James Harden isn’t concerned about the details of his divorce from the franchise as he returns to Houston Wednesday night (7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN) to take on the Rockets for the first time since his trade request was finally granted.
“They showed me insane love and respect, and I’m just excited to play for those fans,” said Harden.
Harden has apologized for “how things went” in his last months with the Rockets when he pushed for a trade, but Harden said he does not regret the actions that led to the desired outcome. He got what he wanted – a chance to play for a contender again, specifically the Brooklyn Nets – and makes full use of the opportunity.
Harden is happy and hopes at MVP level for the most popular Eastern Conference team. Meanwhile, times are tough for the Rockets, who are ravaged by injuries and a 12-game lost streak heading into the return of their former MVP.
An overview of the month-long saga leading up to Harden’s departure from Houston:
“It’s very frustrating, especially the amount of work I’ve done individually. But I’ll keep chipping. I’ll keep going and keep going until I can’t anymore. I feel like we’re a bit removed. We have to. just keep trying to figure it out, keep trying to grow and put the right pieces around me and Russ to get where we want to go. ‘
– Harden, after the Rockets were eliminated by the Los Angeles Lakers in a series of five games in the second round
The drastic renovations to the Rockets’ grille did not lead to better results.
The Houston front office, at Harden’s urging, turned up Chris Paul and a bundle of first-round picks for friend, former teammate and fellow-recent MVP Russell Westbrook. In large part to accommodate Westbrook, the Rockets made an unprecedented commitment to the small ball, knocking out big Clint Capela in a four-team deal that Robert Covington landed, suddenly turning 6-foot-5 PJ Tucker into the shortest starting center of the competition by several inches.
The Rockets’ wild experiment worked for a while. Houston won 10 out of 12 games over a month, a trajectory highlighted by a victory over the Lakers, raising hopes that the unconventional Rockets could actually fight.
Then the Rockets ran out of gas, losing four of their last five games before the COVID-19 pandemic ended the season. They never really got back on track, with Harden and Westbrook reporting late to the Orlando, Florida bubble after contracting the coronavirus, and Westbrook straining his quadriceps during the seeding schedule.
Houston narrowly avoided the humiliation of Paul’s Oklahoma City Thunder loss in the first round, surviving Game 7 by two points thanks to a late run-saving block by Harden. They defeated the Lakers in their second round opener, but were dominated for the rest of the series and were eliminated in the elimination game with 23 points.
The main topics of Harden’s post-game interview were Coach Mike D’Antoni’s insecure status with his contract expiring – resolved the next morning when D’Antoni announced he was leaving from Houston – and the enduring power of the unusual style of the Rockets. . The last question to Harden was whether he was willing to adjust his game, maybe play more with the ball.
“To answer your question, yes, I’m willing to do whatever it takes,” Harden said. “Mainly to win.”
“For the past eight years or so, our goal has been to win a championship because we had James Harden. We still have James Harden. Our goal is still to win a championship, and if you have him, you are halfway through. It’s up to me and Stephen [Silas] and the whole team to figure out the rest of the whole thing, but the key piece is there. “
– Rafael Stone, at his first press conference since he was promoted to CEO of Rockets
Daryl Morey, the general manager whose business for Harden revived the Rockets franchise in 2012, announced his resignation in October. Morey mentioned a desire to spend time with his family – and 13 days later, he was hired as the president of the Philadelphia 76ers’ basketball operations.
Several sources within the Houston organization firmly believe Morey made a pre-emptive decision and largely left because he expected Harden to want out and begin a rebuilding period for the Rockets. According to sources, Morey had expressed concerns within the bubble that he would not be able to “keep James happy” due to a lack of choices to use as a trading feed to make off-season roster upgrades.
Harden’s luck, or lack thereof, was Stone’s problem after Rockets’ old front office manager was promoted to replace Morey. But just getting Harden to communicate with him was difficult for Stone and the Houston front office, a factor that slowed the search for coaching that ultimately ended with the hiring of Silas, a longtime NBA assistant who was a finalist when Houston D ‘ Antoni for four years. earlier.
In early November, the Rockets had privately agreed that the Harden-Westbrook combination was buzzing, as the friends no longer wanted to play together. That was problematic given the high price the Rockets paid in the Westbrook trade last summer, but Houston could have a hard time looking for a Westbrook trade.
As long as the Rockets had Harden, they had hope. They just had to convince Harden, who annually insisted on out-of-season urgency to pursue a title.
