When the 2019 playoff run ended for James Harden and the Houston Rockets in the second round, the perennial MVP finalist said he knew exactly what his team needed to do to get over the hump.
Harden didn’t specify what that was, and he also didn’t reference co-star Chris Paul by name. Two months later, Paul was traded in a blockbuster deal that brought All-Star guard Russell Westbrook to Houston.
Late Saturday, when Houston’s 2020 playoff run ended in the same round with a Game 5 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, Harden conceded that his team was still “a piece away” with its roster. On Saturday, with 30 points on 60% shooting and a team-high six rebounds, Harden significantly outplayed the rest of his teammates in a 23-point loss.
While Westbrook was among those struggling in an injury-plagued playoff run, Harden made it clear that he views his close friend and All-Star teammate as a part of the solution as Houston searches for its championship breakthrough. Here’s what Harden said postgame:
I feel like we’re a piece away. We’ve just got to keep trying to figure it out, keep trying to grow and put the right pieces around me and Russ [Westbrook] to get to where we want to go. We’ve got to look at our entire team and see what direction we want to go.
Obviously, [for] half of the season, we tried the small ball. It worked for the most part. So, we’ve just got to take an overall look at our team and see what holes we need to fill, and go from there.
James Harden on where the Rockets stand after being eliminated: “We’re a piece away. We just got to keep trying to figure it out, keep trying to grow and put the right pieces around me and Russ.” #NBAPlayoffs
š„: @NBATV pic.twitter.com/26aZ9BMsCT
— USA TODAY NBA (@usatodaynba) September 13, 2020
With both Harden and Westbrook now 31 years old, there’s clearly a high sense of urgency for the Rockets to put a contending roster around them as quickly as possible. Should that not happen, both have the ability to become free agents after the 2021-22 season.
The Rockets are not expected to have any salary cap room for the foreseeable future, with most of the team’s rotation players already under contract for multiple seasons. (That said, with notoriously creative GM Daryl Morey expected back, trades are always a possibility.)
Strapped for cash, Houston could attempt to leverage its status as a regular contender — they’re the only team in the West to have advanced to at least the second round of the playoffs for four straight seasons — into perhaps signing a key role player at a discounted rate.
"There has been widespread speculation throughout the league that Feritta would want to also move on from Morey this offseason."
"High-ranking Rockets sources dismiss those rumors, saying that Fertitta fully intends to keep Morey." https://t.co/sfBWcxRs2p
— Ben DuBose (@BenDuBose) September 13, 2020
They could potentially make a change at head coach, where Mike D’Antoni doesn’t have a contract yet for the 2020-21 season. Tim MacMahon of ESPN reported Saturday that former Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy and recent Brooklyn head coach Kenny Atkinson could be candidates, and both have previous ties to Morey in Houston.
With the 2019-20 league year significantly delayed due to COVID-19, the 2020-21 regular season isn’t expected to begin until at least Christmas Day. In turn, that means the traditional offseason period won’t take place until late October or November. That gives Morey and Houston owner Tilman Fertitta plenty of time to plot their next moves.
Given salary constraints, it’s not easy to guess what those transactions might be. But unlike the vague uncertainty after the 2019 season ended, it seems clear in 2020 that Harden is sold on his current co-star.
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September 13, 2020 at 01:11PM
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James Harden looking for 'right pieces' around himself, Westbrook - Rockets Wire
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