Houston rockets pick up extraordinary rebuild as James Harden brings Brooklyn net back

It may be March, but the ghosts of the past Rockets are returning to Houston.

James Harden is back for the first time since making a controversial trade deal for the Brooklyn Nets in January, with Mike D’Antoni now on the bench as Steve Nash ‘s main supporter. And the former and former Harden franchises could not be directed in different directions heading into the national television tournament on Wednesday.

While Brooklyn was throwing in some struggle early in the season and having won nine of 10 to jump toward the Eastern Conference standing top, Houston has dropped 12 straight games. He is struck by the realization that this franchise needs a full rebuild to get back to the level he became accustomed to when Harden and D’Antoni led the way, as a player who franchise and the coach to unlock his long-term scoring ability. with the homosexuality that makes it such an incredible force on the court.

“James has done amazing things for the city of Houston and the Rockets for the eight years he has been here. Mike is the same, ”said Nets center and DeAndre Jordan from Houston.

Harden was an All-Star in each of his eight seasons with the Rockets, winning three scoring titles, seven all-NBA appearances, a 2017-2018 MVP award and nearly a trip to the finals.

“I think people are confirming what he has achieved and what it was like for these Rocket teams to get on with the Warriors,” said Nash, who was a Golden State adviser at the time about the Co. Cup finals. Western Conference 2018. “They were some of the biggest teams to ever play the game. And in fact the year before they took them to seven, they thought no one could get near them. And now we forget about it and say they weren’t good enough. ”

Ultimately Harden, D’Antoni and the Rockets didn’t get the kicks from the 3-point line they needed to knock out the Warriors, but Nash said that shouldn’t diminish what was achieved. Houston executives had to trade a lot of first-round tarts to stay at that level to keep up with Golden State, updating Harden’s main side from Dwight Howard to Chris Paul and finally Russell Westbrook.

But after the second round out of the team in the bubble against the Lakers, the writing was everywhere. This team was on stage. D’Antoni chose not to sign a new contract as head coach. General manager Daryl Morey joined for Philadelphia, and shortly afterwards Harden and Westbrook asked for a trade. Russ went to Washington for John Wall and the first and Harden, of course, went to Brooklyn in a trade that recovered much of the draft assets that the Rockets had to participate with over the years.

There were signs that Houston could still compete this year. There was a renovated Wall, and a great free agent signing in Christian Wood. But Harden was never interested in playing for the team and was dealt with on appalling terms between both sides. but Wall, Wood, Victor Oladipo, DeMarcus Cousins ​​and Eric Gordon were still at the Rockets. But hurting all hopes that the group would come together under rookie head coach Stephen Silas and now it’s time for him and rookie general manager Rafael Stone to swallow a hard pill and reload this roster -build.

Cousins ​​was ignored. Oladipo reportedly declined, on an expiring contract, a two-year, $ 42 million extension. Crafts for him, veteran PJ Tucker and others could be on the horizon over the next three weeks. Do any Stone and Silas players want to hold on to this roster for the long haul? If it doesn’t, there will be a lot of uncommon turns and a lot of painful loss, which we don’t know about.

The Brooklyn game could be a strong reminder of that. But the ghosts that might haunt the Rockets today shouldn’t affect how Harden’s day is perceived in the years to come.

“Whether tonight or at some point in the future, they will look forward and fondly remember the amazing things James and Mike did here,” Nash said. “Sometimes it’s a little too early, a little too hot.”