There have been numerous reports since the Houston Rockets were eliminated from the postseason that their two biggest stars, James Harden and Chris Paul, are at odds and no longer want to play together. According to the team’s most respected veteran, that is a bunch of nonsense.
In an interview with Sam Amick of The Athletic this week, Rockets forward PJ Tucker said talk of a rift between Harden and Paul is “fake news.” He admitted there was arguing after the Rockets lost to the Golden State Warriors in the playoffs, but he said that happens all the time and no more between Harden and CP3 than other teammates.
“No, but I’m sick of the fake news man. It’s fake,” Tucker said. “Everybody – I argue with Chris and James more than Chris and James argue.
“It was what it was. Everybody’s mad. Everybody’s pissed. You can’t – I’m sick of all the highlight of whoever this person is trying to come up with all this crap, like I argue with Chris and James more than Chris and James argue with each other. Like, I’m the center, focal (point) of the argument because I’m always yelling at somebody and they’re yelling at me. So for me, it’s like ‘If you’re not arguing…’ You don’t think Kobe and Shaq argued? Hakeem (Olajuwon) and…”
Amick pointed out that Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal got to the point where they could no longer co-exist, which is why Shaq was traded to the Miami Heat. Tucker would be fine with that as long as a championship comes first.
“If we win a championship together and we f—ing hate each other, then guess what? Who cares? (Laughs) Nobody. Right, so that’s all that matters. At the end of the day, that’s all that matters. Winning a championship. Everything else is failure.”
It’s hard to read anything into an argument after a playoff elimination loss, so those reports may have been overblown. The Western Conference is now wide open with the injuries to Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson, and Harden and Paul are both searching for their first championship ring. If you believe what CP3 said recently, the issues do not seem nearly as bad as some people think.
