“Using Houston as a leverage,” Jalen Rose fumes at James Harden’s desire to reunite with Rockets

Since James Harden has returned to the Philadelphia 76ers roster after the injury, they have gone on an excellent run. In his first game back from the injury, the Sixers were defeated by the Houston Rockets. However, since that defeat, they have won 8 games in a row. Despite being in the tougher conference, the 76ers are only 4 games behind the top-seed Boston Celtics.

Despite having a good season so far, the rumors circulating around James Harden have become a new concern for Philadelphia. ESPN analyst and former NBA player, Jalen Rose was clearly not happy with the alleged news and ripped Harden for yet another circus. Rose pointed out that, as great as Harden is, he owes a championship to himself and his fans. Rose remarked, “One thing about being a great player, you guys know this, at some point, we have to win because we got you.”

Accordion to Rose, one of the reasons that Harden might be wanting to get out of Philadelphia would be concerned with the max deal. Rose said, “He didn’t get the long-term big deal he wanted from Philly, so he may be using Houston as leverage.” However, according to the ESPN analyst, going back to Huston wouldn’t serve James any good. “When you talk about a long playoff run, that ain’t happening if he goes back to Houston,” he said.

Also Read: Sixers’ James Harden finally breaks silence over possible reunion with Houston Rockets

James Harden doesn’t deny the rumor of wanting to join Houston Rockets

The report of Harden being open to moving back to the Rockets was broken by ESPN Insider Adrian Wojnarowski. James had the biggest success of his career in Houston, where he won an MVP award and 3 scoring titles. However, after joining other superstars in Brooklyn and Philadelphia, he has become secondary to them. So wanting to go back to Houston might not be all wrong.

Considering how flaky James has been in the past and the frequency with which he has changed teams since the last season, the Rockets might be ready for the opportunity. Jalen said he was waiting to see if Harden-Embiid chemistry works with the 76ers. “He wanted out of Houston, he got to the Nets, that didn’t work. Wanted out of the Nets, got to the Sixers, let’s see if that works,” Rose said.

When Harden was asked about the rumor, the Beard was himself surprised by it and said that he was excited to be with the 76ers. “I’m here,” Harden stated, “We’re playing very well and I don’t know where that report came from, but I’m excited to be here and we’re playing very well. We’re continuing to get better.” What is more interesting about his comments, is the fact that he didn’t deny the rumor.

Also Read: REPORT: Sixers’ James Harden could once again become the face of Houston Rockets’ franchise on this condition

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