When the Houston Rockets signed star center Dwight Howard to pair with superstar guard James Harden, they were supposed to become instant title contenders. It didn’t quite work out that way. The Rockets made the conference finals once (2015) but were throttled by the Golden State Warriors in five games. The big issue with Houston was supposedly the relationship between their two stars. Harden says that he and Howard have no major issues, though he did acknowledge that things didn’t work out between them. From ESPN’s Calvin Watkins:
During a disappointing 41-41 2015-16 season, a source told ESPN the relationship between Howard and Harden was “cordially bad.” It’s something Harden disputes.
“Yeah we’re cool,” Harden said.
When asked about the perception that the two players had friction, Harden said, “It didn’t bother me. I know what the truth is, it’s no beef. We never got into a heated argument. It just didn’t work out.”
Harden said he didn’t know why things failed with Howard and the Rockets. The pair led the team to the postseason three times, with two first-round exits and a trip to the Western Conference finals.
“Trust me, if we knew, it would have worked out,” he said.
At the start of the season, several players, including Harden, said there was a different vibe to the team. It was perceived that things are calmer, drama-free without Howard.
“Vibe means we have different players and make them feel as comfortable as possible. That’s what I meant by different vibe,” Harden said. “That’s one of the reasons why we had training camp twice in the summer so they can get comfortable quick and then when we came to training camp at the beginning of the season, guys will be playing a lot better. That’s the reason for that.”
Without Howard on the team, the Rockets lose a valuable rim protector and athletic center. However, it has given a chance for 22-year-old center Clint Capela to prove himself. Through five games this season, Capela has averaged 8.0 points and 7.6 rebounds in 23.4 minutes per game while shooting 55.9% from the field.
