The Rockets‘ culture in recent years might be best described as “whatever James Harden wants,” Tim MacMahon writes at ESPN.com. As MacMahon explains, the Rockets have essentially let Harden dictate the team’s travel and practice schedules, staying overnight when the team plays in one of his favorite road cities such as Los Angeles or Phoenix, and not practicing on certain off days when Harden decides to charter a private jet to party in Las Vegas or another city.
According to MacMahon, in addition to calling the shots on the team’s travel and practice plans, Harden has also wielded significant power over personnel moves, having pushed in past years for Kevin McHale‘s firing as well as the departure of star players like Dwight Howard and Chris Paul.
Since Harden is a perennial MVP candidate, the Rockets have been fine in the past with allowing him to exercise that power. As one member of last season’s coaching staff told MacMahon: “If they have multiple days off, everybody knows: James is going to fly somewhere else and party. But he’s going to come back and have a 50-point triple-double, so they’re OK with it.”
However, when Harden pushed to be traded this offseason, the team pushed back, refusing to move him immediately to one of his preferred destinations. As the standoff played out, the 31-year-old partied in Atlanta and Vegas while the Rockets began training camp, violating the league’s COVID-19 protocols and taking his time to report to camp.
“You can’t get mad at your kid if you let him eat candy every night and then suddenly one night you don’t and they throw a tantrum,” a former Rockets assistant said to ESPN. “You’re the one who let them eat candy every night. The Rockets turned the organization over to James and now they have to live with the fallout.”
Here’s more on Harden and the Rockets, including a few more noteworthy tidbits from MacMahon’s in-depth report:
- Harden has pushed the Rockets to upgrade their roster every offseason in recent years, indicating that he’d want to be traded if the team couldn’t contend for a title, sources tell MacMahon. The star guard told the club during the 2019 offseason that he’d demand a trade if Houston didn’t find a way to acquire Russell Westbrook.
- The “lack of discipline and attention to detail” within the Rockets’ organization bothered both Paul and Westbrook, reports MacMahon. Westbrook, in particular, was put off by the team’s casual culture, since he helped ensure the Thunder “operated with the discipline of a military unit” during the decade he spent in Oklahoma City.
- As MacMahon details, Westbrook was bothered by the fact that scheduled times for travel and film sessions were treated as “mere suggestions” by Harden and others. At one point during the restart at Walt Disney World, Harden waited until just before a Rockets film session began to undergo his daily COVID-19 test, leaving Westbrook angry and wanting to start the session without him, sources tell ESPN.
- John Wall has high hopes for what he and Harden can do together in the Rockets’ backcourt, but he said on Tuesday that he’s not going to try to convince the former MVP to drop his trade request, according to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. “At the end of the day, that’s a friend,” Wall said. “He’s going to do what’s best for him and the organization is going to do what’s best for them, also. The most important this is when we step on the floor, when we’re stepping into practice, we’re focusing ourselves on basketball. I don’t try to ask him about that because that’s his personal business.”
Harden does not take responsibility for Rockets future, it’s completely on GM
The future of Rockets is GM. They have 8-year strategic plan
Houston is the second largest city in the West
I like lamp. Just sayin’…
Sillivan is actually a bot based on Brick Tamland, a lot of people don’t know that
When will you start to google before posting. The information is out there. Houston is the largest city by area in the Country. It’s number 3 by population. But it’s a football town. Rockets are not interesting unless they are winning. If you read the article. It says Harden ran the team therefore us responsible for Rockets future. Cause Morey let him do it.
As I have stated here for Months now.
It’s just a troll, he said earlier today the Knicks should sign Van Vleet, Harrell and Wood. Not worth your time
This seems like Westbrook talking and ESPN exaggerating to hurt the Rockets asking price. Not saying it isn’t true, but it seems a bit over the top.
I don’t know, Russ strikes me as the type of guy who would get peed off by the above allegations
Also, do you think Russ is leaking to hurt the trade value of Harden? I don’t know if he cares that much tbh
Everyone already knows Harden is like this.
Can’t hurt his trade value is he already has none to begin with.
All of this just makes me think less of the Rockets, not of Harden.
I too would show up late to things and attend additional parties on my employer’s dime, if they were crazy enough to give me permission to do those things.
That says alot about you, and it’s not very pleasant.
