Rockets’ D’Antoni, teammates express support for Russell Westbrook after positive COVID-19 result

Houston Rockets missing Russell Westbrook, James Harden and Luc Mbah a Moute in Orlando bubble; Westbrook announces positive Covid-19 test results.

During his Monday evening media briefing, Houston Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni did not look like a man whose team is missing its two stars.

But it is.

James Harden, Russell Westbrook and newly signed Luc Mbah a Moute did not travel with the team to the Disney Orlando bubble this weekend, and team officials hadn’t addressed their absence beyond stating they were expected to join the team soon.

Until Monday morning when Westbrook announced via his social media pages that he had tested positive for COVID-19.

When asked if Westbrook – who D’Antoni said did participate in the team’s workouts and practices last week – showed any symptoms prior to the team leaving for Orlando, D’Antoni said he “didn’t want to get into it” but expressed optimism that Westbrook would be okay and joining the team soon.

“That’s his personal business and he’ll share it with you when he wants to share it. He said what he said and that’s what we’re dealing with,” D’Antoni said. “But he’ll be ready. There’s a lot of teams that are dealing with it but we’re getting through it as a team and, like I said before, hopefully, they are here sooner rather than later.”

“They” includes Harden and a Moute, whose whereabouts and reasons for not being with the team remained unknown and unaddressed Monday night.

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Earlier in the week D’Antoni said he was looking to have them back this week but clarified on Monday that “I don’t know when it’s going to happen. As soon as protocols get out of the way. They are all anxious to get here.

“I’m hoping and I probably shouldn’t say, ‘oh they’ll be here in the middle of the….’  I don’t know,” D’Antoni said trailing off. “I’m hoping they will be. It’s a good chance and we’ll deal with it. If they are that’s great and if not we’ll deal with it. Again, they’re doing what they can to get ready. Everyone wants to participate. Everyone is ready to roll and they’re chomping at the bit to get here. Whenever that clears up they’ll be here  and we’ll get going.”

D’Antoni emphasized that the players are “doing what they need to do to stay in shape and again, this is not going to set us back. We’re not going to let it set us back. And we’ll be ready to roll here in the next two or three weeks.”

Rockets teammates Jeff Green and Robert Covington also addressed the media and made it clear that basketball was second place to their teammate’s health.

“We just want to make sure he’s healthy. That was was my biggest concern,” Green said when he learned of Russell Westbrook’s positive test. “Just making sure he’s good, making sure he’s doing what he has to do to get healthy.

“I wasn’t really too concerned with basketball,” Green continued. “I  think health is more important than trying to hurry him back on the court. I think just making sure he was ok. When he said he was fine, we just now wait and be patient until he’s able to join the team.”

Covington said: “We’ve just gotta be there to support him. It’s a tough thing to deal with.  You never thought you’d be one to catch it.

“We just gotta be there for our teammate. It’s hard for him not to be here with us and we know he has to take  care of his family and take care of himself before he can actually come down here and join us.”

The most important thing is the team stays together, Covington said. “We’re going to all be in this together supporting him and making sure he is uplifted and keeping himself going.”

There is currently no word on Russell Westbrook’s status in the NBA’s COVID-19 testing protocol. Per league rules, positive players would be tested daily.  Once they produce two negative tests, they can join the team. Upon arrival, Westbrook would then need to undergo additional COVID-19 testing and an additional two-day self-quarantine, per NBA.com. It is not known if Westbrook will be cleared in time to practice and participate in the July 31st match up, set for 9 p.m. EST on ESPN.

The first scrimmage of the Disney bubble for the Rockets will be against the defending champion Toronto Raptors on Friday, July 24th.

The Houston Rockets entered the NBA’s coronavirus-induced hiatus with a 40-24 record and sat sixth in the Western Conference standings. They’re a notch ahead of their opening night opponent, the Dallas Mavericks, who sit seventh in the conference with a 40-27 record.