The NBA, halted since March because of the coronavirus pandemic, is set to resume at the end of next month as a 22-team tournament that will take place near Orlando, Florida.
Various measures are being implemented to protect players and reduce the possibility of a COVID-19 outbreak, with teams to remain on the site where practices and games will take place.
Last week NBA commissioner Adam Silver had suggested those protocols could extend to keeping older personnel - like 69-year-old Rockets coach D'Antoni - off the bench during games because of their greater vulnerability to contracting the virus and developing complications.
However, Silver has since backtracked on those comments, with Morey noting there would have been pushback from Houston.
"Mike will be coaching our team," he said in quotes published on ESPN.
"It would be such a huge disadvantage to lose him. We would never stand for that.
"In fairness to the league, they set up a process whereby everyone will have to submit a medical record. I'm sure the doctors told them that some people over a certain age shouldn't go.
"But Mike is in great health. He's in better shape than some 40-year-old coaches we have. Besides, I think his dad lived to be 108 or something."
D'Antoni, whose Houston team have a 40-24 record in the Western Conference and have already secured a playoff berth, does not believe he will be kept away from the sidelines because of his age.
"I guess they were thinking it could affect us a little bit more because of our age, but we would catch it at the same rate as any player would," he said.
"If it's not safe for us, then it's not safe for them.
"I know the NBA is going to make it as safe as possible for everyone involved. But there's no such thing as zero risk. I'm not worried about it because I don't think [preventing older coaches from interacting with their players on the bench] will happen.
"I know Adam talked about that on TNT, but since then he's walked it back pretty quick. I think he got a little ahead of himself."
Westbrook tested positive for COVID-19 last week prior to Houston's departure for Orlando, where the 2019-20 season will resume via a 22-team format on July 30 after the league was halted in March due to the coronavirus crisis.
The 2017 MVP travelled to Walt Disney Resort on Monday, with the Rockets scheduled to restart their campaign against the Dallas Mavericks on July 31.
While Friday's scrimmage against defending champions the Toronto Raptors might be too soon for Westbrook, D'Antoni is confident the nine-time All-Star will be up to speed for the Mavericks clash.
"I do expect that once he clears everything that he'll be ready to go five-on-five and all that," D'Antoni said.
"I would think Friday might be a little early. That'll be up to the medical staff and Russell himself and see how he feels in the days before.
"Hopefully, he'll get in a couple of scrimmages and then be ready for us to play."
Westbrook – in his first season with the Rockets after arriving from the Oklahoma City Thunder – was averaging 27.5 points, 8.0 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game prior the league's suspension.
D'Antoni added: "Any time you miss a key piece like that, it makes it a little bit more difficult, but I know he'll be ready. So on one side, we're just anxious to get him.
"It'll give everybody a little pep in their step, but there was no doubt before. The energy has been great. These guys have been practicing hard, so it's just one step closer to being whole. We can get him in there and work on a couple of things and get ready."
The Rockets are sixth in the Western Conference with a 40-24 record, nine and a half games behind the Los Angeles Lakers and five and a half adrift of the second-placed Los Angeles Clippers.
The Rockets were without injured star Russell Westbrook but still controlled proceedings in Orlando, where All-Star guard Harden contributed 37 points.
But Harden's focus was on the team performance as the Rockets issued an early statement of intent in the 2020 NBA playoffs.
"Our ball movement was excellent," he said. "We were just playing off the catch.
"Guys were just very confident in their shots. I think we had a lot of opportunities that we missed that were really good shots.
"We did a really good job of not turning the basketball over, which would've given them opportunities to get out in transition."
Jeff Green was also influential for Mike D'Antoni's team, scoring 22 points in his 32 minutes off the bench, during which the Rockets were +28.
Harden reserved special praise for Green and his ball-handling skills in particular.
"It's huge for us," said Harden. "Now I don't have to just dribble the basketball up. Those guards can kind of pressure me.
"He's able to dribble the ball up and get us in our offense."
Green added: "I'm just trying to find ways to impact the game, be that defensively or offensively.
"On the offensive end, we're playing together, and we're playing for each other. That's what's important, and that's how we're going to succeed."
The Thunder triumphed 104-100 on Monday to force a decisive Game 7 in the Western Conference first-round playoff series, with the Rockets paying the price for committing 22 turnovers.
With the scores locked at 98-98 heading into the final two minutes, Russell Westbrook twice gave possession away, airballed a jump shot and sent Danilo Gallinari to the line for the final points of the game.
Westbrook missed the start of the series with a thigh injury and he confirmed he will remain on a minutes restriction in Game 7.
D'Antoni said: "It's tough to come back right in the middle of a series when you've been out for three weeks, and also the whole lay off. He's fine, we'll be fine.