You don’t do the things your employer allows you to do? Don’t be silly.
no, sometimes when it’s time to work then you just get to it without having to have your employer tell you to do so. your employer might allow you to show up late but if you have any integrity then you will show up on time like you’re supposed to.
especially if your goal is to win a championship.
Only immature unprofessional people do.
I think we’re conflating two different employments here
For like a desk job? Then yeah absolutely if my boss let me do all of the above I would
But if you’re “trying to be one of the best of all time” etc et at something, then yeah – you should be focused regardless of what the team allows
It’s hypocritical for Harden to say “Trade me unless we can contend” and then go make the team schedule practices around his party schedule
why would anyone trade for this cancer?
Mostly because he’s one of the most talented players in the world.
This mess is on all of them
Harden, Morey, Ownership
They all created this monster and they all have to deal with it. Cut your losses, this roster isn’t good enough to compete for a title.
Some of you are right, it is probably an exaggerated story but if even half of it is true, still a horrid situation. Harden is a grown man and clearly is not a professional and the organization let him get away with all this. So shame on all of them.
I also feel like we will be re-reading this story in 2 years except it will be about Kyrie and KD
James Harden is what is wrong with the NBA. Players make astronomical salaries and are therefore immune from rules that they don’t like. If there is conflict between them and the coach it will be the coach who either conforms or is gone. Yet the coach is responsible for getting the team to function to the best of their collective ability. Meanwhile players like Harden are individually great and become a law unto them selves. They will blame any team failure on the coach while selfishly reaping glory for their individual talent and accomplishments. The image is one of a spoiled child. This is what America’s youth watch and think is normal.
The “new normal” spoiled, rich, and entitled. Modernization foundation put in place by self-titled “king” lebron James when he didn’t get his way with cavs the 1st go round. Breeding new cancerous players like kyrie, kd, pg, ad, kawhi and now harden. Any surprise why viewership is down 70 percent since late 90’s early 2000’s? It’s crazy how reprimanded giannis has been for being loyal to his franchise because he chooses respect over anything else.
do you not remember scottie pippin refusing to play for a little while because he wouldn’t be traded? or Jordan retiring because his coach was fired? what about when Kareem requested he be traded to the lakers? or Wilt demanding a trade to the west coast after he requested he become a player coach on the 76ers? nothing new here.
none of those players were making 40 million a year or telling their buddies to team up…they wanted to win their way
MJ would like a word about that. I believe he was making somewhere around $30-$33 a year back then.
His last 2 years, $30 and $33. Which converted to today’s numbers, is far more than the $ top players are making.
lmao when Lebron started calling the shots he made 10 finals and won 4 rings. NBA has always been about the stars, I don’t go back and look at front office highlights.
This from the guy who drank Brons wasted water all thru the playoffs. Still trolling I see.
Athletes were pains in the ass when they had to work at car dealerships in the off season.
Westbrook showed up early to Wizards camp. Harden showed up whenever he wanted. Westbrook or CP3 were never the problem in Houston.
Or Howard for that matter.
Westbrook gets such a hard time from some people, but there is no doubt to anyone paying attention how hard he works and how much he wants to win.
Yeah his play is erratic on the court but one thing you can’t question is his commitment and drive.
Westbrick also couldn’t work with KD, PG or Harden…
PG said he loved playing with Rus. The problem with Russell Westbrook is that he isn’t good enough to be a first option on a contender and Harden is just the better lazier version of him. He and KD were balling until Warriors became a dynasty and KD decided to buy a chip.
Him working well with anyone or not working well with anyone has nothing to do with my point. Neither does his skill. He shows up, and he works.
Highly likely Rockets don’t have any top -10 draft picks next 7 years
It makes sense that Rockets fans want to trade Harden an all star and two unprotected picks from bad teams
The more that comes out the more I find I don’t like harden. Rockets seem to be doing their best to appease a punk, even when it’s detrimental to the teams success. Lakers are very similar in catering to their stars accept they haven’t started losing yet to see what a nightmare lebron can become.
“The more that comes out” is coming from people trying to tank his trade value, so they can get him for less.
Morey is leaking all this stuff about Harden so he doesn’t have to give up Simmons, can see this from a mile away.
