The Houston Rockets have just started practice ahead of the 2020-21 season, and are set to play their first preseason game on Friday against the Chicago Bulls. But it seems increasingly likely that they will take the floor that night without their star man James Harden.
He’s not in town yet, and new coach Stephen Silas will know when he arrives. Speaking to reporters on Monday, Silas noted it was a “shock” that Harden had not yet arrived.
“Uh, yeah, there’s no timetable as far as I know.” “And that’s a shock. You know, you want your best player to come here and um, there’s a short window, which you hinted at … I mean, I have to be honest and understand that this It’s a shock not to be one of the best players in the NBA. But I’m working with the person here, and we’re working hard and we’re doing a good job. “
Videos of Harden partying across the country over the past few days have been shared remotely on social media, and he was spotted at a Las Vegas nightclub early Monday morning. He has also posted secret messages on social media, including an Instagram story of charming emojis.
Asked if Harden was sending any kind of message, Silas said he knew nothing but Harden was not there.
“There’s no clarity about the message, honestly,” Silas said. “I take it – basically on value – that it’s not here. And what’s the logic on it. It’s the only one that can explain why, or why not – it’s not here. So, you know that for me. Thoughts and ideas about possibilities are not real to me. What is real (it) is not here, and it has a reason.
None of that is encouraging, and the worst thing is that the Rockets had expected Harden to stay in camp until now, and this came as no surprise this week. However, they are still planning to start the season on the roster with him, According to Athletic’s Sam Amic:
The Rockets certainly expected Harden to report and work over the weekend (the league would pass after clearing the COVID-19 protocol). They, like everyone else, were amazed by this.
And one wonders if Hordan would have told team officials that he has no plans to wear a Rockets jersey this season – or, perhaps, again – the source says that’s not the case. No such announcement has been made, and plans remain to adapt to the Rockets this season.
At the moment, there is a big dilemma at the hands of the Rockets. Harden has asked as recently as last month and is now saying he is nowhere near the team facility. But until something changes there are no deals right now that will get the Rockets close to equal value for one of the best players in the league.
With Harden under contract for the next two seasons, he says he plans to keep him and hopes his re-created roster is the right one to persuade him to stay. On paper, that would be the right move. But what if it just never shows up? Or eventually reporting but paying as much attention as it does to destabilizing the situation. Then what
Naturally, Rockets and Harden only blame themselves to some extent, but acknowledging the mistakes of the past does not make the present any easier. For now, we’ll have to wait and see how things go, but it’s likely that this relationship is worth saving.
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