ROCKETS RELAUNCH
Examining the James Harden trade and everything that led up to it
Jan 13, 2021, 6:17 pm
Farewell to The Beard.Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images
An appeal to reason sheds honest light on Rockets, Harden noise
After another tough loss against the Los Angeles Lakers, James Harden finally admitted that he no longer wants to play for the Houston Rockets. Harden started showing signs after a loss to the Indiana Pacers by only scoring 14 points off 14 shots. Honestly, that is unlike Harden to shoot 14 times a game.
"Just not good enough ... I love this city," as Harden told the media Tuesday night after a Rockets' loss. "I literally have done everything that I can. I mean, this situation is crazy. It's something that I don't think can be fixed."
In Harden's last four games, engagement wasn't the problem, but his usage rate dropped tremendously from 35 percent to 28 percent. A naked eye could figure out Harden was forcing himself out of Houston. Ever since training camp, Harden has put in multiple trade requests, including showing up to camp late and adding on extra weight. Harden created a chaotic situation for the Rockets Tuesday night by asking for a trade during his media session.
What the hell even is this, James? https://t.co/q4yddKU0B4— Taylor Pate (@Taylor Pate) 1610560253.0
Harden even managed bashing the Rockets' roster and their chemistry on the court. It was shocking to see Harden turn on his teammates, so he could leave Houston. John Wall has done everything to make their chemistry work in the backcourt. Stephen Silas has also defended Harden countless times during media sessions.
"We're just not good enough. Chemistry, talent wise. And it was clear these last few games," as Harden told the media.
Wall mentioned building a relationship with Harden in the backcourt has been hard.
"I think it's been a little rocky, can't lie about that. I don't think it's been the best it could be, to be honest. That's all I really could say," as Wall told the media.
He also defended this team when Harden criticized the Rockets' potential. Wall believes it takes everyone 1-15 to build something special on the court. He believes that everybody should buy-in and that one player can ruin potential by being selfish.
"Like I told everybody tonight, when the 1-15 guys are all on the same page and they commit...you all will be fine. But when you have certain guys in the mix that don't want to buy-in as one, it's gonna be hard to do anything special as a basketball team...It hurts," as Wall told the media. "If we can all get on the same page, we can be something good here. We can't dwell down on it because it's only been 9 games. Come on, man. You're going to jump off the cliff off of 9 games? There's a lot of basketball still to be played."
As Wednesday afternoon approached, Silas mentioned it wasn't the best idea for Harden to come to practice. Honestly, the Rockets' organization likely made the decision, so no feuds happened in the locker room or practice. The Rockets have lost four out of five games within two weeks, and they play the San Antonio Spurs Thursday night on TNT. After practice, DeMarcus Cousins sounded off on Harden's comments, which was entertaining.
"The disrespect [from James Harden] started way before any interview. Just the approach to training camp, showing up the way he did, antics off the court. I mean the disrespect started way before. So this isn't something that all of a sudden happened last night," as Cousins sounded off during his press conference. "Other 14 guys in the locker room have done nothing to him. For us to be on the receiving end of disrespectful comments and antics...it's unfair to the rest of the guys in the locker room."
Things started to get spicy as trade rumors started surfacing from the Philadelphia 76ers and the Brooklyn Nets again. The Rockets were able to complete a four-team trade, so they could send Harden to the Nets for Caris LeVert, Dante Exum, Rodions Kurucs, and four first-round draft picks. Rafael Stone the Rockets GM was able to trade LeVert for Victor Oladipo from the Indiana Pacers. The Rockets should have kept LeVert who is still under a contract while Oladipo is a free agent for this summer. Hopefully, Stone can offer Oladipo an extension if he is healthy and the Rockets make the playoffs, which they should.
FULL TRADE DETAILS, per @ShamsCharania Nets get: ◻️ James Harden Rockets get: ◻️ Oladipo ◻️ Exum ◻️ Kurucs ◻️… https://t.co/622WJP9RMH— Bleacher Report (@Bleacher Report) 1610573954.0
Since Harden is finally gone, hopefully the Rockets can focus on the rest of the season. This will help Silas figure out the roster even more when it comes to minutes. All of the drama is now over so let's play basketball and focus on implanting Oladipo into the offense.
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If you are a believer in the third time is a charm, go ahead and book the Texans for their first ever appearance in the AFC Championship game! Saturday is the Texans’ third crack at the Kansas City Chiefs in the playoffs. Of course, the Texans had a third time is the charm opportunity at advancing beyond the division round back in 2016 and came nowhere close. Charm will have nothing to do with the outcome at Arrowhead Stadium.
