According to the athletic Stephen A What is the problem in H Town?

Well, here's the problem.

First of all, y'all, Max, as you as you know.

You know, sometimes you just you put on a different hat.

Um, this is not opinion.

I'm telling you what I have heard.

Uh, they don't wanna play with each other anymore.

Russell Westbrook doesn't wanna play with James Harden.

James Harden doesn't wanna play with Russell Westbrook.

James Russell Westbrook wants the ball in his hands.

He doesn't wanna play off the ball as much.

He looks at his success in Oklahoma City over the previous several years.

Uh, the ball needs to be in his hands.

That's his mentality.

The mentality of James Harden.

Is that all right?

So be it, you know.

And so as a result of it, Houston is in turmoil.

They I mean, Houston, we have a problem because if you're the Houston Rockets as an organization, you have a decision to make.

The reality is that you can move.

Russell Westbrook would stay.

Undoubtedly will try to do.

Make no mistake about it, because he's made it clear that he does not want to play with James Harden is not about one out of Houston.

He doesn't wanna play with James Harden.

And inevitably, that means that you probably want out of Houston because, obviously, the Rockets Dean James Harden significantly more valuable than a Russell Westbrook.

The question is, how much compensation are you going to get from Russell Westbrook?

We know that he's one of the most athletic point guards, uh, the most athletic point guard in the game's history.

We know that he's a ferocious competitors.

We know that he's box office.

Make no mistake about it.

The problem is again.

Is that his shooting ability?

Number one and number two?

He is as a stubborn and strong willed as they come.

KP knows him a hell of a lot better than me being his former teammate, but he can testify to that.

Russell Westbrook is a guy that is going to do things his way, and he did not go to the Houston Rockets, according to my sources, and ask for them to capitulate or the have some level of understanding.

He made it very, very clear that he's gonna play his game and he's going to do things his way, and he's not gonna take a back seat to James Harden next season.

So obviously he wants out of Houston.

The Rockets, in turn, have to make that decision.

And right now, Max and KP, it's one of those decisions where a couple of weeks ago, if you recall Max, I was like, You don't get rid of James Harden.

You hold on to James Harden.

James Harden's average.

At least 29 over the last four years.

Three times they've gone to the semis.

One time they've gone to the conference finals.

But now that you know that Russ doesn't wanna be there and you're questioning the level of compensation that you can get for Russell Westbrook as a result of that, the mentality is we might have to move James Harden because that's the guy that is just a juggernaut offensively.

And we can ask for the House in return for him because there will be teams lined up to get their hands on James Harden So clearly things they're not gonna be the same in Houston.

The likelihood, I mean, it's virtue.

It's a virtual guarantee that one of them is going to be gone and a better than 50% shot that both will be gone.

Tillman, Fertitta, Mr Stone and obviously new coach Stephen Silas have done some decisions to make but the Houston Rockets that we have seen over the last several years, maybe Gnome or because it is very, very possible that James Harden, of course, Russell Westbrook wants out, and they'll probably move him as well.

But it is very, very possible that the Houston Rockets may elect to move James Harden because James Harden's like, Yo, I'm trying to compete for championships and right now this don't look like a championship scenario.

Why the hell would I want to say It's not that he wants to leave Houston cause he loves Houston?

KP is that I wanna win, I wanna win.

And if he doesn't believe he's in a winning situation, they've gotta make changes.

They are aware of it, guys, and they are on the phones, and they are accepting all phone calls to see what will be offered not just for one of them, but for the both of them, obviously separately, Separate, apart.

Makes you wonder.

It makes you wonder if it was coordinated.

Like if Harden wanted out of town, then this sets that those dominoes in motion.

It makes you wonder how much of this is coordinated between these two guys.

Let's let's assume that it's not.

Let's assume Russell Westbrook really just wants out.

Here's the issue, and this is why they're gonna have to look for deals for Westbrook before Harden.

This is what the late great Dr Jerry Buss told Kobe Bryant when Kobe told him he wanted to trade Dr Buss, who is the greatest owner in the history of American team sports by so much?

It's embarrassing, Dr Buss told Kobe.

Kobe, you're a five carat diamond.

I'm not trading you for 51 carat diamonds.

E need.

How do I get equal value for you?

The history of the N B.

A theme tire history of the MBA tells us the winner of the trade is the team that gets the best player in the deal, and that's very, very difficult to get equal value for James Harden.

Russell Westbrook's my favorite player has said that many times.

I love watching him because he plays with his heart.

He plays all out all the time.

He's incredibly athletic and fun to watch, but it takes more around Russell Westbrook to get close to a championship than around Harden at this point in their careers.

Let's be honest.

Even in Westbrook's crime, he had k d.

Obviously, before K D was on Golden State, they took Golden State to a Game seven.

They failed.

James Harden did not have a k D on his team.

He didn't even have Chris Paul available to him when he took a Kevin Durant plus Steph Curry, everyone healthy Golden State team to a Game seven at Houston.

How do you How do you How do you want to play a home game against those guys?

Have to be pretty good at Houston.

No Chris Paul available to him.

And if it wasn't for the worst shooting performance in history, I think it's pretty clear Houston would have won that game as it was the only lost by single digits.

The point is, you can get when you look at these Rockets teams that have been live in the playoffs, and I've been critical of hardened for not coming through When the pressure is highest.

However, those teams were never the most talented teams.

They should never be able to get as far as they've gotten.

But with Daryl Morey, Mike D'Antoni and James Harden that seemed to be able to get inferior talent compared to the really elite teams closer than they should have gotten toe win the big prize.

So so Westbrook is going to be the guy.

I think they move first.

He's gonna be the guy Mawr easily.

You can get equal value for, although even then there's a problem because he has such a big contract.

Any team that takes them is going to take the attitude that they're going to get a discount in the trade, what they have to give back because of the massive contract.

So a team like the New York Knicks, who I have already given up any time soon winning a championship, even though it's been almost 48 years already could take a guy like Westbrook, sell tickets, be exciting, be a respectable right away and not have to mortgage the House in order to get him.

Harden is a much more difficult proposition to move because it's harder to get equal value for him.