James harden says “this situation is crazy. Can’t be fixed” then leaves podium/John wall doesn’t agree with Harden

[AlexanderRight]

Ben Simmons will be a Top 15 player for the next 6-10 years. What else do they want? If he’s on the table and Houston is turning him down, they’re fools.

[pingpongrac]

Honestly neither of them would excite Houston fans that much. So I’d rather take Fred at 21mil per year than Middleton at 35mil per year. And Fred is younger. It’s just a more tradable asset.

Yeah, I highly doubt either is enticing to Houston. Definitely think Toronto's offer would be a bit more enticing though. FVV would be a perfect fit with Wall in the backcourt, as it takes the ball out of FVV's hands more often while making him more of a spot-up shooter (where he's at his best) and gives Wall more time with the ball in his hands. FVV would be the only contract on the book's past this season and
Toronto's pick (if it were to be this year's) is looking to be pretty good as of now, too.

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I feel like they'd be better off looking at getting CJ plus picks than FVV.

Sure, but that wasn't the discussion lol. It was Middleton + Donte + 1st or FVV + Powell + Baynes + 1st.

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[Metallikid]

You’re joking right?

Not for a second. Khris Middleton is 29 1/2 and if the Rockets are going to trade Harden it's going to be to get younger, not so that they'll have two players in their thirties on albatross contracts in a couple years while they get a 6-8th seed. Fred is 26 and would be a great shooting guard next to a pure point like Wall., they'll save money (which is really what Fertitta wants), and our pick would be a lot better than yours if we stayed mediocre until the deadline.

I like how you point out that Middleton is 29.5 years old, while Fred is 26 (even though he is turning 27 in a month). The age is negligible when there is such a huge gap in actual basketball ability and impact. Not to mention Middleton is the prototypical wing, while Fred is a midget, even for the guard position.

My bad, I should have pointed that out. I forgot exactly how old he was and didn't check.

Fred's height doesn't really matter though when him and Khris Middleton both have a -0.6 DBPM this year, and Fred has a career 0.8 DBPM while Khris has a career -0.1 DBPM.

[Jazzlurker]

He wants to be traded to Burger King

Disagree. He’s shaped more like a meatball than a hamburger. My guess is Olive Garden.

[Nate505]

Talk about mentally weak

[Midw35t]

I dont know what they can get for him anymore

-Brooklyn is out w/ Dinwiddie injury
-Philly doesn't seem like it wants to trade Simmons
-Boston doesn't want to trade Brown

Maybe Denver or Portland?

The last two I actually think have a better shot. Philly not parting with Ben and I don’t believe Boston wants to part with Brown either(they shouldn’t, brown has been balling and is still on the uprise)

Both blazers and Nuggets been having their struggles and maybe need that one star like harden to get over the hump.

You cannot pair Harden with Lillard or Jokic. Has anybody not seen that he cannot operate, or refuses to operate, with anyone else who is best with the ball in their hands? CP3, Westbrook, Wall.

Philly makes the most sense, maybe the only sense.

[Winsome Gerbil]

I dont know what they can get for him anymore

-Brooklyn is out w/ Dinwiddie injury
-Philly doesn't seem like it wants to trade Simmons
-Boston doesn't want to trade Brown

Maybe Denver or Portland?

The last two I actually think have a better shot. Philly not parting with Ben and I don’t believe Boston wants to part with Brown either(they shouldn’t, brown has been balling and is still on the uprise)

Both blazers and Nuggets been having their struggles and maybe need that one star like harden to get over the hump.

You cannot pair Harden with Lillard or Jokic. Has anybody not seen that he cannot operate, or refuses to operate, with anyone else who is best with the ball in their hands? CP3, Westbrook, Wall.

Philly makes the most sense, maybe the only sense.

Wonder if Sacramento could be tempted? They have a history of doing dumb things. They can NEVER get a star that big any other way...especially since even when they are sitting right there for them in the draft they pass on them. And the Rockets' assistant GM is now their GM.

Wouldn't be much of a win now for the Rockets, but they could haul in a bunch of youth and depth. Probably be stuck with Hield's deal to make the money work though. Would assume the Kings would want to keep Fox, and he makes no sense with Wall anyway. So have to be Bagley, Haliuburton, Hield money or Barnes money...something.

[Midw35t]

The last two I actually think have a better shot. Philly not parting with Ben and I don’t believe Boston wants to part with Brown either(they shouldn’t, brown has been balling and is still on the uprise)

Both blazers and Nuggets been having their struggles and maybe need that one star like harden to get over the hump.

You cannot pair Harden with Lillard or Jokic. Has anybody not seen that he cannot operate, or refuses to operate, with anyone else who is best with the ball in their hands? CP3, Westbrook, Wall.

Philly makes the most sense, maybe the only sense.

Wonder if Sacramento could be tempted? They have a history of doing dumb things. They can NEVER get a star that big any other way...especially since even when they are sitting right there for them in the draft they pass on them. And the Rockets' assistant GM is now their GM.

