Paul Gallant goes through history - world history - to see how this superstar duo could fare in 2019
Harden & Westbrook: A historic power couple?
Jul 24, 2019, 6:55 am
You guys have called me out for it. So I'll admit it. I'm hard on the Houston Rockets. Why? Because when it comes to Houston sports teams, they're my middle child.
"You don't have any kids PAWL, ain't nobody making babies with you…"
The Astros are my successful older child. They can actually provide for me. Buy me a house please, kiddo. I'm hoping they'll eventually put me in a nursing home with attractive grannies when I look like this.
The Texans – my baby – might be cute with Watson, Hopkins, and Watt. But with the constant losses on big stages, strange game management decisions by Bill O'Brien, and now the lack of a GM, I always feel like I'm cleaning up a dumpy diaper. Getting canned from 610 sucked, but at least I'm not a baby sitter anymore...
Meanwhile, the Rockets are stuck in the middle. They're Jan from the Brady Bunch (bet you didn't think I could drop a 60s reference IN YOUR FACE). Sure, they're a pretty impressive child. But THEY'RE ALWAYS whining. "Marcia, Marcia, Marcia." Sorry kid. I expect oldest child level success from you.
And ultimately, no matter how impressive James Harden can be in the regular season, they've been pretty forgettable come playoffs (Except that one time. Thanks, Chris Paul's hamstring). Just like Jen. Or…Meg? I forget my child's name.
Also, the Texans just two-sied again while trying to hire Nick Caserio from the Patriots. Gotta go…
Kidding. The Rockets did get better by dumping CP3 – along with practically the rest of their draft picks – for Russell Westbrook. It's this simple: no matter how many bad shots that monomaniacal triple double addict shoots, Russ is simply better than Chris. He's a durable player that'll go all out for close to 82 games a night, and a guy that physically CAN take control of a game when Harden has an off night.
Still, bringing two ball dominant guys together is tricky. Yeah, Mike D'Antoni was able to get James Harden and Chris Paul play pretty well with one another while CP3 was healthy. But is HE going to be the guy to shake Russell Westbrook out of his extremely bad habits? And is Russ – who last played with James Harden when he was a sixth man – willing to defer to ole Jim as the lead dog? I'm EXTREMELY skeptical.
Power duos are the new norm in the NBA. And I suppose I could try and compare what James and Russ could be to some of the marvelous marriages and disastrous divorces of recent NBA history. But my nerdy self would MUCH rather compare the possibilities of these two to . . . historical figures? After all, they say history tends to repeat itself . . .
Caesar and Pompey: 60 – 45 BC
IN A NUTSHELL:
Caesar and Pompey – two of the greatest military leaders in Roman history – had an informal alliance (along with this rich guy named Crassus) towards the end of the Roman Republic. It was called the First Triumvirate. The first Big 3, and together for one cause: helping each other "seek personal advantage." And it worked. Pompey even married Caesar's daughter, Julia. But when Julia died (54 BC), then Crassus died (53 BC), their relationship began to sour, eventually leading to war. Caesar won, and Pompey would later be assassinated after fleeing the defeat.
COULD THIS BE JAMES AND RUSS?
Harden wants a title. Westbrook wants a title. And I think they both know that their best chance to get one is by playing with one another, not against each other in Houston and Oklahoma City. THAT is the "personal advantage" they seek.
…Unless Russell views Harden as a key to more triple doubles. Which I doubt. Because if he disrupts the Harden-centric offense, he'll likely leave the Rockets the way Pompey did.
PS: If you liked Game of Thrones, you need to check out Rome on HBO. It covers the Great Roman Civil War between Caesar and Pompei through the eyes of two soldiers who just stumble into some of the most important events in Roman history. It's basically a period themed buddy cop with all the sex and violence of GOT.
Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen: ~700 AD
"PAWL, they weren't REAL."
