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  • The Thunder game in Houston has been officially postponed after a day of Copan 19 complications and developments surrounding several of Houston's players.

  • Three players have tested positive or returns inconclusive tests after a day of contact tracing stemming from rookie Kenyon Martin Jr.

  • Testing positive.

  • Martin was with John DeMarcus, cousins and other players last night getting haircuts at another Teammates apartment.

  • Four other players are in quarantine.

  • Also, the league determined that James Harden was in violation of his new safety protocols would not be allowed to play tonight after the video you just saw there on social media surface, showing him recently partying at a club without a mask.

  • This story has been developing throughout the day, and our Ramona Shelburne is now reporting that Harden has told N B A investigators he thought he was in compliance with health and safety protocols.

  • Harden and multiple witnesses at the event have told the league that he attended a seated dinner for a friend had been recently promoted at work.

  • James Harden said he entered through a separate entrance and sat in a separate area with the security detail that he was wearing a mask.

  • 2018 n B.

  • A M V P also says he left the group and the event after approximately 30 minutes.

  • So let's take a look at what James Harden posted on his Instagram account today.

  • He said One thing after another, I went to show love to my home girl at her event, not a strip club, because she is becoming a boss and putting her people in position of success.

  • And now it's a problem.

  • Every day it's something different.

  • No matter how many times people try to drag my name under, you can't the rial always and on top our insider agent Jordanovski has been reporting on these developments all day long.

  • And Woods.

  • We have two separate stories.

  • Let's start with the fact that the Rockets Thunder game has been postponed indefinitely.

  • Why did it come to this point over over just the last 30 minutes, when they don't have enough players to play?

  • How'd we get here?

  • Yeah, the Rockets officials were in contact with the league office all day today is they were testing and retesting players in Houston trying to get to that number eight where they could play the game tonight.

  • But a combination of positive tests and inconclusive tests, Uh, put him in a position where you know, they couldn't muster the eight tonight.

  • And listen, this is something we may see around the league, uh, with other teams throughout this year, now that the league is outside of the bubble.

  • But you know, is you said earlier that you know that just, ah, haircut at a player's apartment last night and innocents, enough scenario there put several players in quarantine through contact tracing because they were with Kenyon Martin Jr.

  • Who this morning tested positive.

  • He had also had a negative test, and so it was inconclusive, and he was waiting on more test results.

  • But at the end of the day, they told the thunder, Hey, don't take the bus over to the arena.

  • They're headed back to the airport on headed home.

  • Incredible.

  • So Oklahoma City was going to debut open their season as well.

  • They're heading back to the airport, as you just said, and then who knows how long this could continue based on how many positives the rockets have, So stay tuned for more on that for sure.

  • Let's go back to James Harden because, as we just said the league reviewed the video that was posted on social media recently, and it deemed him in violation of the league's covert protocols.

  • So what exactly does that mean for James Harden right now?

  • Won't well, neither hard nor the Rockets.

  • Ramona, Shelburne and I are told, are clear what it means yet in the league.

  • The league office, I'm told us, still working through what the next steps, they're gonna be for heart.

  • And now that they have found him in violation, Um, certainly they heard heart inside.

  • He talked the league officials explained his side, believe that he was not in violation of protocols.

  • But the league in cancer and postponing the game said that he was.

  • And now you know, I think what?

  • He's a waiting, waiting for, what the team is waiting for.

  • Will this mean just he's away from the team and quarantine?

  • Is there a suspension looming?

  • Those air all options on the table for the league?

  • But there's no question this is a difficult start to the Rockets season, and this is the first year coach Stephen Silas was hoping to make his debut tonight.

  • Uh, not quite yet.

  • In Houston.

  • Yes, Stephen Silas is waited a couple decades to make this debut, and and this is how it's getting started.

  • If you could, maybe we'll just give us an overall state of the state for the Houston Rockets.

  • It was already difficult enough, seemingly with the drama surrounding James Harden and the fact that he wants out of Houston.

  • And now this.

  • What's going on right now behind closed doors in Houston?

  • Well, listen, they hope that they could just start the season with Harden on the floor with John Wall, get off to a good start and hope that it gave them some leverage in trade talks.

  • And now they have a team, uh, tonight unable to put a team on the floor.

  • And I think certainly, at least for this very near term, think it puts the job the James Harden trade talks on the back burner.

  • They've gotta work through this on DSI.

  • What exactly his immediate future is with the team or perhaps away from the team.

  • If there's a punishment or he's got to go back into a quarantine situation and again the league has found him in violation of the safety protocols, you assume that That means that there will be some sort of punishment if there is, and he has docked paychecks per games, that ends up being about $284,000 per game for James Harden.

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The Thunder game in Houston has been officially postponed after a day of Copan 19 complications and developments surrounding several of Houston's players.

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