Report: Russell Westbrook Among Players Working To Resume Season
Rockets guard Russell Westbrook is working with a joint NBA and NBPA group to "discuss return-to-play strategies," according to The Athletic's Shams Charania.
Westbrook, Jayston Tatum, Kyle Lowry and NBPA president Chris Paul are among the players working to potentially resume the 2019-20 season, per Charania.
The group's formation continues a push by the NBA's top players to resume the 2019-20 season. The league's "superstars formed a united front," during a conference call on Monday, looking to continue the season given the appropriate health and safety conditions, per Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes.
"All parties were in agreement to take the court with proper safety measures once the league is given the green light to commence," Haynes wrote. "The group’s decision is expected to hold significant weight in the decision-making process for the rest of the league’s players when it’s time to deliberate on whether to restart the season."
NBA commissioner Adam Silver held a call with players on Friday in order to discuss the NBA's contingencies for potentially resuming the 2019-20 season. The league still plans to hold a full playoffs with a quartet of seven-game series, and the postseason is likely to be held in a single quarantined site. Las Vegas and Orlando remain the favorites to host the rest of the 2019-20 season.
The NBA still faces a number of logistical hurdles toward ending its COVID-19 suspension, though the league's board of governors are "feeling increasingly positive about the league's momentum toward a resumption of play this season," per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.
The Rockets currently sit No. 6 in the Western Conference at 40–24. They are slated to face the Nuggets in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs.
