[CBS Sports] Harden pushed for McHale's firing & angled for Howard trade

J.R. · Feb 25, 2016

"This is the team that they go out there and compete with, so [star players] should have some kind of say-so," Rockets guard James Harden said. "Obviously, the owners and the general managers and those guys have the final decision, but the star player should have some kind of input.

"If you're the star player and you're going out there trying to lead that team every single night," Harden said, "I think that should be the case."

Few players in the NBA have been as assertive as Harden when it comes to franchise-shaping decisions of the highest order. He now plays with Howard in Houston, of course, and the Rockets' season has been one disappointment after another. After a trip to the Western Conference Finals last season, Houston started the season 4-7 and promptly fired coach Kevin McHale.

Multiple league sources told CBS Sports that Harden pushed management to dump McHale, and has since angled for the Rockets to trade Howard. Rockets GM Daryl Morey delivered on the first demand, but was unable to find a suitable deal for Howard at the trade deadline this month.

"It's really bad for the locker room dynamic," a person familiar with the situation told CBS Sports. "If everybody knows that James Harden can fire you or trade you, are you going to pass the ball to Dwight or are you going to pass the ball to James Harden?"
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Full article: NBA stars deserve organizational say, but how much?

REEKO_HTOWN · Feb 25, 2016

Harden is the cancer!

Harden is the cancer!

I don't believe it! I don't...

snowconeman22 · Feb 25, 2016

Sounds like a bunch of reporting BS taken out of context , and put in quotes to seem professional.

CK Johnson · Feb 25, 2016

Haymitch · Feb 25, 2016

Only 24 games left and we'll be done with this train wreck.

T_Man · Feb 25, 2016

J.R. said: ↑

Full article: NBA stars deserve organizational say, but how much?
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If this is TRUE... Then this is not good at all...

The problem right now is too many reports are coming out reporting the sam e thing..

This franchise right now is a BIG MESS!!!!

T_Man

REEKO_HTOWN · Feb 25, 2016

Haymitch said: ↑

Only 24 games left and we'll be done with this train wreck.
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Harden has 2 more years left on his contract!

DreamEarlNolan · Feb 25, 2016

Today's article by Calvin Harris would go against pretty much everything the CBS Sports article claims.

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/1...kets-need-dwight-howard-james-harden-man-lead

James Harden and Dwight Howard's relationship is complex, yet perception reeks of something far worse than what the reality is.

The two Houston Rockets stars support each other and are friends, yet they can't do anything about what outsiders say about their partnership.

"I don't know what the perception is; the reality is we get along and we want to win," Harden told ESPN.

"People are always going to say what they want to say," Howard said. "But there's no need for me and him to worry about that. Our job is to grow and get better as a team and get better as individuals."

The duo will attempt to save Houston's sinking season from falling further apart. The Rockets (28-29) have 25 games and 49 days in which to do so.

Their relationship was borne from general manager Daryl Morey's dream of bringing two superstars together with a strong supporting cast was supposed to bring a title to Houston. It still might do so.

But Howard, 30, becomes a free agent this summer, so this could be his final trip with Harden, 25, wearing Rockets colors in the trek for a title together.

"It's important for us," Harden said. "It's a great opportunity for us to turn this season around, and we're going to do it and it's going to get done."

Too often this season, James Harden and Dwight Howard have left a game dejected after a loss. Russ Isabella/USA TODAY Sports
Opposites attract

One reason there's a perception that Howard and Harden don't get along is because of their personalities.

The pair can be so different. Take their music preferences, for instance. Howard loves playing Al Green, while Harden blasts Meek Mill.

Harden rarely engages in small talk with reporters and won't get too personal. Of course, he values family, as evident by his mother attending a road game in Phoenix and his brother going to games in Salt Lake City and Portland.

He walks into his home arena at the Toyota Center wearing Beats headphones singing loudly with the latest hip-hop blasting as his coach, J.B. Bickerstaff, talks with reporters outside the locker room.

Harden gives the impression that he's a loner, but he's sociable and likable. He jokes with reporters from time-to-time and in TV commercials displays a joyful presence. In pregame warm-ups, Harden attempts a series of shots from various places on the floor at near game speed. His fundamentals are near flawless, Rockets coaches say.

Howard is different. He's effusive. During a recent homestand, Howard's son was bouncing around the locker room, prompting one player to say, "He gets it from his daddy."

Howard is playful with everyone, even getting Harden and rookie Sam Dekker into the act. He listens to hip-hop and old-school R&B. His smile and positive outlook, regardless of the team situation, comes across like a motivational speaker. His pregame routine consists of free throw attempts, jump hooks, spins to the basket and playful banter with fans and teammates.

Yes Harden is fan-friendly in the sense that his trademark beard has given him marketability with devoted fans who wear fake beards to home and away games. But Howard seems more accessible to fans. For instance, Howard engages with them -- especially on the road -- giving his jersey and sneakers to a fan after nearly every game.

