Houston Rockets: 3 reasons not to retire James Harden’s jersey
By Luke Duffy
The Houston Rockets have attempted to move on quickly from James Harden, and unlike in previous examples of superstars skipping town, they haven’t been left with wreckage of a roster as a result of the departure. Victor Oladipo is here, John Wall has been better than many thought and Christian Wood is somebody they can really build around.
Perhaps it is because of the lack of fans in stadiums throughout the league, but Harden ending up on the East coast playing for the Brooklyn Nets has not gotten nearly as much blowback on a national level as it should have. That, plus the news cycle of the league changes so quickly, it can be hard to keep up.
Nevertheless, news that Harden’s number 13 is going to be retired by the Rockets after nine years of service seemed a little, quick? Harden was in a rush to leave town at the end of his time there so that he could join up with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, but that doesn’t mean the organization have to be just as quick as rewarding Harden for his services.
In fact, the Houston Rockets shouldn’t retire James Harden’s jersey at all.
You might think that is the bitter statement of a hurt fan, but in this case, neither of those things are true. This is being put together by somebody with no vested interests in either the player or the franchise in question. Harden is going to the Hall of Fame one day, and for those who say he is already better than Dwyane Wade, well they might have a point (or not).
The Rockets are also a storied franchise, and despite not getting to the top of the mountain with Harden, enjoyed sustained success with him. The marriage was a mostly successful one, but the way it ended brings into question all of this friendliness on the side of the organization. The following are three reasons the Rockets should not retire Harden’s jersey.