The thought of this used to make me want to leap from a cliff, but after 3 seasons of Stephen "Smiling-Ah-Shucks"" Silas, well....
“We will pay you for each win and a bonus for each round you advance in the playoffs. Deal or no deal?”
yea, I'm just not buying this. all the reasons why he left, still exist. it would have to be for reasons way outside of basketball.
Tilman did greenlight the Brooklyn trade even though he didn't need to. They were very player friendly with the way they treated the James exit situation. I don't think James had as much of an issue with Tilman as Daryl and especially MDA did (everyone thought MDA got fired but it turned out the ball was on his court and he quit because of Tilman)
Did you not see the "this can't be fixed" press conference? Everything that happened after Tilman forced that trade up until now has been beyond alarming. Like....I'm beginning to question how Tilman was allowed to buy the team by Silver and his cohorts. The Rockets went from Yao Ming - Les Alexander - James Harden in desirable city model franchise to...at this point....over a dozen media members calling it an absolute circus, dumpster fire, no one should go there, Mobley's dad not wanting him to come here, infighting between Elie and Hollins, Cayleigh leaving, Worrell leaving, all of the KPj ****, reports about the players being undisciplined and not showing up to practice on time.... I mean clearly the organization is leaking oil. At this point it seems the national media is being fed information from within the organization about how bad it is. Forum members here have been told how bad it is. It doesn't seem like people within the organization care to protect the brand *at all*. We are lucky to have KPj/Silas as distractions at times because it really does seem like the issues are far far far more pronounced than just those two.
if harden comes back to this team and we somehow end up with a top 3 or 4 record in the west next year. Any poster who bumps that "i have grown to hate frauden" thread should be banned
Should James Harden and the Houston Rockets embark on a new beginning this summer — nearly three years after their breakup that was both messy and misunderstood — it will be a reunion born out of what so many believed was their ending. The deal to Brooklyn that finally went down on Jan. 13, 2021, was already done, with Harden heading to the Nets in a blockbuster involving four teams, three first-round picks, four first-round pick swaps and players. But Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta, whose unabashed love of all things Harden was no secret during their three and a half years contending for titles together, had a message to share with his soon-to-be former franchise centerpiece on his way out the door. “You’re always welcome back here,” he told him in so many words during a goodbye phone call between the two. But more than two years later, with Harden focused on his championship pursuits with the Philadelphia 76ers these days and the speculation over what he’ll do in free agency already in full swing, the more important part about that final Rockets conversation was what came next. Harden, sources with knowledge of the situation say, made it abundantly clear the feeling was mutual. There were no promises made that day — on either side — but everyone who was part of those final Harden days in Houston knew there were strong indications he’d be back, specifically, in the summer of 2023. Fast forward to the present day, and the whispers about a Harden-Rockets reunion are louder than ever. Never mind that this Harden-Joel Embiid iteration of the Sixers looks as capable as ever of winning the whole thing, or that the Rockets are in the midst of the worst three-season stretch in franchise history. This possibility, which was born out of those parting talks and first reported by ESPN in late December, is as strong now as ever. Sources, who like all of the other sources in this story were granted anonymity so that they could speak freely, have told The Athletic Houston is widely expected to pursue the 13-year veteran point guard if, as is expected, he declines his player option for the 2023-24 season. And even more surprisingly, sources with knowledge of Harden’s outlook say he’s as serious about a possible return now as he was when he left town. As free agency situations go, this is about as unique as they come. It’s puzzling on paper, what with Harden still looking for his first championship and the Rockets looking like the league’s least likely collection of players capable of helping him in that mission. But Harden’s ties to the Houston region, and to the Rockets organization for which he played in those eight-plus seasons, run deep in the kind of way that simply can’t be forgotten here.