"Enough with the HBO plugging PAWL, you wannabe Bill Simmons. They aren't going to pay you"
IN A NUTSHELL:
(SPOILER ALERT)
Jon (desperate for soldiers to fight an army of zombies) made a visit to Casa Daenerys asking for help from the self-proclaimed Queen (who somehow has three dragons for children). In classic Cocky Dany fashion, the Mad Queen imprisons Jon until he decides to bend the knee and recognize her as Queen. Speaking of bending, some more bending goes on (hehe), and these two become lovers even though Daenerys is actually Jon's Aunt. Together they defeat the army of the dead, and team up to win Dany control over all the land. Unfortunately, Dany got upset that her best friend died and murders 500,000 people on a whim. Classic. So, Jon makes out with her and stabs her to death while doing it. This actually happened like 1000 or so years ago!
COULD THIS BE JAMES AND RUSS?
I can confirm this: James Harden will not stab Russell Westbrook to death while making out with him. Also, I can confirm the vice versa. But I do know that ole Russ could easily do the equivalent of murdering 500,000 innocents come playoff time: a patented 8-24 game from the field with 9 turnovers. For this partnership to work, Russell will need to bend the knee to James when they're both on the court.
Isabella and Ferdinand: 1469 – 1504 AD
IN A NUTSHELL:
Their marriage unified the Spanish Kingdoms of Castile and Leon, and ultimately established Spain as a dominant Global Power. Over their reign, they:
- Funded Christopher Columbus' discovery of America
- Defeated the Moors and ended Muslim rule in Spain
- Forced all the Jews and Muslims out of their country
- Tortured / killed everyone who didn't convert to Catholicism in the Spanish Inquisition.
What a lovely couple! Basically, these two could and would ruin you.
COULD THIS BE JAMES AND RUSS?
THIS would be the best-case scenario for the Harden and Westbrook (minus those invading / persecuting / torturing things): a whole lot of conquering over a long period of time. I'd be shocked if their partnership pays off that way, but I won't rule the possibility ENTIRELY out.
USA and the Soviet Union: 1941 – 1945
IN A NUTSHELL:
They hated each other. But for 4 years, they hated Nazis more.
The US delivered $11 Billion in materials (17.5 million tons in weight) to the Soviets as part of the American Lend-Lease program during World War 2. And the Soviets – who bore the brunt of what they call the "Great Patriotic War" (~27 million combined citizens and soldier deaths) – held the Eastern front, eventually over-powering ~200 German divisions. The two combined to crush Germany, and Russia ultimately helped speed up the unconditional surrender of Japan by invading Manchuria.
But afterwards? A nearly 45 year passive aggressive "Cold War".
COULD THIS BE JAMES AND RUSS?
Yeah. It's how I see this playing out. Minus taking down NBA Nazis. Those don't exist.
I can see Harden and Westbrook winning A LOT of regular season games. I can see Rockets fans talking themselves into a title run because of those regular season wins. Hell, I could even see the Rockets beating up on the NBA's star-less peasant teams and sporting the league's best record heading into the playoffs.
But do we really believe that these two super-powers can co-exist when the regular season war is over? Can their ball dominance overcome fatigue? When Mike D'Antoni shrinks his rotations, and Harden and Westbrook are on the court together 40+ minutes a game, will they actually complement each other? Can a team led by two elite guards beat teams with superstar wings? I'm having a hard time seeing any of those working out. And I could easily see Harden and Westbrook getting extremely frustrated with each other's play.
Paul Gallant hosts the "Gallant Says" podcast (Mondays & Fridays on iTunes), "Just Sayin'", Fridays on Kube 57, and contributes to SB Nation Radio. Have any questions? Get after him on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook.
Sengun has 32 points and 14 rebounds as the Rockets beat the Grizzlies
Jan 10, 2025, 2:32 pm
Everyone raved about the leadership of second-year quarterback C.J. Stroud this week as the Houston Texans prepared for their wild-card playoff game against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Everyone, that is, except the man himself.
