Former Houston Rockets Center Talks Failed James Harden Partnership

HOUSTON — James Harden’s tenure with the Houston Rockets ended without an NBA championship. However, it can’t be said that management didn’t try to pair Harden with an All-Star caliber player.

Harden played alongside three future Hall of Famers during his eight-year tenure in Houston. However, Dwight Howard has the honor of being first.

Howard signed with the Rockets as a free agent during the 2012 offseason after a disappointing year with the Los Angeles Lakers. The Howard-Harden duo looked ready to take the league by storm. However, the All-Star duo only led the Rockets to the Western Conference Finals in 2015.

During his recent appearance on The OGs Podcast, Howard talked about what made his tenure with the Rockets unpleasant with Harden.

“I think Daryl didn’t really like James and I together for some strange reason because I was always known as a dynamic player in the pick-and-roll with whoever the guard was,” Howard said.

“So when I got to Houston, it wasn’t pick-and-roll anymore between me and James. And then I started hearing that I didn’t want to do pick-and-roll; I wanted to post .it was so many different things I was hearing.”

Howard played three seasons for the Rockets before his departure in the summer of 2016. He played in 183 games, averaging 16.0 points and 11.7 rebounds. His only All-Star season with the franchise came during his first year during the 2012-13 season.

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