TIME TO APOLOGIZE
John Granato: Sorry, James Harden and the Rockets -- I was wrong
Mar 22, 2018, 7:10 am
James Harden has raised his game. Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
I would like to formally apologize to everyone who is involved in the Rockets organization, maybe not Tilman Fertitta, he wasn’t the owner when I made my now regrettable proclamation. But everyone else deserves my deepest regrets.
After each of the last three seasons I have proclaimed that the Rockets are in James Harden purgatory. James is a great player and has been for a while but he hasn’t been good enough or focused enough to lead them to the promised land. They weren’t in NBA hell and they weren’t in NBA heaven. They were floating somewhere in between.
Right now though they seem to be knocking on the pearly gates and I never thought that would happen.
I’ve stated emphatically more than a few times that the Rockets would never win a championship with James Harden. They obviously haven’t proven me wrong yet but I’m now a believer in James and the organization. I’m all in on this team. I’m all in on James.
It’s certainly not all on James. Every superstar needs help. The GOAT Michael Jordan didn’t win his first NBA title until his seventh season. He didn’t have enough around him until then. As little credit as Michael would like to give him, it was GM Jerry Krause who put the pieces in place for their historic run.
Which leads us to the job that Daryl Morey has done this season. No one has tinkered more than Daryl trying to find the perfect combination of players that will mesh with James. It isn’t easy. Every GM is at the mercy of the marketplace. Every offseason they look at who is available at what price and are they the right fit for what we’re trying to do?
This offseason it all came together with Chris Paul, P.J. Tucker and Luc Mbah a Moute but it was Daryl who still had to identify them, find the cap room, convince the players to come here and sign them. It’s always hit or miss. This offseason was not a hit. It was a grand slam.
These pieces all fit. Sometimes they don’t (see: Corey Brewer). These do, especially Chris Paul. Go figure, adding a Hall of Fame point guard can improve your team. I will admit that I wasn’t convinced that he was the perfect fit here. James loves to have the ball in his hands as does Paul. I thought at some point they’d literally be fist fighting at midcourt. Couldn’t have been more wrong there either.
Chris makes James better in every way. He just seems more focused. He just seems to care more about the ball. He just seems more urgent.
Dare I say it, he almost seems likeable.
To me Harden has been the least likeable star in this city. Altuve? J.J.? Correa? Verlander? Deshaun? In my mind James comes in behind all of them on the likeability scale. If we’ve learned anything lately it’s that we really don’t know what sports stars are really like. We didn’t know anything about Tiger Woods until all his transgressions were exposed. There’s no reason to think our guys are shady but James does have some stink on him.
His run-in with Moses Malone Jr. None of us are sure exactly what happened but it’s a bad look.
His yacht commercial. We know you have money James. We don’t care.
His nightlife reputation. I’m the last one to criticize anyone’s partying habits but there are a lot more people who care if James succeeds than if I do.
Elimination James. This is the most egregious and the one that will be the biggest obstacle to overcome. The evidence is accumulating: the ‘12 Finals, game 5 of the ‘15 WCF and game 6 vs the Spurs last year. He’s got to play better in the biggest games. He can’t play any worse.
But 2018 James has me thinking that he’s changed somehow. Whether it’s just his demeanor, his attitude, how much more he seems to care about winning, how much more he’s taking care of the ball, how much more defense he’s playing, I don’t know what it is but he just seems different to me.
And I hope that he proves me wrong. These Rockets can win it all and to me that’s all that matters. Will they? I don’t know. Even with home court advantage they will be an underdog to a healthy Warriors team. But there’s no shame in losing to them. You can call that a losers’ mentality but I call it fate.
There have been great teams that came along at the wrong time and ran into historically great teams. That doesn’t mean they weren’t great themselves. The Luv Ya Blue Oilers who were foiled by the Steelers and the Stockton-Malone Jazz who were stonewalled by the Bulls and would have been champions in almost any other era. They were great teams. They just don’t have the hardware to prove it.
I’m not saying this Rockets team won’t beat the Warriors and I’m not making any excuses for them. I’m just saying I was wrong. They can win a championship with James Harden. I’m just not sure they will.