I agree except probably more like doesn’t want to give up Simmons AND picks for Harden
No way Philly is getting Harden without Simmons in the deal
Harden never said Rockets were required to trade 2 future firsts and 2 swaps for Westbrook
Everyone knows Chris Paul has more trade value than Injury prone Westbrook
It needs investigation
This is disaster for Houston
Yeah that trade smelled of fish from the start.
he did? reading the comments from last year made Chris Paul’s sound like an albatross of a contract and they were lucky to cut their arm off if they got out of it alive. amazing how one year and the story is different.
Can see Harden retiring early. Bad attitude, not a team player and minimal love for the game. Ship him out to the highest bidder.
To say I’m disappointed in Harden is an understatement.
Of course, this story makes Morey look pretty good, so it may have come directly from him…he has a pretty good reason to sabotage Harden’s trade value and put Houston in a pickle.
If Houston is smart, they’ll turn this around on Harden: “See what they’re saying about you? We believe in you, we want you to be yourself, and we know we can win it all.” Harden might not buy in on the Rockets going all the way, but I’d bet he’s motivated to play better than he ever has before.
Still, entitlement is an ugly thing. I take back some of the things I’ve said in his defense.
Harden preferred to be the leading scorer, I know he was upset that Wall had more points even in pre season…
Harden apologists should tone it down at this point because this shows what a poor teammate he is and why he will be even harder to trade.
But why?
To me this article does nothin’ but speak well of Harden…
Now HOU comes out lookin’ like the twits they are, as simple as…
So, whatever is your point, I really don’t know dude!
Not a Houston or Harden fan by any means but:
Doing what Harden is doing is actually beneficial to Houston when compared to the trend of KD / LeBron / Kawhi signing 1+1’s – making the same demands of their teams, mind you – and then leaving said teams with nothing when they choose to leave.
That doesn’t excuse the partying, etc etc. It also doesn’t excuse the playoff underperformances.
BUT people acting like Harden is doing Houston exceptionally dirty when compared to recent history …. I can’t agree. Because they’ll probably end up with Ben Simmons in a month.
Whereas GSW, CLE, MIA, and probably the Clippers in a year will end up with nothing (and still had to make the same crap moves to appease their stars)
People comparing Hardens attitude to LeBron should SFU. LeBron is a 4 time champion, and one of the greatest players ever. He can do stuff that others can’t. Harden is just a regular season stats guy who always chokes in big moments.
Couldn’t agree more. Bron might be a diva. He gets his way too. But he does it to build a team to win. He’s all about a championship. He knows only way you get there is by building a team. He takes care of his body, health and team. You can be a star or you can be a star with rings. Bron is all about chasing rings. It’s what all stars should chase.
#FreeTheBeard
I thought you were a Laker fan lol. You not going to stand up for Bron. Nobody should talk about him and Harden in same sentence. Nothing in common.
Sounds like how the Steelers handled egomaniac Antonio Brown when he was their star player. And we all know how that worked out. Best to dump Harden then and let him become some other team’s nightmare. How will triple doubles or whatever matter if Harden ends up partying himself to death while out on an off day?
Houston created this monster. I’d trade him to whoever could offer the best package and that is regardless of who is on his preferred list of destinations.
If this stuff is true, what a jerk.
Is it really surprising that NBA players act the way they do? From pee wee ball all the way to the NBA they are far superior to their peers. What makes the NBA more pervasive is the way they market the sport. When advertising a future game they say come and see James Harden and the Rockets etc.. There is not one time that a player like Harden is not treated special and therefore only natural that he expects to get whatever he wants. The days of Jerry West, Bill Russell, Clyde Frazier type teams is only a distant memory. Each of these players were the best of their era, yet they themselves were team first.
This stuff will be true and tbh it probably happens in a lot of places around the league. LeBron has decided his team’s decisions for years, Russ made calls on OKC, Kawhi only joined the Clippers if they got him help, etc etc.
I don’t really have a problem with letting James call when and where practices are or if he wants a day off, cause his basketball speaks for itself he averages almost a 40 point triple double.
But now with him wanting a trade I think the Rockets have done the right thing and not just simply given in to him and taken back the power.
End of the day Hardens value for trades will stay sky high no matter what cause he’s a MVP level player and the best scorer in today’s game.
In today’s NBA there are so many teams trying to win that they will make huge trades in order to get better so Houston knows they aren’t in any rush.
