Talk of James Harden returning to Houston was everywhere around the NBA, especially during the second half of last season. It was almost expected, or at the very least was the leverage Harden needed to get a big new contract out of Philadelphia.
Then the Rockets hired Ime Udoka as their new coach and that talk instantly stopped. In the offseason, the Rockets spent their money on Fred VanVleet to run the point.
Udoka addressed that with Zach Lowe of ESPN and said it was simply a matter of fit.
“Nothing against James,” Udoka told ESPN, “but Fred is just a better fit. I coached James in Brooklyn. He’s one of the smartest players I’ve ever been around. The words ‘Ime doesn’t want James’ never came out of my mouth. It was, ‘Let’s look at the best fit.’ If we want Jalen and the young guys to take the next steps, we need them to have the ball. As for me saying I don’t want James, that was never the case. It was about fit.”
Udoka isn’t wrong, VanVleet is a better fit. Houston wanted to focus on improving the defense and modeling that for a young core and VanVleet is a much better defender. VanVleet works better off the ball if Udoka is going to trust Jalen Green with the rock and to take a step forward. VanVleet is also a professional in the locker room who takes care of his body and puts in all the work, something the Rockets’ young core can soak up.
However, Houston was pulling the plug on Harden before VanVleet was on the books, suggesting Udoka just didn’t want Harden in Houston. Udoka doesn’t have to say it directly to get his meaning across. The Harden return always felt like it was fueled by Rockets ownership, who after three seasons of losing wants to start winning again (this season may disappoint on that front in a deep West), and Harden can fuel wins.
Once Houston was off the table Harden’s leverage was gone, and it’s a direct line from that moment to where we are today, with Harden in the 76ers training camp but with a trade request hanging out there and everyone waiting for the fireworks to begin. Houston is going to be better. How much better is up for debate, but better, and moving in the right direction. In that sense, Udoka and the Rockets made the right call at the point.