“I don’t think I’m a great (leader),” Stroud said sheepishly. “I don’t know. That’s probably a bad thing to say about yourself, but I don’t think I’m all that when it comes to leading. I just try to be myself.”
But the 23-year-old Stroud simply being himself is exactly what makes him the undisputed leader of this team.
“C.J. is authentic, he’s real,” coach DeMeco Ryans said. “It’s not only here, it’s in the locker room around the guys and that’s what leadership is to me. As you evolve as a leader, you just be authentic to yourself. You don’t have to make up anything or make up a speech or make up something to say to guys. C.J. is being C.J.”
Sixth-year offensive lineman Tytus Howard said he knew early on that Stroud would be special.
“He has that aura about him that when he speaks, everybody listens,” he said.
Stroud has helped the Texans win the AFC South and reach the playoffs for a second straight season after they had combined for just 11 wins in the three years before he was drafted second overall.
He was named AP Offensive Rookie of the Year last season, when Houston beat the Browns in the first round before falling to the Ravens in the divisional round.
His stats haven’t been as good as they were in his fabulous rookie season when he threw just five interceptions. But he has put together another strong season in Year 2 despite missing top receiver Nico Collins for five games early and losing Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell to season-ending injuries in the second half of the season. He also started every game despite being sacked a whopping 52 times.
“He’s taken some crazy shots,” Howard said. “But even if he’s getting sacked and stuff like that, he just never lets that get to him. He just continues to fight through it, and it basically uplifts the entire offense.”
He also finds ways to encourage the team off the field and works to build chemistry through team get-togethers. He often invites the guys over to his house for dinner or to watch games. Recently, he rented out a movie theater for a private screening of “Gladiator II.”
“He’s like, ‘I want the guys to come in and bond together because this thing builds off the field and on the field,’” Howard said. “So, we need to be closer.”
Another thing that makes Stroud an effective leader is that his teammates know that he truly cares about them as people and not just players. That was evident in the loss to the Chiefs when Dell was seriously injured. Stroud openly wept as Dell was tended to on the field and remained distraught after he was carted off.
“It was good for people to see me in that light and knowing that there is still a human factor to me,” he said. "And I think that was good for people to see that we’re just normal people at the end of the day.”
Stroud said some of the leaders who molded him were his father, his coaches in high school and college, and more recently Ryans.
His coach said Stroud has been able to lead the team effectively early in his career because he knows there are others he can lean on if he needs help.
“Understanding that it’s not all on him as a leader, it’s all of our guys just buying in, doing what they have to do,” Ryans said. “But also, C.J. understanding a lot of guys are looking up to him on the team and he takes that role seriously. But it’s not a heavy weight for him because we have other leaders, as well, around him.”
Stroud considers himself stubborn and though some consider that a bad quality, he thinks it’s helped him be a better leader. He's had the trait as long as he can remember.
“That kind of carried into the sport,” he said. “Even as a kid, my mom used to always say how stubborn I was and just having a standard is how I hear it. It’s stubborn (but) I just have a standard on how I like things to be done and how I hold myself is a standard.”
And, to be clear, he doesn’t consider himself a bad leader, but he did enjoy hearing that others on the team consider him a great one.
“I just don’t look at myself in that light of just I’m all-world at that,” he said. “But I try my best to lead by example and it’s cool because I don’t ask guys and to hear what they have to say about that is kind of cool.”
Though he doesn’t consider himself a great leader, Stroud does have strong feelings about what constitutes one. And he’s hoping that he’ll be able to do that for his team Saturday to help the Texans to a victory, which would make him the sixth quarterback in NFL history to start and win a playoff game in both of his first two seasons.
“That would be making everybody around you better,” he said of great leaders. “Kind of like a point guard on the offense, the quarterback on the football team, the pitcher on a baseball team — just making everybody around you better.”