Tag: NBA bubble

Health of Eric Gordon already stands out to D’Antoni, Rockets

Two days into training camp for the NBA’s restart, Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni says Eric Gordon’s return to health is a clear storyline.

The Houston Rockets are only two days into their Florida training camp leading up to the NBA’s restart, and superstar guards James Harden and Russell Westbrook aren’t yet with the team.

As such, there aren’t too many major takeaways that can be deciphered just yet as to the level of the team’s play. But after Sunday’s second day of practice, head coach Mike D’Antoni did say there was one early standout — and it’s the return to health of 6-foot-3 guard Eric Gordon.

“He hasn’t missed a rep,” D’Antoni said of his team’s top bench player, speaking in a Zoom session with reporters. “He looks good, he’s shooting the ball extremely well. If you had to make an assessment of everybody, this is a big bonus for us. He’s ready to go.”

Now 31 years old, Gordon’s production has fallen off in 2019-20 relative to his first three seasons in Houston, largely owing to a nagging right knee injury that led him to undergo surgery in November. Though he returned in late December, Gordon says he still wasn’t at peak fitness.

On Sunday, Gordon said those concerns are no longer an issue after using the extended time off due to the NBA’s COVID-19 hiatus to rest his knee. “I’ve been looking forward to this,” he said. “I wanted to be healthy so I could be myself. For me, just to be able to focus on basketball and what we do, instead of doing rehab before practice. That means a lot.”

Gordon has missed 30 of Houston’s 64 games this season due to injury. When he plays, Gordon is the third-leading scorer on the Rockets (40-24), averaging 14.5 points in 28.6 minutes per game.

While limited by injury, however, Gordon’s shooting percentages have dipped from 40.9% overall and 36.0% on 3-pointers in the 2018-19 campaign to 37.0% and 31.9%, respectively, this season.

After just two practices, Gordon says he can already tell a difference in his knee’s condition, relative to before the season’s hiatus.

“For sure, no question,” Gordon said when asked by reporters after Sunday night’s practice. “There’s not a second thought about my knee. It’s all about what I can do on the court. … I’m in a good spot now to where I don’t have to worry about rehab.”

Both D’Antoni and Houston GM Daryl Morey have said throughout the NBA’s stoppage that Gordon’s health was a key variable pertaining to the team’s championship ambitions this year. It’s still very early in training camp, but the initial returns sound promising.

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Ben McLemore, Robert Covington show fishing skills at NBA bubble

The Rockets aren’t practicing until Sunday night, so McLemore and Covington took advantage of one of the NBA’s bubble perks.

NBA teams at two of three hotels within the Disney restart hub near Orlando currently have access to special marine privileges, including a “guided fishing experience” for two hours with up to five guests.

The Houston Rockets, who are staying at the Grand Floridian, are one of the lucky teams to now have access. And on Sunday afternoon, with the team not practicing until later that night, guard Ben McLemore and forward Robert Covington took the league up on its offer.

On his Twitter page, a happy McLemore uploaded images and videos of him fishing with Covington and assistant athletic trainer Motoki Fujii. All three looked quite happy with their catch!

“We enjoying life,” McLemore wrote. Everyone on the boat wore masks, as per the NBA’s recommended safety protocols for off-court activities to minimize potential risks related to COVID-19.

The Athletic‘s Fred Katz recently wrote about the boating options available to players at the “bubble” in Florida. Among the options:

Players and others in attendance have two boating options. Participants can go on a “guided fishing experience,” a two-hour trip with up to five guests allowed. They cannot take alcohol on the boat. They can also rent motorized pontoon boats — once again, without taking alcoholic beverages onboard.

Before the beginning of scrimmages on July 22, the memo notes, only teams located at two of the three NBA-attended hotels, the Grand Floridian and the Yacht Club, can use the boats. That means teams staying at the Gran Destino — which includes the Bucks, Lakers, Clippers, Raptors, Nuggets, Celtics, Jazz and Heat — have to wait two weeks before full marine privileges.

The Rockets aren’t among the eight teams having to wait, so McLemore and Covington took full advantage of the opportunity. Considering the fun they had, expect many more players to try it in the coming days.

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Jay Williams tells NBA players to stop being so ‘tone-deaf’ with complaints about the bubble

“My NBA brothers, you cannot be tone-deaf right now in this current environment.”

Since arriving in the NBA bubble near Orlando, some NBA players — certainly, not all — have shared their complaints about the food provided, as well as their accommodations.

Examples include Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid joking about losing weight in the bubble because of the food, and Los Angeles Lakers point guard Rajon Rondo posting a photo of his room with the caption: “Motel 6 hun @nba” and the middle finger emoji.

