If it doesn’t have an effect on his performance is it really a problem?
Maybe it sets a bad example of leadership, but normally if you are dropping 50 point triple-doubles, things like this can be overlooked.
Unless they were on the front end of a back-to-back set, it was essentially a sure thing that the Rockets stayed overnight — or even an extra day — after games in Los Angeles, Phoenix and other road cities that rank among Harden’s favorite stops.
If the Rockets had two or three days between games, it was a good bet Harden would call for an off day and charter a private jet to party in Las Vegas or another city. He always gets an excused absence from the first practice after the All-Star break for the same reason.
“Yeah, he’s going to act up,” a former Rockets staffer said.
“He’s never heard ‘no’ before.”
“If they have multiple days off, everybody knows: James is going to fly somewhere else and party,” a member of last season’s coaching staff said. “But he’s going to come back and have a 50-point triple-double, so they’re OK with it.”
It is the Rockets fault for letting him run wild.
But Westbrook and Chris Paul hated the lazy attitude and toxic nature of the team.
Flip the page for Harden hitting strip club.