Rockets GM Daryl Morey addresses tension between Chris Paul and James Harden
Over the last several days, there has been plenty of chatter around the Houston Rockets. Recent events raise serious concerns about the future of the franchise.
Much of this has centered on the core group of the roster. Reports have emerged of tension between star guards James Harden and Chris Paul. Apparently, this has reached a boiling point with the later reportedly wanting out. However, general manager Daryl Morey has combated that by saying that Paul hasn’t demanded a trade. As well as that, he said that their competitive nature should continue to push them forward, according to ESPN.
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“We have two high-level competitors, Chris and James, who their only goal in life at this point is to win the title. They’ve accomplished everything else, they are both going to be first-ballot Hall of Famers. Two competitive superstars at that level, there’s going to be times when they are extremely competitive, extremely focused on how do we get to that next level, and when we don’t there’s going to be frustration,” Morey said. “I’m frustrated, our top players are frustrated, Mike D’Antoni is frustrated. We want to take the last step and be the champion and I think it’s good that there is tension in the sense that we all want to win.”
It’s clear that Morey is hoping to keep both Paul and Harden together for the time being. They have helped the Rockets have much success in their two seasons together. However, that hasn’t equated to winning NBA titles. It doesn’t help that Paul already has a strong reputation for being a hard player to deal with.
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He has also come out to deny these reports, but time will only tell if those things are not what they are reported as being in Houston. It should be noted that Shams Charania of Stadium has acknowledged that no team is looking to trade for Paul at this point in his career.
He has shown signs of declining play while still working through nagging injuries. Ultimately, time will tell if this can continue to work for the Rockets or a change in direction is needed.