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Capsules of American League West teams, listed in order of finish last year:
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Houston Astros
2024: 88-73, first place, lost to Detroit in Wild Card Series.
Manager: Joe Espada (second season).
Opening Day: March 27 vs. New York Mets.
He’s Here: 1B Christian Walker, 3B Isaac Paredes, INF Luis Guillorme, RHP Hayden Wesneski.
He’s Outta Here: 3B Alex Bregman, RF Kyle Tucker, RHP Ryan Pressly.
Top Hitters: DH Yordan Alvarez (.308, 35 HRs, 86 RBIs, .959 OPS), C Yainer Diaz (.299, 16, 84, 29 2Bs), LF Jose Altuve (.295, 20, 65, 31 2Bs, 94 runs), 1B Christian Walker (.251, 26, 84, .803 OPS with Arizona), SS Jeremy Pena (.266, 15, 70, 28 2Bs).
Projected Rotation: LH Framber Valdez (15-7, 2.91 ERA), RH Hunter Brown (11-9, 3.49), RH Ronel Blanco (13-6, 2.80), RH Spencer Arrighetti (7-13, 4.53), RH Hayden Wesneski (3-6, 3.86).
Key Relievers: LH Josh Hader (8-8, 3.80 ERA, 34 saves), RH Bryan Abreu (3-3, 3.10, 1 save), RH Tayler Scott (7-3, 2.23), LH Bennett Sousa (0-0, 4.00 in 2023), RH Kaleb Ort (1-1, 2.55, 1 save).
Outlook: The Astros should contend for a fifth straight AL West title despite trading outfielder Tucker and losing longtime third baseman Bregman in free agency. They made a major upgrade at first base with the addition of Walker after failing to find consistency there last season after the release of José Abreu. It will be interesting to see how Paredes fares in replacing Bregman and how Altuve’s move to left field will go after the veteran superstar played second base exclusively for his first 14 seasons. Valdez returns to lead a rotation that will start the season with several young arms but that could get a boost in the summer with the expected returns of Cristian Javier and Luis Garcia after both players had Tommy John surgery last year. General manager Dana Brown is confident that this team can have a bounce-back year and make another deep playoff run after losing to Detroit in the Wild Card round last season.
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Seattle Mariners
2024: 85-77, second place.
Manager: Dan Wilson (first full season).
Opening Day: March 27 vs. Athletics.
He’s Here: INF Donovan Solano, INF/OF Miles Mastrobuoni.
He’s Outta Here: RHP Yimi García, 3B Josh Rojas, 3B Luis Urías, 1B Justin Turner.
Top Hitters: CF Julio Rodríguez (.273, 20 HRs, 68 RBIs, .734 OPS, all career lows), C Cal Raleigh (.220, career-high 34, career-high 100). SS J.P. Crawford (career-low .202, 9, 37 in 105 games), DH Mitch Garver (.172, 15, 51), 2B Jorge Polanco (.212, 16, 45).
Projected Rotation: RH Luis Castillo (11-12, 3.64 ERA, 175 Ks in 175 1/3 IP), RH Logan Gilbert (9-12, 3.23, 220 Ks in major league-high 208 2/3 IP, major league-best 0.887 WHIP), RH Bryce Miller (12-8, 2.94), RH Bryan Woo (9-3, 2.89 in 22 starts), RH Emerson Hancock (4-4, 4.75 in 12 starts).
Key Relievers: RH Andrés Muñoz (3-7, 2.12 ERA, 22/27 saves, 77 Ks in 59 1/3 IP), RH Trent Thornton (4-3, 3.61), RH Colin Snider (3-4, 1.94), RH Troy Taylor (0-0, 3.72), LH Taylor Saucedo (2-0, 3.49, 3 saves).
