Today, Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia (TX-29) issued the following statement in support of the Biden- Harris administration’s executive orders and legislative initiatives:
“Over the past four years our country has witnessed and endured a tremendous amount of pain and struggle. While there is a lot of work to be done to right the wrongs of the Trump administration, today’s executive orders signed by President Joe Biden are a testament to the hard work that lays ahead, and the progress that will follow.
“The Biden administration’s executive order to move towards a more equitable and just immigration system that calls on Congress to enact legislation providing a path to citizenship for hundreds of thousands of our Dreamers marks the first step of many in our path towards healing and growth.
“I look forward to joining this administration and my colleagues in the fight to work tirelessly to improve the lives of our most vulnerable communities and all hard-working Americans. From addressing economic inequality and systemic discrimination, while prioritizing the mitigation of the COVID-19 pandemic, to working with our global partners by rejoining the World Health Organization and the Paris Climate Accords, we are ready for the work ahead.”
Mayor Sylvester Turner issued the following statement today about the newly-released State Department of Health and Human Services’ Cancer Cluster Investigations that included findings related to the former railroad creosote treatment facility in Kashmere Gardens.
“The finding of another cancer cluster in the Fifth Ward and Kashmere Gardens area highlights the significant adverse health impacts that have plagued areas of our city for decades. Even more distressing, this cluster involves children sickened with leukemia at nearly five times the expected rate.
“Late last year, the city’s first-ever cancer cluster was identified in the same area with greater-than-expected incidences of adult cancers of the lung, esophagus, and throat. Both cancer clusters are near legacy creosote contamination at a facility now owned by Union Pacific.
“Without the grassroots efforts of the community and the relentless support of the Houston Health Department, this cancer analysis may have never been conducted, and the community may have continued to suffer in silence.
“It is our responsibility to protect the interests of the families and children living in the immediate area. All Houstonians have the right to a safe and healthy environment no matter where they live.
The City of Houston will aggressively explore all possible avenues to bring meaningful relief to this suffering community.
“I am requesting that Union Pacific help to relocate affected residents and create a buffer between contaminated areas and homes in the neighborhood. The EPA and TCEQ must declare the area a Super Fund site. Someone needs to be held accountable for the healthcare costs of these families and specifically these children. ”
Mayor Sylvester Turner released the following statement today as Gov. Greg Abbott hosted a roundtable discussion to provide a COVID-19 update to select Houston healthcare professionals.
“We welcome Governor Abbott to Houston today. Houston is the largest city in Texas and America without Medicaid Expansion, meaning that the public health infrastructure will face extremely difficult challenges in assisting vulnerable communities when it comes to vaccinations. With so many families without primary healthcare coverage, all levels of government must work together to serve our shared constituents.
“The Houston Health Department has been working tirelessly to vaccinate Houstonians. Both Houston Health and Harris County Public Health have the experience and a lot of insight to offer regarding vaccine distribution. We must work as a team and seek to be as inclusive as possible to get the job done.”
Mayor Sylvester Turner announced this evening that the City of Houston will participate in the national Memorial to Lives Lost to COVID-19 by turning city hall and other buildings amber at dusk on Tuesday, January 19.The socially distanced memorial will follow all safety protocols and include remarks from Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo and invited faith leaders. The combined Honor Guard from the Houston Police Department and Houston Fire Department also will participate.
Simultaneously, a memorial will take place in Washington D.C. and cities across the country. .The memorial in D.C will feature the lighting of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool and the illumination of buildings and the ringing of church bells in a national moment of unity and remembrance.
The First Nationwide COVID-19 Memorial to Lives Lost is Part of The Inauguration of President-elect Joseph R. Biden, Jr. and Vice President-elect Kamala D. Harris. The program in Washington D.C. will emphasize the importance of looking back and remembering the lives we have lost to COVID-19 as we look forward to the hope of a new path and a brighter future.
In Houston, the lighting ceremony will include the following buildings.
City Hall
Partnership Tower
The Wortham
Jones Hall
7 Wonders (Theatre District – west of the Wortham)
The Lyric Center
Main Street square
Montrose Highway 59 bridges/Interstate 69
The Wharf (art piece in front of the GRB)
Uptown Houston / Post Oak Boulevard
George Bush Airport
Hobby Airport
Note: many other downtown buildings are expected to light up, and we will confirm on Tuesday.