This isn’t LeBron James returning “home” to Cleveland in the summer of 2014, when he left Miami to join a Cavs team that featured a 21-year-old Kyrie Irvingand had won just 33 games the season before — especially considering Harden’s hopes for his first championship remain unfulfilled and James already had two titles at that point. But there are common themes between the two situations worthy of exploration. And if you talk to the people who know Harden best, who lived through all the acrimony and angst that came with his Rockets exit, this isn’t the negotiating leverage play so many assumed it to be. Depending on how these next few months go for the Sixers, and how they handle his contract situation in July, the prospect of Harden heading back to Houston is real in ways most couldn’t have imagined when he left. One of the game’s greats, this 33-year-old former MVP and 10-time All-Star who (along with back-to-back MVP Nikola Jokic) is one of two players averaging at least 20 points, 10 assists and six rebounds this season, is proving he has plenty of elite basketball left. But where does he want his next hoops chapter to be, and what factors will matter most when the time comes to decide? Even Harden himself may not know at this point. To the untrained eye and the majority of the outside world, the split between Harden and the Houston Rockets was a culmination of internal turmoil and off-court antics, the apex of frustration fueled by years of trying — and ultimately failing — to reach the NBA’s pinnacle of success. For the eight seasons that defined the union between Harden and the organization, joint efforts to get over the hump had proven futile. What was once deemed a noble cause upon his arrival in 2012, the never-ending pursuit of a championship had become an obsession that had resulted in copious amounts of roster turnover, most notably a nasty breakup with future Hall of Fame point guard Chris Paul, an uncanny trade for Russell Westbrook, a resulting precarious stylistic shift to small ball and an unceremonious postseason exit at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. In the wake of the Daryl Morey and Mike D’Antoni departures that sparked the mass exodus, Harden’s final days and weeks in Houston were widely seen as acrimonious. And the optics surrounding his part in it all weren’t pretty. There was his choice to party in multiple cities — and do so publicly, no less — during a global health scare. He reported late and out of shape for training camp. There were tension-filled practices, clashes with coaches and teammates. The widespread belief was Harden’s moves were intentional power plays, boss moves made as a way of holding the organization hostage and facilitating the exit strategy of his choosing. But in spite of everything that transpired, this was a situation unlike any breakup in NBA history involving a star player and a franchise. There was no bad blood between the two parties, just a collective feeling of disappointment. Instead of having it turn into an arduous, drawn-out saga that absorbed most of the season, Harden’s exit was a streamlined process from start to finish. The former MVP had made it clear he wanted to be traded during the preseason and Houston’s braintrust obliged, keeping him abreast of developments on that front. By the time the dust had settled by mid-January, Harden’s list of serious suitors had been whittled down to the Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers, two Eastern Conference teams desperate to break the ceiling and launch themselves into the upper echelon. He had armed himself with agents Jason Ranne and Chafie Field of the Wasserman Media Group to assist in the process and maintained dialogue with the Rockets brass. At the 11th hour, the Nets emerged as the clear frontrunner for Harden’s services and more importantly, it was a path the Rockets were comfortable going down — allowing the franchise to recoup precious draft capital and flexibility that it had lost over the last few years. It was far closer to an amicable split than bitter divorce — an annulment, if you will. The sense was, in the closing moments of Harden’s time in Houston, that the door for a potential return was still open. Harden had to leave to try and achieve his dream of winning a championship but this was by no means a goodbye. It was more of a “see you later.”
gawd damn, this article is long as hell…lemme try and just parse out the important stuff or I’ll be copy pasting for 5 posts
Amid all the evidence Harden might be planning a return to Houston, here’s the part where his situation gets so fascinating: According to a high-ranking Sixers source with knowledge of the team’s operation, they are “unconcerned” about possibly losing him this summer. This confidence, it seems, is rooted in the belief that only Philadelphia can provide the two things Harden holds most dear: A chance to contend for a title, and maximum earning potential. Harden is locked in on this push to win it all. In that regard, things are going well in Philly. But what scenarios might make it the most likely he’ll leave? It seems to be anyone’s guess. Maybe winning it all makes it easier for him to head for Houston, with that championship burden lifted. Or maybe the Sixers get to the NBA Finals, showing just enough promise to make him want to stay and finish the job. And why, as is the case, do some key Sixers players privately believe that Harden may make this Houston reunion a reality? These are questions for the summertime. Some of the personal dynamics have changed during Harden’s time in Philadelphia, too, with former Sixers owner and close friend of Harden’s, Michael Rubin, selling his shares of the team in June. Rubin, who still has a prominent presence in the Sixers space and frequently attends home games, was widely known to have played a major part in Harden’s desire to play for the Sixers. Meanwhile, Harden’s choice to hire a new agent has been seen by some sources close to the situation as further confirmation of his Houston ties and free agency desires. He is now represented by Troy Payne, a former senior sports marketing manager with Adidas who is partnering with agents Mike Silverman and Brandon Grier to lead Equity Basketball. Payne, a lifelong friend, worked side by side with Harden as his business partner and Adidas representative for the entirety of his near-decade relationship with the company. Between the familiarity with Harden and the Rockets organization, the bonds are strong there. As Harden tea leaves go, though, this much we know above all else: The money— to no one’s surprise — will matter a great deal. And if Harden is going to stay with the Sixers, one can safely assume he expects to be rewarded handsomely for his recent sacrifices both on and off the floor. When he signed his two-year, $68.6 million deal with the Sixers last summer, Harden chose to make $14.5 million less than he could have this season in order to help the front office add to the team’s depth (specifically, P.J. Tucker and Danuel House Jr., two familiar faces and key members of contending Rockets teams). That move would later play a part in the league’s choice to conduct a tampering investigation, though Harden was later found to have done no wrong (the Sixers were penalized two second-round draft picks when it was determined that they engaged in free agency discussions with Tucker and House Jr. prior to the time when it was permitted).
You write in your script. "Sir Alec Guinness aka The OG Obi Wan could always come back as a Jedi Spirit" And his younger version could be played by Ewan McGregor in prequels.
