4th and a mile with Paul Muth
Let's examine an intriguing parallel between James Harden and this Rockets legend
Jan 14, 2021, 2:33 pm
James Harden quit on the Rockets and there's no getting around that. Photo by Getty Images.
Strip club video could jeopardize James Harden's availability for opener
Once upon a time there was a superstar basketball player in Houston that was adored by the entire city. Even though he wasn't from here, he was adopted as one of their own.
His skill on the court was never in question, as he was widely regarded as one of the best players in the league. Yet in spite of this, the Rockets struggled to assemble a team around him that could contend for a championship.
Frustrated, he continued to play at an obscenely high level. There were critics of his game, though, claiming that he was a bit too selfish with the ball on the offensive end. Still, he carried the team.
To add pressure, a front office shake up materialized, leaving the superstar with a new, inexperienced general manager in charge. This even further discouraged him about the team's direction.
This was the tipping point. Now he wanted out.
The situation deteriorated rapidly, leading some to speculate that he was faking an injury in an attempt to force a trade. The media interactions were subsequently less than cordial.
You might have a fairly solid idea of whom I'm referring to. If you guessed James Harden, however, you'd be mistaken.
There's no way this has happened before, right?
Let's take a trip in the way back machine to the winter of 1992. Our subject?
One Hakeem Olajuwon.
That's right. Noticing he was grossly underpaid compared to the likes of fellow superstar centers David Robinson and Patrick Ewing, Hakeem had asked the front office for a $15 million dollar raise (despite wording in his contract forbidding such a request). His request was denied by new GM, 31-year-old Steve Patterson, and the relationship quickly soured. Olajuwon would go on to demand a trade, meanwhile repeatedly referring to the owner and front office as "stupid" in subsequent press conferences. He was all but on his way out the door. There's a great video on SB Nation that dives even deeper into the drama that I highly recommend.
Here's where Olajuwon and Harden's stories diverge though.
As angry as Olajuwon was, he never quit. In fact, he played his ass of even harder to prove how much he was worth. Harden, as claimed by his teammates, stopped putting any effort forth at all. Olajuwon persevered. Harden quit.
Olajuwon was eventually paid and we all know how his story ended. "The Dream" retired as the greatest player to ever don a Rockets jersey and is widely considered one of the top five big men to ever play the game.
Harden's story is still being written. He will go down as one of the greatest offensive threats the league has ever seen, of that I have little doubt. The manner in which he forced his way out of Houston is difficult to ignore, and despite where he ranks among the Rockets greats, his legacy here will likely remain tarnished for quite some time.
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It’s May 1, and the Astros are turning heads—but not for the reasons anyone expected. Their resurgence, driven not by stars like Yordan Alvarez or Christian Walker, but by a cast of less-heralded names, is writing a strange and telling early-season story.
Christian Walker, brought in to add middle-of-the-order thump, has yet to resemble the feared hitter he was in Arizona. Forget the narrative of a slow starter—he’s never looked like this in April. Through March and April of 2025, he’s slashing a worrying .196/.277/.355 with a .632 OPS. Compare that to the same stretch in 2024, when he posted a .283 average, .496 slug, and a robust .890 OPS, and it becomes clear: this is something more than rust. Even in 2023, his April numbers (.248/.714 OPS) looked steadier.
What’s more troubling than the overall dip is when it’s happening. Walker is faltering in the biggest moments. With runners in scoring position, he’s hitting just .143 over 33 plate appearances, including 15 strikeouts. The struggles get even more glaring with two outs—.125 average, .188 slugging, and a .451 OPS in 19 such plate appearances. In “late and close” situations, when the pressure’s highest, he’s practically disappeared: 1-for-18 with a .056 average and a .167 OPS.
His patience has waned (only 9 walks so far, compared to 20 by this time last year), and for now, his presence in the lineup feels more like a placeholder than a pillar.
The contrast couldn’t be clearer when you look at José Altuve—long the engine of this franchise—who, in 2024, delivered in the moments Walker is now missing. With two outs and runners in scoring position, Altuve hit .275 with an .888 OPS. In late and close situations, he thrived with a .314 average and .854 OPS. That kind of situational excellence is missing from this 2025 squad—but someone else may yet step into that role.
And yet—the Astros are winning. Not because of Walker, but in spite of him.
Houston’s offense, in general, hasn’t lit up the leaderboard. Their team OPS ranks 23rd (.667), their slugging 25th (.357), and they sit just 22nd in runs scored (117). They’re 26th in doubles, a rare place for a team built on gap-to-gap damage.
But where there’s been light, it hasn’t come from the usual spots. Jeremy Peña, often overshadowed in a lineup full of stars, now boasts the team’s highest OPS at .791 (Isaac Paredes is second in OPS) and is flourishing in his new role as the leadoff hitter. Peña’s balance of speed, contact, aggression, and timely power has given Houston a surprising tone-setter at the top.
Even more surprising: four Astros currently have more home runs than Yordan Alvarez.
And then there’s the pitching—Houston’s anchor. The rotation and bullpen have been elite, ranking 5th in ERA (3.23), 1st in WHIP (1.08), and 4th in batting average against (.212). In a season where offense is lagging and clutch hits are rare, the arms have made all the difference.
For now, it’s the unexpected contributors keeping Houston afloat. Peña’s emergence. A rock-solid pitching staff. Role players stepping up in quiet but crucial ways. They’re not dominating, but they’re grinding—and in a sluggish AL West, that may be enough.
Walker still has time to find his swing. He showed some signs of life against Toronto and Detroit. If he does, the Astros could become dangerous. If he doesn’t, the turnaround we’re witnessing will be credited to a new cast of unlikely faces. And maybe, that’s the story that needed to be written.
We have so much more to discuss. Don't miss the video below as we examine the topics above and much, much more!
The MLB season is finally upon us! Join Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and Charlie Pallilo for the Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast which drops each Monday afternoon, with an additional episode now on Thursday!
*ChatGPT assisted.
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