The Chiefs have administered the Texans’ two most humiliating postseason defeats in franchise history. They came as the bookend postseason appearances of Bill O’Brien’s tenure as head coach. In 2015, the Texans won the worst division in the AFC (that sounds familiar) but as a division champ got to play host to the Wild Card 11-5 Chiefs. The visitors were three-point favorites. They won by 30. 30-0 to be more precise. Knile Davis returned the opening kickoff 106 yards for a touchdown. It would have been in the Texans’ best interest to have forfeited right then and there. In what was not exactly a shocking development, Texans’ quarterback Brian Hoyer wasn’t up to the task, throwing for just 112 yards and four interceptions. On the Chiefs’ side third-year tight end Travis Kelce had eight receptions for 128 yards. Taylor Swift was not in attendance.
The second Texans-Chiefs playoff get together is the most incredible game in Texans’ history. The Texans showed up in Missouri fresh off the greatest comeback win in their history, having come from down 16-0 in the third quarter to best the Buffalo Bills in overtime. In what could safely be characterized as stunning, the Texans put up three first quarter touchdowns for a 21-0 lead. *Massive bonus points if you can name the three Texans who scored those TDs, answer below. A field goal made it 24-0 Texans with 10:54 left in the second quarter. In a collapse tough to pull off, the Texans would trail before halftime. The Chiefs scored four touchdowns in nine minutes and eleven seconds of game time, with that Kelce fellow scoring the last three of them. Some will recall O’Brien calling a fake punt from his own 31-yard line with the Texans up 24-7. Too soon? Justin Reid (now pursuing his third Super Bowl ring in three seasons as a Chief) was stopped short. An even more damning O’Brien moment came later in that game when he actually had to use a timeout to change his mind and go for it with 11:49 left in the fourth quarter, the Texans down 48-31, and facing fourth and four at the K.C. 42. That was a fire-able on the spot offense! Instead it took an 0-4 start to the 2020 season for O’Brien to be ousted. 51-31 Chiefs was the final score, and they went on to win the first of their three Super Bowl titles in the ongoing Andy Reid/Patrick Mahomes era.
Back to the present
Those routs were then, this is now. For a 15-2 team the Chiefs seem vulnerable. Maximum credit to them for having won an NFL record 16 consecutive games decided by eight or fewer points, 11 of them this season including their 27-19 victory over the Texans December 21. Perhaps the two-time defending champions were often bored with the regular season and often did just enough to win. The Texans would have been tied with them late in the third quarter had Ka’imi Fairbairn not botched an extra point. On the other hand, it was the play that got them within 17-16 which resulted in Tank Dell’s catastrophic season-ending knee injury. Who besides Nico Collins will do something in the passing game Saturday? Last Saturday the Texans’ pass rush harassed and flustered Chargers’ quarterback Justin Herbert. Mahomes is a different breed. Four weeks ago the Texans sacked Mahomes just once and did not intercept him. That seemingly must change for the Texans to pull off what be a shocker for most people. Saturday’s high temperature forecast for Kansas City is 25 degrees. Not ideal for the Texans but better than if the game had been scheduled for Sunday when the high is supposed to be 16.
Still standing
Four Texans who dressed for the debacle five years ago will suit up against the Chiefs Saturday: Laremy Tunsil and Tytus Howard who were in their first season with the team, Fairbairn, and long snapper Jon Weeks. Granted he’s just a long snapper (important role but not physically taxing), but Weeks is in his 15th season with the Texans and has yet to miss a game-244 regular season games (with Saturday his 14th playoff game, also without a miss). Presuming he is back next season, Weeks (who turns 39 next month) can crack the top five list of most consecutive games played in NFL history by answering the bell in the first 12 regular season games.
*The Texans’ three early TDS in the 51-31 loss at KC: 1. Kenny Stills a 54-yard reception 2. Lonnie Johnson with a 10-yard return of a blocked punt 3. Darren Fells with a four-yard grab
For Texans’ conversation, catch Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and me on our Texans On Tap podcasts. Thursdays feature a preview of the upcoming game, and then we go live (then available on demand) after the final gun of the game: Texans on Tap - YouTube
The Astros are always in season for discussion. Our Stone Cold ‘Stros podcasts drop Mondays: Click here to watch!