As usual, mates look to Harden in isolation
Spirits receive a boost just from knowing practices soon will include quarantining star
The Rockets did not know when they would have all of their most valuable hands on deck. They could not know just when James Harden, who arrived on the NBA campus Tuesday night, will be ready to practice with them, though they hoped that wait was all but over.
They did, however, have a pretty good idea of what Harden will add once he can leave his Disney hotel room and get on the practice court, a next step the Rockets hope will be
completed Thursday evening, dependent on the league’s COVID-19 testing schedule.
“It changes everything,” center P.J. Tucker said. “He’s our captain. He runs the ship, and everybody kind of fills space in around him. He’s our guy. He’s the guy. The intensity goes up. The level of play goes up. He raises the stakes every time he steps on the floor. That’s
what we all love about him. Win, lose or draw, whatever happens, we know what we’re going to get from 13. So it’s always good to have him back.
“Whenever 13 is in the building, we’re always super excited about him doing what he does.”
The Rockets had maintained since arriving in Orlando without the league’s leading scorer that he would be soon joining them, as they now have said in regard to Russell Westbrook and Luc Mbah a Moute. But having Harden check in Tuesday brought tangible evidence, along with a reminder of why they have great aspirations for the restart.
“It’s one step to getting complete,” coach Mike D’Antoni said. “Now, get Russell here; get Luc Mbah a Moute here. James is a big step. It’ll be seamless. We’ve just got to make sure everybody’s in shape and everybody’s ready to play. We’ve had some great practices and looking forward to getting James in here.”
D’Antoni said Harden had been involved in the individual training sessions at Toyota Center before the team left for Florida a week ago and had been going through workouts similar to the initial team practices on the Disney campus before traveling Tuesday. Harden’s business manager posted video of Harden shooting at Toyota Center on Monday evening.
D’Antoni has said he would be cautious about getting Harden back up to speed but also said he thought Harden would be ready for the Rockets’ first scrimmage against the Raptors on July 24 “without a doubt.”
“James love to play,” D’Antoni said. “I would expect that first couple days we’ll get him geared up. Probably around Sunday, he’ll start scrimmaging with the guys, maybe before. It wouldn’t surprise me if he comes right out of the chute ready to go. But by next Friday, he’ll be all 100 percent.”
D’Antoni remained hopeful Westbrook and Mbah a Moute would not be far behind, though Westbrook, in his Monday annoucement that he tested positive for COVID-19, did not indicate when he was tested or would join the team.
“He just has to follow the protocol,” D’Antoni said. “As soon as he satisfies the NBA, he’ll be here. I’m hoping sooner than later.”
Though the Rockets have not themselves said why the three players were delayed, D’Antoni said Mbah a Moute is also dealing with NBA protocols and could arrive at roughly the same time as Westbrook.
“He’s progressing toward getting through the protocol,” D’Antoni said of Mbah a Moute, who was signed as a replacement for Thabo Sefolosha when Sefolosha opted out of participating in the restart. “I’m hoping he’s more or less on the timetable of Russell. We’ll get him here pretty soon, hopefully.”
Practices have gone on without Harden and Westbrook largely as they would have had the Rockets’ star backcourt participated. But some of training camp’s customary points of emphasis and refresher courses will be delayed until the players who will have to execute them in games will be part of the practices.
“We’ll hold off on last-second, last-shot plays until we have a full complement,” D’Antoni said. “That we’ll put in when Russell gets in. The rest of the stuff, we’ll go over it again. Guys can use a second dose of what we’re doing. We’ll keep repeating it, repeating it.”
Until then, practices can get the jolt that comes with no longer having to try to replace an irreplaceable player.
“It’s great to have one of your best players ready to go and back with the team. It’s great for all of us,” forward DeMarre Carroll said. “We’ve been going really hard. Coach has been pushing us a lot. When James comes in, he’s going to lead the team as he was before.”