Between The Rockets And A Harden Place
A Christmas Day *Special Edition*
What do haircuts, strip clubs and a Dior suitcase all have in common?
The Houston Rockets.
Boy oh boy are the Rockets going through it. From James Harden allegedly throwing a ball at rookie Jae’Sean Tate during practice on Monday to Harden (again) having a casual approach to attending practice, the Rockets can’t seem to get it together.
Things got even messier on Wednesday when their season opener against the Oklahoma City Thunder was postponed after the Rockets couldn’t meet league guidelines, because they literally didn’t have enough available players.
Why couldn’t they meet league guidelines you ask? Haircuts. And James Harden.
Contact tracing protocols sent three Rockets players home when rookie Kenyon Martin Jr. tested positive for COVID-19 after he got a haircut at another player’s apartment.
And then there’s James Harden.
A video of Harden partying at a club without a mask on began circulating online earlier this week. In the video, he can be seen receiving a Dior suitcase as a gift, because nothing about 2020 makes sense anymore.
Note: Not sponsored by Away.
Harden clarified on his Instagram Stories that it was not a strip club, but rather an “event.” He has since deleted the Story.
What I don’t understand is why he even shared this Story in the first place. He realizes that “events” take place at strip clubs all the time. Just like the time Lou Williams broke NBA Bubble protocol on a trip to Magic City to get food. Strip clubs can also be “restaurants” if you look hard enough.
When Harden spoke to NBA officials about the “event”, he alleged that it was a “seated dinner” for his friend who got a “promotion.”
Lean. In.
“Harden has told the league that he attended a seated dinner for a friend who’d recently been promoted at work, according to the source.”
The NBA has been trying their Har(den)est to avoid situations like this from happening. Earlier this month, they announced that NBA teams’ traveling parties are allowed only up to two guests in hotel rooms as a way to curb the DM sliding across America.
According to ESPN, the NBA's COVID-19 protocols also prohibit players from going to bars, lounges or clubs and from participating in social gatherings of more than 15 people.
And then there’s James Harden.
You know those couples where there is clearly one party who is trying their hardest to make the other person break up with them first? That’s the relationship Harden has with the Rockets.
Harden is trying everything in his power to get traded. From flying to Las Vegas and skipping training camp to attending rapper Lil Baby’s birthday party in Atlanta, this man is doing the most to consciously uncouple with the Rockets.
Now, because of this whole debacle, the Rockets didn’t play their season opener. Harden was fined $50,000. And he still hasn’t been traded.
In the words of his Instagram Story, “The real always end on top.” Of something.
I’ll be back on Tuesday with the usual newsletter.
In the meantime, Merry Christmas everyone. I’ll leave you with this LeBron James GIF of him doing that thing he always does before games.
More on that later.
Now go watch some basketball.
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