Danuel House Jr. of the Houston Rockets has made things complicated in the NBA bubble by violating its strict protocols. This has led to some controversy and some tough questions fielded by head coaches like Frank Vogel of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Ahead of Game 4 of the playoffs series between the Lakers and Rockets, Vogel was asked whether he had to warn his players about not breaking the bubble rules after the House incident.
“Honestly, I don’t feel like our group has to have that talk,” Vogel said. “We’ve been through this for a couple of months now. Our guys are really locked in to the task at hand.
“Obviously, the situation is a reminder. They’re seeing it on their phones. Obviously, we don’t want to do anything like that.”
With the NBA bubble being COVID-free since the beginning of the season’s restart, this format is clearly working. There’s no question the NBA has done things the right way and set an example for other professional sports leagues.
Unfortunately, House has shed some doubt on whether the bubble can remain intact. There are only a few more weeks of basketball left to be played, and players are getting antsy in the final stretch, which is understandable considering the situation.
It will be interesting to see what comes of the investigation into the incident with House, but in the meantime, the Lakers and Rockets will focus on the task at hand heading into Game 4.
