There were warning signs. Plenty of them. And as more and more comes out about what they knew and dealt with, one glaring question remains in need of an answer -- why did the Houston Rockets invest so much into Kevin Porter Jr?
Pinned
Follow
Click to Follow clutchfans
ClutchFans
@clutchfans
Diehard and loyal Houston Rockets fans, ClutchFans.net has been giving the honest dish since '96. Host . Store: shop.clutchfans.net
ClutchFans’s posts
Former Rocket Cuttino Mobley is almost 47 years old -- yet he's out here torching Christian Wood 😂 (h/t )
0:41
The Rockets may have just struck pure gold today. GOLD. The draft picks owed to Houston:
2023 first-round pick swap
2024 first-round pick
2025 first-round pick swap
2026 first-round pick
2027 first-round pick swap
Every single one is... (wait for it) ... UNPROTECTED.
Gerald Green just won me over. "This is what I dreamed about. Putting this jersey on is a straight honor. Me being from Houston... I'm giving it my heart and my everything." #Rockets
0:30
Some of the NBA's most prolific scoring duos this century:
· 00-01 Shaq-Kobe 57.2 ppg
· 18-19 Durant-Curry 53.3
· 10-11 LeBron-DWade 52.2
· 19-20 LeBron-AD 52.2
· 12-13 Durant-Russ 51.3
· 06-07 Yao-TMac 49.6
James Harden & Russell Westbrook are averaging 62.5 ppg this year.
This Adidas commercial celebrating the MVP award, narrated by James Harden's mom, is pretty awesome.
1:00
This is the first time Scott Foster has lost to the Houston Rockets in the postseason since 2015.
John Wall says he told Jalen Green and Kevin Porter Jr: "This sh*t y'all getting away with here (with the #Rockets), if you go to any other teams, you would be out of the ****ing league. You wouldn't play. I'm trying to explain it to them because they think it's sweet."
0:34
I'm not saying they should, but the ESPN NBA Today show NEVER mentions the #Rockets. I mean, ever.
Today, Chiney Ogwumike went off script, praised the Rockets and had the show producer telling her to stop 😂
1:14
0:31
In the end, James Harden is going to realize there was only one city that truly loved him: Houston.
#Rockets get Jabari Smith Jr. (#3), Tari Eason (#17), TyTy Washington (#29), two second-round picks and unloaded Christian Wood 😂
Houston Draft Grade: A++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
0:24
James Harden just trolled the entire Clippers team. "Clean up on aisle 3!!"
0:23
Paul George landing James Harden on his team after advising Jalen Green not to go for Harden in Houston because it would hinder his growth would be straight Game of Thrones level cold-bloodedness.
John Wall has not lost a game yet with the Houston Rockets.
Russell Westbrook has not won a game yet with the Washington Wizards.
Steph Curry won 9 of his last 10 NBA Finals games with Kevin Durant on his team.
Curry has lost 8 of his last 9 NBA Finals games without KD, including 6 straight losses at home.
The Rockets are getting a legit 6'10 hard-working, no-nonsense two-way player with an incredible drive to win. I feel like the Rockets got the #1 pick. Houston's basketball culture will be led by Jabari Smith Jr.
Friends since childhood, Chris Paul and PJ Tucker went to their first Conference Finals together with the Rockets. Both are now going to their first NBA Finals... as opponents.
Houston handed Durant's Warriors three losses in five games before CP3's injury. Those same Warriors are 28-3 against all other playoff teams, including 8-1 vs LeBron.
Rockets are in a truly unique recruiting position: No other team is even remotely close to beating GSW.
Kevin Porter Jr. not big on the unwritten rules, I guess.
"I'm not sure... what that... was all about, but uh..."
0:29
If James Harden is eventually traded, I'll guarantee this: You will see an outrageous amount of tweets from his new team's fans saying "I had no idea Harden was this good." The amount of disrespect Harden the player gets on this app, based on pure ignorance, is comical.
The league lost its mind because Stephen Curry scored 30 or more points in 11 straight games -- an impressive stretch, no doubt.
James Harden did it for 32 straight games. THIRTY-TWO. Think about that.
Stephen Silas on embracing KPJ after the game: "There are times you just want to hug a guy like that. I probably would've hugged him that way make or miss. ... It was one of the best moments of the year."
No question. Beat a 60-win team in the first round. Never had homecourt in any series. Came back from a 3-1 deficit. Beat both #1 seeds, including a sweep. The 1995 Houston Rockets title run reads like an unrealistic movie script.
