Tag: Houston Rockets

Egos in the way of perceived great players

When a player is going through his or her career, one of the toughest things for them to deal with is the realization they can’t quite do the stuff they could in their younger days. Knowing Father Time is undefeated, a tough decision has to be made. Either said player is going to evolve and make adjustments to prolong their journey, or the ego will stay in the way, leading to a sharp decline in ability and status. The three players discussed in the coming paragraphs are among the best offensive players in recent memory (notice I didn’t say overall, because they’re terrible defensively), but for one reason or another, the impact they once had on the court is becoming more minimal almost by the day. Therefore, it’s probably safe to say a crossroads has been reached, and what happens after this point depends on whether or not growth occurs.

Let’s start with Brooklyn Nets guard Kyrie Irving. One thing Irving can say is he has a championship on his resume, and by hitting one of the biggest shots in NBA history in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals, he is forever written in Cleveland Cavaliers and NBA history. Outside of that, Irving is known for having special offensive skills, but also for being a player who is not dependable and rots team chemistry. He forced a trade from the Cavaliers to the Boston Celtics, and after two seasons, the Celtics couldn’t wait to get him out the door. The Nets were waiting to take Irving in, but the three seasons that have followed have been uneven at best. The 30-year-old has constantly alienated teammates, and between injuries, going on mysterious vacations during the season and his unwillingness to get the COVID vaccine, nobody can say he’s been the most available player. What’s common with Irving’s behavior is let him tell the story, it’s never his fault, and he always the smartest person in the room. Point blank, all of the drama that comes with Irving off the court is starting to overcome the dazzle his offensive talent provides on it, and if his ego continues to inflate, it would not be a surprise to hear about an early retirement sooner than later.

Next, let’s dive into the story of Philadelphia 76ers guard James Harden. The 32-year-old was once mentioned as one of the greatest offensive players in league history during his time with the Houston Rockets, and he even has a regular season MVP under his belt from the 2017-’18 campaign. Now, accumulating with a no-show performance in an elimination game Thursday night against the Miami Heat, Harden has developed a reputation to disappear when his team he’s on needs him the most (playoff time). Another cloud that hangs over his head is the tendency to want to run away from adverse times. When things went south in Houston, Harden threw teammates under the bus, showed up to training camp horribly out of shape, and whined his way to the aforementioned Nets via a trade involving four teams. Stuff went haywire in Brooklyn, and once again, Harden forced a trade, this time to the 76ers. One can only run away from problems for so long, before the problem is staring right back at them through a mirror. This is the reality Harden faces, and that, combined with declining abilities, is all catching up. It’s already proven a team wasn’t going to win a title with a player who has been on three teams in two years being their best, but maybe it can happen with him being a complimentary piece. Can Harden make that adjustment? Anything is possible, but if teams continue to pay him like a max player, there’s no reason to believe that change would happen.

Finally, the story of Los Angeles Lakers guard Russell Westbrook is on the menu. Like Harden, Westbrook has won an MVP (2016-’17), and he averaged a triple-double in three straight seasons (four total). When the triple-double record was reached in Westbrook’s award-winning journey as a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder, that marked the first time a player accomplished the feat since Oscar Robertson did it in 1961-’62. The 33-year-old has been widely praised for his ungodly athletic feats, but a game that’s heavily reliant on athleticism never ages well, especially if that player has little to fall back on. Westbrook has never been a good outside shooter, and even with the flashy triple-double numbers, he’s still a turnover machine after all of these years in the NBA. The athleticism goes away with age, and those explosive dunks are now missed layups. All of this equals being on four teams (Thunder, Rockets, Washington Wizards and Lakers) in the same amount of seasons. It’s no secret the Lakers had a disappointing, disastrous season with no games in the playoffs, but there might have been a slight chance if Westbrook put his ego to the side and came off the bench. With a team that has LeBron James on it, the opportunities to handle the ball go down significantly. Anyone who follows basketball knows that, but apparently, Westbrook didn’t get the memo.

