As the Rockets languish, James Harden is playing like himself again

When Harden lastly “apologized” for his ending in Houston, unprintable feedback on social media instantly adopted the semi-hollow phrases.

After all, Harden’s Nets numbers are very good. His scoring is down (24.2 common factors in 17 video games). However the famous person who soaked up the highlight in Houston and beloved having the ball in his me-first arms is capturing a surreal 50 % from the sector, 40.8 % on 3-pointers and 90.2 % from the free-throw line, whereas averaging 11.7 assists, 8.2 rebounds and 1.2 steals in 38.3 minutes.

If Harden had completed all that with Mike D’Antoni’s Rockets, the 2017-18 NBA championship would presently reside in Toyota Middle.

Sharing the identical facet of the court docket with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving clearly helps. Nevertheless it’s been Harden carrying the Durant-less Nets throughout current video games. Brooklyn (19-12) entered Saturday with the second-best report within the Jap Convention and driving a five-game profitable streak, primarily due to the multi-dimensional No. 13 that used to imply all the things to the Rockets.

Harden’s final 10 video games: 24.2 factors, 11.7 assists, 8.6 rebounds, 51.5 % from the ground, 41.5 % on 3s, 92.7 % from the road.

These are MVP numbers on an NBA Finals contender.

Then there was Harden’s drool-worthy line Tuesday in a tricky 128-124 victory at Phoenix in opposition to Chris Paul’s new crew: 38 factors, 11 assists, seven boards in 37 minutes.

Oh, yeah. The team-changing famous person the Rockets needed to commerce away — partly as a result of he was deliberately taking part in so poorly — additionally shot 14 of twenty-two from the sector and 5 of 11 on 3s.

The Rockets would love to have a participant that gifted proper now. And with Harden doing all this for a brand new crew in a brand new metropolis, it’s simple to recollect why the Rockets initially had been adamant that they needed to obtain a younger star and a number of first-round picks in alternate for probably the greatest basketball gamers on the planet.

However Harden publicly give up on the Rockets — his teammates, the crew, all his previous followers in Houston — and a crew that’s presently caught with a seven-game dropping streak finally needed to settle simply to get Harden out of its damaged locker room.

Wall, Silas and Co. are scheduled to obtain an up-close have a look at Harden once more on March 3, when the Nets invade Toyota Middle.

That marquee might be price masking up and leaving the home for.

Harden’s self-manufactured ending in Houston was horrible. Embarrassing. Pathetic, actually, and completely unfitting for a once-loved face of a franchise. It would take years for Rockets followers to maneuver on. It may take the identical period of time for Houston’s NBA crew to only get near its peak Harden degree.

Even the person himself acknowledged how dangerous it obtained in December and January.

Form of.

“I’m the kind of man, I don’t want the eye, particularly unfavorable power, unfavorable consideration. There have been some issues I really feel like had been out of my character,” Harden instructed ESPN final week, simply earlier than a historic winter storm was about to ship Houston into pressured hibernation.

Harden should win a world title with the Nets to make his newest me-first transfer actually repay.

However The Beard placing up all these good numbers and being so environment friendly with Brooklyn isn’t stunning.

It’s only one extra reminder of how badly Harden give up on the Rockets and the franchise that after gave him all the things.

The Rockets needed to take much less to eliminate Harden. Now, he’s conveniently taking part in like Harden once more and the Rockets are simply making an attempt to win a recreation.

brian.smith@chron.com

twitter.com/chronbriansmith