Quote
Hakeem Olajuwon's Rockets had arguably the toughest path to an NBA title ever hoopshype.com/2020/05/27/tou
If Houston doesn't win Game 7, it will be the third straight year the Rockets were eliminated in the playoffs by Chris Paul.
D'Antoni was asked who could defend James Harden. "Me. I can sit him on the bench. That's about it."
Rockets rookie Jalen Green gifts his shoe to a young fan and his reaction is priceless. Classy move by .
0:17
The Inside the NBA crew spent the pregame and halftime shows mocking the Rockets for going with a small lineup.
The post-game show is debating and strategizing how coaches can possibly contain it.
Harden doesn't pass. Harden doesn't defend the post. I didn't realize Giannis had such a low ball IQ. His knowledge of opponents seems to be based off of 2014 YouTube mixes.
Quote
Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo on Team Giannis’s late-game offensive strategy in All-Star Game: “Offensively, we were just trying to find whoever James Harden was guarding. That’s who we thought we had an opportunity to score on.”
0:25
Patrick Beverley says James Harden should have won MVP "maybe three times" when he was with the #Rockets. "When I played with him, he was doing things I've never seen a basketball player ever do."
Richard Jefferson: "James Harden is the only person who can be on pace for a 50-point game and we can come out here and be critical of him."
Truth.
Something has clicked with Russell Westbrook. His scoring/shooting in his first 19 games in Houston:
21.7 pts on 39.9% FG, 21.1% 3P (5.4 attempts), 73.7% FT. Rockets were 12-7.
In his last 8 games:
29.1 pts on 50.0% FG, 36.4% 3P (4.1 attempts), 87.5% FT. Rockets are 7-1.
"(The Yankees) are not just not on the Astros level. They're not even close right now."
0:40
Giannis goes at James Harden in the clutch and turns it over. I wonder if he still wants his team to get it to whoever Harden is guarding.
The Rockets had no cap room and almost no trade assets. I have no idea how they came away from free agency with a guy as good as Christian Wood. Rafael Stone and the front office deserve a ton of credit for that.
Imagine watching this and actually believing that James Harden is a product of a coach's system.
0:15
The 1994-95 Houston Rockets remain the lowest-seeded team to ever win an NBA title -- and it's still the greatest playoff run in NBA history.
read image description
ALT
Imagine 18 months ago, after the Rockets won 65 games, if someone told you the team could get Russell Westbrook and Robert Covington for the low, low price of:
· Chris Paul
· Clint Capela
· Nene
· Gerald Green
· 2020 1st
· 2021 1st swap
· 2024 1st
· 2025 1st swap
· 2026 1st
You can't even make this stuff up. Harden's game hasn't changed one bit 😂 (nice catch, )
We'll see you July 1.
Quote
Ben Simmons is beating James Harden in total points (46 to 44) and has tied him in total assists (17) this season.
Only... Simmons has played three games. Harden has played one.
DeAndre Jordan -- playing FOR Los Angeles -- repping his hometown city in the middle of the game.
Quote
"Refs get a lot of calls wrong ... Rule #1 of how to get people to hate you is just whine and bitch about stuff." -- Bill Simmons four days ago on the Rockets.
Quote
What was your favorite Pats touchdown that would have counted if the refs didn’t fucking suck in this game?
Show this poll
James Harden in the Bubble:
35.3 PPG on 53.7% (36.9% 3P), 9.2 rebounds, 8.7 assists, 3.0 steals
The world has been spoiled by this man. It's like these numbers are just average and dismissed.
Quote
John Wall: "I feel like this organization wanted me here. They've shown nothing but love and trust to me since Day 1. They believe in me. They see the work I put in throughout the summer. I'm happy to be here and put this uniform on and be here for this city and compete."
✅ MVP
✅ Defensive Player of the Year
✅ Finals MVP
✅ All in the same season
There's STILL only one player in NBA history who has done it.
I can't believe DeMarcus Cousins is going to be a Houston Rocket. Between him and Westbrook, the Rockets will have the shortest fuse with referees in the league.
This is where Cam Whitmore ranked on big boards going into last night's Draft:
Sam Vecenie - #3
Jonathan Givony - #6
John Hollinger - #3
Kevin Pelton - #3 (Stats only: #1)
No Ceilings - #5
Jonathan Wasserman - #8
Kyle Boone (CBS) - #5
The Rockets got him at PICK 20.
Quote
Poor Mavs fans. They have no idea what's coming. twitter.com/Mavs_FFL/statu…
Kevin Porter Jr. scored 50 points, hit nine triples and handed out 11 assists.