Outlook: Seattle has finished with winning records in four straight seasons for the first time but has made the playoffs just once in that span, in 2022, when it was swept by Houston in the Division Series. The Mariners went 21-13 last year after Wilson replaced Scott Servais as manager on Aug. 22. The manager swap is likely the biggest change heading into opening day from 2024. Seattle’s most notable offseason additions included signing Solano and acquiring Mastrobuoni from the Chicago Cubs. The Mariners hope for a rebound by Rodríguez, who had just four homers and 21 RBIs through June. The lack of offense was a team-wide problem: Seattle hit .224, 29th among the 30 teams, ahead only the 121-loss Chicago White Sox. Right-hander George Kirby (13-10, 3.35, 172 Ks, 19 walks, MLB-low 1.084 walks per 9 innings) is likely to open the season on the injured list because of right shoulder inflammation, leading to an opening for Hancock to join the rotation.
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Texas Rangers
2024: 78-84, third place.
Manager: Bruce Bochy (third season).
Opening Day: March 27 vs. Boston.
Here’s Here: 1B Jake Burger, C Kyle Higashioka, RHP Chris Martin, LHP Hoby Milner, DH Joc Pederson, RHP Jacob Webb.
He’s Outta Here: C Carson Kelly, OF Travis Jankowski, LHP Andrew Heaney, RHP José Leclerc, 1B Nathaniel Lowe, RHP David Robertson, RHP Kirby Yates.
Top Hitters: SS Corey Seager (.278, 30 HRs, 74 RBIs, .864 OPS), RF Adolis García (.224, 25, 85, 177 Ks), 2B Marcus Semien (.237, 23, 74), 1B Jake Burger (.250, 29, 76 with Marlins), DH Joc Pederson (.275, 23, 64 with Diamondbacks), OF Wyatt Langford (.253, 16, 74, 19 SBs).
Projected Rotation: RH Nathan Eovaldi (12-8, 3.80 ERA, 166 Ks in 170 2/3 IP), RH Jon Gray (5-6, 4.47), LH Cody Bradford (6-3, 3.54), RH Jacob deGrom (0-0, 1.69 in three starts), RH Tyler Mahle (0-1, 4.97).
Key Relievers: RH Chris Martin (3-1, 3.45 ERA, 2 saves in 45 appearances with Boston), RH Luke Jackson (4-3, 5.09 in 52 games with Giants and Braves), RH Jacob Webb (2-5, 3.02 in 60 appearances for Orioles), LH Hoby Milner (5-1, 4.73 in 61 appearances for Brewers), LH Robert Garcia (3-6, 4.22 in 72 appearances for Nationals), RH Dane Dunning (5-7, 5.31 in 26 games, 15 starts).
Outlook: The starting rotation is in good shape with Eovaldi re-signed, and two-time Cy Young Award winner deGrom and Mahle both making late-season debuts last year after recovering from elbow surgery. There is no defined closer after Yates left in free agency and with Josh Sborz rehabbing from shoulder surgery, but Martin joins his hometown team for a prominent role at the back end of a restructured bullpen. Burger and Pederson add pop to an offense that last year hit 57 fewer homers and scored one run less per game than when winning the franchise's first World Series title with Bochy in 2023. These Rangers may not be far off from at least having a shot at repeating a unique pattern for Bochy, who won three World Series crowns with San Francisco from 2010-14. After each of those first two titles, the Giants missed the playoffs the following year before coming back to win another one. Texas still has Semien, Seager and Jung on the infield. García seeks a bounce-back season in the outfield, likely joined out there by young standouts Langford and Evan Carter.
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Athletics
2024: 69-93, fourth place.
Manager: Mark Kotsay (fourth season).
Opening Day: March 27 at Seattle.
He’s Here: RHP Luis Severino, 3B Gio Urshela, LHP Jeffrey Springs, RH Jose Leclerc, INF Luis Urias, LHP Jacob Lopez.
He’s Outta Here: RHP Ross Stripling, 3B Abraham Toro, LHP Alex Wood, LHP Scott Alexander, RHP Austin Adams, OF Daz Cameron, 3B J.D. Davis, SS Nick Allen, 1B Ryan Noda.
