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Tim BontempsESPN
Houston Rockets forward Bruno Caboclo inadvertently broke the quarantine, subjecting him to an extended quarantine period and better coronavirus testing, league sources told ESPN.
After players entered the league bubble at the Walt Disney World Resort last week, anyone was caught leaving for an unauthorized reason or breaking the initial quarantine period (which covered being confined to the hotel room until multiple coronavirus tests in more than 24 hours) hour was subject to league re-entry protocols.
That means undergoing enhanced coronavirus testing – tests with the long nose swab, rather than the less invasive tests players receive during their time in the bubble, plus a 10-day quarantine period in their hotel room. .
Caboclo left his room during the initial quarantine period, a source said. He did not know that he was not allowed to do so, despite the fact that the league informed all players and staff about the protocol.
“I should have known,” said the source. “It was not a secret.”
Sources told ESPN that Caboclo’s quarantined time has now been reduced to eight days. You are expected to rejoin the team once your quarantine is complete.
The Rockets are still awaiting the arrival of stars James Harden and Russell Westbrook in Orlando, as well as forward Luc Mbah in Moute. Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni had said Sunday that all three are likely to rejoin the team this week, but Westbrook announced on Twitter on Monday that he had tested positive for the coronavirus before the team left and was quarantined.
Caboclo, 24, was acquired from the Memphis Grizzlies by Jordan Bell and a second-round pick swap in 2023. He played 28 minutes in five games for the Rockets and scored 10 points.
ESPN’s Malika Andrews, Zach Lowe, and Tim MacMahon contributed to this report.
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