After everything that went down?

Well, I'm not sure about Expect new been.

But he told me that the love and appreciation that he's given to the city and that he still gives to the city he says he's hoping that favor can be returned is what he told me.

So he's hoping that he can be received with love was what he said.

He's hoping that people remember the good times that they had in Houston.

Obviously, their breakup is probably still fresh in a lot of fans minds.

He's not running away from that.

In our conversation, he noted how challenging that was.

He reiterated what he had shared with Rachel Nichols, which was that he wished things had gone more smoothly.

Now when he's looking around and how it went for other, uh, players in other sports in their exits in Houston, he said that he wished his had gone a little bit more like that.

But despite all of that, he's hoping that instead of looking at those last couple of months, which were ugly and he does not deny that.

And I think that, uh, fans are are very justified in remembering that he's hoping that they can look back over the course of the eight Seasons over the course of of winning M v p and making a run to the Western Conference finals.

And that's what fans will be bringing.

Um, but it should be interesting, right?

Because Houston has 4500 fans in Toyota Center.

That's not something we see very often this season in the midst of a pandemic.

So it'll be interesting to see the fans reaction mask up.

Houston, this one is going to be interesting to.

I just want to give you some love real quick.

You've been one of the hardest working people during this pandemic.

Everything bubble.

I mean, I see you everywhere.

So I want to say that first and foremost congrats on all your success.

Always.

I'm curious.

What was the reaction around the team when they heard that Tilman Fertitta actually made the announcement to a degree that they were going to retire James Harden's number?

Well, in chatting with a couple of folks around the team, I think that there was a well, yeah, that's what should happen.

Eventually, When I reached out to sources in the Rockets and and they confirmed that it was a thought of, he did a lot for this this franchise.

Tilman Fertitta said that he will always be a rocket, and he made his first couple of years owning the team exciting.

And so I don't get the sense that a lot of folks around the Net or around the Houston Rockets were necessarily surprised.

Perhaps there was a little bit of an eyebrow raised at the timing of sharing that sentiment, given the air hasn't been completely cleared, Um, I think this game is going to provide potentially some of that closure.

But it wasn't necessarily surprising, given why a lot of people in this day and age retired jerseys isn't necessarily just how many championships they won, uh, for a franchise.

It's what that person meant to that city, how much they may or may not have put that person that that team that franchise on the map.

There wasn't a whole lot of surprise.

Now I will say, just taking a look around, uh, mentions on Twitter, taking a look around, you know, the hotel lobby when I very briefly went downstairs to grab my dinner and bring it back up to my hotel room.

That's where I saw fans having a little bit more of a mixed reaction to announcing In this moment the intention is to retire his jersey number.

Okay, I mean, they look pretty incredible when Kyrie and James have been on the floor together.

But what's the latest with the big man?

What's going on with K D and this hamstring injury?

When can we expect to see him back?

Well, that's that's are hopeful that it's going to be as soon as possible.

After All, Star.

The tricky thing with this is that you know this as well as I do.

Initially, they just expected him to miss two, maybe three games.

But initially they said just two games and Steve Nash has said that this is a combination of them being overly cautious, but also the hamstring.

When they did more imaging on it, showing that it needed a little bit more time and so they're marrying those two things and taking an extremely slow approach here because of the luxury, as you just said, they already have Kyrie Irving.

They already have James Harden.

They rattled off an eight game win streak in that time, and so there really isn't a rush to bring Kevin Durant back.

That being said, James Harden told me, it's frustrating for Kevin Durant not to be on the floor.

It's frustrating for the team not to have Kevin Durant on the floor.

That being said, what they're keeping in mind, their mantra, if you will, is the most important.

Basketball is yet to come, and that's when we need to be fully healthy.

So the goal is they want to have some time under their belts before then, before the playoffs hit to rack up more than just seven games played together so they can continue to build chemistry.

But it shouldn't be too long after the All Star break for Kevin Durant to come back.

Malika.

What moves do you expect the Nets to make before the trade deadline, if any at all?

Well, the teams at the top.

I'm really looking at potentially the buyout market for the Nets, the teams at the top, they tend to always kind of be looking.

What tweaks can we make?

How can we get a little bit better.

And from what I'm hearing from the Nets, they are no different.

They're still not necessarily sold on exactly there there.

Big man rotation.

They are very high on Nicholas Claxton.

DeAndre Jordan has turned into a really nice mentor for A lot of folks have been using Nicholas Klaxon a lot, but they're still trying to be careful with his body.

He has only played a handful of games his freshman season and now this season, and so they're still looking to see how that's all going to round out.

That's what I would be keeping an eye on the moves that they could potentially make, especially in the buyout market, as you continue to do a great job covering the NBA, not only for us, but for yourself.

What are you hearing about the New York Knicks?

And the way the fans are reacting around town about them, I guess, possibly making the playoffs, so to speak.

Well, it's incredible to see what the Knicks has done.

I mean, in the New York is back, baby, is that Is that too strong of a sentiment to share?

Because when was the last time you can look at the Knicks and say, Wow, they are incredibly competitive.

They have an All Star and then also look across the bridge and say, Wow, Brooklyn has a real shot at winning a championship.

There is a bus.

There is an excitement.

Whenever I go to my bodega to pick up coffee whenever I am and walking around town a little bit and there's someone I see, I'm seeing a lot more jerseys.

There is just a buzz, a tone, a basketball tone to the city right now.

But I think that New York missed so.

Madison Square Garden.

The New York Knicks are still the franchise of New York.

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