Top Hitters: DH Brent Rooker (.293, 39 HRs, 112 RBI, .927 OPS), C Shea Langeliers (.224, 29, 80, .739 OPS), OF Lawrence Butler (.262, 22, 57, .807 OPS), OF JJ Bleday (.243, 20, 60, .762 OPS), 2B Zack Gelof (.211, 17, 49, 25 SBs).
Projected Rotation: RH Luis Severino (11-7, 3.91 ERA with the New York Mets), LH JP Sears (11-13, 4.38), LH Jeffrey Springs (2-2, 3.27 with Tampa Bay), RH Osvaldo Bido (5-3, 3.41), RH Joey Estes (7-9, 5.01) OR RH Mitch Spence (8-10, 4.58).
Key Relievers: RH Mason Miller (2-2, 2.49, 28/31 saves, 14.4 Ks/9 IP), RH Jose Leclerc (6-5, 4.32, 1 save with Texas), LH T.J. McFarland (2-4, 3.81), RH Tyler Ferguson (4-2, 3.68, 2 saves).
Outlook: The A’s begin a temporary stay in the Sacramento area this season. They will play at least the next three seasons at a Triple-A stadium as they wait for their new home to be built in Las Vegas. Their final season in Oakland was emotional and showed some signs of progress with a 19-win improvement. The A’s increased their spending this offseason as they needed a higher payroll in order to get a full share in revenue sharing. Severino, Butler and Rooker all got deals worth at least $60 million after the franchise had handed out one deal that rich ever before this season. They should be competitive but still likely lack the depth of talent to compete for the postseason.
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Los Angeles Angels
2024: 63-99, fifth place.
Manager: Ron Washington (second season).
Opening day: March 27 at Chicago White Sox.
He’s Here: LHP Yusei Kikuchi, DH Jorge Soler, RHP Kenley Jansen, RHP Kyle Hendricks, C Travis d’Arnaud, 3B Yoán Moncada, INF Kevin Newman, SS Tim Anderson.
He’s Outta Here: 2B Brandon Drury, C Matt Thaiss, RHP Griffin Canning, LHP Patrick Sandoval, RHP Carson Fulmer, RHP Hunter Strickland, LHP Matt Moore.
Top Hitters: RF Mike Trout (.220, 10 HRs, 14 RBIs in 29 games), OF Taylor Ward (.246, 25, 75, .748 OPS), C Logan O’Hoppe (.244, 20, 56), SS Zach Neto (.249, 23 , 77, .761 OPS, 5.1 WAR), DH Jorge Soler (.241, 21, 64 with Giants and Braves).
Projected Rotation: LH Yusei Kikuchi (9-10, 4.05 ERA, 206 Ks with Blue Jays and Astros), LH Tyler Anderson (10-15, 3.81, 1.29 WHIP, 3.1 WAR), RH Jose Soriano (6-7, 3.42, 97 Ks in 113 innings), LH Reid Detmers (4-9, 6.70, spent three months at Triple-A Salt Lake), RH Kyle Hendricks (4-12, 5.92 for Cubs).
Key Relievers: RH Kenley Jansen (4-2, 3.29, 27/31 saves with Red Sox), RH Ben Joyce (2-0, 2.08, 33 Ks in 34 2/3 innings), RH Ryan Zeferjahn (0-0, 2.12, 18 Ks in 17 innings), RH Chase Silseth (0-1, 6.75 in two appearances).
Outlook: The Angels finished 2024 at rock bottom, losing a club-record 99 games and extending the majors’ longest streaks to nine consecutive losing seasons and 10 straight non-playoff seasons. The sole sign for optimism was solid play from youngsters O’Hoppe, Neto, Soriano, Joyce and Nolan Schanuel. They’re all back to keep building, although Neto will start on the injured list after right shoulder surgery. Trout is healthy again after four consecutive injury-plagued seasons, and the three-time AL MVP is moving from center to right field to preserve his health. Mickey Moniak and Jo Adell should be the primary center fielders. Anthony Rendon is already guaranteed to miss extended playing time for the fourth straight season after the $245 million third baseman announced he needs hip surgery. The rotation is headlined by newcomer Kikuchi, and longtime Dodgers closer Jansen could form a potent late-game combination with the fireballing Joyce.