A quick and digestible look at the most top-of-mind Rockets news of the past few days.
Sports Illustrated. James Harden, the NBA’s unlikely MVP. “The private plane that transported James Harden into Texas on the morning of Oct. 28, 2012, was silent except for the muffled beats leaking from his chunky headphones… He had just spent the summer on the U.S. Olympic team, with Thunder running mates Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, fantasizing about the championships they seemed destined to capture. What do I do now? Harden asked himself. He was going from sixth man on a budding dynasty to leading man on a bubble team…” Nylon Calculus. The Rockets without Dwight Howard. “James Harden put on a one man show against the Phoenix Suns last Tuesday with 40 points, 9 assists, 12 rebounds, 3 steals, and a block. He did all while his would-be partner-in-crime Dwight Howard looked on in an, as noted by friend of the site Charles Barkley, an equally impressive suit. Other than lacking some of the post moves of traditional bigs, Howard has seemed the perfect complement to Harden in a Moreyball system that keeps Harden slashing to the basket or behind the three-point line and Howard rolling out of pick-and-rolls like a man possessed.” AZ Central. James Harden reflects on ASU maturation with number retirement. “After Arizona State beat UCLA six years ago, James Harden was standing atop the Wells Fargo Arena scorer’s table as ASU students surged onto the floor celebrating the Harden-led Sun Devils’ victory in a rare top-20 home matchup. Harden will be back in Tempe Wednesday for the ASU-UCLA game but it is ASU’s turn to lift Harden to new heights. Harden’s No. 13 will be raised to the rafters at halftime…”