Forget the media noise and just look at the actions. Harden demands a trade Rockets say no Harden no shows to camp to force a trade Rockets call his bluff and stand their ground Harden shows up to camp Harden plays and looks engaged Harden starts talking to coaches Harden starts talking to media You can't blame Harden for asking for a trade when everything around him has changed from front office to coaching to players, none of whom he is familiar with or trusts. It's starting from a blank slate for him when he is 31 years old and would rather be in a ready made situation to contend. But after getting his bluff called he is now forced to acclimate with the new coach. Forced to acclimate with his new players. We know that it is notoriously hard for James to trust new people, but now that he is forced to be here perhaps he starts seeing for himself that this roster is an upgrade from last year. That this coach is better than Dantoni. That the new front office has actually done a fantastic job this offseason. No doubt James still wants a trade, but he's also human and I doubt his mind is set in stone. Following his actions, his stance may be softening. The next step is for the team to get on the floor and show him winning, then perhaps he can start gaining trust in the organization again and give Houston another shot. When the outside media desperately tells you the situation is at a breaking point, it's probably because the situation is mending.
Lol, yeah, all these hit pieces from Tilman’s pawn Tim MacMahon will definitely make Harden want to stay here.
The "sources" trashing Harden also say the Rockets were responsible for enabling it. That tells me the source is not from within the Rockets, but rather from outside trying to break things apart. The more desperate they get the more it makes me think the situation is getting better for Houston.
Dunno. I saw the game yesterday and didn’t really see chemistry with Wall granted they haven’t played together much. Team just looks disjointed. I really don’t like the way Wall plays. And he missed a lot of defensive assignments giving up easy buckets. He cheats on defense a lot as well. Not to be negative but Just reminding fans here he has never been a high scoring player despite being an all star. 19 ppg for career.
I do agree this situation is largely media driven, the media was chomping at the bit to have offseason drama regarding a superstar's trade demands.
Uh he’s the main reason so much changed so ya I can blame him for demanding a trade after getting everything he ever wanted for 8 years. He’s a big baby with a beard.
If there were reports trying to make Harden look bad and the Rockets look good, then I would be worried because thats coming from within the Rockets looking to butter fans up before a trade. If the reports are trying to make both Harden and the Rockets look bad, that's coming from the outside trying to break things apart.
Yeah sorry, but while what you say might all be true, truth is a player wanting out is not going to be worth the distraction. I won’t invest in this team until Harden is gone.
He doesn’t cheat nearly as much as Rus does. John Wall has always been considered a good defender and not because he cheats in the passing lanes. That’s exactly why Rus wasn’t considered good. He got beat often by gambling in the lanes or going for unlikely boards.
ah yes. a "real" rocket fan right here, refusing to support the team because of one player. U support the team through the hardships and the victories, u abstaining from supporting our team speaks a lot. Probably one of the fans hating on harden cause of him not being "loyal".
Kyrie referred to this when asked about harden. He said players can’t control narratives put out by media
Support and invest are two different things. Nothing real about any of this, it’s being fan of a sports team. It’s all fun and games. Loyalty is bull, it never existed.
Maybe it's Morey's hand behind this. Get media to trash how horrible Harden is and then blame Tilman and his people as the source for the article. Goal is to prevent chance of Harden and Rockets reconciling, try to lower Harden's trade value, and discourage other potential trade suitors.
I am cautiously optimistic. No situation in this league would be ideal for Harden to step into right away although they would adjust. He is here and he will buy in. His legacy depends on it. Now we just need to get acclimated and win.
