James Harden still hasn’t checked in with the Houston Rockets. Coach Stephen Silas indicates a strike for the first time. The superstar probably wants to force a trade and at the same time violates a lot of NBA rules.
“There is no schedule as far as I know. This is a setback for us because we want our best player to be here,” said Rockets coach Stephen Silas at his press conference on the All-Star on Monday. Harden was not present for the Rockets’ first training session and did not show up for his scheduled individual workout.
Most recently, Silas had stated that Harden was not with the team due to the NBA’s COVID protocol. According to Tim MacMahon (ESPN) there are currently no talks between Silas and Harden, but the superstar is said to have told the Rockets management that he will be in Houston “soon”.
Harden faces fines for violating NBA rules
The Rockets coach also stated that he had no idea where Harden was at the moment. Most recently, Harden was spotted on social media at a birthday party for rapper Lil Baby in Atlanta, and there are photos showing him in strip clubs in Las Vegas on Sunday evening. This would also violate the NBA’s new rules, which stipulate that players must be in quarantine and are only allowed to leave the house outside of NBA activities for shopping or family welfare.
The NBA has not yet taken on the matter, but Harden should also expect a penalty from the team, even if Silas did not want to address this directly. “I’ve already seen players go on strike and we handled each situation differently. At the moment there is no penalty in the room. But we are working our way step by step.”
James Harden: Is he going to force a trade to Brooklyn?
Harden would like to force a trade from Houston, the preferred target should be the Brooklyn Nets around Harden’s good friend Kevin Durant. So far, the Texans have made no move to hold trade talks about the superstar. The Shooting Guard in Houston still has a contract until 2023, the last year includes a player option.
“I don’t know what he wants,” said Silas. “It is just a fact that he is not here. He will have his reasons for it and these should be explained. I will not speculate about it at this point.”
In addition, other Rockets players were asked about Harden, they all gave themselves up buttoned. “I’m here to talk about PJ Tucker,” replied Forward PJ Tucker, for example, while Eric Gordon suggested a similar line: “We are a team. There is no player, but we all continue to work here.”
James Harden: His stats for the 2019/20 season
| Games | Minutes | Points | FG% | 3P% | Rebounds | Assists |
| 68 | 36,5 | 34,3 | 44,4 | 35,5 | 6,6 | 7,5 |
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