Aas the situation in Houston grows more troublesome by the day, more details continue to emerge about where things went wrong between Harden and the Rockets.
It was been reported already that a huge part of the falling out has to do with Harden’s distrust of the franchise’s ability to win. It’s also no secret that Harden hasn’t been a huge fan of the recent behavior of the team owner, Tilman Fertitta, whose support for Republicans and the current Americana President, Donald Trump, has become quite a controversial topic.
Most recently, it has been revealed that the two didn’t see eye to eye on the head coaching front either, with a report claiming that Harden wanted to bring in Cleveland’s former coach, Tyronn Lue.
(via Joe Vardon of The Athletic)
Harden wanted Tyronn Lue to be his coach in Houston. Sources say Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta did not — he wanted Jeff Van Gundy — and the compromise was Stephen Silas. The point here is, Harden wanted to play for Lue, who is now the Clippers’ coach. He, like a seemingly vast majority of the NBA, spends at least part of his offseasons in Los Angeles, and would probably be open to extending his stay there. He also gives the Clippers something they honestly do not have, a dynamic, scoring ball handler.
The deal may not have been a deal-breaking for Harden, but it no doubts factored into the trade request that would come not long after.
The toxic culture and dysfunction within the organization have earned them a reputation as the “Knicks of the South,” and there’s no real way of knowing when that will change.
From Dwight Howard to Chris Paul, to Russell Westbrook, and now John Wall, the number of stars passing through their gate is faster than some can even keep up with. Will Harden be the next on the list?