"We played about as bad as we could play. We will have to do a better job the day after tomorrow.
"We are going to respond. We'll clean up some things. We can't play much worse, so we'll play better.
"We just weren't sharp, got a bit careless a few times and we paid for it.
"We had 22 turnovers. You can't have 22. You try to get less than 10 and 22 just sealed our fate.
"Then we had some fouls that weren't disciplined. We had reach-in fouls that put them to the line and let them score, so things we can correct and will."
Asked why turnovers became an issue for the Rockets when it had not been earlier in the series, Westbrook said: "That's just my fault, honestly. That's easy. Last game I had zero, tonight I had seven. As simple as that.
"We've gotta take care of it, starting with myself. Just trying to figure out rhythm and timing, but we'll figure it out next game."
James Harden accounted for five of Houston's turnovers, which he felt undid the strong defensive performance they put in.
"A lot of careless turnovers. Including myself. Just too many turnovers, especially in a playoff game – a closeout game – just gave them too many opportunities," said Harden.
"I think defensively we did a pretty good job with them only scoring 104 points. We just shot ourselves in the foot by turning the ball over and giving us less opportunities to score."
Westbrook's status for the Rockets-Thunder playoffs matchup was already up in the air due to the 2017 MVP's strained right quadriceps.
The nine-time All-Star sat out the final seeding game against the Philadelphia 76ers, having missed the loss to the Indiana Pacers prior to the postseason starting in Orlando, Florida.
Asked about Westbrook prior to Game 1 against the Thunder at Walt Disney World Resort, Rockets head coach Mike D'Antoni said: "Can't rule anything out, but don't rule anything in."
Westbrook, who posted 20 points, six assists and five rebounds in the Rockets' defeat against the San Antonio Spurs earlier this month, had previously felt discomfort in his right quad.
He sat out back-to-back games after feeling soreness during a loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on August 4.
A blockbuster acquisition from the Thunder, Westbrook has been averaging 27.2 points, 7.9 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game.
The Rockets – seeded fourth in the Western Conference – are eyeing their third NBA championship and first since 1995.
Westbrook sat out Wednesday's 108-104 loss to the Indiana Pacers after an MRI confirmed a strained right quadriceps.
The 2017 MVP has already been ruled out of Friday's final seeding game against the Philadelphia 76ers and Rockets head coach Mike D'Antoni is unsure when Westbrook will return.
"We'll see how it responds and everything, but we all hope," D'Antoni. "We'll just see next week. I don't know right now."
Westbrook, who posted 20 points, six assists and five rebounds in the Rockets' defeat against the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday, had previously felt discomfort in his right quad.
The nine-time All-Star sat out back-to-back games after feeling soreness during a loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on August 4.
"I don't think he aggravated it [against the Spurs]," D'Antoni said. "During the game and after the game, he was fine. He woke up the next day and was sore, so they're checking it out to make sure it can respond to treatment.
"We don't know 100 per cent right now, but he's definitely going to be out Friday and then we'll see."
A blockbuster acquisition from the Oklahoma City Thunder, Westbrook has been averaging 27.2 points, 7.9 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game.
The Rockets – fourth in the Western Conference – are eyeing their third NBA championship and first since 1995.
Westbrook scored 41 points on Saturday as the Rockets edged a thrilling game with the Celtics 111-110 at TD Garden.
The win moved the Rockets to 39-20 for the season, with Houston fourth in the Western Conference standings.
"You can't go to the supermarket and buy heart," D'Antoni said of Westbrook. "You know he has that. It's pretty impressive."
Celtics guard Jaylen Brown hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer to send the game to overtime.
However, he conceded the Celtics did not defend well against Westbrook, having held his fellow former MVP, James Harden, to 21 points.
"I think we guarded [Harden] well," Brown said. "I think we accepted his challenge. We just didn't do a good enough job with Westbrook.
"We had a lot of attention on James Harden and forgot about the other MVP over there. He came out and asserted himself early and took over and dominated this game."
The Rockets' decision to trade center Clint Capela in January appears to have had an instrumental impact on Westbrook.
Houston have tweaked their style of play to afford him more opportunities to attack the basket, but Westbrook was non-committal on whether those changes have put him in the best position ever to succeed.
"I don't know, man," Westbrook said. "I just try to find ways every year to be better and find ways to become a better player and team-mate.
"Obviously based on the changes we made and the way we line up, I have to find ways to constantly keep being effective and help my team win games and that's what I try to do.
"Right now, I think I'm moving in the right direction. I've just got to stay locked in on what I'm doing and my craft and keep doing what I've been doing since I've been in the league, and that's going out and competing every night."
