James Harden’s tenure with the Houston Rockets can be summed up in three words by a former staff member: “Whatever James wants.”
If the Rockets had two or three days between games, Harden would hire private jets to fly to Las Vegas or other cities, according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon.
Harden also had a say in personnel moves, both on the coaching staff and player movement.
He pushed for the firing of former head coach Kevin McHale as well as the departure of Chris Paul and Dwight Howard, MacMahon notes.
The Rockets have been fine with letting Harden exercise his power, as they considered it “good business” in order to keep an elite MVP caliber player happy.
“We knew who the boss of the organization was,” a former Rockets assistant coach said. “That’s just part of what the deal was when you go to Houston. The players, coaches, GM, owner all know. I don’t blame James. I blame the organization. It’s not his fault. He did what they allowed him to do.”
The Rockets haven’t achieved their ultimate goal of reaching and winning the NBA Finals, advancing to the Western Conference finals twice, but Harden has provided them a realistic chance at doing just that and contending.
He’s also become one of the most durable players in the league, ranking as one of the league leaders in minutes per game and often playing through injuries such as sprained ankles and shoulder bruises that might cause other players to miss games.
All of these factors led to the Rockets looking the other way when it came to what Harden did off the court.
“If they have multiple days off, everybody knows: James is going to fly somewhere else and party,” a member of last season’s coaching staff said. “But he’s going to come back and have a 50-point triple-double, so they’re OK with it.”
Harden, who recently joined the team and played in a preseason game on Dec. 15, had a “good conversation” with head coach Stephen Silas.
The Rockets are reportedly patiently exploring the trade market for Harden, searching for a possible deal that wouldn’t lead the franchise to a long rebuild mode.
“You can’t get mad at your kid if you let him eat candy every night and then suddenly one night you don’t and they throw a tantrum,” an ex-Houston assistant coach said. “You’re the one who let them eat candy every night. The Rockets turned the organization over to James, and now they have to live with the fallout.”
