Upside Down: Houston Rockets 2020 Off-Season Review
Fall of Insanity. Cleaning House Up Top. Changing of the Guard.
“Hope is a mistake. If you can’t fix what’s broken, you’ll go insane.” A line from the epic film Mad Max: Fury Road. One that infilitrates the mind when pondering the insanity that’s been the Houston Rockets 2020 furious road of an off-season. In the most transformative break in franchise history, owner Tilman Fertitta, slowly burning the franchise into the ground, implemented huge changes into the future of the squad. The top of management has been turned upside down, producing ripple effects into the playing squad. General Manager Daryl Morey was fired. Not a surprise, that was inevitable since his Hong Kong tweet in October 2019. Head Coach Mike D’Antoni wasn’t fired, but left on his own accord. And so, the Rockets two most important pieces that aren’t players are gone. Rookies now occupy the most crucial non-playing positions in the franchise. Raphael Stone is now Houston’s GM, with the Rockets giving the Head Coaching nod to Stephen Silas. And while the team has yet to play a game, with all the chaos these two new additions have had to deal with since replacing Morey and D’Antoni, they’ve done as good a job as one could ask for, keeping a sloppy, shaky, bullet-ridden Aston Martin on its last legs, still driving, but not in great shape. It’s not their fault this Rocket-ride could be on its last legs. They simply came into the most chaotic situation an NBA franchise has faced in an off-season since I can remember. First came the departure of D’Antoni, then Morey… But it wasn’t until Houston’s superstars wanted out, that this ship began looking more likely to sink than swim this season.
First, it was reported that superstars Russell Westbrook, and James Harden, the face of the franchise since he arrived in 2012, were on board with new hire Stephen Silas as Head Coach. Then reports came about their frustrations on the outlook of the team’s future. Then, the trade demands. Russell Westbrook demanded a trade first. And made it clear, according to inside sources, he was not going to be a positive presence if his demands weren’t met. Apparently Westbrook, aka “Brodie” wasn’t happy with his role throughout much of the season, and the pairing of him and Harden wasn’t as easy as fans imagined it could be. Hence, Brodie was traded to the Washington Wizards for John Wall, another All-Star point guard, although a downgrade from the durable Westbrook. Wall missed the entire previous season due to injuries, but has shown promise of his former-self in the pre-season. Still, a Westbrook-for-Wall swap is a loss for the Rockets. No offense to Wall, but Brodie is the better player. And Houston lost out on one of the league’s unique players, in Westbrook. And as now’s evident, not a lot of superstars get along with James Harden. First it was reported the Beard preferred to play with Wall over Westbrook, and play surfaced of off-season pickup games involving the pair during the fall break. Now, Harden is the NBA’s biggest diva, and he’s got an entire franchise hostage. Despite Houston getting Wall, Harden still wants out of town. What the Beard doesn’t realize, is Wall might be one of the few superstars left willing to play with a player like Harden, who’s usage rate is amongst the highest in the league. First it was Chris Paul, then Russell Westbrook, the frustrating thing is, James hasn’t even given Wall a chance. With the right mindset, they could turn out to be the NBA’s best backcourt. Hopefully they get along as well as possible this season, and Harden isn’t too much of a distraction for a Houston roster with plenty of potential.
So… the Beard wants out, but Harden’s under-contract for two more seasons. The Rockets have no obligation to trade the Beard. No matter now many strip clubs he attends. No matter how many times he’s late. No matter how many teams (it’s increased from two to six) Harden adds to his preferred trade destination list. Houston can wait for as long as possible to get the best deals possible for a former-MVP, and still one of the top ten players in the world. They’ll never get equal value on a deal for the Beard, but the Rockets can be patient, and make the right move. Instead of playing into Harden’s tricks, and giving what he wants. Offers have been on the table, but the Rockets would be throwing away potentially saving the franchise if they settle too early. It’s a shame too, because Stone’s done an incredible job since being promoted to GM. And Silas has said all the right things and looks like the perfect guy to being given the keys to save this car from driving off the edge. The problem is Harden. Houston snagged the steal of the off-season, getting Christian Wood, who scored 23 points in his lone pre-season game, and looks like the perfect-fit, alongside a player of Harden’s style. Add in a rejuvenated and healthy John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins, and these Rockets have the best roster in the Harden-era. But he wants out. James thinks he can win somewhere else. The problem he doesn’t realize is, all his antics and Dennis Rodman-like behavior is only driving suitors away from trading for his services. Harden’s best bet is to play his rear off this season, and see how it goes. If he buys in, the Rockets are certainly a playoff team. That may not change Harden’s demands, but right now, Houston doesn’t have any other options. Maybe the right deal will come along. The Rockets are still engaging in talks with many teams, but a deal for a player of Harden’s caliber is tricky to pull off. Stone and Houston need to be patient, the right deal will come along, or, hope, in a dreamer’s world, Harden gets his act together, and the Rockets are better than ever. But that’s highly unlikely. The Beard is only acting more like a prima-donna with each passing day.
The face, or Beard, of the franchise, since 2012, Harden gutted it out in Houston as superstars moved from city to city. It looked like the Beard was poised to be a Rocket for life, but that idea seems more like a dream at this moment. Be grateful for each day Harden’s a Rocket. Sure, he’s acting like an immature 12-year old at the moment, but the Beard’s accomplished a lot since arriving in Houston in 2012. The Rockets are the only team to make the playoffs every season since 2012. While not winning the ultimate chip, Harden’s consistently had the Rockets among the top of the West’s cutthroat elite for years, and their 2018 team was the closest to knocking off Kevin Durant’s Warriors dynasty. The Beard is the reason Houston has been relevant in the NBA for the past decade. But now, he wants out. The Rockets can hope to change his mind if they get off to a great start, and Harden realizes his best chance to win is actually right here, in Houston. The squad can hope Wall and Cousins stay healthy. Both former number one picks and All-Stars have looked re-energized in the pre-season. Christian Wood looked like the second-coming of Kevin Durant meets Kristaps Porzingis, and has realistic potential to win the Sixth Man of the Year Award, or even get All-Star potential if Wood really reaches his ceiling. These are all hopeful ideals Houston can pray for, but the reality is, the clock’s ticking on Harden. The Rockets have to trade the Beard. I hate to admit it, as much as I hope they can hold onto Harden, and somehow convince him to stay in Houston. He’s gone. His body might be in H-Town, but his mind is elsewhere. And it’s probably for the best Harden leaves town. Unless the regular season produces unexpected positive changes in the Beard’s behavior, it’s only a matter of when, not if, Harden is traded. Houston will know soon enough into the regular season, if they don’t know already, if Harden is going to buy-in and try and win games, or just lazily jog up-and-down the court. Is James going to exhibit his power as a star who can do whatever he wants, and play hard when he wants, and make sure it’s seen on full display? Can the Rockets tolerate the Beard’s nonchalant approach to the game for an an entire year? We’re about to find out. I’d say have hope Harden stays. But hope lies elsewhere amongst this Houston roster. Just not with their superstar anymore. Don’t go looking. You might go insane.