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Shooting goaltender Eric Gordon said he believes the exchange that sent former franchise stalwart James Harden to the Brooklyn Nets allowed the Houston Rockets to have “real leadership” under head coach. freshman Stephen Silas after a chaotic start to the season.
“Obviously you could tell from the summer and since the start of the season that he didn’t want to be here,” Gordon said after Thursday’s shoot, when he was the only member of the organization. made available to the media. “For us I think it just gives us a chance to [have] a real direction. Everyone on the team can improve their skills and not worry about their situation. We can just move on. “
Gordon was then excluded from Thursday’s game against the San Antonio Spurs.
The Rockets announced a three-team deal with the Nets and Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday morning. Houston’s net draw in the deal is four first-round picks (the Nets in 2022, 2024, and 2026 and Milwaukee 2022 via Cleveland), the right to swap early players with the Nets in another four years, the former Cavs goalkeeper Dante Exum and former Nets guard Caris LeVert and striker Rodions Kurucs. LeVert will be redirected to the Indiana Pacers in a separate trade for former All-Star shooting guard Victor Oladipo, sources said.
The deal brought resolution after a tough few months in which Harden demanded a trade, held out of training camp, and said the Rockets “just aren’t good enough” after Tuesday night’s blowout loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, who ended up being The Final Game of the 2018 MVP in a Houston uniform.
“On behalf of the entire Rockets organization and the City of Houston, I want to thank James Harden for these eight plus seasons in a Rockets uniform,” Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta said in a statement. “James provided us with so many fond memories as we watched him go from sixth man of the year to an eternal All-Star and MVP. My family and I also want to thank James for his many contributions off the pitch, including generous charitable donations and many annual community events. We wish James the best of luck and we will always be grateful for those memories. “
Rockets center DeMarcus Cousins tore Harden apart for being “disrespectful” hours before the trade was finalized on Wednesday, saying Harden’s antics and comments were “completely unfair” to his Houston teammates.
Gordon, who arrived in Houston before the 2016-17 season and was Harden’s longest-serving teammate, didn’t take Harden’s comments so harshly.
“For me, knowing him personally, I don’t think he really meant it by disrespecting us,” Gordon said. “It’s just for me. I think he just wanted a different situation. He kind of showed it, and he said it too. … I don’t think he really wanted to run out of. respect to the players, but he wanted to get out. And he understood that. “
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