In the aftermath of the James Harden era, the Houston Rockets are struggling to build that winning culture every rebuilding team needs to prioritize.
Over the weekend, the team went viral for an incident involving Kevin Porter Jr., who threw an object at coach John Lucas before leaving the game at half-time in a rage-filled tantrum.
It was, seemingly, a one-time occurrence for KPJ, but it’s certainly not a good look for a team trying to establish its future.
In a recent article, Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix laid into Porter Jr. for his wild outburst, demanding that Houston get rid of him by any means necessary.
There’s a solution to all this: Cut Porter Jr. Waive him. Release him. Whatever. Eat what’s left of the $1.8 million he’s owed this season and the $3.2 million he’s got next and move on. Trade Wood. Call up Charlotte or Portland or any other team desperate for frontcourt infusion and swap him for spare parts.
Need a player? There’s an ex-All-Star point guard on the bench rarin’ to go.
But it can’t work. It won’t work. Not anymore. Arguing with your coach is one thing. Quitting on your team is another. How can Porter Jr. and Wood walk back into that locker room to teammates that can’t be sure how committed they are to playing with them?
The Rockets have too much at stake. Jalen Green is a brilliant young talent. Alperen Sengün, a sturdy, 6′ 10″ big man, looks like one of the steals of the first round. Jae’Sean Tate could have P.J. Tucker-like potential. There’s another high lottery pick on the way. The cupboard isn’t bare in Houston. The culture is.
Porter Jr., 21, is in his third season in the league, and things haven’t looked pretty over the past few months. Besides Houston’s expectedly abysmal 10-28 record, he is seeing a sizeable dip in his production from last season, with an average of 12.8 points on a cringe-inducing 36% shooting.
This latest incident with Stephen Silas could prove to be the last straw.
No matter what the team says, there are deeper issues going on in that locker room, and making some changes may be the only way to fix them.
