The James Harden has been one of the biggest talking points this off season. The Rockets have already traded one of their star in Russell Westbrook to bring in John Wall, the player Harden wanted to play.
But Harden still did not show up to the training. He was in Miami and multiple videos surfaced in the social media of him partying. He only showed up after the first preseason game and looks like he has put on some weight too.
In a recent media day interaction, when asked about what he was doing Miami, Harden downplayed the question and said that he was training for the upcoming season with his personal trainers.
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James Harden says he was training for the season in Atlanta and Vegas with his personal trainers pic.twitter.com/Z81z3DtR3B
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 16, 2020
Harden played his first game yesterday. He looked a bit sluggish in the scoring end as he scored only 12 games and had 4 assists in the match.
The Rockets looked like a more cohesive team when John Wall was on the ball. When Harden controlled the offense, often one player had to act as a screener while others had to wait as spot-up shooters in the team.
While Harden’s return might be a welcome sight, the trade should still remain the priority for the team. A disgruntled star is never the answer for any team. The Rockets will know that, but will look for the best possible offer for their star.
Has James Harden been the Real Problem for the Rockets?
Ever since James Harden has joined the Rockets, the front office has always tried to add a second star with him in order to make a push for the playoffs.
First they brought in Dwight Howard. Howard was in his prime when they signed him. He was probably the best center at the time and it looked like they ‘the Beard’ was finally getting some help.
Harden simply could not adjust with the big man. After some disappointing seasons, they let him go and brought in Chris Paul two seasons later. CP3 was ready to make a title push with Harden and they nearly defeated the Golden State Warriors, having taken a lead of 3-2.
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But an injury to Paul started the comeback for the Warriors. Despite being so close to being the Conference champions, Harden was adamant of playing with Paul and the Rockets again got rid of yet another star.
Last season they had brought in Harden’s childhood friend, Russell Westbrook. It finally looked like Harden would be happy with the second star in the team. But he wasn’t. Westbrook being a point guard was forced to play off the ball. This off-season, according to multiple reports, Harden did not want to play with Westbrook. Some days later, they brought in John Wall in place of Westbrook.
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All of these trades have one thing in common: Harden not being comfortable to play with them. Perhaps it is Harden that the team needs to trade right now and start from the scratch. Trading Harden will give them enough young stars to build the team which is probably the way to go for them.