Rockets to begin season vs. Trail Blazers; James Harden will play, John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins both out

The Rockets first game had to be postposed due to a lack of available players

After having their first game of the season against the Oklahoma City Thunder postponed due to a lack of available players, the Houston Rockets will finally start their 2020-21 campaign on Saturday night against the Trail Blazers in Portland. The Rockets will be traveling with nine total players to Portland, which is one more than the minimum required by the NBA, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN. Though they will technically have enough players to play against Portland, Houston will obviously be extremely short-handed, as they still have six players listed as out due to the league's COVID-19 protocols. 

All-Star guard James Harden will be available to play for Houston against the Blazers on Saturday night, but several of his teammates won't be. Ben McLemore and rookie forward Kenyon Martin Jr. both tested positive for the coronavirus earlier this week and DeMarcus Cousins, John Wall, Eric Gordon, and Mason Jones are all out after each received a seven-day quarantine. 

Harden was fined $50,000 for violating the league's health and safety protocols earlier this week after videos showing Harden at a party without a mask began circulating on social media. The league put in place several protocols for this season due to the ongoing global pandemic, and those protocols prohibit players from attending any bars, restaurants or clubs. If players fail to comply with those guidelines there's a possibility for them to be suspended or fined, as Harden was. Harden has since passed all of the necessary tests, and as such he's good to go for Saturday night. 

In addition to all of Houston's health issues, Harden's trade request is still lingering over the franchise too, as the former MVP has made it explicitly clear that he no longer wants to be a Rocket. In addition to the Nets and 76ers, Harden has recently expanded his list of desired destinations to also include the Celtics and Blazers. Harden's NBA future is now in Houston's hands, as he still has two years remaining on his current contract. Maybe they'll trade him soon, maybe they won't. But until they do, Harden will be expected to produce on the court, and that starts against the Blazers on Saturday night.