Setting aside the fact that the food players have received so far won’t be the norm for their extended stay in the bubble, USA TODAY Sports reported Thursday, they still shouldn’t be complaining, ESPN broadcaster Jay Williams said.

In a video he tweeted Sunday, the former Duke star encouraged NBA players to not be so “tone-deaf” while living in a “billion-dollar bubble,” as everyday people are struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic, which is ravaging parts of the U.S., including and especially Florida.

In his video, Williams said:

“NBA players cannot be tone-deaf. My NBA brothers, you cannot be tone-deaf right now in this current environment. We all know the life that NBA players live. You are blessed. You get a chance to be on private planes, you get a chance to have millions of dollars in your bank account, you live a different level of life. But that is drastically different than what real, everyday, working Americans are going through right now.

“Now, you’re in a billion-dollar bubble. If you want to complain about the anxieties you have from COVID-related issues, I get it. Complain about that. We all have the right to complain about that. But when I hear NBA guys complaining about living facilities, food that they have being delivered to them, it is tone-deaf. It is tone-deaf. We need to think about people who are everyday, working people who are making minimum wage, trying to make ends meet, that are going to factories, that are going to really harsh working environments, where, if anything, maybe their employers are doing less to ensure their safety because they’re trying to increase the bottom line. They’re trying to earn and make money back from all the money that they lost during the times that a lot of these states, individually governed, have been dealing with this issue.

“So when I see guys that are going into a billion-dollar bubble — a billion-dollar bubble — and are getting food delivered to them, that have beds to sleep in, you can’t complain about that. Not while you’re making millions of dollars, not while your employer is going through drastic measures to protect you while they’re still paying you when that’s not the case for everyday, real working Americans. That bothers me.”

Williams added that as the NBA is trying to finish its season — which, like that of nearly every other pro sport, was totally upended by the pandemic in March — teams’ public relations departments should work with players to ensure the end of these tone-deaf complaints.

Later on Twitter, Williams also gave credit to Memphis Grizzlies rookie Ja Morant for his comments about the accommodations in the NBA bubble.

Via the Memphis Commercial Appeal in a story published Friday:

“My room is fine, my food is fine. I’m not a silver spoon guy so I know how to live in the conditions,” Morant said Friday, “People complaining but I’m doing good.”

He also brought his own stash of snacks as if to say it doesn’t matter what they’ll be served as the NBA prepares to restart its season. He’ll be good keeping it simple.

“I’m a Ramen noodles guy so I’m used to this,” Morant said.

JJ Redick on having to shotgun a beer: ‘NBA Twitter never fails’

JJ Redick said he would shotgun a beer if he got 10,000 retweets. Thanks to #NBATwitter, that didn’t take long at all.

After New Orleans Pelicans shooting guard JJ Redick posted a picture to social media that included a Bud Light, a newly formed Twitter page dedicated to re-posting NBA player activity inside the bubble to ask him if he would shotgun it.

Get 10,000 retweets by 5 p.m. the following day, Redick replied, and he would do it.

Before morning rolled around, the 10,000th retweet came through.

“Didn’t exactly expect that tweet to get 10,000 retweets, but, NBA twitter never fails. So, yeah, at about 5:00, I’ll post something,” Redick said when asked about it in an interview that was posted to the Pelicans’ social media account.

NBA players: They’re just like us.

Now, instead of fans judging him for tasks on the basketball court at which he is way, way better than the rest of us, fans can instead judge him on his ability to down a beer.

And Redick might not be the only player doing this. Miami Heat big Meyers Leonard quote-tweeted Redick saying he would shotgun a Coors Light if his own tweet got 10,000 retweets.

Because what else would you do when you’re stuck inside a confined area?

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Rockets practice as a team Saturday for first time since March

Highlights of Saturday’s practice, which is a key milestone as the NBA works to return from its COVID-19 shutdown, are enclosed.

In a significant milestone as the NBA continues to ramp up team activities in advance of the league’s anticipated restart in late July, the Houston Rockets practiced as a team on Saturday afternoon.

The practice from the league’s “bubble” site near Orlando was the team’s first since the 2019-20 season was suspended due to COVID-19 on March 11. Team facilities reopened in May, but those were only for individual player workouts under strict physical distancing protocols.

By contrast, Saturday’s activity was a traditional contact practice. While the Rockets arrived in Florida on Thursday night, they were not allowed to practice until today — since all NBA personnel entering the Disney bubble are required to test negative for COVID-19 on the first two days after their arrival and before being allowed into the broader complex.

“Typical Rockets practice,” veteran defensive ace P.J. Tucker said on Zoom after its conclusion. “Exactly as we always practice.”

“It was amazing to see everybody and be around everybody,” added guard Ben McLemore. “It felt great to be back out there on the floor.”

