The saga surrounding the Houston Rockets has been going on for a little while now and it is seeping into training camp for them. They have had to handle two unhappy stars as they prepare for the 2020-21 season.
They sent one star, Russell Westbrook, away when they sent him to the Washington Wizards, but James Harden is still there and he wants out of Houston badly.
His original stance was that he would only accept a trade to the Brooklyn Nets. He has since changed his mind and he would be open to being moved to the Philadelphia 76ers. However, coach Doc Rivers shot those rumors down saying the team likes where they’re at in camp.
As Harden watch continues, Shams Charania of The Athletic and The Stadium reports that the Sixers remain strong in that stance as they do not want to move Ben Simmons or Joel Embiid just yet:
The 76ers want to view their two young All-Stars, Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid, under new head coach Doc Rivers — who has raved about both players and has privately made clear he wants the opportunity to have elevated success with both Simmons and Embiid…In theory, however, Houston could wait out the potential availability of Simmons should Philadelphia get off to a slow start.
Simmons and Embiid are two of the top players in the NBA and they are still young. Simmons is only 24 while Embiid is only 26 and under Rivers, the franchise believes they can help lead the way to a title. The addition of veteran leaders such as Dwight Howard and Danny Green should also help their cause in the upcoming season. It also helps that the franchise has put shooters around them again which should lead to similar succees they had in the past.
On the flip side, one might be confused by their stance. Simmons has yet to really shoot the ball, despite doing everything else at an elite level, and Harden is one of the elite scorers in the game. A Harden-Embiid tandem has the potential to be one of the best in the history of the game given how dominant both players are on offense.
However, the fact that Simmons is so young and he is working on his shot with assistant coach Sam Cassell as well as receiving guidance from Green, should give him the confidence needed to start shooting. [lawrence-related id=40058,40054,40051]