The Houston Rockets had a bit of a tumultuous season last year. They finished 41-41, and now they have a new head coach in Mike D’Antoni and Dwight Howard has moved on as well. At the forefront of the Rockets, though, remains James Harden. The Beard, for his part, has one clear hope for the Rockets this season: to be on the same page for once.
At a promotional event for BodyArmor, Harden was asked about what he hopes the Rockets will accomplish during their first practices leading up to the 2016-17 season. His response, as recounted by the Houston Chronicle’s Jonathan Feigen, is an indication of the locker-room friction in Houston that was an open secret for years.
“To build something that I haven’t had since I’ve been here, that’s everybody on the same page, everybody in the same boat…
“On any team, in any sport, if you don’t have the entire team on one page, the entire team having one goal, you’re not going to be successful,” he said.
Harden, by the way, is happy with the progress he feels the new-look Rockets have made thus far.
“We’ve doing something I haven’t since I’ve been here in Houston. Just trying to shake things up, just trying to make sure we really know each other in and out on and off the court. I think that will translate to a better team,” Harden said.
The Rockets may have problems on defense this season unless Harden really clamps down on that end and D’Antoni has learned some new tricks. However, at least the team should be friendlier with each other. Now we have to see if that locker-room positivity can translate into wins.
(Via Houston Chronicle)