The City also encourages all houses of worship and places of business that have bells to join our neighboring cities nationwide to toll the bells at 4:30 p.m. in unity to honor the lives lost to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“it is important that our City and country unite at this time and reflect on the devastating impact COVID-19 has inflicted on our communities. A lot of families are grieving the loss of a loved one. Hosting a memorial and remembering people who died due to complications from the virus will be a nonpartisan event. I encourage everyone to join us by illuminating your building, ringing a bell, and watching the virtual program,” said Mayor Sylvester Turner.
Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day! As one of the leaders of the civil rights movement, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. understood that he could not create change alone, calling on the individuals who believed in equity to speak up. And just as people joined his movement for basic human rights then, today we are seeing the same across our nation as individuals challenge decades-old oppressive systems and ideas. Silence is not an option. We must all be a part of creating a more just world.
Creating this just world will take work and commitment, sustained effort and action, and every one of us doing our part. We know change is happening, as seen through historic election wins across the country — that of Reverend Raphael Warnock — the first Black person elected to the Georgia Senate and Kamala Harris who will be sworn in as the first female, first Black, and first Indian-American Vice President. But electoral wins are only part of the journey on the road to justice and equality, we know real change requires sustainable action and consistent movement.
Warnock, Harris, and President-Elect Joe Biden didn’t win on their own — hard work on the ground by voting rights groups, the movement for Black lives, and countless grassroots organizers helped get people to the polls and vote in favor of stronger democracy. Individuals, whose names we don’t know, standing up on behalf of their communities, and refusing anything less than a nation that lives up to its promise are critical in building a future rooted in fairness and equity.
These wins are only possible when we all do our part. When we show up, we have the power. Now more than ever, Dr. King’s words ring true that “the ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people.”
In Harris County, we have been working together to ensure our neighbors do not lose everything as a result of the COVID-19 global pandemic while also creating criminal justice reform following the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer. In addition to staying safe during a pandemic, people are also forced to challenge oppressive systems that also threaten lives. It is an unfair position, yet we know change will only come if it’s demanded, so we march on.
Economic equity remains a priority just as it was for Dr. King before he was killed. He reminded America that pulling one’s self up by his or her bootstraps is only possible when one has booted. During this economic and health crisis, we have seen those without boots suffer the most because of disparities that existed long before 2020.
The healthcare and economic disparities brought to the forefront by the pandemic are ones Black and Brown communities have experienced for decades, and we cannot ignore that truth any longer. The most vulnerable among us deserve to have basic rights and live with dignity. Although Jim Crow laws are long gone, the oppression and lack of equity at the root of them remain within all of the systems that govern our nation. Just as Dr. King fought, we continue to fight for justice and fair opportunity for all.
As we see positive change, we also know there is much concern about the systems and individuals determined to have things remain the same. What we saw on January 6 at the U.S. Capitol was unacceptable as right-wing extremists violently stormed the federal building, threatening elected officials and the ideals we believe in. While we demand accountability, let us cling to the higher truth that there are millions of people who reject these actions and are also fighting for fairness and change.
The spirit of Dr. King’s dream lives on through the millions of Americans working to see the dream become reality. Precinct One asks that you continue to join us in the fight for justice and fair opportunity for all. Dr. King’s legacy lives on through each of us, and we will continue to honor him as we challenge our nation to live up to the promises guaranteed to all people.
“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”
SECOND COVID-19 VACCINATION MEGA SITE SCHEDULED FOR MINUTE MAID PARK
HOUSTON – The Houston Health Department and Astros Foundation are partnering for a second COVID-19 vaccination mega site at Minute Maid Park on Saturday, January 16, by appointment only.
The department plans to vaccinate approximately 5,000 people, through 2,400 pre-scheduled appointments and 2,600 new appointments.
People who meet Phase 1A or Phase 1B of the state’s criteria can visit HoustonEmergency.org/covid19 (direct link: http://bit.ly/MMPvaxx011620) starting at 10 a.m. on Friday to schedule the new appointment slots. The online appointment portal will close once the slots are filled.
Saturday’s mega-site is for the first dose of vaccine. People who receive their first dose from the health department will be contacted and provided information about where to schedule their second dose within the appropriate timeframe.
People should arrive no earlier than 15-minutes before their appointment time to ensure site efficiency and reduce wait times. It’s important for people to park in lots A or B to begin the registration process. Minute Maid Park’s home plate entrance will be used for the clinic.
The health department started administering the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to the general public who quality under Phase 1A or Phase 1B of the state’s guidelines on January 2.
On Thursday, the health department received an additional 8,200 doses of vaccine, bringing its total to 30,350.