To sum everything up, these three players have serious choices to make if they’re going to be the best version of themselves. In saying that, understand it’s not as much about the numbers as it is about the mindset coming onto the court. When a person thinks about Irving, Harden and Westbrook, leadership and unselfishness isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. This could have been the case all along, but it’s to the point the elite offensive glamour can no longer cover the messy truth. Now, the thirty somethings have to reinvent their way of thinking, or those inflated egos might find themselves in the midst of a huge freefall from grace.

Harden trade outlines bigger problem in the NBA

Last Wednesday, the NBA world was shaken up by a blockbuster trade that saw guard and former league MVP James Harden get moved from the Houston Rockets to the Brooklyn Nets. The trade, which also involved the Indiana Pacers and Cleveland Cavaliers, was a move that was expected from those who follow the league, but the circumstances that led up to this is what the narrative should be. Whether or not Harden forming a “superteam” with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving will bring title a title or two to Brooklyn has and will be analyzed until results come in (I have this being an epic train wreck for the record). The issue is how seemingly easily players can force a trade by being unprofessional and, for the lack of a better word, a spoiled brat. Such is the case for Harden, but sadly, his case is just the latest in what has become a problem in this age of player empowerment.

It’s not uncommon for someone to be unhappy at a workplace, but these issues can be handled professionally, and Harden was anything but. First, he shows up to training camp out of shape (apparently after spending a good amount of time in strip clubs), then he’s reportedly getting into it with teammates during practice. Top all of that off with having a press conference after a game the Rockets lost to the Los Angeles Lakers saying this situation can’t be fixed, due to the team not being good enough (in Harden’s eyes), and the situation becomes officially toxic. Rockets players, such as John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins, came to the team’s defense and reported confronted Harden about his attitude. All of this led to the trade to the Nets, which is what the disgruntled star wanted all along.

Another situation that involves pouting and being a malcontent involved Lakers forward/center Anthony Davis. When Davis was with the New Orleans Pelicans, he signed a long-term deal to stay there. Then came the day when Rich Paul, who is the agent for fellow Lakers forward LeBron James, became Davis’ agent. When that happened, it’s probably not a coincidence a trade request came right after. Of course, things between Davis and the Pelicans became super awkward, as the team was going back and forth between sitting him out and minutes restrictions. After the 2018-19 was over, Davis would eventually get what he wanted and end up in L.A. Part of the reason that happened also was James, in essence, passive-aggressively called out some of the teammates he was playing with before the trade. In other words, both of Paul’s clients were willing to burn things down to get what they wanted, which at it’s core seems pretty selfish.

Finally, lets visit the case of Los Angeles Clippers forward Paul George. Going into the 2018-19 season, George signed a deal to stay with the Oklahoma City Thunder. After the season was completed, Kawhi Leonard, fresh off of leading the Toronto Raptors to their first NBA title, entered free agency and said he would come to the Clippers if, among other things, the team was able to get George to come there in a trade. All of a sudden, here come the trade demand to get out of OKC. The difference between how the Thunder handled this and how the Rockets and Pelicans handled their respective situations was OKC management didn’t give this a chance to manifest and become a trash situation. They granted George’s request, got some players and draft picks in return, and moved on. No matter what, most people just want clear pictures of what’s currently happening. It appears the Thunder were aware of this, and for the goodness of their environment, they didn’t want to have any toxicity leak in from a potentially unhappy player.

All of the scenarios mentioned above had two things in common. The first is Harden, Davis and George all were in substantial deals, and the second is they ultimately got what they wanted by being whiners. The latter is what sets a bad precedent and points to the bigger problem in the NBA and sports in general. I’m all about players having the ability to look out for themselves and their futures, but to demand trades with multiple years left in contracts (in the cases of Harden and George) seems disingenuous. If all a player has to do is act like a spoiled brat to get their way when things aren’t going well, then we’re in more trouble than I originally thought. I just hope at some point, these players can start being adults about their business, but something tells me not to hold my breath.