James Harden backtracks on disparaging Chandler Parsons comments

Houston Rockets shooting guard James Harden created a mini-controversy on Thursday with some comments that seemed to pretty clearly diminish the impact of former teammate Chandler Parsons and imply that the Rockets would not miss the new Dallas Mavericks sharpshooter going forward.

More from Dallas Mavericks

• Grant Williams’ attempt to embarrass camper backfires hilariously
• NBA Rumors: Warriors, Lakers among contenders for key free agent
• Mavericks: Mark Cuban calls Kyrie Irving ‘misunderstood’ after new contract
• Why isn’t Matisse Thybulle on the Mavericks?
• The new NBA flopping rules explained

From the Philippine Star:

“Dwight (Howard) and I are the cornerstones of the Rockets,” said Harden. “The rest of the guys are role players or pieces that complete our team. We’ve lost some pieces and added some pieces. I think we’ll be fine next season.”

This led to Chandler Parsons responding to Harden first with a subtweet and then some direct words.

Parsons on the Jim Rome Show (transcribed by the Houston Chronicle):

"“That’s a pretty ridiculous statement if he meant that. That’s one of the reasons why I wanted to go to Dallas. I’m ready for the next step. I’m ready for a bigger role and I’m ready for more leadership. If anyone should understand that, it should be James because he was in the same situation in Oklahoma City then he got his chance to come to Houston and shine.”"

Now, it appears Harden is trying to diffuse the situation on Twitter.

Another twitter user asked Harden why he made the comments about Parsons, to which the shooting guard responded, “What did I say?”

Whether these tweets are enough to end this feud remains to be seen.