Wednesday, July 1 is the deadline to submit rosters of eligible players to the NBA for the league’s Florida restart, and some teams are scrambling to make late changes based on potential roster defections.
The Lakers, for example, are replacing Avery Bradley with JR Smith. Bradley is one of several players declining to participate in the restart, citing family concerns amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
There won’t be any similar roster changes for the Houston Rockets, though. In a Zoom meeting with Houston media members on Wednesday, head coach Mike D’Antoni confirmed that the Rockets expect to have their complete roster available at the NBA’s “bubble” site in Florida.
Mike D'Antoni: "We expect everyone to be there (in Orlando). We won't get into specifics. We're dealing with it like everyone else is dealing with it (COVID-19), but it shouldn't affect us in Orlando."#Rockets
— Cayleigh Griffin (@cayleighgriffin) July 1, 2020
The lone exception is newcomer David Nwaba, who is still recovering from an Achilles tear last December. Nwaba isn’t expected to be medically cleared to play until the 2020-21 season.
The news of a complete roster doesn’t come as a surprise, since there hadn’t been any reports of a Rockets player being hesitant to play — be it due to COVID-19 or the ongoing racial justice movement. Nonetheless, Wednesday served as the first official confirmation.
Reserve guard Eric Gordon said it was a tough decision for many players to leave their families for an extended period. Ultimately, he said he’s excited for the restart and to see if his Rockets can win a championship.
Eric Gordon on Zoom with media: “I’m very excited to get back started,just to see what our team is all about & trying to achieve a championship..Just like any other player it is a tough decision to go out there,leave your families for so long..It is a tough call, tough decision” pic.twitter.com/tjyZWOepKn
— Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) July 1, 2020
The 2019-20 NBA season has been suspended since March 12 due to the pandemic. That time off has also allowed players like Gordon — who had been playing through injuries — to finally get healthy.
Thus, when D’Antoni’s Rockets arrive in Florida, they expect to have both a complete roster and a healthy roster.
Eric Gordon says he's back to full strength, full health and is happy to feel like himself again, after surgery on his knee during the season. #Rockets
— Cayleigh Griffin (@cayleighgriffin) July 1, 2020
The Rockets are scheduled to depart for the Disney complex on July 9, with their 2019-20 regular season set to resume on July 31. Houston (40-24) enters tied for the No. 5 spot in the tightly packed West standings, and they’ve already clinched a spot in the 2020 NBA playoffs.
The Rockets can mathematically finish anywhere between No. 2 and No. 7 in the final Western Conference regular-season standings.
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