The Houston Rockets are coming off their worst season in years. James Harden had made them perennial contenders out of the Western Conference and losing him the way they did was a massive blow for them.
And, while the Rockets did an outstanding job of gathering assets to rebuild via this year’s NBA Draft, it’ll still take some time before they go back to being a playoff team.
As for Harden, he left the team to fight for an NBA Championship with the Brooklyn Nets. But in a recent interview with Sports Illustrated’s Michael Shapiro, he admitted that not winning a ring in Houston will be a disappointment:
“Houston will always hold a special place in my heart. I spent the last nine years there. On the court, it was what it was. I was disappointed in myself that I couldn’t bring a championship there because that’s what I put the jersey on for every single game. But the community work really lets me see the impact I can have on the city. We’ve been through some tough times with [Hurricane Harvey] and all types of things. And just being able to come back now and be there for people and support them, I’m going to do that as long as I can,” Harden said.
Harden forced his way out of the team and drew a lot of criticism for the way he did it. He showed up late and apparently overweight to training camp and then called out the team in public.
Then, he silenced his critics by playing like a legit MVP candidate before suffering a hamstring injury. So, even if some will always hold this against him, it seems like it’s only a matter of time before he fulfills his ultimate goal of becoming an NBA champion.