The early season losses wore on Howard. He expressed unhappiness with the level of play from his team, but he maintained a commitment to the group as a whole. As trade talk increased at the deadline, his mood was quiet, reserved. He was not traded, and Howard's mood is better.

Howard is open, trusting. Harden is guarded, needs to know who you are, what you are, before revealing his thoughts. "Yeah, I guess two opposites attract," Harden said. "I think its comfort level. You're around someone for a long periods of time you start to open up, you start to communicate in general."

Last week, after a victory in Phoenix, the two bonded over a song by Future playing from Howard's locker as Harden did a little dance.

Prior to that game, Howard and Harden had dinner in Phoenix, a meeting of the minds, to solve what troubles the Rockets. After the Friday night victory, Harden and Howard hung out together and took Trevor Ariza's cell phone and posed for a picture, posting it on Ariza's Instagram account.

"They do that all the time," Ariza said. "They're always taking my phone."

Each wears stylish clothes. Howard's T-shirts are playful, one time he wore a shirt from the movie "Step Brothers," which he said of the picture of the two actors on the front, "Me and James."

From the haircuts - both sport fauxhawks -- to their bodyguards, yeah, there are similarities.

"We do have similar tastes," Howard said. "When things don't go well, it's easy to point to the two guys that are the leaders of the team, and that's perfectly understandable. We got to take the good with the bad and we got to come together and lead this team. We got 25 games left, and we want to make the best of it, and we have to do what we can to get to the top."

GM Daryl Morey says neither Harden nor Howard ever came to him asking for the other to be traded. Bill Baptist/NBAE/Getty Images
Basketball issues

On the floor, however, is where issues arise. NBA.com reported recently that two seasons ago, after a first-round playoff loss to Portland, the pair texted Morey they wanted the other one traded. Morey said it wasn't true.

The next season, the Rockets reached the Western Conference Finals on the shoulders of Harden's MVP-caliber season, and Howard dominated in the postseason.

Morey kept the team basically together and has found failures around it now. He fired Kevin McHale as coach 11 games into the season, and rumors surfaced that Harden and Howard wanted the coach out. Multiple sources said Howard and Harden did not go to management asking for a coaching change.

"When things don't go well, it's easy to point to the two guys that are the leaders of the team and that's perfectly understandable. We we got to come together and lead this team."
Dwight Howard
What is clear is if the Rockets are going to fix what ails them, they need more leadership from Howard and Harden.

"James and I had a really good talk before the break and I think we're more on the same page than we've ever been," Howard said. To be sure, the super duo of Harden and Howard has had its share of growing pains. In the loss to Utah on Tuesday, Harden sent a lob pass to Howard when Howard clearly was figuring on a shot attempt. that The ball hit the side of the rim and Harden jumped up upset at the missed play.

"They are brothers," Ariza said. "You're going to fight with your brothers, it happens."

"Chemistry is huge. If you don't have chemistry, a team won't succeed," said Suns center Tyson Chandler, a 14-year NBA veteran who has had high-profile teammates such as Carmelo Anthony and Dirk Nowitzki. "You don't have to like each other, you don't have to hang out with each other, but on the court you have to have chemistry."

If the Rockets are going to make the playoffs, it's time for Harden and Howard to step up. Bill Baptist/NBAE/Getty Images
Needing each other

Going into Thursday night's game, the Rockets are in ninth place, just a half game out of the last playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Rockets are dueling the Jazz and the Mavericks for the last two slots. To get there, they'll need Harden and Howard to produce. Quickly.

Harden said the dinner in Phoenix, regardless if it leads to victories or not, was vital.

"Very important," Harden said. "Communication is very important. Any friendship, relationship in life, it's hard to read minds. When you communicate and express yourself with how you feel, everything is on the table."

Hall of Fame wide receiver Michael Irvin once said players at his position are very needy. First, you need a quarterback to throw you the ball, you need a coach to call a play for you .... you need the defense to open up for you to make a play.

Likewise, Howard needs Harden, who commands the ball so much. Howard is averaging fewer than nine shot attempts per game, the lowest since his rookie season. When Harden defers to Howard, the Rockets are pretty good. The duo plays off each other so well, in wins and losses.

In Tuesday's loss at Utah, the Rockets were attempting a last second shot in overtime when Harden was double-teamed. He sent a pass to Ariza who missed his shot. But there was Howard, tipping the ball away to the corner for Jason Terry who missed the buzzer-beating jumper.

"It doesn't matter what people say, I'm always going to have his back and I'm sure he's going to have my back," Howard said. "People are always going to talk, but the biggest thing, which is always true, with every team you have to put your ego and pride to the side and do what's best for the team."

Indeed. But time is running out.
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Snow Villiers · Feb 25, 2016

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BE3OS7hGc-g" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

heypartner · Feb 25, 2016

Even if that writer is inventing the "multiple sources" or not, 80% of this BBS wanted McHale fired.

