RUN IT BACK?
A Houston Rockets insider gave us some context behind controversial James Harden rumors
Mar 3, 2023, 1:02 pm
Should the Rockets bring back James Harden? Composite image by Brandon Strange.
Rockets shrug off setbacks behind Harden's continued dominance
James Harden returning to the Houston Rockets next year is such a crazy, loony, makes-no-sense idea that I’m now 100-percent convinced it’s gonna happen.
Remember, we’re talking about James Harden and the Houston Rockets, two forces of nature that haven’t made a lot of sense in recent years.
I asked a Rockets insider, why would Harden want back here, and why would the team want him back? Didn’t they have a messy divorce just two years ago, with Harden practically sabotaging the team to force a trade to the Brooklyn Nets?
“I guess (Rockets owner) Tilman Fertitta figures Harden would draw attention to the team, sell some tickets and they’d win a few more games. I can’t think of any other reason,” the insider said.
The Rockets currently are 13-49, on their way to the distinction of being the worst team in the NBA for the third consecutive year. The Rockets are like the Richard Farina novel, Been Down So Long It Looks Like Up To Me.
Maybe Harden would sell tickets – and the Rockets wouldn’t have to offer bargain-basement deals to entice fans to Toyota Center. Like Wednesday night for example: a quesadilla and a beverage (beer, soda or water) for “just $29!” You can imagine Fertitta doing his best Ron Popeil imitation – “just $29!” If you crunch the numbers, and subtract the quesadilla and beer, the Rockets are practically giving away NBA games at “one low, low price of under five bucks!”
To watch the Rockets get blown out by the Memphis Grizzlies, a title contender with exciting superstar Ja Morant.
Would it make sense for the Rockets to bring back Harden, who likely would ask for a max four-year contract worth $201 million? The Beard will be 34 next season.
Why not? Last year the Rockets paid John Wall $44 million to not play.
It’s not a secret, and hasn’t been one for several months, that Harden is considering coming back to the Rockets, where he spent eight sensational, high-scoring, controversial seasons. He made eight All-Star teams, won three NBA scoring titles and one MVP award.
He allegedly also pulled stunts like forcing the team to stay an extra day in certain cities so he could party and hang out with friends. He reportedly was given days off from practice so he could travel to Las Vegas on a private jet. TMZ reported that one night, after a disastrous playoff performance and Rockets loss, Harden went to a strip club where patrons chanted “MVP” at him.
Fertitta has a personal fondness for Harden. After the Rockets traded Harden to Brooklyn, Fertitta told him, “You're always welcome back here.”
Harden loves Houston, pure and simple. Last year, while wearing a jersey that said Brooklyn on the front, Harden said this about Houston: “My family is here, my mom, my sister, my brother, so this is the place I would call home. I feel like this city deserves for me to still put my stamp on it even though I’m no longer playing here. I’ve got to find ways to continue to do that, and I will.”
One way would be to sign with the Rockets at the end of this season.
Meanwhile, after demanding to leave Houston, and shortly after demanding to leave Brooklyn, Harden is playing for the ‘76ers who are serious title contenders. Harden is having an excellent season despite missing some games from injury. He is averaging 21.6 points while leading the NBA in assists with 10.7 per game. Wonder what his teammates think about Harden and rumors that he wants back in Houston?
This wouldn’t be the first time that the Rockets have brought in a veteran star. In recent years, they’ve signed Dwight Howard, Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook and others. How’d those signings work out? Not so good – and it was Harden who contributed to their unhappy endings.
If Harden does return to the Rockets, which Harden would we be getting: the megastar ball hog or the now more mature and co-starring playmaker?
Before the 2020 NBA All-Star Game, team captain Giannis Antetokounmpo was asked if he was going to pick “the Dribbler (Harden)?” The Greek Freak’s answer: “I want somebody who’s going to pass the ball.” Antetokounmpo wound up taking Kemba Walker over Harden that game.
That was then. This is now – Harden has MVP candidate Joel Embiid and other veterans to pass to. If he plays for Houston next year, he’ll be joining a team currently comprised of rookies, first and second-year players who have done nothing but losing in their pro careers. Plus the Rockets have three first-round picks in the 2023 draft. So Harden would be taking the court with a young team projecting to be even younger. He would be the team’s undisputed star and T-shirt seller, though. At least the marketing department would have something to promote: James Harden and the Pips
Is Harden a changed man who can show these young’uns how to be a professional?
For the past 10 years, Harden has talked about his hunger for an NBA championship. The team he’s with now, the 76ers, have a legit shot at a ring this year and next. The Rockets aren’t contenders and likely won’t be for a few more seasons at the earliest.
Harden surely won’t be coming to Houston for the money. While the Rockets could offer him $201 million over four years, the 76ers can up that to $272 million over five years.