He's 20 years old and the Rockets got him in a trade for free.
It blows my mind how some think the Rockets are unwatchable or bad for the game.
Quote
This is great ball movement from Houston. Drive and kick, kept moving it until they got the shot they wanted.
0:12
Something for LeBron James to keep in mind: JR Smith will not be a member of the Houston Rockets next season.
Replying to
Lakers: Can we just, say, remove a guy from our cap that we willingly overpaid?
NBA: No, of course not.
Lakers: It's for LeBron.
NBA: Say no more fam.
I don't think the criticism of Stephen Curry is very fair. Surround that guy with three or four more Hall of Famers in their prime again and I guarantee you he'll get back to the playoffs.
Fred VanVleet: "We got to get them Houston #Rockets in the playoffs. That's where my mind is at. I've been in the lab this week. We got to get the Houston Rockets where they're supposed to be at. That's all I've been thinking about."
0:14
Kevin Durant on which young players he really enjoys watching play: "I would say I was going to give some love to Alperen Şengün. I like Sengun. He was dunking on a couple of people. I didn't know he could get up like that. He's nice. I like him." twitter.com/dizzlemsy/stat
Good to see the Rockets finally benefiting from Russell Westbrook's play down the stretch.
I hate everything about this. I hate that the smartest GM in the league was forced to 'shut up and listen'. I hate that China gets its way. I hate that this is a stepping stone to nepotism. Awful. I see nothing good coming from this.
Hating the Rockets is so trendy right now that the team should embrace it Raiders style. Scrap red. Go all black. Heel intro music. Run commercials of Harden drawing fouls on Betty White. Whatever it takes. Haters will hate the Rockets wanting the hate, thus... will like them.
If the NBA regular season ended today, the Rockets would be the 6th seed heading to Denver. If they had won just one game that they lost, they'd be the 4th seed with homecourt against the Jazz.
This is why counting a made basket mattered.
GIF
When it gets to clutch time fourth quarter, some people built for it, some people shy away from it.
Remember when the Warriors swept the Rockets? rockets.clutchfans.net/11158/remember
1:55
Christian Wood on if the league should be on watch for a new Big Three in Houston: "Take notice."
That was a very competitive and chippy series, but I still love CP3 for all he did with the Rockets, especially in 2017-18. Perfect on-court complement to Harden. Didn't ask or want to be traded. Respect. twitter.com/HoustonRockets
Green on getting traded: "Basketball is a business, but my heart and soul is in Houston. I'm not working for the name on the back of my jersey. I'm working for the name on the front. When it comes to the Houston Rockets, Gerald Green is going to give 150%, that's for damn sure."
Gerald Green, who scored 25 points tonight: "I'm just so happy to be here. Of all the teams I've played with, I've never been this happy."
0:12
Bulls Broadcaster: "If you're James Harden, boy, you might be rethinking trying to leave Houston. There are some good complementary pieces. Wall would be nice for him, and Boogie Cousins!"
May I have your attention, please: The Houston Rockets now own homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs!
GIF
Stephen Curry learning once again that it's tough carrying a team without four All-Stars.
The Houston Rockets are still the only franchise in the NBA to never allow James Harden to go off for 40+ against them.
GIF
In his last 22 games, Ben McLemore is hitting 46.3% from three-point range and is now the best shooter on the Rockets this season at 39.4% from three. He was widely considered a lottery bust when Houston signed him.
Note: Eric Gordon hasn't called the situation crazy. He hasn't blown up because a trade has yet to arrive. He just mentors the young guys, busts it on both ends of the floor and gives us countless memes.
I really hope the Rockets find a good trade that sends him to a contender.
ESPN hyped up this game as some sort of Harden vs. Ja battle.
• Morant: 12 pts on 5-13 FG
• Harden: 30 pts on 9-16 FG (7-12 3P)
Rockets win in a rout.
Quote
Westbrook on Pat Beverley hounding Harden: "What he score, 44... 47? Pat Bev trick y'all that he's playing defense. He runs around doing nothing."
The #Rockets drafted Amen Thompson at #4 and steal Cam Whitmore at #20 after a "bad medicals" free fall.
HELL OF A DRAFT.
Rockets legends have given us so many lasting images: Hakeem bringing the city its first title, Rudy T showing the heart of a champion, Mario blowing the Kiss of Death, T-Mac dropping 13 in 33 and Harden gifting a grown man a Prada bag full of honey buns in a strip club.
The Houston Rockets are now 7-0 when John Wall plays and James Harden did not play.