Since players were extensively tested both before and after traveling to Florida, close contact on the practice court is allowed, with the league designing its protocols to greatly reduce the risk of any player having the virus at that time. Courtesy of the NBA, select clips are available.

Head coach Mike D’Antoni said the Rockets are still building their way up to five-on-five work after the extended hiatus. On Saturday’s first day, D’Antoni said his team went over all of their offensive and defensive principles, along with studying film. They then did various on-court drills.

According to the Rockets, the best news after such a long layoff is that they remain in good shape, physically. “To be honest, we looked good today,” McLemore said after Saturday’s practice. “It’s not shocking. I know a lot of our guys stayed in shape and found ways to stay active.”

When D’Antoni was asked about his team’s conditioning level, Houston’s head coach replied: “From the looks of today, good.”

Houston’s All-Star backcourt of James Harden and Russell Westbrook has yet to arrive in Florida, and neither has newcomer Luc Mbah a Moute. As a result, none were participants in Saturday’s practice. All are expected to arrive within the next few days, according to D’Antoni.

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The Rockets (40-24) are entering the NBA’s restart tied for the No. 5 spot in the tightly packed Western Conference, and they can finish anywhere between No. 2 and No. 7 when the regular season concludes. They have already clinched their spot in the 2020 playoffs.

The Rockets will practice regularly over the coming days as they gear up for the first of three scrimmages on Friday, July 24. A week later, their 2019-20 regular season will finally resume on July 31 versus Dallas.

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Rockets expect Russell Westbrook, James Harden to arrive within days

Houston coach Mike D’Antoni said Saturday that he expects the All-Star guards to join the team in Florida within “three or four days.”

The Houston Rockets practiced on Saturday at the NBA’s restart location in Florida for the first time since the 2019-20 season was suspended in March. The team’s All-Star backcourt of James Harden and Russell Westbrook did not participate, since they’ve yet to arrive in Florida.

No official reason for their delay has been given.

Following Saturday’s practice, Rockets head coach Mike D’Antoni didn’t give any specifics regarding the current situations of the former MVPs. He did, however, offer a more specific timetable for their arrival.

Among his comments:

I don’t think it’s going to be too many days. … In a few days, they’ll be here. It won’t set us back.

James and Russell were not here, but they’ll be here in a couple days, three or four days. And then we’ll get it going.

Rockets forward Thabo Sefolosha, who opted out of playing in Florida, said last weekend that some of his teammates had tested positive for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). However, he did not identify who, how many, or how recently. For medical privacy reasons, NBA teams are not required to report any individual player’s COVID-19 diagnosis.

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If those positive tests were recent, that could be a potential explanation for any player who isn’t initially with his team in Orlando, since the NBA required players to test negative in the days just prior to travel. Cases of COVID-19 have surged around Houston in recent weeks.

There could also be any number of other reasons for not initially being with the team. The Los Angeles Clippers, for example, allowed superstar forward Kawhi Leonard to arrive a few days late due to a family matter. Any player who did not on the team’s charter flight must test negative three times for COVID-19 before traveling to Orlando.

Those players who arrive late must then go through the initial two-day period of self-quarantine and COVID-19 testing upon entering the NBA’s “bubble.” That means they won’t be able to join their team on the practice court until two days after their arrival at the Grand Floridian.

Given the expected timetable of two to four days, Harden and Westbrook should be with the Rockets well before the team’s first of three scrimmages at the Disney site on Friday, July 24. A week later, Houston’s 2019-20 regular season will finally resume on July 31 versus Dallas.

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NBA bubble life: Rockets guard Ben McLemore offers a room tour

The NBA hopes to incentivize its players to stay in their rooms as much as possible as part of a plan to mitigate potential COVID-19 risk.

Outside of practices and eventually games, NBA players who have traveled to the league’s bubble complex near Orlando are encouraged to practice social distancing as much as reasonably possible.

While masks and six feet of distancing are options for many social activities to minimize potential COVID-19 risks, the safest option of all is for players to spend lots of off-court time in their hotel rooms.

The Houston Rockets are among eight teams staying at the Grand Floridian, and they hope their stay will last for at least a couple months — since that would mean advancing in the NBA playoffs.

To incentivize staying in, the rooms for NBA personnel at the Disney complex aren’t average rooms. The beds are longer than usual to make tall athletes more comfortable. Food delivery options are from prominent restaurants. Many rooms have a balcony with great views.

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The league is also giving goodie bags featuring snacks and a variety of safety gear such as masks, gloves, and sanitizer. Other items include literature, headlined by The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness. The book discusses race-related issues specific to African-American males and mass incarceration, topics at the forefront of many minds amid the growing U.S. racial justice movement.

