Morey: Rockets would be nowhere without James Harden

Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey said they’d be nowhere without James Harden.

The Houston Rockets went out and traded for James Harden in 2012 and haven’t looked back since. He played a hand in rejuvenating the franchise and recruiting center Dwight Howard to southern Texas.

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The Rockets’ faith in Harden’s ability to be a star rather than a side kick, as he was used in Oklahoma City, has been rewarded with an MVP caliber season. Averaging 27 points, with seven assists and 5.8 rebounds per game, Harden has led the Rockets to a 40-18 record, the third best record in the league.

Rockets general manager Daryl Morey is quick to throw praise on the star guard.

“Take James Harden off our team, and we’re nowhere,” Morey said, via Pro Basketball Talk.

There is some validity to that claim aside from the MVP numbers Harden is putting up. Howard has been struggling with an injury throughout the season and it is safe to say that the Rockets’ success has been squarely on the shoulders of Harden, as Morey said.

Still, Harden’s season can be over looked at times when the MVP debate comes forward. Some focus on other players getting hot at the right time, the second half of the season heading towards the playoffs. For Rockets forward Josh Smith, Harden is the MVP because of his consistency throughout the year.

“What frustrates me the most – I wasn’t here the whole season, but I watch the NBA and follow it closely and they always bring up new MVP candidates but this is a guy that has been doing it since the beginning of the year, not just one or two months,” Smith said, via the Houston Chronicle. “He has done it consistently at a high level since the season started. It’s ridiculous to hear them try to put names in front of his. This guy has been a notch up on other MVP candidates all year.”

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