The Rockets are bound by the rules of the league CBA. All they can do is to fine him unless he still hasn't reported until 30 days after the start of the regular season. He's not going to sit out the year. He'll report and the Rockets will be obligated to pay him $40M. TF is going to sit a guy that he's paying $40M/yr? Good luck with that.
That's what disappoints me the most, Harden is acting like a petulant child. He's always been a free spirt but this equates to stomping his feet and holding his breath.
Just hold fast until the trade deadline. You'll have some marginal team ready to sell the farm thinking they might have a shot.
How is he acting like a child? He hasn't done or said anything. You are just assuming things cuz we have no facts. Dude is just living his life. Nothing wrong with that. If you were about to be locked down in 6 months of NBA protocol wouldn't you party as much as you could before the actual season started? Pretty sure it didn't have to come to this if he demanded a trade and the Rockets didn't oblige. This team is going nowhere, so why does he need to practice. He will just show up day 1 drop 50 points and every one will leave him alone.
He has done plenty by not showing up and by not communicating with his employer. A grown man picks up the phone and calls his employer if he can't or doesn't want to report to work, Actually my life doesn't revolve around partying so the answer is no I wouldn't. There's was a time in my life when partying seemed important to me but even then I didn't let partying affect my ability to show up to work.
We don't know he hasn't talked to his employer. Just cuz he didn't talk to Silas doesn't mean others haven't heard from him. We know nothing cuz he doesn't say anything. For all we know he probably talks to Tillman everyday asking for a trade.
What is that saying? If you were a 30 year old millionaire who is single about to get locked down for 6 months from going out meeting women you wouldn't got to a few parties before the season started? Better now than later. Don't want him to get suspended ala Danuel House. When the other players start breaking protocol and dropping like flies you will be glad Harden did this.
Nope I wouldn't. I'm not a right wing idiot. I have patience to wait for herd immunity after vaccines are widely distributed.
Don't have to be right or left wing. If you can do it safely why not. Honestly Harden had already gotten the virus so why does it matter what he does anymore. All you need to know about any virus is if you have as much money as him you are safe. Heck Magic Johnson beat HIV. I don't go out cuz I have a family at home that needs to be safe and depends on me. But if I was single with his amount of money it might be different. I mean 99.9% chance you survive. Pretty good odds. Maybe he made everyone going to the party take rapid covid tests. Who knows how they handle things when they that Rich.
This formula has worked for the top 10 players and will likely work for Harden, who is still likely an MVP/All-NBA candidate. Harden didn't take account for a new owner in his contract and the Rockets apparently didn't take account for rona in that contract. Whoopsie... We're caught in the middle of all this **** between him and the owner/team, so we'll lose either way.
Just dock his pay for each game missed and leave it at that. You are trying to trade him, there's no reason to punish him or anything like that. It's up to him how professional he wants to behave - why should the Rockets care at this point when they are trying to move him?
