{"id":126312,"date":"2020-12-04T18:15:59","date_gmt":"2020-12-04T15:15:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/james-hardens-relationship-with-rockets-getting-stranger\/"},"modified":"2020-12-04T18:15:59","modified_gmt":"2020-12-04T15:15:59","slug":"james-hardens-relationship-with-rockets-getting-stranger","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/james-hardens-relationship-with-rockets-getting-stranger\/","title":{"rendered":"#James Harden’s relationship with Rockets getting stranger"},"content":{"rendered":"

“#James Harden’s relationship with Rockets getting stranger<\/strong>”<\/p>\n

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James Harden hasn\u2019t arrived at Rockets camp and yet he might still be pulling strings behind the scenes.<\/p>\n

New Rockets coach Stephen Silas didn\u2019t talk a lot about Harden and the rumors that he\u2019s unhapp<\/a>y in Houston on Thursday.<\/p>\n

But he was clear about one thing \u2014 he expects Harden to be there when the Rockets open camp this weekend.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m confident that he will be all in,\u201d Silas said. \u201cThat\u2019s where I\u2019m leaving it. As I said, I\u2019ve given him the space to to do his thing. But I\u2019m confident he\u2019ll be here when we get started.\u201d<\/p>\n

For now, Harden has been a no-show, according to the New York Times, even as his Rockets teammates have arrived for individual workouts. <\/p>\n

Reports that Harden wants out of Houston have swirled since another early playoff exit by the Rockets when they were eliminated by the Lakers in the Western Conference semifinals. Harden has reportedly requested a trade to the Nets, though Kevin Durant denied the rumor that the two had conversations to that end.<\/p>\n

\"James
James Harden<\/figcaption>
Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It was rumored that both Harden and Russell Westbrook wanted to leave the team. Westbrook got his wish Wednesday night when he was shipped to Washington for John Wall and a first-round pick.<\/p>\n

ESPN\u2019s Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Thursday that Harden preferred Wall to Westbrook. <\/a><\/p>\n

Westbrook lasted just one season in Houston playing with Harden and an unconventional small-ball lineup. Now both Westbrook and that small-ball lineup are a thing of the past, with Westbrook heading to the nation\u2019s capital and center DeMarcus Cousins joining the Rockets.<\/p>\n

Silas is a longtime NBA assistant in his first job as a head coach after being hired to replace Mike D\u2019Antoni, who told the Rockets he wasn\u2019t returning at the end of the season. Silas said he hasn\u2019t spoken to Harden since the trade and that he\u2019s employed a hands-off approach with the superstar so far.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen stuff like this kind of happens, where there\u2019s a little indecision and stuff going on, I kind of take a step back and allow guys some space,\u201d Silas said. \u201cSo from my perspective, my communication has been I\u2019m giving you space. And that\u2019s kind of where it\u2019s been as far as my communication with him. And guys like that need that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Silas is excited to add a player of Wall\u2019s caliber to his team, but admitted that he had some mixed emotions when he learned of the trade.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf it weren\u2019t for Russell Westbrook, I probably wouldn\u2019t have this job,\u201d Silas said. \u201cSo the fact that he vouched for me in the interview process was one of the first things that I thought of when the trade was made.\u201d<\/p>\n

Then he remembered all his years as an assistant in Charlotte when he had to plan to defend Wall four times a year.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe second part of it is how dynamic John Wall has been in his career and some of the nightmares that I\u2019ve had trying to defend him and pick and roll and all the pick and roll passes that he\u2019s able to make,\u201d Silas said.<\/p>\n

Also on Thursday, Cousins spoke to reporters for the first time since signing with the Rockets earlier in the week. The 30-year-old said he\u2019s healthy and can\u2019t wait to get started after missing all of last season recovering from a knee injury.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a tough task, mentally, physically, but at the same time, I was able to rest my body and it was much-needed rest,\u201d Cousins said. \u201cComing back off of that, I feel incredible, my body is in a great place, my mind is in a great place and I\u2019m just ready to get back on the floor and play the game<\/a> that I love.\u201d<\/p>\n

He\u2019s also ecstatic about being reunited with Wall, his college teammate at Kentucky. Cousins said he\u2019s known Wall since he was 14 and that the point guard was a groomsman in his wedding.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s an incredible feeling,\u201d Cousins said. \u201cIt\u2019s something me and him planned and dreamed about for a long time. So I\u2019m pretty sure he\u2019s just grateful for his moment as I am.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014\u00a0With AP<\/em>\n <\/div>\n