Disgruntled superstar James Harden said the Houston Rockets “aren’t good enough” after the team’s second straight loss to the Los Angeles Lakers Tuesday night, adding that he doesn’t think the team can improve enough to be a contender.
“I love this city. I’ve literally done everything I can,” Harden said after the Rockets’ 117-100 loss. “I mean, this situation is crazy. It’s something I don’t think can be fixed.”
It’s the closest Harden has come to trading on the stock market with the commercial demand that sources said he made during the off-season.
Houston has held trade talks with several teams, but is determined to remain patient until Harden’s sale price is met, a source told ESPN.
The Rockets (3-6) have lost four of five games since Harden, who stayed out of the start of 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 stretch 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 placed at the end of the first quarter with a 35-14 record.
“We’re not even close, honestly, to this team, obviously the current champions, and all the other elite teams out there,” Harden said. “I mean, you can differentiate in these last two games.
“We’re just not good enough: chemistry, talent, everything. And it became clear these last two games.”