After a lopsided defeat at the hands of the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday evening, Houston Rockets guard James Harden sent shockwaves through the NBA landscape with candid comments on the podium. The superstar said “this situation is crazy, it’s something that I don’t think can be fixed” when referring to the Rockets and, given previous rumblings about Harden’s desire to find a new team via trade, things seem to be reaching a peak of sorts in Houston.
Moments later, John Wall addressed the media and, at first, he offered a swift sidestep when prompted with what Harden said.
John Wall on what James Harden said: "No comment."
— Alykhan Bijani (@Rockets_Insider) January 13, 2021
From there, however, Wall referred to “certain guys in the mix who don’t want to buy in” and expounded on his current viewpoint.
John Wall: "When you have certain guys in the mix who don't want to buy in all as one it's gonna be hard to do anything special, to do anything good as a basketball team…" pic.twitter.com/HMI9jCAE5J
— Adam Spolane (@AdamSpolane) January 13, 2021
Wall was also candid in saying his new pairing with Harden has been “a little rocky” since he arrived in the trade that sent Russell Westbrook to the Washington Wizards.
I asked John Wall how he would assess his partnership on the court with James Harden through 9 games:
"I think it's been a little rocky, can't lie about that. I don't think it's been the best it could be, to be honest. That's all I really could say." #Rockets
— Alykhan Bijani (@Rockets_Insider) January 13, 2021
Finally, Wall did credit Harden for competing and coming to practice, even if the statement of support wasn’t overwhelming.
I asked John Wall if he feels like James Harden has given this team a chance: "He's going out there and competing. That's one thing I can say. He's playing, he's coming to practice everyday…" pic.twitter.com/pQan7iHEvh
— Adam Spolane (@AdamSpolane) January 13, 2021
In some ways, Harden’s unhappiness isn’t a surprise, but this is not the kind of public sentiment usually expressed in the aftermath of a regular season game in January. As such, Wall was put in an interesting and difficult position in having to speak right after it, especially on a new team. Still, this is a situation that has far-ranging effects, and Wall didn’t run and hide from the turmoil, perhaps creating even more discussion and intrigue along the way.
Source: https://uproxx.com/dimemag/john-wall-comments-james-harden-response-video-houston-rockets-postgame-lakers/