After having their first game of the season against Oklahoma City Thunder postponed due to a lack of available players, the Houston Rockets will finally start their 2020-21 campaign on Saturday night against the Trail Blazers in Portland. The Rockets will travel with nine players in total to Portland, one more than the minimum required by the NBA, according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon. Although they technically have enough players to play against Portland, Houston will obviously have few players, as they still have six players listed as eliminated due to the league’s COVID-19 protocols.
All-Star guard James Harden will be available to play for Houston against the Blazers on Saturday night, but several of his teammates will not be. Ben McLemore and rookie striker Kenyon Martin Jr. tested positive for the coronavirus earlier this week and DeMarcus Cousins, John Wall, Eric Gordon and Mason Jones are out due to contact tracking.
Harden was fined $ 50,000 for violating the league’s health and safety protocols earlier this week after videos showing Harden at a maskless party began to circulate on social media. The league has implemented several protocols for this season due to the ongoing global pandemic, and these protocols prohibit players from attending any bars, restaurants or clubs. If players fail to comply with these guidelines, they can be suspended or fined, as with Harden. Since then, Harden has passed all the necessary tests and, as such, is ready to go on Saturday night.
In addition to all of Houston’s health problems, Harden’s exchange request is still pending on the franchise as well, since the former MVP made it explicitly clear that he no longer wants to be a Rocket. In addition to the Nets and 76ers, Harden recently expanded its list of desired destinations to also include Celtics and Blazers. Harden’s NBA future is now in Houston’s hands, as he still has two years left from his current contract. Maybe they’ll change it soon, maybe not. But until that happens, Harden is expected to produce on the court, and it starts against the Blazers on Saturday night.