not fly with the team.
Mike D'Antoni flying to Orlando
Tim MacMahon: Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni, 69, is on the team flight en route to Orlando, a source told ESPN. He has said recently that his medical screenings didn’t raise any red flags and that he planned to coach as usual, other than wearing a mask.
Jonathan Feigen: Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni will be part of the Rockets traveling party to Orlando this afternoon. He said he did not anticipate any issues having provided the information the NBA sought.
Jonathan Feigen: There was no formal NBA thumbs up, but nothing additional sought either.
The NBA’s professional basketball teams have recently moved into a “isolation bubble” at Disney World’s ESPN Wide World of Sports in Reunion, Fla., where they will live, practice and play without outside visitors or fans, in an attempt to avoid the coronavirus. As part of that isolation, the NBA has partnered with six restaurants to provide delivery meals to staff and players. All six of those restaurants, which include Morton’s Steakhouse, Oceanaire and Joe’s Crab Shack, are owned by billionaire restauranteur and Rockets owner Tillman Fertitta, according to NBA reporter Jeff Zillgitt.
This season, Beal took command. With Wall out since December 2018 due to Achilles injuries, Beal averaged 30.5 points and 6.1 assists with a 57.9 true shooting percentage this season, numbers that have been exceeded in a single season by only Oscar Robertson, Michael Jordan, and James Harden. But the Wizards have treaded water at 24-40, and though they made the cut to resume play in Orlando later this month, their season is basically over: Wall, Beal (rotator cuff injury), and breakthrough stretch big Davis Bertans (free agency) will all sit out the restart. To qualify for the postseason play-in tournament, the Wizards would need to win two or more games than the Nets or Magic with only eight games to play. Good luck doing that when Ish Smith, Troy Brown Jr., and Rui Hachimura are your new Big Three.
Orazio Cauchi: A couple of Euroleague clubs are monitoring the situation of German big man Isaiah Hartenstein, I’ve been told. The player was recently waived by the Rockets after averaging 4.7 points and 3.9 rebounds per game this season.
The NBA’s best arenas Madison Square Garden (New York Knicks) It’s the Mecca for a reason, right? It doesn’t matter how bad of a team James Dolan and the New York Knicks put out on the floor. That arena is a thing of beauty, and it feels important to be there when basketball is going on. Guys like LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Steph Curry, and James Harden love to play there because it feels like it means something to do something special on that stage. The Knicks have the lowest win percentage in the NBA over the last 18 years, and yet people still flock to this arena. It’s the best cathedral we have when it comes to the feeling and ambiance of an NBA arena. Now if only Dolan could get out of his own way and give the loyal fans something to care about in that building.
Cayleigh Griffin: The Rockets are scheduled to host their first team practice in Orlando on Saturday at 3:30 pm ET. #OneMission
Mark Berman: The #Rockets small-ball style of play is nothing new to Luc Mbah a Moute (@Luc Richard Mbah a Moute): “We kind of already played like that when I was here. Clint (Capela) was the only big guy. We had Nene at times, but a lot of times we ended up playing with PJ (Tucker) at the five when I…” pic.twitter.com/k7MLgzCHVw
Mark Berman: Luc Mbah a Moute (@mbahamoute) back w/ #Rockets: “I feel great. I think it’s been in the making for a while, going back to even last summer. I always felt like this was a good place for me. It was great mutual interest & when the opportunity came I was excited about coming back here”
David Hardisty: Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta spoke on CNBC about the NBA restart. “I think we have a great plan. Hopefully we can keep the cases down to a minimum and you don’t lose a bunch of superstars on any one team so we have a real champion this year.”
Shams Charania: Luc Richard Mbah a Moute has signed his Rockets contract ahead of NBA restart, sources said.
Tim Reynolds: With Bradley Beal’s season now over, James Harden needs to score a total of 12 points – or simply sit out one of Houston’s eight remaining games – to win the NBA scoring title. (This assumes that Giannis Antetokounmpo does not average 67.9 points per game at Disney.)
Mark Berman: Mike D’Antoni asked how he huddles in games with players keeping social distancing in mind: “Instead of being all packed in, will be 6 feet packed in..A lot of times you’re packed in because u can’t hear over the crowd. Won’t have that. Other problem we’re gonna have… pic.twitter.com/lBvUCBTu5H
Tim Reynolds: Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni, 69, says he “assumes” he is going to Orlando. Says he has not heard yet if he’s officially in or officially out. “Now everybody knows I’m 69. I was trying to keep that quiet,” MDA says.
Tim MacMahon: Mike D’Antoni: “I assume — and maybe I shouldn’t assume anything in this world — that I’m going to Orlando. I haven’t heard [from the NBA] one way or the other.” He added that all info from his medical screenings is in and there weren’t red flags.
Salman Ali: Mike D’Antoni on staying safe in Orlando: “I’ll have my mask on and everybody around me will have a mask on – or I won’t be around them.”
Alykhan Bijani: Austin Rivers would like to have ‘Trayvon’ on the back of his jersey, in honor of Trayvon Martin. #Rockets
Marc Stein: Houston is thought to be one of those teams given Rockets GM Daryl Morey’s recent lament on Reddit: “Sadly we cannot sign Gerald back this year by NBA rule” The Rockets traded Green to Denver in February and thus couldn’t re-sign him this season even after Denver waived Green
