James Harden and the Houston Rockets are at a breaking point

Eh. Lebron gets credit for landing Davis but you have to give Harden credit for initially getting CP3 to come here. GM Harden's Russ trade is obviously terrible, but GM Lebron used his leverage to get Klutch and his Cleveland teammate friends paid on way above market deals that Cleveland was stuck with after Lebron left.

 

Cleveland also got first ring in history of the city. Against GSW, after being down 3-1. Thats why I dont give Harden pass for not finishing off GSW without KD or after being up 3-2

 

Of course we'd give Harden more of a pass for all of this if the Rockets had won a title (and I think a lot of folks on CF are giving him a big pass anyways based on Tilman spite). GM Lebron really did leave a big mess for Cleveland to clean up when he left, but deciding to come back in free agency and winning a title there is definitely a worth while cost of doing business.

 

Cleveland wouldn't be pulling off the miracle if Kyrie went down with a hamstring injury or Draymond hadn't got suspended.

 

And also to be fair, the 3-1 comeback definitely isn't happening against the KD Warriors either.

 

Did Kyrie get injured and did not play in the last two games of that series?
Kyrie averaged 27 pts a game that series
Did ANYONE outside of Harden get 27 points in Game 6 and 7?

Rocket River

 

This isn’t an apples to apples comparison. KD going down actually created an opportunity for GSW to beat us as our defense had absolutely no clue how to defend a pick and roll with Curry. The coaching was absolutely complete ****. No I’m not saying we would have won had Durant played. As to the 2nd one... Chris Paul’s hamstring. Lebron didn’t go up against a KD Warriors team.

But that aside, Lebron is also a better player than James Harden.

 

Perk:

It was absolutely true. The Rockets gave James Harden an inch and he took a mile. I’ve been saying this time and time again: James Harden has had more power than any other player in the NBA. What happened was he was not involved in the new GM hire, with the new coaching hire and he was upset. If he was mad and wanted a trade, I get that but you still have to have a level of professionalism and show up to work and when you do show up to work, you can’t show up looking like me. You’re making it hard on the Rockets to trade you because for the simple fact they have no leverage anymore. Packages teams would have given up three weeks or a month ago, they’re not giving that same package up right now. I strongly believe James Harden will start the season as a Houston Rocket. The word around town, front offices and GMs that are talking, that have interest or may have had interest in James Harden is they’re basically saying he’s the new Dennis Rodman. They’re not questioning his talent or skill set on the court but they’re questioning his winning, his off the court mentality. Right now, they’re in a tough situation and I see James Harden staying put.

Do you believe they have to trade him reasonably soon?

No, they don’t have to do a damn thing. James Harden is under contract for two years. Rockets don’t have to make a move and grant James Harden’s wish. The Rockets want back so much. They want a MVP type player or something close to that with a lot of assets and teams are not giving that up. The Houston Rockets are going to stay put. Harden is under contract for two more years.

 

But, I thought it was a hit piece?

 

media conspiracy

 

nah CP3 decided that by himself, saw it on a doco

 

KD played.......when he had the chance to beat them and up 3-2

 

Did you watch those games?
Because, if you did, it would be obvious that Adam Silver and his minions were never going to allow us to win that series.
Also, MDA should've never had CP3 on the floor at the end of that game when he got hurt. That cost us too. These things aren't on James.

 

Funny TimmyMac

“My hopes and dreams of being able to join James for a night out on the town for a story probably ended but I wasn’t real optimistic about that anyways.”

“If that’s the training that gets you ready for the NBA season, I’m pretty sure I can go get someone a double-double right now.”

“He said he was working with his personal trainers. In some of those establishments, there are some impressive feats of athleticism. I’m not sure how that translates to the basketball floor.”

...

The story I wrote, it’s not like anyone who is considering trading for Harden was shocked by a revelation in there, I can absolutely assure you of that. People understand the way Harden operates. Everything in that story was understood by the people who are going to have trade discussions with the Rockets, including Daryl Morey, who if you ask people with the Rockets - “Who is primarily to blame for the culture being whatever James wants”, of course they’re trying to point the finger towards Philly. “It was Daryl! It was Daryl! It was Daryl!”

...

Ramona: I don’t think Houston ever prioritized culture. I don’t know if Daryl ever factored that in.

Windhorst: Hard to have culture when you flop the roster over so much.

TM: The culture was whatever James wanted because their top priority was keeping Harden happy. The people I talk to with the Rockets still recognize there needs to be a cultural reckoning but there are people who have moved on who are like “Hey, say what you want. He showed up every night. He played hurt. He produced at a MVP level. The Rockets were a contender.” You can argue looks bad, optics are awful but was it really the wrong path? It didn’t result in a championship so there’s always going to be that. “A hamstring away.” That’s always going to haunt Houston fans forever. If if was a fifth, we’d all have the same blood alcohol level as Harden did in Vegas. They had legitimate chances to compete for a championship because Harden is that damn good and why kissing his butt was a priority.

BW: I was talking to an executive today and asked what did you think about the way Harden looked physically? He says “To be honest with you, the rumor out there was he was way worse off than that. We actually thought he wasn’t so bad.” There is such a demand for superstars. If the reason Harden isn’t traded right now, the asking price is too high.

TM: Or because the asking price is fair and they’re not budging because they have time on their side.

BW: Fair point. Let me rephrase. The asking price is higher than teams are willing to pay. It’s not because he’s not desired.

TM: If we’re talking about what’s the biggest problem with the fallout here, it’s that Harden pulling rank and flexing his power resulted in them shipping out CP3 with a ton of picks. That blew up in their face. They mortgaged their draft future to get worse in personnel and worse in contracts. He’s left them with one hand tied behind their back as they try to move on to a post-Harden future.

...

BW: With Giannis signing, 2021 free agency has been obliterated. If you want a transformational superstar, your opportunity is James Harden. That alone will help the Rockets position here.

 

I agree with perk on the professional aspect of it. I can understand wanting out but partying with a bunch degenerate criminals and no mask to boot? Terrible look.

 

Lebron had Kyrie in his prime and there was no Durant in that series the Cavs won. Plus Lebron is a better player than Harden.

 

Perkins is embarrassing

 

why would they purposely devalue their biggest asset? that defies basic economics.

 

It was Morey

 

Is there anything less interesting than a podcast with Windhorst and Shelbourne? **** ESPN is stale. May as well add John Lopez to that **** show too.