The Houston Rocket has already started training ahead of the 2020-21 season, and is set to play its first celebrity game against the Chicago Bulls on Friday. But the chances are high that he will go to the destination that night without his star man James Harden.
He is not yet in town, and new coach Stephen Silas does not know when he will return. Speaking to reporters on Monday, Silas noted that it was a “shock” that Harden had not yet arrived.
“Oh, yes, as far as the schedule is concerned, as far as I know there is no schedule,” Silas said. “And it’s a shock. You know, you want your best player to be here and, there’s a small window, as you indicated … I mean, I have to be honest and understand that It’s a shock not to be the best player in the NBA here. But I’m working with the boys who are here, and we’re working hard and we’re doing a good job. “
Over the past few days, videos of Harden’s partying have been widely shared on social media across the country and he was recently spotted at a nightclub in Las Vegas on Monday morning. He has also posted secret messages on social media, including an Instagram story of a grimming emoji.
Asked if Harden was sending any messages, Silas said he did not know anything else that Harden was not there.
“There’s no clarity about the message, honestly,” Silas said. “I take it – actually at face value – that he’s not here. And what’s the point of it. He’s the one who can tell why, or why not – he’s not here. So, you know. It is not real for me to think and think about the possibilities. What is real (he) is not here, and he has a reason. What is. “
None of that is encouraging, and what’s worse is that the Rockets were hoping to stay in Harden’s camp so far, and were surprised they didn’t find him this week. However, they are still planning to start the season with him on the roster. According to Athletic’s Sam Amick:
The Rockets were definitely hoping that Hardan would report by the end of the week and get to work (after the league left to clear the COVID-19 protocol). They were as surprised as anyone.
And one wonders if Harden would have told team officials he has no plans to wear a rocket jersey this season – or, perhaps, ever again – sources say that is not the case. No such announcement has been made, and plans are afoot to supply the rocket this season.
At this point, there is a huge dilemma on the hands of the rocket. Harden has asked as recently as last month and is now hinting at being anywhere other than a team facility. But until that changes, there are no deals right now that will get the rocket anything close to the equivalent value of one of the best players in the league.
With Harden under contract for the next two seasons, their plans seem to keep him and hopefully their re-adopted roster will be good enough to convince him to stay. On paper, this would be the right move. But what if he never appears? Or eventually reports but is thus destabilizing the situation. Then what
Obviously, Rocket and Harden only have to partially blame themselves, but admitting past mistakes doesn’t make the present any easier. At the moment, we just have to wait and see how things turn out, but it seems less and less that this relationship is defensible.
