Daryl Morey is gone and D'Antoni is gone.

And the players on the Rockets, the best players are new Westbrook like What's going on?

Those last two voices.

You heard you could, of course, here every weekday morning on ESPN.

First take Stephen A.

Smith.

Max Kellerman, both weighing in on what's going on with the Houston Rockets.

And it's a pleasure to have Stephen a join us this morning before he hits the first take set in 44 minutes.

Not too far from where the three of us are sitting.

Good morning, Stephen A s.

What's going on, fellas?

How y'all doing?

Good morning.

Good morning.

How you doing?

Excellent.

Thank you, Stephen.

A what was reported this morning on SportsCenter?

The possibility of James Harden making his way to the Brooklyn Nets, which obviously would reunite him with Kevin Durant.

You throw Kyrie Irving into the mix.

What do you make of that?

Even being a possibility?

Well, I think it's a possibility how How big of a possibility it is remains to be seen.

Because if you are, if you're the Brooklyn Nets, obviously with James Harden making over $38 million.

You've gotta sit you and being told about $132.9 million over the next three years.

Um, you you've got to move some part caress Liberte would have be going to Spencer Dinwiddie would have to be going.

Probably multiple picks will come along with it.

And if you're the Brooklyn Nets, you have to ask yourself this question.

Without James Harden, where are we right now?

I think they could easily be deemed the favorites to come out of the Eastern Conference right now without James Harden with James Harden made.

Obviously, I think that you could have a debate between them or the Lakers has to be the favorites to win it all.

But really, if you're the Brooklyn Nets, I still think that you're looking at a trip to the MBA Finals with the roster that you currently have.

If K d and Kyrie gives you what they're supposed to give you, and so you've got to make a decision if you're Brooklyn because in the case of Tillman, fatigue and used been, you're looking at a guy in James Harden, this average at least 29 over the last four years over 32 over the last three years over 30.

Actually, over the last three years, he's one of the politic scorers this game has ever seen.

He's just a magician on the offensive side of the ball, and, you know, he's been relief for 11 years, about 32 years of age.

Even though that's the case, you still can ask for the farm for him.

So you're not gonna accept peanuts to him.

Um, and somebody's got to be willing to put together a deal that will enable you to get strong compensation for his services.

Not as much may be required to get J.

Russell Westbrook, who is a star, but nevertheless, he's not James Harden.

And either way, you slice it.

Houston definitely is in the throes of a remake or retool right now s a.

Let me ask you this.

You follow a lot of basketball.

We talk, intricacy, basketball all day, every day.

That's all you and I do.

How many players in your time have you seen bounced back to a superstar level after they've turned their Achilles well, really?

Nobody.

That's my question for you.

Doesn't it make sense of your Sean Marks to go in as hard as possible on a guy like James Harden knowing that you hope Katie can be great?

But you still don't know how he's gonna come off that it does.

It doesn't make sense.

No question.

That's a strong point in your part, obviously.

But I will tell you this.

I'm not concerned about K D at all.

I think Katie's on average, a minimum of 25 a game.

When you're 6 11, you've got a 76 wingspan with ball handling skills and you're a sniper along a long range sniper.

Then I'm not concerned about you.

Now.

If you were Russell West, look, if you were a Derrick Rose, if you were somebody who relied whose success was strongly predicated on your athleticism, Um, that would be a different ball game.

But think about this.

Even with even devoid of the athleticism where customers seen from him at 6 11 with a 76 wingspan and the ability to pull up from 30 he's still going to be able to get his shot off on most occasions and as a result, because he is K D.

I believe he can average 25 a game in his sleep, but I did.

There's no denying that your argument is profound from the standpoint that because he's coming off in the oven Achilles, even though it's been a year and a half now, um, it's one of those situations where you look at him and you say, Okay, if you're Shaw Marks, you wanna go all in, go all in to deliver a championship to Brooklyn, New York?

Uh, that would be tremendous.

So I don't disagree with you there.

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