James Houdini is a no-show for first practice

[rawimpact]

Harden, who sources say has expressed a desire to be traded to the Brooklyn Nets (https://www.espn.com/nba/team/_/name/bkn/brooklyn-nets), posted pictures on Instagram over the weekend that showed him attending rapper Lil Baby's birthday party in Atlanta without wearing a face mask. The NBA required players to quarantine at home this week other than testing at team facilities, individual workouts and essential activities such as grocery shopping.


Harden was expected to have an individual workout at the Toyota Center on Sunday evening, but the first-year coach also said he had no recent communication with the perennial All-Star guard. As it turns out, Harden did not return for that workout

Source: https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/30463994/houston-rockets-james-harden-misses-first-practice-due-covid-19-protocols

Didnt see this posted

[AirTupac]

I told the braindead Rocket fans they werent ever gonna win.

[Im so nba'd out]

he'll show when he shows...if the rockets dont like it they can trade him or stfu and be happy when he decides to show up...#bossshit


if you dont like it...trade em :oldlol: and do exactly what he wants...you have no power Houston.Fine him wont do sht either...he dgaf about money, he's rich rich.eat shit

[Kiddlovesnets]

I told the braindead Rocket fans they werent ever gonna win.

Yeah of course, though this is hardly a problem with Harden. They were so lucky to have Hakeem who took them to 2 titles, with owners refusing to spend a dime they are never going to have the upper hand at contending for a title.

[rawimpact]

he'll show when he shows...if the rockets dont like it they can trade him or stfu and be happy when he decides to show up...#bossshit


if you dont like it...trade em :oldlol: and do exactly what he wants...you have no power Houston.Fine him wont do sht either...he dgaf about money, he's rich rich.eat shit


Players have done this in the past, but they're stupid to think they can always get away with it. Contracts work to benefit both the owner and the player. The player refusing to play is the same as the owner refusing to pay. Both have to put their end of the deal for a mutual benefit.

If players demand trades more often, I'm sure the NBA and Players association would have penalties to discuss considering the Owners are the ones losing. This whole thing sets bad precedence, Owners will remember it when signing players long-term meaning the future generations are in a worse position.

[SouBeachTalents]

Damn, must have thought it was May

[jayfan]

Yeah, this should come as no surprise. Isn't he demanding a trade?




.

[Kblaze8855]

Players have done this in the past, but they're stupid to think they can always get away with it. Contracts work to benefit both the owner and the player. The player refusing to play is the same as the owner refusing to pay. Both have to put their end of the deal for a mutual benefit.

If players demand trades more often, I'm sure the NBA and Players association would have penalties to discuss considering the Owners are the ones losing. This whole thing sets bad precedence, Owners will remember it when signing players long-term meaning the future generations are in a worse position.


Mvp level players have no concern about anything like that. 2 dozen teams would line up to give them the most they are allowed no matter what.

Plus Hardens next extension will take him out of his prime. He has no good reason to care about vindictive owners in the future. He will be around 400 million in career earnings as a worst case scenario.....not counting shoe contract which is like 200 million more.

He is absolutely untouchable far as an owner changing his quality of life financially. He could be benched for 3 years and people will yell that the owner should....but they won’t...and that’s that.


Its a sick move with no realistic means of effective punishment.

[Stanley Kobrick]

[Salman Ali] Apparently James Harden still in Las Vegas as of three hours ago (https://twitter.com/salmanalinba/status/1335904334056476672?s=21):durantunimpressed:

[rawimpact]

:durantunimpressed:

LOL if true

Who is SalmanAli though? Reputable source?

NVM probably not. The same guy tweeted "John Wall talks very fast" the same day

[Marchesk]

Why does Harden want to play with other star PGs so bad? Isn't that his position? Christ Paul, Westbrook and Kyrie, if he could have his way? I'm surprised he hasn't expressed interest in Golden State.

[HylianNightmare]

y trade him somewhere horrible

[Doranku]

Losers gonna lose. :confusedshrug:

[Proctor]

Maybe someone in his camp goofed up and told him the playoffs were about to start :confusedshrug:

[Stanley Kobrick]

LOL if true

Who is SalmanAli though? Reputable source?

NVM probably not. The same guy tweeted "John Wall talks very fast" the same day
cell footage from multiple sources isn't reputable?

[FKAri]

Can they take him out back and put a few 50 cals in his head? Is there anything in the CBA that prevents them from doing this?

[rawimpact]

cell footage from multiple sources isn't reputable?

Where did you cite multiple sources?
All I see in your link is some random tweet with a blurred photo that could be anyone.

https://memegenerator.net/img/instances/51698605.jpg

[DoctorP]

Athletes today are overpaid *******

Not surprised gay hardong pulling this turd move

[LoneyROY7]

Doing whatever it takes to get to that chip.

It don't mean a thing, if it ain't got that ring.

:pimp:

[Axe]

Most likely trying to show that he doesn't really want to return in houston anymore

[BigKAT]

Mvp level players have no concern about anything like that. 2 dozen teams would line up to give them the most they are allowed no matter what.

Plus Hardens next extension will take him out of his prime. He has no good reason to care about vindictive owners in the future. He will be around 400 million in career earnings as a worst case scenario.....not counting shoe contract which is like 200 million more.

He is absolutely untouchable far as an owner changing his quality of life financially. He could be benched for 3 years and people will yell that the owner should....but they won’t...and that’s that.


Its a sick move with no realistic means of effective punishment.

You see this is where you are wrong.

