NBA Rumors: Source Close To James Harden Calls Rockets’ Culture ‘Toxic’

The drama continues in Houston.

James Harden was absent from the Rockets’ first team practice of the season Sunday due to the league’s COVID-19 policy after he was partying with rappers like Lil Baby and Meek Mill in Atlanta.

Still, he was expected to return to the team that evening to partake in an individual workout.

According to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, though, he never showed up for that, either. And via a report from Sports Illustrated’s Rohan Nadkarni on Monday, someone close to Harden called the team the “Knicks of the South” and referred to the Rockets culture as “toxic.”

That report stated that Harden told management he’d report “soon,” and new teammate John Wall said he and the eight-time NBA All-Star are on the same page and that Harden is committed to playing the season with the Rockets.

But whatever is going on, it seems like first-year coach Stephen Silas really is over this limbo.

“There is no timetable, as far as I know,” Silas said after Monday’s practice, via MacMahon. “It is a setback. You want your best player to be here.”

Some around the league have reported that Harden requested a trade to join forces with Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant on the Brooklyn Nets, but the Rockets have made it clear that they aren’t willing to part with him for nothing.

So is Harden acting out trying to force the team’s hand? Silas doesn’t know.

“I have no clarity about the message, honestly,” Silas said. “I take it basically at face value that he’s not here. What the reasoning is, is on him. He’s the one who can explain why or why not he’s not here. For me to make inferences and think about the possibilities isn’t real to me. What’s real is he’s not here, and he has a reason, but that’s on him to tell whoever what his reason is.”

The most telling part of Silas’ media availability was his use of the word “holdout” regarding Harden. However, he mentioned there has not yet been any disciplinary action taken against him.

“I’ve been in situations before where it was a holdout, and we just kind of handled each individual situation on its own merit and individually,” Silas said.

“As far as any sort of punishment, we haven’t even crossed that bridge yet. We’re just trying to work piece by piece.”

We’re going to get some more popcorn cooking, because this reality show isn’t getting canceled any time soon.