Harden sets sights on title
The face of the franchise promises an NBA championship for the Rockets ‘very soon’
The face of the Rockets franchise vows a title “very soon.”
He broke ankles.
He was proudly cheered and locally adored.
He spoke of his long-elusive dream: an NBA championship.
And James Harden answered questions about Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, losing the MVP award, traveling, the Dynamo and Dash, and a crazy NBA summer.
There has, as always, been so much talk about The Beard. But the last two months, we barely saw a glimpse of the face of the Rockets and officially had no idea what Harden was thinking.
He returned to Houston this week and gave back. Harden was the centerpiece of a Friday event that donated sporting goods to local children. The next two days were devoted to his annual basketball camp, which featured hundreds of children wearing Harden T-shirts and multiple 1-on-1 matchups versus No. 13, ready made for social media.
“When you’re dribbling, keep your head up,” Harden said Saturday at the MI3 Center, as his coaching voice boomed through the facility’s speakers and kids stared up at one of the NBA’s biggest names. “If your teammate is available or open under the basket, you can pass it to him. Most of you guys are dribbling like this, with your head down, so you can’t see anything. So keep your head up and make sure you have great spacing, that way you guys can get more shots up.”
At ease at home
Harden was energized and engaged. Upbeat but relaxed. With his mother, Monja Willis, constantly by his side, the superstar — who has again been in the middle of a summer storm, highlighted by the blockbuster Paul-Westbrook trade — sounded more at ease than ever before.
“This is home for me,” Harden said. “I’m trying to get out as much as possible, whether it’s giving back to the community … or my JH-Town weekend, that’s coming up next month. Just trying to put my staple in every aspect. You guys have given me the opportunity. These fans have given me the opportunity. The Rockets have given me the opportunity to be here in the place that I call home. So I’m trying my best to do it.”
The best scorer in the NBA promised a Rockets title in a Thursday video message that promoted his new ownership stake in the Dynamo and Dash.
“I know I need to bring a championship in basketball, and I will,” said Harden, sounding sincere and looking directly into the camera. “That’s coming very, very soon.”
Points, swished step-back 3-pointers and cheers are constantly attached to Harden. So are the national and local questions that won’t go away until he finally collects what he has promised. For Houston. As a Rocket. “Every day. That’s what I think about all the time,” said Harden, who reached the NBA Finals as Westbrook’s teammate with Oklahoma City in 2012. “That’s what my work goes in, my preparation goes in, me thinking — always trying to find ways to get better individually, finding ways to make sure our team gets better. And it won’t stop. That’s just how my mind is trained.
“Obviously I’ve been coming up short these last few years and whatnot, or since I’ve been in the league. But I won’t stop. I won’t stop until I reach my goals and our team reaches our goal. It’s a journey. It’s a marathon. And I’m still learning.”
The Westbrook-as-a-Rocket questions will require the entire 2019-20 season for a first, full answer. But Harden answered his initial Qs with pride and total positivity.
“Time. Time,” said Harden, describing what makes his relationship with Westbrook special. “The Boys & Girls Club. You can’t — when you meet somebody in your later career or as an adult, it’s different than when you know somebody since you were a young one. Even after I left Oklahoma City, I watched him all the time. … He’s one of the best players that we have in the league today. He’s explosive. He’s exciting to watch. I was excited for him and now we’re combining that.”
A hard parting with Paul
Harden’s on-court relationship with Paul ultimately ended like his did with Dwight Howard’s: a hard parting. But Harden went out of his way to take the high road Saturday, answering multiple questions about Paul and insisting that the two are “good.”
“It wasn’t upsetting to me because I knew the truth. We knew the truth. It wasn’t upsetting at all,” said Harden, referring to multiple reports about a divide between the two. “It was just pretty funny how guys can speculate or make up false stories on the TV and then you’ve got people believing it. That’s where guys have to make sure their facts are true before they put stuff in the media or on national television.
“But for me personally, and I’m sure for Chris as well, we never paid any attention to it. And Chris has been unbelievable these last two years. He’s helped me as a leader, as a mentor, just all that good stuff. I guess it’s life. It’s the business, how things don’t work out. But he’s a great dude. I have nothing negative to say about him.”
No Houston athlete holds more explosive star power than Harden. In a huge city that features Deshaun Watson, J.J. Watt, DeAndre Hopkins, Alex Bregman, Justin Verlander and all the very well-known Astros, Harden’s historic numbers (36.1 points, 7.5 assists, 6.6 rebounds, 2 steals last season) individually tower above all.
His other stars come and go. The Association keeps changing and changing.
“It was like an NBA shuffle,” said Harden, less than three weeks after Kawhi Leonard and Paul George paired up with the Los Angeles Clippers, clearing a path for Westbrook to suddenly relocate to Houston and Paul to join the Thunder.
Harden remains in local red. And for everyone still with questions, there are far more with cheers. Just imagine what it would be like for Harden, if the best scorer in the NBA finally won what he has promised.
“I’ve been fortunate to be here in Houston, this is my eighth year,” Harden said. “This organization has shown me a tremendous amount of love.”