Houston can trade him anywhere

Look what Pop did with Kawhi. He traded him to Toronto. Granted, he won a championship there--but that was very far from what he wanted.
He wanted the Hollywood sun or New York.

Pop sent him to the coldest town in the NBA instead. (Again, he did win the freaking chip but still, my point stands.)

Just because we can't see any other appealing trade destination besides Philly and Brooklyn doesn't mean the Rockets can't.
What if they trade him for Donovan Mitchell? Send him to Utah? What if they trade him for a Package of Garry Harris & MPJ and picks? Put him in Denver?

Sure he might still end up in a contender but Houston can really 'screw' him over in terms of where they ship him to.
Ffs, they can decide they want a package centered around Anthony Edwards & Culver & Picks and send him to Minnesota.

All I'm saying is be careful what you wish for. For every Anthony Davis and Kawhi Leonard there is a Blake Griffin (Shipped to purgotory Detroit)

[999Guy]

I was really excited to see this roster. Lots of interesting players.

If any owner in the NBA would find a guy for this, it’s Tilman Fertitta. I pray he fines the shit out of him.

Can’t believe I said that but getting paid to not show up just bothers me.

[Kblaze8855]

You see this is where you are wrong.

Houston can trade him anywhere

Look what Pop did with Kawhi. He traded him to Toronto. Granted, he won a championship there--but that was very far from what he wanted.
He wanted the Hollywood sun or New York.

Pop sent him to the coldest town in the NBA instead. (Again, he did win the freaking chip but still, my point stands.)

Just because we can't see any other appealing trade destination besides Philly and Brooklyn doesn't mean the Rockets can't.
What if they trade him for Donovan Mitchell? Send him to Utah? What if they trade him for a Package of Garry Harris & MPJ and picks? Put him in Denver?

Sure he might still end up in a contender but Houston can really 'screw' him over in terms of where they ship him to.
Ffs, they can decide they want a package centered around Anthony Edwards & Culver & Picks and send him to Minnesota.

All I'm saying is be careful what you wish for. For every Anthony Davis and Kawhi Leonard there is a Blake Griffin (Shipped to purgotory Detroit)



In the end a player of that level makes the call. It takes days to finalize an nba trade and you have to pass physicals and all. If Harden flatly refuses to show up and let’s the new team know it in advance why would they give up the assets needed to get him? To start the saga over?

In truth you have very little leverage dealing with a 400-500 million dollar athlete if he decides to ruin your franchise.

Blake chose to accept the Pistons situation in the end. If he’d merely refused to show up for the physical....with his injury history...think the Pistons sign off anyway? Teams rarely take even role players who don’t do the physical. A 35 million dollar star?

If these guys want to make it hard on you they can. If a guy sends word he’s not playing you just don’t trade for him. Even if he’s likely bluffing why risk it when the other team wants to gut you to accept the deal to begin with?

Long story short....if he wants 1-2 teams he’s gonna get them. If he’s not that serious about where he lands....ok. If he is? He gets his way.

[PP34Deuce]

john wall even at 70% is a floor general, all around PG running a team. Defensively if motivated, he's a Jrue level.

Harden not reporting screams he doesn't believe in John Wall and wants to leave a dumpster fire.

[rawimpact]

In the end a player of that level makes the call. It takes days to finalize an nba trade and you have to pass physicals and all. If Harden flatly refuses to show up and let’s the new team know it in advance why would they give up the assets needed to get him? To start the saga over?

In truth you have very little leverage dealing with a 400-500 million dollar athlete if he decides to ruin your franchise.

Blake chose to accept the Pistons situation in the end. If he’d merely refused to show up for the physical....with his injury history...think the Pistons sign off anyway? Teams rarely take even role players who don’t do the physical. A 35 million dollar star?

If these guys want to make it hard on you they can. If a guy sends word he’s not playing you just don’t trade for him. Even if he’s likely bluffing why risk it when the other team wants to gut you to accept the deal to begin with?

Long story short....if he wants 1-2 teams he’s gonna get them. If he’s not that serious about where he lands....ok. If he is? He gets his way.

Not doing anything is a move itself.

Let Harden rott on the Bench if he does not want to play. Who can say anything?

[Kblaze8855]

And then we get back to reality where something>nothing and being vindictive makes your business worse. If I personally had like Ballmer money? Like I’m sitting on 70 billion? I’d do it on general principle and let a guy sit out unpaid for 3 years while we trust the process. But that’s Internet forum talk. The real world will not work that way no matter how much you may want it to. You just get your young guy and your picks and start over.

[rawimpact]

And then we get back to reality where something>nothing and being vindictive makes your business worse. If I personally had like Ballmer money? Like I’m sitting on 70 billion? I’d do it on general principle and let a guy sit out unpaid for 3 years while we trust the process. But that’s Internet forum talk. The real world will not work that way no matter how much you may want it to. You just get your young guy and your picks and start over.

You can also trade him to an organization like the knicks... a place he does not want to be and let them take on that risk.

Lots of move can be made if you really want to burn bridges. The player isnt sitting with a royal flush on hand like you make it out.

[Kblaze8855]

Unless the bad team trading for him is stupid... he really is. But hey....Knicks might Knick.

[PP34Deuce]

NBA is a player driven league. Ownership can't do the things that frustrated fans want. relationships are huge and you can kill your teams ability to get stars and draft picks signing.

[Wally450]

Doing whatever it takes to get to that chip.

It don't mean a thing, if it ain't got that ring.

:pimp:

Realistically he'll probably finish without a ring. Which sucks because I'm actually a fan of his and want to see him get one.