This is how James Harden walked off the podium tonight. It sounded like a farewell pic.twitter.com/fnY2h6dnHP
— Adam Spolane (@AdamSpolane) January 13, 2021
It’s not publicly demanding a trade, but it’s pretty dang close.
James Harden told reporters after the Rockets’ blowout loss to the Lakers on Tuesday that he believes the situation in Houston is unfixable. Harden then walked out of the press conference after taking just two questions.
“I love this city. I literally have done everything that I can,” Harden said after the Rockets’ 117-100 loss. “I mean, this situation is crazy. It’s something that I don’t think can be fixed.”
Harden has reportedly wanted out of Houston since the team parted ways with former general manager Daryl Morey and head coach Mike D’Antoni this offseason. The Rockets are 3-6 to start the season, and have been blown out in consecutive games by the Lakers.
“We’re not even close, honestly, to that team — obviously the defending champions — and all the other elite teams out there,” Harden said. “I mean, you can tell the difference in these last two games.
“We’re just not good enough — chemistry, talentwise, just everything. And it was clear these last two games.”
John Wall, who the Rockets traded Russell Westbrook for this offseason, was asked about Harden’s comments. He didn’t mince words either, implying that not everybody is on the same page, and that it will be hard to be successful because of that.
“He’s talking to his own opinion,” Wall said. “I can’t know what he thinks about the team or what he feels like we are,” Wall said. “I know how much hard work these guys put in … to try to get better every day. I know how much work I put into it to get back and compete at a high level.
“There’s a lot of guys here that want to compete at a high level. Like I told everybody tonight and told the guys before, when one through 15 guys are all on the same page and they commit and they know their role and they know what they want to get out of this and that’s to win, it’ll all be fine. But when you have certain guys in the mix that don’t want to buy in all as one, it’s going to be hard to do anything special or anything good as a basketball team.”