A week after the news that Russell Westbrook contracted COVID-19, the Houston Rockets guard joins his teammates in the NBA bubble.
Head coach Mike D’Antoni told reporters Monday that Westbrook was scheduled to arrive later in the day.
Westbrook wrote on Twitter last week that he was in quarantine but was feeling well and encouraged people to take the coronavirus pandemic seriously. He will join the Rockets days after teammate James Harden arrives. Harden initially did not travel with the Rockets, citing a family matter.
The bubble protocol requires Westbrook to be quarantined in his room upon arrival until he passes two COVID-19 tests.
Russell Westbrook is expected to join his teammates at Disney World on Monday. (AP Photo / David J. Phillip)
Intact rocket core with impending NBA restart
Westbrook’s arrival means the Rockets will have their core team intact in Orlando 11 days before they are scheduled to resume their season.
“As a team we are very excited,” said Rockets forward Danuel House. “We’re finally bringing our entire team together, it will be fun.”
The Rockets are slated to face the Dallas Mavericks in the bubble on July 31, a day after the league returns with a couple of games on July 30. The Rockets 40-24 are sixth in the West, but sit just one game behind fourth for the Utah Jazz and 2.5 games behind the Denver Nuggets for third in qualifying with eight games remaining before the playoffs.
Of course, winning a seed in the top four doesn’t mean that much this season, as the advantage of playing at home doesn’t play a factor in the playoff series.
