Daryl Morey says Rockets can’t comment on COVID-19 tests

A day after Thabo Sefolosha said some Rockets had tested positive, Houston GM Daryl Morey said he couldn’t discuss any results.

Over the weekend, veteran Houston Rockets forward Thabo Sefolosha ⁠—who is opting out of the NBA’s restart later this month ⁠— said some of his teammates had tested positive for COVID-19.

Sefolosha did not identify what teammates or how many, and he also did not specify whether those results were from the NBA’s current round of testing (which began on June 23) or from earlier in the pandemic.

Any players who do not test negative in this week’s testing rounds will not be allowed to fly on Thursday’s team charter to the “bubble” site near Orlando. They can still travel on their own and enter at a later date, but three consecutive negative tests will be required prior to travel.

As such, it’s not yet clear if Houston will have its entire roster on Thursday’s flight. Rockets GM Daryl Morey was asked about the situation on Monday’s Zoom call with media members, but he said the league’s policies prevented him from discussing any test results. His comments:

The league office sent out a memo last night. … We’re not at liberty to talk about the details of all that. The NBA has put a good plan together.

Morey, who said he planned to stay with the Rockets for their entire stint in Orlando, said he believed that most of the team’s players remain excited about the opportunity — even considering the obvious risks.

“I like that everyone has a personal choice on what they want to do,” Morey said on Monday. “The strong feeling that Mike [D’Antoni] and I have gotten throughout on our Zoom calls have been of a team with a mission that’s excited to do this.”

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