I've loved the Rockets since I was 6, and they will be my team until the end. But I'm happy that jerkoff owner has gotten so torched by his inexcusibly stupid choice. If we could get a half eaten bag of Doritos to dump Westbrook I would be thrilled.
That's not really the point. Didn't Harden also throw a hissy fit because CP3 suggested he plays differently. Harden essentially told CP to go STFU because he can't beat Looney off the dribble anymore. Harden seems to have a pattern of not being able to take criticism whether it's from Russ or CP.
With the season starting in just over a month, it's very unlikely Westbrook will get traded or if by some miracle he does, the trade will be a positive one for the team. Perhaps it's me, but I don't see Westbrook as having much trade value or even suitors. Not only is he owed a bazillion dollars (132m/3yr). He isn't the easiest fit with his talent or personality. Add in the fact that he's 31, can't shoot, losing a step & with a style heavily reliant on athleticism... I shudder to think what a shotgun trade from a new GM/coach and Patrick+ Tilman fertita would result in.
Harden has leadership issues. I think people that deny this are not...fairly looking at his faults. It's fine though, no player is perfect. Hakeem had ego issues, so did Jordan, Kobe, you name it. You don't be that great and think your S--- stinks like everyone else. Harden always needed, IMO, a coach like Pop that would humble him and bench his ass whenever he decided to just jack up step back threes and call that offense. So I don't really blame Harden too much for it, I feel like other than a guy like Tim Duncan and maybe (gag) Curry, most superstar players are egotistical dudes that won't take criticism well from another player. I get some people will say "Russ don't have a right to complain." or "House don't have a right to..." but if you read about winning team cultures, everyone is responsible, everyone knows their role. It does not all fall on Harden although a big part of it does. It falls on the coach to set that standard. It seems MDAs random rotations was getting to players As for Russ, the whole thing sounds like an excuse. He knows this isn't working out and wants to go somewhere where it does and where he can win rings. The places he named certainly weren't places where he'd be the 1st...or 2nd option even. If he wanted to be the franchise guy he'd name the Knicks, Magic, Bulls or something.
There is no way he goes to the teams he's supposedly listed lol. the La teams and the bucks? No way. Those teams would have to gut themselves to fit him in. It makes a lot more sense if he goes to a team that is desperate to be relevant. The Knicks, Hornets, Bulls, Kings, something like that. A team that can't attract superstars in FA maybe... EDIT: As for the Rockets, I mean, if the season goes horrible those picks are top 4 protected...just saying...you know...if you're like 10-20 you may as well just bomb the season...
No one's ego was bigger than Jordan's, or Kobe's or Shaq's. Ego is not the issue. Accountability is the issue. Harden changed his game completely for both CP3 AND Russ. Both MDA and Morey changed the system AND roster to maximize Russ. Russ needs to stop deluding himself, he was not good enough in playoffs. Neither was EGo, House, BMac or Rivers. They all shat the bed. Harden turned himself into a very good defender (best in low post and led NBA in steals) while still leading the NBA in scoring for 3rd consecutive season at historic average of 30+ PPG. Harden hoops all summer plays almost every game for big minutes and never gets injured. Harden is constantly evolving his game and adding another weapon to his already potent arsenal every SINGLE season. Every single Rockets player (and coach, FO, owner) needs to look in mirror first before pointing blame at Harden. Other than Harden, only PJ and RoCo laid everything on the line in the postseason.
Give me the second one .... then pick up a Center in free agency - You'd have the NT-MLE to work with..
But the bold is the issue. Your best player can make mistakes and can do wrong. If you can't call that out...then what? When Westbrook did his team meeting, they said he started with himself, then criticized everyone else, but Harden wasn't receptive to it. This sounds like the exact opposite of the culture the Warriors, Heat, Spurs fostered. It was well known that Pop would chew out Tim and Tony and Manu exactly the same as everyone else. If you can't call Harden out for when he F's up then that leads to the situations where we see him jacking up contested threes and no one can say or do anything about it because they are worried they might upset him. I get that Harden is amazing, no one is denying that, but that should not shield him from criticism from anyone, yes, that includes House, it includes the guy at the end of the bench. Just because you're not on Harden's level on the court should not invalidate criticism. Harden doesn't have all the answers for every situation. I think it is more than fair to criticize his leadership abilities.
LAC: Russ Westbrook, Ben McLemore PHI: Chris Paul, Paul George OKC: Tobias Harris, Jason Richardson, Danuel House + Clips FRP + 76ers SRP HOU: Ben Simmons, Matisse Thybulle + Thunder SRP Harden EGo Thybulle/Nwaba RoCo/PJ Simmons That defense would be devastating.
Who the hell was blaming Jordan or Kobe or Shaq or Hakeem after a loss (yes, losses happened with these legends too)??? Even if they screwed up somehow, players like Harden carry their respective teams more often than not. Not saying Harden is perfect or blameless, saying lesser players calling out the best players should be done in private or with more tact. In any event, this is a quibble and being blown waaaaay out of proportion. Russ wants to be the main floor general again, that was the real gist of the story. The culture stuff is just obfuscation and excuses. Russ wants out because he doesnt trust system, front office vision and commitment to winning(e.g. "culture"). Russ has no beef with Harden, any inferences otherwise are Trumpian.
Apparently we've become the NBA's equivalent of a daytime soap opera. @Clutch rightly blew his stack when the trade was made for Westbrook and many of us agreed with him. Now it's come this . . . Westbrook says he wants out. Adios, mother****er. If our new GM can get anything decent for him, he should be hailed as a hero. Tilman Fertitta? You suck.
Kobe and Shaq fought a lot about responsibility on the team. Kobe of course notoriously got on Shaq's weight and his desire and Phil had a time trying to humble Kobe enough to win rings. Kerr literally punched Jordan and in Jordan's own words it made him realize he wasn't vibing with his teammates as he should have and made it respect Kerr more. Steve Kerr. Also, Lebron and Wade had arguments the whole time about roles and how they should mesh the first year, they hammered it out. They figured it out as well. And all of this stuff with Harden did happen privately, it's just leaking, it's not like Russ or CP3 or anyone came out and said it out loud. These are all things we just hear. Russ doesn't want to be the floor general, he wants to go to Lakers? Clippers? Bucks? Sounds like he wants to go to a winning team and get outta here and that whole bit about offensive role is just a respectful way of asking out. After all, he had high usage here. I mean really...he got upset at Rivers for missing a FT...that's not a good sign. I don't know man, we want Harden to get better. It's time for him to take that leadership step that players take at around this time of their age. If he's out there jacking up shots someone should be able to tell him to knock that **** off and trust the team a bit more.
