Once James Harden decided to become a petulant bother in the locker room and with teammates, he had to go.
Understandable, but still incredible.
The Rockets got about the best return they could in a four-team trade of a man who thanks to his messy exit will never be worshipped in this town.
The James Harden era will be remembered as a waste.
A lot of promise and promises, not much payoff.
As we peel back the Beard, we find the face of a man was more about himself than he was about the Rockets and the City of Houston, which he claims he had grown to love.
In the end, he loved himself more.
That would be fine in most circumstances. In a team sport, the best player carries extra responsibility.
Harden always accepted that. He told Daryl Morey when the former Rockets GM was working a deal for him in 2012, that he wanted all of that.
He lived for the limelight. He wasn’t the pressure. He wanted to be the face of the franchise.
He would deliver, he said.
He did deliver. A lot of points and assists, but no championships.
Thus, he failed.
Worse yet, he quit on his team. So much for that James Harden statue that would have been built at Toyota Center.
Harden didn’t come to work when he was supposed to a few weeks back. He didn’t look like he wanted to be there when he arrived.
He played most of this season like his mind was elsewhere.
His butt was here, but his heart was in Brooklyn.
He put in half effort on the court, then spouted a ridiculous thought that the team isn’t good enough.
DeMarcus Cousins said Harden’s words were disrespectful, and mentioned other Harden actions that irked his teammates.
This final moment as a Rocket, the lowlight of Harden’s career, didn’t come after a game in which he put on a show, but didn’t get any help. It came after a game in which he didn’t give his teammates much help.
The Rockets were minus-23 when Harden was on the floor against the Lakers on Tuesday.
He threw up 16 shots and made only five, including 1-of-6 from 3-point territory.
We had seen a similar Harden a couple times before, but he was so good so often that I was always inclined to give him a semi-pass for an off night.
This was different.
This wasn’t an off night.
Harden didn’t care about winning or losing. He clearly didn’t care about his teammates. And as for Rockets fans … please.
He just didn’t care.
What a disgusting exit.
"Exit" - Google News
January 14, 2021 at 05:58AM
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Solomon: A disgusting exit for James Harden - Houston Chronicle
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