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Rockets head coach Stephen Silas discusses James Harden’s current status and how his focus is on coaching the team.
“I’m not clear on the message. What the reasoning is is up to him. He’s the one who can explain why he’s or isn’t here. It’s not really for me to jump to conclusions and think about the possibilities. What’s real, he’s not here, and he’s got a reason, but it’s up to him to tell anyone what his reason is. ”
– Silas, on the second day of Rockets training camp
Weeks before the camp opened, a high-ranking Rockets source told ESPN that the team was “ willing to feel uncomfortable, ” stressing that the front office felt no urgency to trade Harden and Westbrook before the start of the season, despite the misfortune of the stars. not to be pressured into trading them for pennies on the dollar.
Westbrook finally got his wish granted days before the camp opened, when the Rockets attacked when the Washington Wizards along with point guard John Wall offered a protected first round.
After avoiding the Toyota Center while the rest of the NBA players were doing individual training at team facilities, Harden was missing from the start of training camp, attending rapper Lil Baby’s birthday party in Atlanta instead, spoiling his friend with extravagant gifts and posting photos of the maskless affair on Instagram.
From there Harden went to Las Vegas. The Rockets attributed Harden’s absence from first-team training to the competition’s health and safety protocols, but Silas acknowledged the next day that it was a lunge.
‘As far as the timetable is concerned, as far as I know there is no timetable. And it’s a setback, ”said Silas. ‘You want your best player to be here. And there is a short period. It’s a setback. I have to be honest and understand that this is a setback if you don’t have one of the best players in the NBA here. ‘
Harden’s late arrival meant that he would essentially miss the entire camp, as he had to test negative for the coronavirus for six consecutive days before being cleared to participate in team activities. Harden’s explanation for the Atlanta and Vegas field trips: “I was just working out.” Harden had certainly convinced the buyer of the Rockets that he was taking his trade request seriously. His priority was to implement an exit strategy.
“We’re just not good enough. Chemistry, talented, just everything. … I love this city. I’ve literally done everything I could. I mean, this situation is crazy. It’s something I can’t think about. are being solved. “
– Harden, after losing Jan. 12 to the Lakers, his last game in a Rockets uniform
Well aware that the Rockets’ trade talks with the Nets and 76ers had intensified, Harden delivered what amounted to a farewell address at his virtual press conference after Houston’s fourth loss in five games.
He walked out of the Toyota Center like a rocket for the last time.
Harden was told to stay home rather than practice the next day, as Stone was finalizing a four-team deal that sent Harden to Brooklyn and the Rockets four first-round picks, four first-round pick-swaps , former All-Star shooting guard Victor Oladipo and a few other salary filler players.
Houston’s asking price for Harden had been a fledgling franchise cornerstone and historic package of choices. The Rockets eventually had to compromise, opting for the Nets headline offering a picks bundle over the proposal of the 76ers with Ben Simmons at the center, but significantly less design assets. And that closed the chapter of Harden’s tenure in Houston, which featured eight seasons of individual brilliance but always lagged behind the NBA finals.
“I thought I would never leave that franchise. I naturally thought I would stay in Houston for the rest of my career. Something happened. I have different goals and I have seen a different vision for myself and my career and my family . “
– Harden, days before his return to Houston
Harden has walked the walk since arriving in Brooklyn, living up to his promise to fit in with Nets stars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving and silence the skeptics who wondered how three of the best scorers of this generation could get one ball could share.
Harden has adapted his game to focus more on facilitation. Harden has always been an elite passer – he won the NBA assists title in 2016-17 before claiming the league’s scoring crown for the next three seasons – but that part of his game especially flourished with the Nets. He has averaged 11.3 assists in 22 games with Brooklyn, and he officially became the point guard after Irving’s statement of defensive roles in practice last month.
Harden is still a top scorer, but he has the luxury of being more selective with his shot with the nets. He averages 25.3 points per game – which would be Harden’s lowest-scoring season since he was the Thunder’s sixth man – but with the best clips in the field goal (.490), 3-point percentage (.419) and effective field target percentage (.589).
Harden also pulls down 8.7 rebounds per game for Brooklyn, which would be another career best. He has seven triple-doubles for the Nets, who have won nine of their past 10 games despite Durant’s extended absence due to a hamstring strain.
Yes, Harden did everything he could to win. For him it meant leaving Houston.