I posted the below list in another thread yesterday but want to re-post it here as it covers my suspicions of player agendas that came up in these interviews.
Yeah, it could be anyone. There are enough egos and agendas on the team to test a coach's personality management skills. The agendas in any locker room are many. We can imagine any number of conflicting personal agendas: Howard: Wants to prove he is back. That LA was a fluke. Prove he can be a dominant force. Wants to be a post up man despite not having developed his post up game most of his career. Wants offense centered on his post up game. Harden: Wants to be a superstar and team leader. Looking to make the All Star game. Wants major role in offense, especially as a closer. Lin: Wants to re-create Linsanity. Wants to please massive fan base and prove to the league he is worth both the $$ and the commercial fame. DMO: Wants to play. Wants to grow on the court. Wants time. Parsons: Wants to grow his own brand. Gotta really cash in on next contract along with ample commercial opportunities. Needs stats to prove his status as a rising star. Asik: Wants to start. Doesn't want to play second fiddle to Howard. Looking to be a top defender in the league. Random scrub: Wants next contract. Wants PT. I mean, any player without a professional agenda isn't a player with any real ambitions. Wanting to win is what we want to hear them say, but they are also professionals with a sense of pride about what they do and how they do it. The tough part is when your best/star players won't put their agendas aside o won't diminish their personal ambitions for the team. Moreover, if the coach cannot blend these guys together, then you really have issues. The coach has to get the guys on the same page and moving in the same direction.
But if it is, can you blame Harden? Dwight was all about having fun at the beginning of his career too. I blame Harden for his sorryass defense but it's not like Harden is on a path of complete destruction off the court. It just takes some maturing on his part to realize what Howard say is true in that a chance to win a title don't come every year. Hopefully Harden will get the message and come back with a more focused "agenda" next season if Howard's comments are, in fact, directed at James.
Either way, its someone or many significant pieces to the team-- enough to cause an issue. If it was some bench-warmer I don't think the team would really be affected.. but it is
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p><a href="https://twitter.com/ChandlerParsons">@ChandlerParsons</a> on if he's able 2stay w/Rockets long-term: "That'd be huge. I'm not trying to go anywhere else.Obviously I have to(more)</p>— Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) <a href="https://twitter.com/MarkBermanFox26/statuses/463431602727440384">May 5, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>More <a href="https://twitter.com/ChandlerParsons">@ChandlerParsons</a>: "...do what's best for my career, but I love it here. I love the fans. I love the city.(more)"</p>— Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) <a href="https://twitter.com/MarkBermanFox26/statuses/463431692296794112">May 5, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>More <a href="https://twitter.com/ChandlerParsons">@ChandlerParsons</a> on staying with Rockets long-term: "...I really do think that we have a chance to be really special here."</p>— Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) <a href="https://twitter.com/MarkBermanFox26/statuses/463431769446830080">May 5, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Pat Beverley on Rockets loss in 1st-round playoff series: "Definitely a wake-up call. A humbling experience."</p>— Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) <a href="https://twitter.com/MarkBermanFox26/statuses/463421209586065408">May 5, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Team needs an offensive identity that incorporates the strengths of their individual stars while covering up for their deficiencies. I don't think ISO ball (to either Harden or Howard) is the answer. PNR works great, but not sure why Dwight isn't fully buying into that. So I think there is blame on both ends (and the coaching staff).
I think Harden and Howard can/will/have coexist and will continue to do so. Parsons, on the other hand, might be one of those dicey situations Morey and the team will have to worry about. Sure, he was scoring about 18-20 points a game in the playoffs but he had his own mental lapses and was pretty bad on defense. Same can be said about Harden but one of them is considered a franchise cornerstone while the other is only considered a bargain (until he gets paid). A lot of our members justifiably covet Parsons because of his cheap contract now and the fact that he was once a two-way player. I think next year being a contract year will only pull Parsons away from being that complementary player and into a "I have to get mine" role which could damage team chemistry. I hope it doesn't but there's been enough history in the NBA to suggest it could. As hard as I am on Lin, I feel bad for the guy as I think his confidence was or is shot. He needs to be able to create and make decisions on his own without shadows from McHale, Howard, and Harden looming over him. There's been enough instances during games that I've watched this year where the dude gets yelled at by Player A to Z and I don't think I've seen another player outside of a rookie taking those kinds of verbal beatings before. Unfortunately, Lin is on this team and he has to either rework his game to fit Howard/Harden or hope that Morey find another team that will take that big financial/talent risk.
i feel as if all this "on the same page" stuff has to do all with Harden. it is going to be a VERY VERY VERY interesting off season.
I think the team needs to start looking at who they're playing and that will allow them to decide who's the alpha dog to start the game off. Setting those kinds of parameters would help with Harden and Howard's mentality. That's the (only) positive I see with what offensive system McHale runs in that there's really no system. Harden and Howard needs to sit down and say "Hey, you have (insert name here) guarding you tonight and he sucks so we'll get you the ball down low and let you work on him at the beginning of the game" or "Hey, this guy can't guard his own mom so we'll play the PnR and free you up to operate or take the 3"
I think he actually said: "If you're not about winning, not about the team, then you shouldn't be here." I don't think he'd say that if he was thinking about Harden, because Harden's going to be here. Just that part though - other parts are probably referring to Harden and his somewhat selfish play in the playoff games. EDIT: for real quote: "If you're not about winning a championship,not about growing as a player, as a team, then you shouldn't be here"
I agree but, again, these are two players whose careers are in different directions--one can see the end coming up rather soon while the other one can see more seasons, more playoffs, and more time to win. I can't blame either player on their mentality or "agenda" but I do hope that this is Harden's wake up call to finally say "It's time for me to take that next step".
