Amick: Where is James Harden? No one seems to know. So … what do we know?

Definitely need to read this article if someone can post. Amick was always close with Morey but maybe Tad Brown has a relationship with Amick? Such a weird situation. I think Harden is making a mockery of the preseason or something but who knows.

 

Spoiler: Article

James Harden being MIA was one thing, but poor Stephen Silas probably wished the Rockets’ IT department had gone on a hiatus too.

It was approximately 1:33 p.m. Central time on Monday afternoon — nearly an hour after the first-year Houston Rockets coach was scheduled to address the media on his daily Zoom briefing. Now anyone who has been paying attention these past few days could have guessed that the extreme focus of the 40-plus media members on the call would be the status and whereabouts of Houston’s reportedly disgruntled star.

Had Harden reported to Rockets camp, where his new coaching staff and teammates — including his fellow All-Star and newcomer John Wall — took part in their first group workout Sunday? Was this a power play so Harden could force his way to a Kevin Durant/Mike D’Antoni reunion in Brooklyn or a Daryl Morey reunion in Philadelphia? Would the organization suspend or fine him as a result of his absence? Did Harden have a good time at Lil Baby’s birthday bash in Atlanta late last week? How was the apparent trip to Vegas, where the social media stalkers placed him at Drai’s Nightclub on Sunday night? And what did Harden mean to say with his nervous face emoji shared on his Instagram story on Sunday?

So many questions about this bizarre beginning to the Rockets’ season, and just one high-ranking Rockets official made publicly available to answer them. And it was the new guy, no less.

But when the Houston Chronicle’s Jonathan Feigen lobbed the first question Silas’ way, there was a miracle moment where he didn’t have to come up with the answers because, well, technical difficulties had (temporarily) saved the day. The microphone glitched on the Rockets’ end, prompting Silas to vacate his seat while a different man — presumably from IT — entered the frame and began trying to fix the problem.

Thirteen minutes passed before Silas was back in his unenviable seat again, and I hereby declare that he should win the Rudy Tomjanovich award for this coming season simply because he returned (that annual honor, which is named after the former Rockets coach and Hall of Famer, is given by hoops writers to the most media-friendly NBA coach for each season). Lesser men would have headed for a late lunch and left Harden to handle this unwelcome spotlight. After all, Silas had nothing to do with creating this mess.

When the audio was fixed, in part, by using a secondary stream so that Silas could be heard, a Rockets PR representative dropped an unintentionally comical comment.

“Sorry about that guys,” she said to the group. “Always got to have a backup plan.”

Truer words have never been spoken. So with a preseason game at Chicago on Friday and a regular season debut at home against Oklahoma City looming Dec. 23, what is the Rockets’ backup plan here? Even Silas didn’t seem to know.

With that being the case, here’s a look at what we know — and don’t know — courtesy of both Silas and other sources close to the situation.

There is no timeline on when Harden will show up.

Sources: The Rockets were definitely expecting Harden to report over the weekend and get to work (after going through league COVID-19 protocol to be cleared). They were surprised by this just like everyone else.

And for anyone wondering if Harden might have told team officials that he has no plans to wear a Rockets jersey this season — or, perhaps, ever again — sources say that’s not the case. There has been no such declaration, and the plan remains for him to suit up for the Rockets this season.

As for the prospects of him being traded, sources say the Rockets’ demands remain unchanged even after these past few days: An All-Star/All-NBA level player in return, as well as a treasure trove of other assets (young prospects, first-round draft picks, etc.). But as of Monday afternoon, sources say, the trade market wasn’t responding to these demands in the kind of way that would inspire a move.

Harden has made it known to the Rockets that he wants to win at the highest levels, and it’s quite clear he sees their current turmoil as a major obstacle to that desire. What’s more, his age — 31 years old and about to enter his 12th NBA season — means there’s no time to waste. The Rockets, in turn, have often reminded him that beloved Rockets big man Hakeem Olajuwon won his first of two titles at the age of 31.

For what it’s worth, Wall told reporters on Sunday that he spoke with Harden on Thursday after the Wall-Russell Westbrook trade with Washington and was left with the impression that the former MVP had planned on being a Rocket this season. (Harden, who reportedly turned down a two-year, $103 million extension recently, has two seasons and a combined $85.5 million left on his deal.)

Silas: “Uh, yeah, as far as timetable, there is no timetable as far as I know. And it is a setback. You know, you want your best player to be here and, um, there is a short window, as you’ve alluded to. As I said yesterday, we’re working as if this (training camp timeframe) is the sixth (of December) to the 23rd, so there is some time. But you know, it is a setback. I mean, I have to be honest and understand that this is a setback not having one of the best players in the NBA here. But I’m working with the guys who are here, and we’re working hard and we’re doing a good job.”

It’s unclear as yet if the Rockets or the NBA will discipline Harden for his absence.

Sources: These are unprecedented times for all involved, but there are rules and regulations surrounding this season for a very serious reason. Yet while Harden is clearly in violation of team rules in terms of reporting, it’s not clear as yet if his choices will result in discipline from either the Rockets or the NBA.

“You’d like to get through it holistically,” one Rockets source said.

If Harden continues to stay away from the team, it will be fascinating to see how Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta decides to handle this situation. The league has held off on weighing in here so far, but one can assume commissioner Adam Silver & Co. aren’t enjoying the awful optics of it all.

Silas: “I’ve been in situations before where we had to hold out and just kind of handled each individual situation on its own merit, and individually. So as far as any sort of punishment, we haven’t even crossed that bridge yet. We’re just trying to work piece by piece.”

Harden is saying something with his actions, but that message — deja vu alert — is also unclear.

Sources: There’s some small sense here from the Rockets that this is James being James. He’s a known life-of-the-party type guy who — in non-pandemic times — was known to jet-set in pursuit of a good time only to hurry back to Houston while finding a way to perform at an MVP level. Yet while this is clearly different, his absence does not appear to have been packaged with a clear message attached. There is significant confusion about what, if anything, he is trying to accomplish by staying away that goes beyond the messages already being sent. As for rival executives who are closely monitoring the situation, there’s confusion, and plenty of intrigue, there too.

Silas: “No clarity about the message, honestly. I take it that — basically at face value — that he’s not here. And what the reasoning is is on him. He’s the one who can explain why, or why not — he’s not here. So, you know, for me to make inferences and think about the possibilities isn’t real to me. What’s real is (that) he’s not here, and he has a reason. But that’s on him to tell whoever (from the Rockets) what his reason is.”

Silas was then asked about Wall’s aforementioned interaction with Harden and what it might mean.

“The only relationship that I have with James is the fact that he was one of the people who, in the interview process, recommended that I get the job. So that’s the relationship that I have. I assume that the relationship (Harden) has with John goes a lot further down the road, so for that communication to happen doesn’t surprise me and we’ll see when he gets here.”

Apparently, it’s a matter of “when,” not “if” Harden returns to explain this whole sordid affair. Unless that was Silas’ microphone glitching again.
/SPOILER]

 

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I like Silas.

 

Seems like Silas is the only right thing Tilman did in two years.