The season is upon us and so is another James Harden story. Shams Charania of The Athletic reported this morning that tension between Harden and his teammates is growing and it has resulted in a few confrontations recently. From his report:
"As the Houston Rockets prepare to open the regular season on Wednesday, they do so under a cloud of uncertainty with the face of their franchise. The Rockets do not plan to simply give away James Harden, the eight-time All-Star who has made clear that he prefers a trade to a contender.
The dynamics of the standoff will breed tension as the season tips off, and there have been signs in recent days that the pressure is already beginning to reveal itself, sources have toldThe Athletic.
For instance, The Athletic learned that Harden has had multiple verbal confrontations with teammates in practice on Sunday and Monday, and one confrontation included Harden throwing a basketball at a teammate on Monday.
Sources say Harden and rookie Jae’Sean Tate had a heated exchange during Monday’s practice, culminating in Harden throwing the ball in Tate’s direction. The ball did not hit Tate. Interactions like these between teammates during practice can be part of a normal, competitive environment. Harden, however, is known by those in the organization as a laid-back and calm personality —especially as superstars go — and some around the franchise are viewing this as rising to an uncharacteristic level of frustration given his ongoing situation."
Read the rest of the report by clicking the link in the tweet below.