Dwight Howard is still wearing a Rockets uniform after the trade deadline. Thus, it's a near certainty that the James Harden-led ship will teeter on the seas of mediocrity for the rest of the season before getting a mercy sinking by either the Warriors and Spurs in the playoffs' first round. Poor Harden reportedly tried to make some moves to avoid that fate.
League sources told CBS Sports that Harden pushed for management to fire Kevin McHale and trade Howard. Harden and Howard, who're arguably the league's most under-whelming star duo, have been at odds throughout the season, so this isn't too much of a surprise.
“It’s really bad for the locker room dynamic,” a source said. “If everybody knows that James Harden can fire you or trade you, are you going to pass the ball to Dwight or are you going to pass the ball to James Harden?”
Firstly, the answer is Harden. Secondly, what's with Howard acrimoniously splitting with NBA teams? Orlando despised him when he left, and Kobe Bryant definitely doesn't think too highly of him either. Harden and the Rockets can potentially continue the trend.
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[via CBS Sports]
