The mess known as the Houston Rockets has finally ended. After losing to the Golden State Warriors this past Wednesday night, the Rockets are now officially eliminated from the NBA Playoffs.
One thing expected to stay with the team regardless of its season ending is All-Star shooting guard James Harden. The real question is whether Harden’s poor leadership, teamwork, and communication skills will linger over into next season.
Last week, ESPN’s Calvin Watkins noticed something quite interesting about Harden’s arrival to Game 1 of the Rockets vs. Warriors series:
James Harden arrived in a car 15 minutes before the second bus.
— Calvin Watkins (@calvinwatkins) April 19, 2016
It’s rare to see an NBA player decide against traveling on the road with his teammates. Harden did just that, and it caused quite a stir on social media.
According to Marc Stein of ESPN, this wasn’t a first time thing. Apparently, Harden frequently skipped riding the team bus on the road throughout the season:
ESPN sources say Harden, for example, frequently skips the team bus to road games, not just in this series as reported by our Calvin Watkins
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) April 28, 2016
This is nothing short of embarrassing for James Harden and the Houston Rockets.. As the leader of your team, Harden must set by example and do what every other star player does: Travel with your teammates. Teammates, a word some fans question if Rockets’ players even have in their vocabulary.
As Stein noted, a simple coaching change won’t cut it for Houston. More must be done:
Roster changes and a coaching change loom in Houston, but the Rockets need a culture change too. Harden’s too good not to set a better tone
— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) April 28, 2016
Houston fans, you have every reason to be worried. On the plus side, the chemistry issues between Dwight Howard and James Harden have likely ended for good, as Dwight Howard is reportedly expected to leave the team this summer in free agency. Nonetheless, James Harden must be better. It’ll be interesting to see how he changes when the Rockets get around to hiring a new head coach in the near future.
