NBA News

While the opening night of the season was a successful one on Tuesday, there was certainly a bump in the road on Wednesday as one game had to be canceled for COVID-related reasons. Here is a look at that plus other news stories from around the league.
Rockets And Thunder Postponed
It was a tumultuous offseason for the Houston Rockets as they traded away one star (Russell Westbrook) and have seen another one demand a trade (James Harden). On Wednesday, it was an ominous start for the Rockets’ regular season.
The game between the Houston Rockets and the Oklahoma City Thunder was canceled due to the Rockets having too few players to play as a result of contact tracing. Harden was deemed ineligible to play as a result of a violation of COVID-19 protocols, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN. There is some belief that he had visited a strip club recently, and the league was trying to identify exactly when it was. Harden was fined $50,000 and will have to go through certain protocols before being able to return again.
Additionally, due to contact tracing, John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins were also going to be out. Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweeted that these two, among others, had gathered to get a haircut at someone’s apartment, which may have led to potential exposure.
When you also take into account the fact KJ Martin had tested positive, and others may have been subjected to contact tracing, the Rockets were without enough players to compete Wednesday night.
Harden Continues To Want Out
Staying with the Rockets, it has been no secret that Harden would like to be traded, and it appears that some of the frustrations from it may be spilling onto the court. According to Shams Charania of The Atlantic, it appears that he has had confrontations with teammates during practices that have even gotten heated. One altercation even led to a ball being thrown at rookie Jae’Sean Tate.
Of course, rumors have been swirling for weeks, with the Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, and even the Denver Nuggets being interested parties. The Rockets would need to be overwhelmed to trade their superstar, and as teams try to evaluate what they have at the beginning of the season, that overwhelming offer might not come anytime soon.
The question is whether Houston will be able to be patient enough with the disgruntled Harden to finally get that offer or if they will find it best for the team culture to move on from him sooner than later.
Durant Impressive In Return Against Former Team
The Brooklyn Nets could not have asked for a better start to the season. Not only did they beat the Golden State Warriors, 125-99, but they were also able to see their two-star acquisitions from a year ago, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, doing their thing on the court.
For Durant, it was the first time he has played in a real game in over a year after rupturing his Achilles tendon back during the 2019 NBA Finals. In the victory, Durant played just under 25 minutes while putting up 22 points, five rebounds, three assists, three steals, and one block. While he still showed a bit of rust, it also showed that he is on his way to being the superstar that the Nets envisioned when they signed him.
Kyrie Irving was also stellar as he led all scorers with 26 points while chipping in 4 rebounds. From the bench, Chris LaVert also had a nice game with 20 points, nine rebounds, five assists, two steals, and a block.
The Eastern Conference has been dominated by the likes of the Milwaukee Bucks, Toronto Raptors, and Miami Heat in recent years, but the Nets and new head coach Steve Nash showed Tuesday they probably belong in that conversation as well.