‘What Hoops He Has to Jump’: Houston Rockets Head Coach is Not Pleased with James Harden Missing Practice

The new season is days away, and the teams have a lot on their plate with making sure players remain in shape and with the new players fitting in. But how is any of this possible when the key player of the team is missing from practice, that too on day one? Looks like the Houston Rockets were on the receiving end of this situation with James Harden.

Harden has shown keen interest in finding a new home for himself. After another premature exit from the playoffs, it looks like Harden has had enough. As soon as the offseason began, he requested a trade to the Brooklyn Nets, so he could join his former teammate Kevin Durant.

However, the Rockets haven’t shown any signs of fulfilling that request, at least not until they get someone who brings as much as Harden does to the table. It’s possible that Harden is not turning up for his workouts in protest to this. ESPN’s Tim MacMahon wrote, “Harden did not return for that workout, but did tell Rockets management he will report soon, a source told ESPN on Sunday night.”

Is James Harden not committed to the Rockets anymore?

At first, Rockets’ head coach Stephen Silas said that Harden did not turn up for the team’s first practice because of the league COVID-19 protocols. Later, he was scheduled to have an individual workout with Stephen, which he also missed. Even though Harden said that he would report soon, Silas wasn’t pleased.

“I’m not exactly sure what hoops he has to jump through in order to practice with the team,” said Silas. “I would just say I want him here. And I want him to be a big part of what we’re doing. I’m excited to coach him and have him be a part of what we just had out there with a good practice, with a bunch of guys who are working hard on both ends of the floor and had a good vibe about them.”

When quizzed about Harden’s commitment to the team, Silas stated, “That’s a question you’re going to have to ask him when he gets here. We’re looking forward to having him here and getting to his individual workout. That’s the word I heard from the pipeline. Once he gets here, obviously the best communication for me would be face-to-face communication — not text, not phone, not anything else.”

Stephen reiterated that he was just waiting for Harden to show up. Is Harden not wanting to play for the Rockets anymore and then not showing up for practices a sign? Or just a mere coincidence?