The big boys are hungry to get at it. P.J. Tucker, Isaiah Hartenstein, and Bruno Caboclo were the first members of the Houston Rockets to return to team facilities at Toyota Center, according to Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston. https://rocketswire.usatoday.com/20...caboclo-are-first-rockets-to-return-to-arena/
Fire Mike D’Antoni. In this downtime I’ve forgotten about Hartenstein. amazing play this year overall. D’Antoni is killing center careers. Nene LITERALLY did not miss a single shot last playoffs and had a 30 PER. Rockets played like a 70 win team when he was on the court... BENCHED for a guy they decided to trade mid season. “I’d lose with Clint Capela.” Actual quote last year. Moron.
Damn, poor Hartenstein. My boy practices a lot only to be left out on the roster. He needs to start over Tucker at center.
With the inability to fly safely, and not wanting to lose a day of workouts by driving, I heard Westbrook is jogging here. Just don't wear cargo shorts, Russ.
Bruno and Harty can help this season if only Dantoni is not to stubborn about small ball! We wont lose that identity with giving minutes to our big guys!! Learn from the Raptors plus i want that lob threat back from harden to unclock his killer floater again
Where is ****** Eric Gordon, who can't afford a basketball hoop to practice. "I couldn't get to the practice because I don't have a car" - EG
As Isaiah Hartenstein waited for the next game of “Call of Duty: Warzone” to load up late Sunday evening — slightly annoyed with close friend Jordan Johnson’s time-wasting — his mind flipped back to his full-time job. Hartenstein knew this day would come, eventually. As the days and weeks passed after the league’s hiatus in early March, he figured there would be a time when basketball would return — or, at least, some semblance of basketball. While Hartenstein had been at home, his presence as a young player and the importance of such a role was made clear to him during the quarantine. For players like Hartenstein and other young guys around the league, basketball is the primary force that drives their lives. It’s not like the individual who’s been in the league for a significant amount of time, where they have vested interests in other business ventures outside of the NBA and can turn to those in the absence of basketball. He needed it. Hartenstein had spent his time social distancing in his apartment, doing his best to stay fit and finding sources of entertainment in TikToks and video games. More important, he was in constant communication with Rockets assistant coaches Matt Brase and John Lucas. While assistant coaches don’t run the team on a macro level, their jobs are incredibly important in the micro sense. They’re the ones who spend the most time with the players. In Hartenstein’s case, the relationship with Brase had strengthened during Summer League in Las Vegas, with Brase as the head coach and Hartenstein as the team leader. Lucas has a unique way of connecting with players, and his bond with Hartenstein was no different. Being a young player who’s not getting a lot of playing time is one thing, but living alone is another. It’s important to keep players’ spirits up, especially during times like these, and Lucas is well versed in the mental aspect of the game. “More optimistic,” Hartenstein told The Athletic about his attitude toward the league’s progress. “I mean, just seeing that everything was getting closer and closer to opening up and maybe having a chance to start the season.” As states across the country slowly began easing lockdown measures, the NBA made the decision to allow team facilities to reopen. But there was a catch: Teams would need to adhere to the guidelines in their home state. If a city wasn’t in the clear in terms of reopening, a team couldn’t allow players to return to the gym. The Rockets, in accordance with the plan set by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, opened Toyota Center on May 18. At present, 22 NBA teams have also made that decision. The Bulls, Celtics, Pistons, Knicks, Spurs, Wizards, Warriors and Mavericks are the teams that haven’t made that call yet. To keep everyone on the same page, the league sent to all 30 teams a 19-page memo, obtained by The Athletic, detailing new guidelines for reopening, from procedures to instructions for cleaning objects. The purpose of the memo is to make it clear how teams should operate. So on the morning of May 18, Hartenstein arrived at Toyota Center. Players (Hartenstein, P.J. Tucker and Bruno Caboclo) were to enter by way of the loading dock rather than park their cars right outside the building, as they would do for a normal practice day. At the top of the loading dock, Hartenstein was given a mask and gloves, which he must wear at all times when not engaged in physical activity. Before Hartenstein was allowed inside the facility, his temperature was checked and he was given a cardiac screening. This is standard for all individuals deemed essential who happen to be present. After the tests, Hartenstein was directed to the locker room, where everything was already set out — gear, towels and the rest. Hartenstein then made his way onto the practice floor to shoot. There’s a “one-player, one-basket” rule, but Hartenstein was already used to this dating to his extensive summer work. Hartenstein worked with a shooting gun, relying on the machine to feed him while he got up jump shots. According to the league memo, “players are not permitted to work with the team’s head coach or any other ‘first-row’ assistant, but can work with behind-the-bench assistants or player development coaches.” Hartenstein worked with Robbie Keck, a member of the player development staff. Keck wore a mask, as did the trainers and any essential staff member in the building, in accordance with league protocol. There is no sharing of machines at all. Hartenstein took a number of 3-pointers in different spots on the floor as the machine rotated on its axis. During the summer, the Rockets had blue tape set behind the 3-point lines to get players comfortable extending their range, but it’s unclear if those markers are still available. During the shooting drill, the ball was regularly and thoroughly cleaned. The memo details the exact procedure and materials — involving dish detergent, a clean cloth or towel, water and EPA-approved disinfectant. There are also instructions for how to clean the area of floor the player has occupied. If a player dunks the ball, the entire rim must be cleaned along with the ball, because the player’s hands would have touched the rim. “They were really making sure everything was sanitized and safe all the staff had masks on,” Hartenstein said. After shooting, Hartenstein went to go lift weights. Here, he was alone and was instructed to keep to light weights. Had there been heavier weights, there would have been the need for a spotter, which necessitates close physical contact. “Every time you lifted a weight, you had to clean them off,” Hartenstein said. Because of the low number of Rockets who were there, each session was able to be conducted individually. Sessions began in the morning and took about an hour. “It was weird,” Hartenstein said of the overall experience. “I don’t think we could really get as much work in as I thought. I mean, lifting was kind of more normal, but like you couldn’t really get in a good individual session then. In the basketball (part of the workout) it was more of just shooting.” As one of the first players in the league to attempt such a workout, Hartenstein was quick with a reminder that these are simply voluntary. Players are well within their right to avoid the facility and carry on whatever they’ve been doing to stay fit and ready on their own. This is just a way to get guys back in touch with the spaces they frequent after having to stay away for two months. “I mean, there will definitely be change,” Hartenstein said of league protocols as resumption talks progress. “But in the sense of what the Rockets are doing, they’re doing a great job. I don’t feel like they were uncomfortable and (they) made sure everything was safe.”
Good for Hartenstein. He seems like a real hooper. It just dawned on me that when the Lakers facility opens back up LeBron and his nutfluffer Anthony Davis will probably walk into the facility first and hand-pick the guys who are allowed to work out with them.
Watching the Hartenstein footage is like watching the Zapruder film over and over and over again. Back, and to the Left. Back, and to the left.