Had someone posted a poll after those first 11 games, "Should Harden tell DM and Les to fire McHale?" would you have voted Yes?

Don't be hypocrites, guys.

INB4 someone says, "Sure I wanted McHale fired, but I didn't want our best player to demand it." smh

J.R. · Feb 25, 2016

snowconeman22 said: ↑

Sounds like a bunch of reporting BS taken out of context , and put in quotes to seem professional.
Click to expand...

Believe it you want to or not, that's fine but...

T_Man said: ↑

If this is TRUE... Then this is not good at all...

The problem right now is too many reports are coming out reporting the sam e thing..

This franchise right now is a BIG MESS!!!!

T_Man
Click to expand...

....but this. This is not the first report either saying a) he pushed/got McHale fired or b) he wants Howard gone or c) both.

rocketsmetalspd · Feb 25, 2016

REEKO_HTOWN said: ↑

Harden has 2 more years left on his contract!
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Well at least we know which player the organization will be building the team around.

hooroo · Feb 25, 2016

Draft night trade: Wiggins, KAT, & their lotto pick for Harden. Try to re-sign Dwight but not at full max. Bring back McHale to help develop KAT as a PF.

FTW Rockets FTW · Feb 25, 2016

No surprise here

You have to have a little brain and watch games to see the real problem with Rockets basketball

Stop logging on to Espn Box score and seeing Harden's stats

Snow Villiers · Feb 25, 2016

hooroo said: ↑

Draft night trade: Wiggins, KAT, & their lotto pick for Harden. Try to re-sign Dwight but not at full max. Bring back McHale to help develop KAT as a PF.
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Why would Minny do that?

heypartner · Feb 25, 2016

T_Man said: ↑

The problem right now is too many reports are coming out reporting the sam e thing..
Click to expand...

This isn't a political cover up. This is sports/celebrity gossip, mainly. Websites can just feed off of each other and recycle the same thing. Howard has a history of attracting these lockerroom tension pieces. The media can just flat out invent it now.

FTW Rockets FTW · Feb 25, 2016

REEKO_HTOWN said: ↑

Harden is the cancer!

Harden is the cancer!

I don't believe it! I don't...
Click to expand...

This article is more proof and further evidence (going back to the earlier thread) to what I said that Morey has put Harden on a pedestal and this dude can do whatever the F he wants

Bäumer · Feb 25, 2016

This team makes me want to take a shower and watch highlights of the 22 game win streak. I am absolutely not an expert but I think Harden is fool's gold and I would not cry if we traded him in the offseason. This basketball this team has played since he arrived is so unpleasant to watch. I know he is the best SG in the league and the team is worse without him but he is no champion.

T_Man · Feb 25, 2016

heypartner said: ↑

This isn't a political cover up. This is sports/celebrity gossip, mainly. Websites can just feed off of each other and recycle the same thing.
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Not denying what you're saying hint the TRUE in all caps...

The problem is.. Reporters will always jump on a good negative story no matter if it's true or not..... But I have never seen Morey this pro-active to try and put the fires out like he is with this mess.

So right now we have 3 sides to this thing.. the reporters story, the rockets story and somewhere there's the truth.

T_Man

JayZ750 · Feb 25, 2016

J.R. said: ↑

Believe it you want to or not, that's fine but...

....but this. This is not the first report either saying a) he pushed/got McHale fired or b) he wants Howard gone or c) both.
Click to expand...

The reason I find it somewhat unbelievable is because it doesn't seem to match with Harden's personality.

Frankly, if Harden was taking on a Lebron, CP3 esque type forceful role, that would speak to leadership - whether good or bad - more strongly than it seems is befitting his personality.

Rather, his personality is one of ... DM talks to James about the really slow start, asks about coaching, wants real comments, James provides them. He likes McHale, but yada yada.

DM talks to James about Dwight, wants real comments, James provides them.

It's hard to imagine him directly pushing hard for things. If he was angling, he was probably just noting true criticisms and faults.

Some might take issue with the fact that DM and the organization goes to James like that, or view James like that, or James views himself like that #1 guy... BUT he clearly is.

Yeah, we get it, his defense is suspect and hasn't been good at all this year. But his offensive game is near last year levels, and if you take out that first month probably at last year levels. And guess who else sucks defensively now...? Dwight. Dude isn't nearly the defensive anchor he once was and more importantly can't hedge or guard anyone on PnRs anymore. I'm not mad at him on a personal level... its his back.

James is the leader of this team on the court until they find a coach that can be that leader. That they ask his opinion about things shouldn't be surprising.

But maybe I'm wrong, and it really is James being aggressive and strongly pushing for these changes - changes, by the way, which make sense.

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[CBS Sports] Harden pushed for McHale's firing & angled for Howard trade

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