James Harden, Russell Westbrook not part of Rockets roster in Orlando: Report

Houston Rockets star guards James Harden and Russell Westbrook were not with the team when they arrived at the ESPN Wide Wolrd of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. As per reports, both players are supposed to join the team a few days later. A small group of Rockets staff also did not travel with the team and will be arriving with Westbrook and Harden.

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James Harden and Russell Westbrook did not travel to Orlando with the Houston Rockets roster

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According to ESPN's report, both members are expecting to arrive at Walt Disney World after travelling on their own. Head coach  Mike D'Antoni was on the flight with the team, but he was yet to receive any official announcement from the league that he can coach the team while they stay at Disney World. The league was concerned about the health of coaches about the age of 65, who are vulnerable to the virus.

As per D'Antoni, there were no red flags revealed during his medical screening before the team travelled to the venue. The league had previously informed the National Basketball Coaches Association that no person would be placed in the 'high-risk' category only because of their age. 

The Houston Rockets were ranked sixth on the Western Conference with a 40-24 win-loss record before the season was suspended on March 11 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Harden was averaging a league-leading 34.4 points, 6.4 assists and 7.4 rebounds per game, while Westbrook followed with 27.5 points, 6.3 rebounds and 8.0 assists average per game. The Rockets will begin their eight seeding games before the playoff series by playing the Dallas Mavericks on Friday, July 31 8:00 PM EST (Saturday, August 1, 5:30 AM IST). 

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Kawhi Leonard did not travel with the LA Clippers to the NBA bubble

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(Image source: Houston Rockets official Instagram)