NBA notes: Rockets allowing fans for debut of John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins against Kings
Spectators are not allowed in most NBA markets due to local health orders, but a limited number of fans will be in attendance when John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins make their Houston Rockets debuts against the Kings on Thursday.
Houston is one of the few NBA cities where fans are being permitted under strict COVID-19 protocols. Up to 4,500 are expected at the Toyota Center when the Rockets (0-2) entertain the Kings (3-1) in their home opener on New Year’s Eve.
Those in attendance will get the first glimpse of whatever the Rockets are going to be while their front office works to accommodate James Harden’s trade demand. They played their first two games with nine players. Their first game was postponed because they didn’t have the minimum eight players required to start the game.
Wall, Cousins, Eric Gordon and Mason Jones missed the first two contests under an NBA-mandated seven-day quarantine order. Ben McLemore and Kenyon Martin Jr. are still progressing through the league’s COVID-19 protocols.
The Rockets acquired Wall from the Washington Wizards in a trade for Russell Westbrook. Wall, a five-time All-Star, has not appeared in a game since Dec. 26, 2018, before heel and Achilles injuries sidelined him for two calendar years.
Cousins, a four-time All-Star who started his career with the Kings, has not appeared in a game since the Golden State Warriors lost to the Toronto Raptors in the 2019 NBA Finals. Cousins signed with the Lakers in 2019-20, but he missed the season with a torn ACL. He signed with the Rockets in November.
The Rockets welcomed Wall, Cousins, Gordon and Jones back to practice Wednesday, although Jones suffered a sprained an ankle and was ruled out for Thursday’s game.
“It was so good to just have everybody there,” Rockets coach Stephen Silas said, according to NBA.com. “You obviously miss the talent and the ability that those guys have, but you also miss the personalities that they (have), and the smarts that they bring to these situations. During the film session it was great to have those guys chiming in and chirping as we go through the film. It was really, really good to have those guys back.”
Becky Hammon makes history
San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Becky Hammon made history Wednesday when she became the first woman to act as head coach during an NBA regular-season game.
Hammon took over for Spurs coach Gregg Popovich after he was ejected in the first half of San Antonio’s 121-107 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. Popovich was tossed for arguing a no-call with 3:56 to play in the second quarter.
Hammon was asked how Popovich officially informed her she would serve as the team’s head coach for the remainder of the game.
“He officially pointed at me. That was it. ... That was it,” Hammon said. “Said, ‘You got ‘em,’ and that was it. Very Pop-like.”
Contact sensors
The NBA will soon require players and many team staffers to wear sensors that will record “the distance and duration of in-person interactions,” according to a league memo obtained by ESPN.
The league believes the Kinexon SafeZone contact sensors will be helpful in contact tracing reviews if a player or staff member contracts the coronavirus. Beginning Jan. 7, the sensors will be required on team planes, busses, during practices and when traveling to and from the arena or their home practice facility. The sensors could help the league determine who should quarantine after being exposed to an infected person.
This story was originally published December 31, 2020 at 4:38 AM with the headline "NBA notes: Rockets allowing fans for debut of John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins against Kings."