I think they will either hold him up to the deadline and flip him if there something really really good. Otherwise flip him in the offseason at the draft or free agency. Have to remember this offseason has heaps of stars coming off contract so it’ll be interesting.
If I’m the Rockets I wouldn’t be looking to add a ready made star for competing right now, I’d be looking to get back a young star about to hit his prime and you can build around and also get picks with.
Be looking at Brandon Ingram (plus maybe Josh Hart, NAW, Hayes, future firsts).
John Collins (plus maybe Reddish, Hunter, Hueter, or future firsts)
Jaylen Brown (plus Langford, Pritchard, G. Williams and future firsts)
Myles Turner (plus Oladipo, Warren, A. Holiday or future firsts)
And lastly Micheal Porter Jr (plus Gary Harris, Bol Bol, Barton, Hampton and future firsts).
Think those teams could be interested too. Nuggets might feel as if they have hit a ceiling and need a superstar to advance. Pelicans might feel as if Zion is the future 3 and Ingram needs to move, Celtics might go for completely win now mode, Hawks might not have the season they are expecting and want to make a push, Pacers have hit a ceiling and need to do something maybe they make a move.
Either way the Rockets will have options
None of those teams are gonna trade for the BS Harden brings, to say nothing of the 45 mill or so a year. If the Rockets manage to somehow trade him, they’ll practically have to give him away to a team stupider than they are. My guess is they keep him for the entertainment value.
Think your really really wrong. He’s in the MVP debate every year for the past 5 years. He’s a 100% lock for being a top 5 player in the league and because of all that I’d say he deserves the money he gets.
There’s so many bad deals in the league and Hardens deal ain’t even that bad, he’s a super star that gets superstar money.
As for his BS, I’d say there’s serval superstars that are worse. Russ, Kawhi, PG, even Butler was painted out to look like a bad guy now look at him.
I think Harden just wants to win a ring, all those teams were built around him wanting to win and do better. Him wanting to leave is about him wanting to win and not thinking he can anymore with the Rockets. Which is is correct. All the teams he’s listed as wanting to go to are teams trying to win now.
I definitely see him ring chasing towards to end of his career
You can make good arguments that he’s at fault, the team is at fault, or both together. I’ll throw this out there though…what is he telling his teammates that have to show up and follow protocol when he doesn’t? He goes on the court with them each game, and I’d think he’d want their respect beyond his talents on the floor. If not, then it speaks volumes as to where the problem resides…
Seriously folks the information is out there for all to see. Most of it anyway, and it will all come out. It’s known in Houston Harden loves his men’s clubs. He’s an entitled star who does not have black mamba mentality. He’s not here to win. He’s here to be a star and get paid for it. He wants the lifestyle and the power. Winning a championship is secondary. We as fans should be more concerned. With who let him do this. And why would you keep him over guys who kill to win a ring. Now you understand why they all ran from him. This is not a player you build a team around. Morey has pulled one over on the city of hHouston. Then ran away before it all blows up. Now do you get why you don’t give up Ben for Harden. Why no team should trade for him. Unless they give him away. He is the poster boy. Of a star you do not invest max money on. Cause he is not concerned about the team. Only about his status and money. And it’s sad to say. In today’s world too many of us look up to that. In the world of professional sports. It doesn’t work. Cause the only success there is is team success. This is a team sport, team business. This specifically in basketball. Your top 2-3 guys are the heart and soul of the team. They are your leaders. You invest in the wrong one. It takes the whole team down. For the nonsense you talk about Westbrook. He is the fiercest competitor of his generation. He couldn’t wait to get away from Harden. Basketball is a 2way sport a TEAM sport. You play to win not to be famous. Cause when you win. You will be the most famous. Harden is a cancer who plays 1way..
link to sports.yahoo.com
So now the drama is. Who will trade for this cancer. Will the Rockets drop their asking price. Will they give him away. Will he still want out if nobody wants him. Then he’s got two yrs left on his contract. At this point he’s walking then.
I bet Allen, Dinwiddie, LeVert and picks are looking Real Good right about now. Shoot Knicks will give Rockets a #1 pick and Payton or Smith for (Dinwiddie). Sixers would be fools to let Morey get the guy who ran his team. So you can take Sixers out. I move him as soon as possible. It’s only going to get worse at this point.
ROFLMAO