Houston owner Tilman Fertitta thinks his Rockets are a much better team after the offseason trade of veteran Chris Paul (and draft considerations) to Oklahoma City for guard Russell Westbrook.
Fertitta recently spoke with Sam Amick of The Athletic as part of an ongoing promotional tour for his new book, “Shut Up and Listen!”, which hit bookstores Tuesday.
In the interview, Fertitta appeared to draw a contrast between the Harden-Westbrook backcourt partnership and the most recent one between Harden and the 34-year-old Paul.
You know, we think we’re a much better team. We used to be one of the top transition teams, and we’ve slowed down the last few years.And James and Russ go back a long ways in California, so they can talk to each other like brothers, you know, instead of one [player] thinking that he’s the mentor. I just think it’s going to go well.
The Rockets ranked third in the league in pace in the 2016-17 season, after head coach Mike D’Antoni’s arrival but before that of Paul. After acquiring Paul, Houston dropped to 13th in the 2017-18 season and 27th in the 2018-19 season.
Following the blockbuster trade for Westbrook, both D’Antoni and GM Daryl Morey have stressed the need for Houston to increase its pace to play to Westbrook’s strengths.
But Fertitta is also pointing to benefits beyond merely pace of play. Harden and Westbrook are each 30 years old and grew up as friends near Los Angeles, California, and the Rockets owner hopes that friendship can further boost the team’s chemistry moving forward.
Westbrook was named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 2017 after tallying 31.6 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 10.4 assists per game. That made Westbrook the first NBA player to average a triple-double since Oscar Robertson in the 1961-62 season, and he went on to post triple-double averages in the next two seasons, too.
Meanwhile, Harden won the MVP award in 2018 and finished second in 2019 voting after averaging a career-high 36.1 points per game last season, along with 7.5 assists, and 6.6 rebounds.
Both players are under contract with Fertitta’s Rockets through at least the 2021-22 NBA season, which makes their relationship with each other of paramount importance to the franchise.
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