Report: John Wall Felt James Harden Prevented Rockets from Reaching Potential
Houston Rockets point guard John Wall reportedly felt former teammate James Harden was holding back the franchise while waiting for a trade, which arrived Wednesday as part of a four-team blockbuster that sent him to the Brooklyn Nets.
Kevin O'Connor of The Ringer reported that Wall, who was acquired in an offseason trade from the Washington Wizards, was never able to form a bond with Harden during their short time together in Houston.
"[T]here was animosity between Wall and Harden from the beginning of their relationship, league sources say," O'Connor wrote. "Wall still sees himself as a player who can be the face of the franchise and felt like Harden was holding him and the team back from reaching their potential, league sources say."
Wall didn't mention Harden by name when asked about the difficulties the Rockets have faced during their 3-6 start following Tuesday's loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, but it didn't take much reading between the lines to understand his message.
"I think it's been a little rocky, can't lie about that," Wall told reporters. "I don't think it's been the best it could be, to be honest. That's all I really could say."
He added: "When you have certain guys in the mix that don't want to buy in as one, it's gonna be hard to do anything special as a basketball team...it hurts."
Rockets center DeMarcus Cousins, who signed with the team in December, said Harden's "disrespectful comments and antics" were part of a larger trend.
"The disrespect started way before any interview," Cousins said. "Just the approach to training camp, showing up the way he did, the antics off the court...the disrespect started way before. This isn't something that all of a sudden happened [Tuesday] night."
With the team struggling and Harden's approach starting to wear on his teammates, the front office worked to finalize the trade the 2017-18 NBA MVP wanted.
Although losing a player of Harden's caliber creates a void that's difficult to fill, Houston's front office deserves credit for standing firm to receive maximum value for a disgruntled player. Along with a massive haul of draft picks to help set the stage for a bright future, the Rockets also ended up with shooting guard Victor Oladipo from the Indiana Pacers to ensure their current lineup remains competitive.
A starting group of Wall, Oladipo, Danuel House Jr., P.J. Tucker and Christian Wood may not be on the same level as the reigning champion Los Angeles Lakers and the new-look Nets following Harden's arrival, but it's strong enough to start climbing back up the standings in the Western Conference.
The Rockets are back in action Thursday night for the first of two straight road games against the San Antonio Spurs, but the trade hasn't been formally announced, so it may be a few more days before Oladipo, Dante Exum and Rodions Kurucs end up making their Houston debuts.
