James Harden isn’t mincing words about what he wants to do with the rest of his career. The All-NBA guard says he’s playing out the string in Houston with the Rockets, and he’s excited about what the team is building.
Harden spoke to Sports Illustrated and was firm about what he’s doing after signing a 4-year max extension worth $228 million. Namely, it’s win championships in Houston.
“I know where home is,” said Harden, an All-Star all five of his seasons in Houston. “I know where I want to be. I know where I want to retire ultimately and where I want to win a championship. Everything is going to happen here in Houston, and that’s the reason I’m here forever.”
Harden isn’t worried about how he’ll fit with Chris Paul, either. In fact, he’s very excited to see how the point guard experiment plays out for Houston.
“I don’t think anybody’s ever seen anything like this before,” Harden said of his partnership with Paul, pairing two of the NBA’s premier playmakers in a backcourt. “Two guys that can create and facilitate and do things with the ball that nobody’s done from the [point guard] and shooting guard position. It’s going to be fun.”
He’s not even worried about which player will be the team’s official “point guard,” namely because Harden thinks the Rockets’ backcourt will be positionless.
“It’s going to be fun,” Harden said. “There’s no point guard or shooting guard. We just go out there and make plays and make our team better.”
It sounds like playing with Paul is exactly the kind of thing Harden wanted, but it could get even more interesting for Houston if they can manage to acquire Carmelo Anthony. That move, however, seems to be stuck on the two-yard line.
