A 4-7 start this season led to Kevin McHale being fired as head coach of the Houston Rockets, and things haven’t been dramatically better under interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff (24-22). On the heels of last week’s report that Dwight Howard and James Harden once tried to get each other traded, we now have news that Harden pushed for McHale to be fired.

Via Ken Berger of CBSSports.com:

“Multiple league sources told CBS Sports that Harden pushed management to dump McHale, and has since angled for the Rockets to trade Howard. Rockets GM Daryl Morey delivered on the first demand, but was unable to find a suitable deal for Howard at the trade deadline this month.”

Berger’s piece also has quotes from Harden with his idea that NBA stars should have some level of “say-so” in a franchise’s decision making. Even without those published thoughts, it’s hardly surprising that he is proving to be a divisive figure in the Rockets’ organization.

Financial concerns were an oncoming factor, but Harden’s place among two other stars with the Oklahoma City Thunder a few years ago was cloudy. He has become a star and one of the leagues top scorers in Houston, with no one to threaten his usage rate, but the organization seems to largely be enabling Harden’s ego and desire to meddle.

The two-star dynamic with Howard and Harden in Houston has not worked virtually from the start, outside of last year’s Western Conference Finals run, and I’m not totally absolving Howard from fault for his role in that. But it’s only a matter of time before another good player comes to the Rockets, and Harden will then be further exposed as the common denominator in the constant reports of dysfunction the team can’t seem to shake.

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