Wouldn't be much of a win now for the Rockets, but they could haul in a bunch of youth and depth. Probably be stuck with Hield's deal to make the money work though. Would assume the Kings would want to keep Fox, and he makes no sense with Wall anyway. So have to be Bagley, Haliuburton, Hield money or Barnes money...something.

They shouldnt think of doing it. Fox and Haliburton look like they become special. Again, Fox would have to go.

Harden has to have a team cater to him as a ball hog. There is no other option.

[GYK]

By bending over to his every need over the last 9 seasons?

By being one of the only teams to focus solely on playing a style to suit one player?

By having him under a max contract with 2 seasons left and wanting him to try?

Come on.

That’s said as if he isn’t the sole reason for being the only team to make the playoffs for the last 9 years. Also his “needs” have only recently come out. Even breakups with players were under wraps.

He’s a great player, I don’t think you’ll find anyone who says otherwise. But the team has done everything he’s asked for. They played a style to solely benefit him and made every other player on the team sacrifice their play for him. A style that allowed him to be MVP.

The Rockets made trades to benefit him including the Paul + picks for Westbrook which not only was a complete disaster for the present, but also for the future. If he was to be apart of that future then I’m sure you can justify it. But now that he wants out? Hell no.

Fertitta clearly has his issues but James Harden is being a massive douche to his new head coach, his teammates and worst of all, the Houston fans.

If he wants out, I would not listen to his “preferred destinations” and would ship him out to the highest bidder. Whether those other teams not on the preferred destination list even make serious offers is yet to be seen, but if I were Fertitta I’d do everything in my power to send him somewhere like Sacramento.

So the playstyle was made to solely benefit Harden? Not specifically made because it was decided it was their best option to win? It’s almost as if MDA didn’t completely change his position. Or Morey had a stern belief in 3’s/layups/free throws.
Be angry at him as it’s your right but remember any Rocket related pleasure you had over the last nine seasons is all Harden produced.

[Saint Lazarus]

I like how you point out that Middleton is 29.5 years old, while Fred is 26 (even though he is turning 27 in a month). The age is negligible when there is such a huge gap in actual basketball ability and impact. Not to mention Middleton is the prototypical wing, while Fred is a midget, even for the guard position.

Honestly neither of them would excite Houston fans that much. So I’d rather take Fred at 21mil per year than Middleton at 35mil per year. And Fred is younger. It’s just a more tradable asset.

Yeah, I highly doubt either is enticing to Houston. Definitely think Toronto's offer would be a bit more enticing though. FVV would be a perfect fit with Wall in the backcourt, as it takes the ball out of FVV's hands more often while making him more of a spot-up shooter (where he's at his best) and gives Wall more time with the ball in his hands. FVV would be the only contract on the book's past this season and
Toronto's pick (if it were to be this year's) is looking to be pretty good as of now, too.

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If Fertita is that worried about money, he could just do a three team trade and send Middleton to a borderline playoff team for more picks (than a FVV 3 team deal would yield). Moreover, sending Harden to Toronto would make that Toronto pick worthless, so I don't understand your point.

[Brooklyn91]

I dont know what they can get for him anymore

-Brooklyn is out w/ Dinwiddie injury
-Philly doesn't seem like it wants to trade Simmons
-Boston doesn't want to trade Brown

Maybe Denver or Portland?

The last two I actually think have a better shot. Philly not parting with Ben and I don’t believe Boston wants to part with Brown either(they shouldn’t, brown has been balling and is still on the uprise)

Both blazers and Nuggets been having their struggles and maybe need that one star like harden to get over the hump.

You cannot pair Harden with Lillard or Jokic. Has anybody not seen that he cannot operate, or refuses to operate, with anyone else who is best with the ball in their hands? CP3, Westbrook, Wall.

Philly makes the most sense, maybe the only sense.

Better tell the nuggets and blazers front offices that. If a deal is in the table I could see anyone of them taking it in fact I think both teams did their due diligence and made calls(correct me if I’m wrong but I believe I seen a report on it)

[dlts20]

Ok what the **** does Trump have to do with anything

I think that it's pretty obvious. I'm not going to give you my political views because that doesn't matter. I'm telling you that all of these things were the reports on why Harden wants out. They are protesting in the bubble for things that the owner feels the opposite about and donates to

If you think he cares about that I feel sorry for you or even if he should care about that

Did you care about what just transpired at the capital? Should James have cared about that

[AussieCeltic]

That’s said as if he isn’t the sole reason for being the only team to make the playoffs for the last 9 years. Also his “needs” have only recently come out. Even breakups with players were under wraps.

He’s a great player, I don’t think you’ll find anyone who says otherwise. But the team has done everything he’s asked for. They played a style to solely benefit him and made every other player on the team sacrifice their play for him. A style that allowed him to be MVP.