The giveaways also have various gaming and streaming hookups for each room’s television, all aimed at allowing players to pass the extensive downtime outside of basketball in the safest manner possible.

Upon Houston’s arrival late Thursday, reserve guard Ben McLemore took to Instagram to give his fans a video tour of his room. The full compilation (from his stories) can be seen below, along with his reactions.

Terrence Ross showed off the players’ lounge in the NBA Bubble and it looks fantastic

This looks so dope.

Plenty of NBA players have done a lot of complaining about their situation in the league’s Disney World bubble they’re about to be stuck in for the next three months.

Whether it’s been about the food or the rooms, players have had some sort of gripe to go with it.

And, look, when you’re putting your health and well-being on the line in a situation like this while being away from your family for three months, complaints are totally understandable and even valid.

But everything doesn’t seem to be all bad! From a small peek given to us by Orlando Magic guard Terrence Ross, things actually seem pretty sweet.

Ross posted a video of the players’ lounge the NBA’s stars will have access to while staying in Orlando. And, fam, it looks absolutely fantastic.

There are gaming stations, comfortable chairs, ping pong tables, arcade games, a pool table and so much more. Just imagine how many hours you could spend in a spot like that.

Who needs to go outside when all of that is available? Sheesh.

The food in the NBA Orlando bubble has gone viral

The NBA food in the Orlando bubble went viral after looking suspiciously like airline food. Meanwhile, the WNBA has its own lodging issues.

One of the first updates of the NBA bubble environment has gone viral and it’s… not great.

Some players shared pictures of the food served to them on trays after arriving in Orlando for the return of the basketball season. Suffice to say, their chefs at home prepare food that looks tastier than this.

It looks suspiciously like airplane food — but the good news is, it won’t last long. New York Times reporter Marc Stein tweeted that the food service will change after quarantine ends following the first 48 hours of living in the new environment and ensuring everyone is coronavirus-free.

After players have received two negative coronavirus test results, they will be able to eat together and terminate strict quarantine. Organizations can have specific meals made, restaurants will be allowed to open and players can bring private chefs to prepare food off-site, according to Sports Illustrated.

So it won’t be long until NBA players are eating well again.

The WNBA players are having more of a struggle, though.

On the IMG Academy campus in Bradenton, Fla., some have posted complaints about the living situation.

Kayla Johnson of ESPN tweeted a picture of some type of crawling creature on the ground, and the food looks … not excellent.

The laundry rooms aren’t in good shape, either.

After Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard tweeted disgust, WNBA Players Association president Nneka Ogwumike followed up by saying that someone is ignoring her messages about the need for improvement.

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NBA could soon create Chicago bubble for other 8 teams including Warriors

The NBA is considering creating a second bubble in Chicago for the eight teams who are not in Orlando, including the Golden State Warriors.

The idea for the eight non-Orlando-bound NBA teams to get some face time is heating up.

The NBA is “closing in on signing off on” a bubble in Chicago for those eight teams, including the Golden State Warriors, to have mini-camps and games against other teams, ESPN’s Jackie MacMullan reported and Adrian Wojnarowski tweeted.

Wojnarowski tweeted that the NBA is hoping for the camps to take place in September.

In June, Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said he wanted time for the team to work together as a group.

“We definitely need to get our team together for a period of time. I don’t know for how long, but we definitely need to be together and have some practice sessions,” he  said at the time.

Doing so would not only help their own development, but offset the advantage that the 22 teams participating in Orlando will receive.

With training camps for the 2020-21 season not scheduled to begin until Nov. 10, the Warriors would go eight months without organized play.

The 22 teams competing for a playoff spot in Orlando would get time to work as a group in the interim.

“Given that 22 of the teams are going to be allowed to do so for minimum of a couple of weeks practice and a couple weeks of games while the rest of us are not part of that, the league is sensitive to giving us the space that we’re going to need,” Kerr said.

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Creating a bubble would help ensure that players don’t venture out and risk exposure to the coronavirus, but it’s vastly more complicated than simply allowing organized, full-team activities over summer.

Commissioner Adam Silver said that he thinks testing protocols in the Orlando location will make it safer to play as a group than on individual sites.

“I am absolutely convinced that it will be safer on this campus than off this campus because there aren’t many situations that I am aware of where there is mass testing of asymptomatic employees,” Silver said about Orlando, according to Reuters.

The result of the 22-team tournament could play a major role in whether the Chicago one is a go.

The NBA will need to make sure their precautions in Orlando work. If the season gets cancelled or an unexpected number of players catch COVID-19, the league may have to reconsider what to do about the bottom eight teams.

Golden State would also have to decide whether the whole team would show up.

While it would be beneficial to get practice in as a group, stars like Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green may refuse to be quarantined, likely away from family, for a handful of camp experiences and scrimmages.

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