If it weren't for the Clippers trading for Paul George and signing Kawhi Leonard this offseason, the Houston Rockets would've had arguably the most surprising move of free agency. After months of speculation and rumors about a possible rift between James Harden and Chris Paul, the Rockets traded Paul to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Russell Westbrook. The move paired two of the most entertaining players in the league together, both of whom come with a laundry list of individual accolades.
The one thing neither All-Star has enjoyed, however, is success in the postseason, aside from their Finals run when they shared the court in OKC. The pairing of these two ball-dominant guards leaves a lot of questions about their fit together, but it also places a lot of pressure on Houston's organization as a whole. After years of falling short in the playoffs, the Rockets' championship window is closing with each passing year. Now that they've traded for Westbrook, all eyes will be on how this team can come together and finally make a Finals run. If not, the finger will needed to be pointed at someone, and Harden is ready to accept all of the blame.
During the Rockets media day, Harden was asked about the pressure that comes with being the leader on this team, both positive and negative.
"If we don't win it, I'll take all the blame for that," Harden said. "That's why you have to go out there and win. That's why we work extremely hard in the offseason to bring players in, or whatever is necessary to give ourselves that chance to win. I know what's at stake, I know that if we don't win James Harden and such-and-such don't get the credit for it. They're going to talk down, or create a narrative of whatever they want to create. This ain't my first rodeo."
While the Rockets do have championship expectations in mind for this year and the next few, just getting there will be a win for a franchise that has fallen short so many times in the past. Doing so in a Western Conference that looks loaded top to bottom will be an even harder task than years past.