The Rockets made trades to benefit him including the Paul + picks for Westbrook which not only was a complete disaster for the present, but also for the future. If he was to be apart of that future then I’m sure you can justify it. But now that he wants out? Hell no.

Fertitta clearly has his issues but James Harden is being a massive douche to his new head coach, his teammates and worst of all, the Houston fans.

If he wants out, I would not listen to his “preferred destinations” and would ship him out to the highest bidder. Whether those other teams not on the preferred destination list even make serious offers is yet to be seen, but if I were Fertitta I’d do everything in my power to send him somewhere like Sacramento.

So the playstyle was made to solely benefit Harden? Not specifically made because it was decided it was their best option to win? It’s almost as if MDA didn’t completely change his position. Or Morey had a stern belief in 3’s/layups/free throws.
Be angry at him as it’s your right but remember any Rocket related pleasure you had over the last nine seasons is all Harden produced.

Yes it started out with Morey and MDA, but once Harden got a taste of ISO ball, that was the only way forward for him from there.

If he gave a damn and worked off ball, maybe his teams would be more successful. Imagine if he ran off some picks and made the defense actually move. His teams would be a way more successful than him either going ISO or standing in the corner not moving.

[lvckv]

John Wall a real one for this. Harden got everything he wanted for years and couldn't win despite getting three HOFers put with him. Now they had no assets to build a top team around him (because they spent them all getting CP3 and Westbrook, who Harden turned on), and now he's throwing his toys out of the pram and giving up on the court and off it.

Just send him home if he's going to throw his teammates under the bus while averaging 17ppg on 38% shooting in 2021. Toxic.

Two guys I don't want to hear about anymore - Harden and Irving. The day they retire, the league will be a better place.

[pingpongrac]

Honestly neither of them would excite Houston fans that much. So I’d rather take Fred at 21mil per year than Middleton at 35mil per year. And Fred is younger. It’s just a more tradable asset.

Yeah, I highly doubt either is enticing to Houston. Definitely think Toronto's offer would be a bit more enticing though. FVV would be a perfect fit with Wall in the backcourt, as it takes the ball out of FVV's hands more often while making him more of a spot-up shooter (where he's at his best) and gives Wall more time with the ball in his hands. FVV would be the only contract on the book's past this season and
Toronto's pick (if it were to be this year's) is looking to be pretty good as of now, too.

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If Fertita is that worried about money, he could just do a three team trade and send Middleton to a borderline playoff team for more picks (than a FVV 3 team deal would yield). Moreover, sending Harden to Toronto would make that Toronto pick worthless, so I don't understand your point.

FVV/Baynes couldn't be traded for 4 more weeks. Assuming Toronto continues to lose heart breakers, their pick would still be late lottery or late teen at worst in this theoretical world where Toronto acquires Harden for FVV/Powell/Baynes/1st lol. All I'm saying is that package is better than what was brought up from MIL. Milwaukee likely finishes near the top of the league during the season again, late 20s pick for sure.

Any trade with Toronto likely starts and ends with Siakam + OG, and that would be a bad trade for Toronto because they would be left with no wing defenders or a frontcourt outside of Boucher -- and Harden/Lowry/FVV ain't enough to do serious damage in the playoffs.

[Spanish_Laker]

He is the problem, he is the toxic asset. He quit on his team, the team that traded for the guys he asked for and then he essentially dumped them. Good luck in your next team though.

[MrPerfect1]

I hope they keep him. Annoying how many NBA players expect to be able to bounce as soon as their team stops being a contender.

Someone should tell him the situation is only crazy because he is making it so. Team would be better if he didn't chase off CP3

[Yinwest]

...

Wow

LOL at “When engaged he is blah blah blah”.

Come on now, the guy is trying his hardest to be out of shape.

[Optms]

I hope they keep him. Annoying how many NBA players expect to be able to bounce as soon as their team stops being a contender.

Someone should tell him the situation is only crazy because he is making it so. Team would be better if he didn't chase off CP3

This.

Trading him now only sets a precedent in the future that behaving this way gets you what you want. Harden has no leverage here. Let Boogie and Wall beat his ass one of these days. He will grow to respect them. He will grow to love them. He will change his tune. And the Rockets will be better off in the long run.

[Brooklyn91]

I hope they keep him. Annoying how many NBA players expect to be able to bounce as soon as their team stops being a contender.

Someone should tell him the situation is only crazy because he is making it so. Team would be better if he didn't chase off CP3

This.

Trading him now only sets a precedent in the future that behaving this way gets you what you want. Harden has no leverage here. Let Boogie and Wall beat his ass one of these days. He will grow to respect them. He will grow to love them. He will change his tune. And the Rockets will be better off in the long run.

Kawhi set that precedent before him though. Really kawhi is more influential than people give him credit for

Load management(Spurs were doing this before him but he made it a mainstream thing) then forcing his way out of SA even though he ended up in Toronto. Kawhi showed these players how to do it

It’s the kawhi way it’s going innnnnnn *drakes voice*