Disgruntled superstar James Harden said the Houston Rockets “just aren’t good enough” after the team’s second consecutive loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night, adding that they do not believe the team can improve enough to be a candidate.
“I love this city. I literally did everything I could,” said Harden after the Rockets’ 117-100 defeat. “I mean, this situation is crazy. It’s something that I don’t think can be fixed.”
It is the closest Harden came to going public with the demand for trade that sources said he made during the off-season.
Houston has had business discussions with several teams, but is determined to remain patient until Harden’s asking price is met, a source told ESPN.
The Rockets (3-6) have lost four of their five games since Harden, who resisted at the start of the training camp, came back from a sprained right ankle that caused him to lose a game. He has scored 20 points or less in each of the last four games, his longest period since 2011-12, his last season with the Oklahoma City Thunder, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.
This loss was especially uncompetitive, as the Rockets lost 35-14 at the end of the first quarter.
“We are not even close, honestly, to this team – obviously the champions – and all the other elite teams out there,” said Harden. “I mean, you can tell the difference in these last two games.
“We are not good enough – chemistry, talent, just everything. And that has been made clear in the last two games.”