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Houston Rockets: The Case For Trading James Harden

By Brandon Davis

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If you want to fix a problem, you must get to the heart of it. Unfortunately, for the Houston Rockets, the heart of their problem seems to emanate from one person; James Harden. Kevin McHale related to the myriad of issues and how far off the Rockets roster was at the onset of the season. Jason Terry exploded about the chemistry issues in the wake of the loss to the Trail Blazers. Even interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff has called the Rockets “a broken team.”

The firing of McHale 11 games into the season was supposed to send a message to the organization.

Apparently, the Rockets are a bit hard of hearing.

With the trade deadline approaching and the Rockets about $500,000 away from the approximate $88.7 million hard cap, don’t expect much at the deadline. As the team stands right now, they are built around Harden and will rise and fall as he dictates.

So why get rid of Harden?

Well, first and foremost, the Rockets are in the market for a new head coach. Only 52 percent of interim coaches go on to retain their head coaching spot, so for Bickerstaff he shouldn’t pin his hopes on a coin flip (Unless he’s running in the Iowa caucuses).

McHale was fired because the team goes as Harden goes. There is no indication that Bickerstaff won’t be subject to the same fate or that the next coach won’t either. Last year, Harden showed up motivated. This year, Harden suffered an ankle injury and a lackadaisical off season that lagged him well behind where he should have been. Whichever coach is next in line will have to deal with similar uncertainty.

Secondly, the roster composition is ostracizing players. Terry had his outburst, some rumblings suggest Corey Brewer may be on the way out due to his loyalty with McHale, Josh Smith is on a one-year deal, and Dwight Howard has been floated in trade rumors. Harden’s numbers — 28 points, seven assists, and seven rebounds a game are astounding.

Unfortunately, his efficiency is down while his usage is up. Long term that means Harden is burning more possessions than he’s converting relative to his MVP campaign last year. Not only does this tax Harden but it deprives his teammates. For comparison, Howard – though having missed 11 games so far – has improved his rebounds, efficiency, and blocks per game while keeping his points consistent.

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Third, trading away the Beard would obviously bring the largest net return. This is purely a theoretical conversation, however, the Rockets and their fans shouldn’t anticipate a king’s ransom for the likes of a broken Donatas Motiejunas, a restricted Ty Lawson, or an inconsistent Terrence Jones. As it stands, the Rockets need to eye a cultural shift.

Reports that Harden’s frustration is reaching a boiling point should prove boom or bust for the Rockets, but it’s a situation that will need to be monitored – especially now that he’s meeting with the front office about proposed fixes to the team.

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Now, I’m not as gung-ho on ridding the Rockets of Harden as this article title would suggest (Made ya click!).

The last time Harden was this frustrated, the Rockets righted their ship and actually produced. James has clearly played his way back into shape and into the swing of things. He’s even reigned in the things I said he needed to in my article about the McHale firing. Indeed, Harden even jettisoned the Kardashian curse.

Fundamentally, the Rockets need to focus on the fact that their problems are internal and cultural. A disciplinarian coach will not gel with this roster nor would it do anything but exacerbate the frustration between the players. A player’s coach who can get the buy in of the players and compel a rounded game, however, will.

Next: What's Needed To Fix The Houston Rockets?

Unfortunately, the real question here is; how much damage has already been done?

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