By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
Mike D’Antoni flew with the Houston Rockets to Orlando, per Tim MacMahon of ESPN. James Harden and Russell Westbrook did not make the trip, but are planning to join their teammates in the near future, notes Shams Charania of The Athletic.
D’Antoni, 69, is the second-oldest head coach among those involved in the season-ending tournament scheduled to resume the 2019-20 NBA season on July 30. San Antonio Spurs boss Gregg Popovich, the oldest, also traveled to Orlando. Neither is placed in a high-risk category, therefore are not prevented from coaching their teams.
As for Harden and Westbrook, they will make the trip to Orlando on their own. The Rockets will definitely heavily rely on them for a deep playoffs run.
Houston is currently ranked sixth in the Western Conference behind a 40-24 record until the decision to stop action, due to the coronavirus pandemic. Following eight additional regular season matches between the 22 teams in Orlando, the top eight from each conference will progress to the playoffs.