NBA Rumors: Harden Tenure May Depend On Rockets New Philosophy

James Harden of the Houston Rockets is in the first year of his four-year $171.1 million contract and there hardly seems to be a reason to trade him away. Unless he asks for one himself, there is no question that the 30-year-old scoring machine will continue to play for the Rockets moving forward.

But then again, anything is possible. The NBA has seen stranger things happen, including players suddenly asking for a trade. The immediate goal for the third pick of the 2009 NBA Draft is to win an NBA title. The Rockets do have the manpower but their current emphasis on small-ball basketball has many critics thinking.

According to a report by Tim Bontemps of ESPN, the Rockets are unlikely to voluntarily move the 6-foot-5 guard. However, there is the possibility that team general manager Daryl Morey could flip the script. There was that celebrated trade involving Chris Paul last summer, something most expected but didn't think would happen abruptly. But the even bigger twist is that he landed Russell Westbrook from the Oklahoma City Thunder.

When Westbrook arrived, there were concerns about how well he could co-exist with Harden. Ball sharing was singled out. Somehow, head coach Mike D'Antoni made it work. The Rockets are currently 35-20 in the NBA Western Conference which is good for 5th place. Houston is expected to try and make a run to get into the top four. The Utah Jazz is above them with a 36-18 win-loss mark.

Houston is expected to make or break this season but their small-ball ploy raises a lot of questions. Though they are filled with talented and offensive-minded players, most are not that convinced that the Rockets can go deep into the NBA playoffs. And if that were to happen, it raises questions on the future of its players -including Harden.

Just recently, the Rockets had open roster spots to be filled. Rather than target a big man, they ended up getting DeMarre Carroll and Jeff Green. Though Carroll is by no means a good defender, he lacks the height that critics feel Houston needs. Defense is likely to take a hit, an area D'Antoni is not specifically popular for. Much of this was covered in a previous post.

Speaking of D'Antoni, his future could be on the line as well. Most know how he focuses more on offense rather than in defense. If things end up bad, he may end up unable to defend himself if the Rockets decide to hand him his walking papers.