A bombshell report from ESPN's Tim McMahon has revealed a culture within the Houston Rockets organization that multiple former staffers have described as "Whatever James [Harden] wants."
"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 told ESPN. "But he's going to come back and have a 50-point triple-double, so they're OK with it."
Another former Rockets staffer added a condemning description of the team as a whole: "Nothing ever starts on time. The plane is always late. The bus is never on time. ... It's just an organized AAU team."
Harden and the Rockets are on thin ice currently with rumors of potential trades popping up daily at this point. All-star point guard Russell Westbrook was traded to the Washington Wizards, earlier this month in exchange for John Wall. Sources also told ESPN that Westbrook was appalled by the team's catering to Harden's behavior.
"You can't get mad at your kid if you let him eat candy every night and then suddenly one night you don't and they throw a tantrum," a former Rockets assistant coach said. "You're the one who let them eat candy every night.
"The Rockets turned the organization over to James, and now they have to live with the fallout."
"Yeah, he's going to act up," a former Rockets staffer said. "He's never heard 'no' before."
The NBA season is scheduled to tip-off on Dec. 22nd.
[Via]