It’s not like Harden needs the money. He’s already the fifth highest-paid player in NBA history with earnings of $268.6 million. Add another $201 or $272 for his next contract, plus his $200 million shoe deal and other endorsements and investments, and Harden will walk away from basketball on his way toward being a billionaire.
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While holding one’s breath that for a change the Astros aren’t publicly grossly underestimating an injury’s severity with Jose Altuve having missed the last game and a half with “right side discomfort…”
The Astros averting a sweep vs. Oakland Thursday was in no way a must-win, but getting the win allowed a mini sigh of relief. The Astros are NOT in the process of choking. Could they collapse? Sure that’s possible. Also possible is that they’ve just been in one more ebb phase in a season of ebb and flow. They certainly have left the door ajar for the Seattle Mariners to swipe the American League West, but with the M's simply not looking good enough to walk through that door the Astros remain in commanding position. The Astros made a spectacular charge from 10 games behind to grab the division lead. But there was a lot of runway left when the Astros awoke June 19th 10 games in arrears. September 3 the Astros arose with a comfy six game lead over the M’s. With Seattle blowing a 4-1 eighth inning lead in a 5-4 loss to the Texas Rangers Thursday night, heading into Friday night the Astros' advantage is back up to four and a half games despite the Astros having lost six of their last nine games and having gone just 10-12 over their last 22 games. Not a good stretch but nothing freefalling about it.
While the Mariners have the remainder of their four-game series vs. the dead in the water Rangers this weekend, the Astros play three at the lousy Los Angeles Angels. The Astros should take advantage of the Halos, with whom they also have a four-game series at Minute Maid Park next weekend. Since the All-Star break, only the White Sox have a worse record than the Angels 19-31 mark (the White Sox are 6-43 post-break!). Two of the three starting pitchers the Angels will throw this weekend will be making their third big league starts. To begin next week the Astros are in San Diego for a three-game-set against a Padres club which is flat better than the Astros right now. That does not mean the Astros can’t take that series. The Mariners meanwhile will be still at home, for three vs. the Yankees.
There are some brutal Astros’ statistics that largely explain why this is merely a pretty good team and not more. As I have noted before, it is a fallacy that the best teams are usually superior in close games. But the Astros have been pathetic in close games. There used to be a joke made about Sammy Sosa that he could blow you out, but he couldn’t beat you. Meaning being that when the score was 6-1, 8-3 or the like Sammy would pad his stats with home runs and runs batted in galore. But in a tight game, don’t count on Sammy to come through very often. In one-run games the Astros are 15-26, in two-run games they are 10-14. In games that were tied after seven innings they are 3-12. In extra innings they are 5-10. The good news is, all those realities mean nothing when the postseason starts. So long as you’re in the postseason. In games decided by three or more runs the Astros have pummeled the opposition to the tune of 53 wins and 28 losses.
General Manager Dana Brown isn’t an Executive of the Year candidate, but overall he’s been fine this season. Without the Yusei Kikuchi trade deadline acquisition the Astros would likely barely lead the AL West. Brown’s biggest offseason get, Victor Caratini, has done very solid work in his part-time role. Though he has tapered off notably the last month and change, relief pitcher Tayler Scott was a fabulous signing. Scrap heap pickups Ben Gamel, Jason Heyward, and Kaleb Ort have all made contributions. However…
Dana. Dana! You made yourself look very silly with comments this week somewhat scoffing at people being concerned with or dismissive of Justin Verlander’s ability to be a meaningful playoff contributor. Brown re-sang a ridiculous past tune, the “check the back of his baseball card” baloney. Dana, did you mean like the back of Jose Abreu’s baseball card? Perhaps Brown has never seen those brokerage ads in which at the end in fine print and/or in rapidly spoken words “past performance is no guarantee of future results” always must be included. Past (overall career) performance as indicative of future results for a 41-year-old pitcher who has frequently looked terrible and has twice missed chunks of this season to two different injuries is absurd. That Verlander could find it in time is plausible. That of course he’ll find it? Absolutely not. His next two starts are slotted to be against the feeble Angels, so even if the results are better, it won’t mean “JV IS BACK!”
Presuming they hold on to win the division, the Astros’ recent sub-middling play means they have only very faint hope of avoiding having to play the best-of-three Wild Card Series. Barring a dramatic turn over the regular season’s final fortnight, Framber Valdez and Hunter Brown are the obvious choices to start games one and two. If there is a game three, it is one game do or die. Only a fool would think Verlander the right man for that assignment. No one should expect Brown to say “Yeah, JV is likely finished as a frontline starter.” But going to the “back of the baseball card” line was laughable. Father Time gets us all eventually. Verlander has an uphill climb extricating himself from Father Time’s grasp.
*Catch our weekly Stone Cold ‘Stros podcast. Brandon Strange, Josh Jordan, and I discuss varied Astros topics. The first post for the week generally goes up Monday afternoon (second part released Tuesday) via The SportsMap HOU YouTube channel or listen to episodes in their entirety at Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.