NBA to be Suspended at Least 30 Days Due to Coronavirus Outbreak

The NBA set its 30-day suspension as an "aspirational goal," in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.

The Rockets won't return to the court for at least 30 days due to the coronavirus outbreak, according to the Toronto Star's Bruce Arthur. 

The NBA told its teams the 30-day suspension should be viewed as an "aspirational timeline," per Arthur. There is no target date set for the league's return. 

Mavericks owner Mark Cuban suggested on Thursday that the league could be delayed up to 60 days due to COVID-19. He said the 2019-20 season could conclude sometime in August. 

Mark Cuban does not think the NBA season will be cancelled, just postponed, and could see games being played into August. pic.twitter.com/PtStFlypPL

— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) March 12, 2020

The NBA announced it was suspending the 2019-20 season on Wednesday night after Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for coronavirus. Teammate Donovan Mitchell also tested positive for COVID-19, but the other 57 members of the organization who were tested did not contract the illness. 

The Rockets' plan for how to handle their time off has not been announced. The team has not released a statement as of Thursday afternoon. Houston was slated to face the Lakers in Los Angeles on Thursday night, but that game is cancelled. 

Rockets head coach Mike D'Antoni discussed the need to listen to health experts on Thursday. 

"It’s a situation we got to handle and make sure everybody listens to the experts. Each individual try to do the best they can do to slow it down or stop it and let the experts handle it," D'Antoni told FOX 26's Mark Berman. "The health of the public and the guys in the NBA are much more important than any game."

Houston enters the league's hiatus No. 6 in the Western Conference at 40–24. Perhaps the break will benefit the Rockets, who lost four of their last five games before the league's suspension.