Though he is still intent on being traded, Rockets star James Harden has finally arrived in Houston, where he's started practicing with the team, and played in their preseason game against the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday night -- one in which he recorded 12 points on 3 of 10 shooting.
On Wednesday, he spoke to reporters for the first time during an afternoon press conference. But while there were plenty of questions to ask, Harden didn't have much to say. In perhaps his most notable response, he gave a bizarre explanation for his delayed arrival to camp.
Here's the video:
James Harden looks fed up. 🤣pic.twitter.com/ew84DjWVre
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) December 16, 2020
And the full exchange:
Reporter: James what was the point you were trying to get across when you went to Atlanta and Vegas when training camp was starting?
Harden: I was just training.
Reporter: What were you training for?
Harden: Uh, the start of the NBA season.
Reporter: How did going to Atlanta and Vegas help you there, when the Rockets were starting training camp in Houston?
Harden: Uh, just you know, my personal trainers.
In case you missed this part of the saga, Harden spent the early days of training camp partying on both coasts of the country. Videos on social media showed him in Atlanta for the birthday party of rapper Lil Baby, and later in a Las Vegas nightclub. So hey, congrats to Lil Baby on adding "James Harden's personal trainer" to his long list of accomplishments. What a year for him.
But in all seriousness, Harden isn't fooling anyone here. This is just a continuation of the strategy he started with those trips -- an attempt to force his way out of town. So far, the Rockets have resisted his ploys, though mostly because they aren't getting any worthy offers, rather than a complete aversion to trading him.
The Rockets are reportedly willing to "get uncomfortable" with Harden, and he seems to be pushing those boundaries as far as possible. At this point, the relationship seems to be completely broken, and the fact that Harden responded "we haven't had a conversation," when asked about new GM Rafael Stone, is only further evidence.