As of Thursday, the department administered a total of 18,658 doses at locations including Minute Maid Park, Bayou City Event Center, its Northside, La Nueva Casa de Amigos, Sharpstown and Sunnyside health centers, the JW Peavy Senior Center, and its Acres Homes, Hiram Clarke and Magnolia multi-service centers.
The department also transferred a total of 1,900 doses to other providers.
The health department will announce additional vaccination opportunities at its health centers, multi-service centers, community locations, and via mobile units as supply increases.
Appointments are based on vaccine availability, and current appointments may be adjusted based on the department’s allotment.
Many medical providers offer vaccines based on availability. People who qualify should contact their medical provider or use the Texas Department of State Health Services’ online map to find and call vaccine providers.
The health department also operates a COVID-19 call center at 832-393-4220 Monday through Saturday from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Call center hours are extended until 5 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
HOUSTON – Mayor Sylvester Turner and the city council yesterday approved unanimously a lease agreement with Sunnyside Energy, LLC to advance the Sunnyside Solar Project–an innovative public-private partnership to convert the 240-acre closed landfill in Sunnyside into the largest brownfield solar installation in the nation. The project is a product of the City’s Climate Action Plan and Complete Communities Initiative. It is an example of how the City of Houston is working to find innovative, public-private solutions to addresses historic environmental justice concerns, climate change, and economic development in underserved communities.
“The Sunnyside landfill has been one of Houston’s biggest community challenges for decades, and I am proud we are one step closer to its transformation,” said Mayor Turner. “I thank the Sunnyside community because this project would not have come together without its support. This project is an example of how cities can work with the community to address long-standing environmental justice concerns holistically, create green jobs, and generate renewable energy in the process.”
The project, developed by Sunnyside Energy, will be anchored by a 50 megawatt (MW) ballasted solar array that will generate enough renewable energy to power 5,000 homes and offset 120 million pounds of CO2 each year. The array is expected to be installed and operational by the end of 2022 – at no cost to the City.
“We applaud the actions of Mayor Turner and the City Council in taking this significant step,” said Dori Wolfe, Managing Director of Sunnyside Energy LLC. “It is a strong vote of confidence for this impactful project. All members of the project team realize that this Sunnyside Solar facility will be an iconic statement in the rejuvenation of the community. We are grateful that Mayor Turner has given us his support.”
In 2017, the City of Houston joined the C40 Reinventing Cities Competition – a global competition to develop innovative, carbon-free, and resilient urban projects. Through the competition, Houston and 13 other cities across the globe identified for redevelopment under-utilized parcels of land. Through this effort, the City selected the winning proposal from Wolfe Energy, LLC. After receiving the green light to move the proposal forward, Wolfe Energy formed Sunnyside Energy LLC, a team of engineers, architects, community members, and artists, to transform the abandoned landfill site into an urban solar farm.
Under the terms of the lease agreement approved by the City Council, the City will retain ownership of the land, but the tenant will be responsible for the permitting, construction, operation, and maintenance of the project, an estimated $70 million private investment for the community. In the coming months, Sunnyside Energy LLC will work to secure all necessary state and local permits and finalize financing and design plans to ensure the project meets the most rigorous environmental safety standards before construction.
As part of the City’s Complete Communities initiative, the project also contains sustainability, resilience, and economic development components, requested by the community and will:
Prevent potential future environmental hazards posed by the landfill
Provide power discounts for low-income residents in the neighborhood
Train and employ local labor
Store and filter stormwater on the tract to help reduce flooding
Include educational attributes at the restored site
Increasing Houstonians’ use of solar power is a critical component of the city’s first-ever Climate Action Plan. One hundred percent of the City of Houston’s electricity to operate its facilities comes from solar and wind sources, making Houston the largest municipal user of renewable energy in the nation.
The mission of Complete Communities is to ensure that all Houstonians have equal access to quality services and amenities. By tapping the strengths of Houston’s community members, nonprofits, businesses, and philanthropic partners, the Complete Communities initiative is building a stronger, more resilient city and making transformational change where it’s needed most.
For more information on the Complete Communities initiative or to view the Sunnyside Complete Communities Action Plan, visit online at http://www.houstontx.gov/completecommunities/.
More details about the Sunnyside Solar Project and the Houston Climate Action Plan are available at www.greenhoustontx.gov and complete communities website.
The state of Texas is on a fast track to vaccinating as many residents as possible for COVID-19 in the coming months with major efforts coming from the county and city levels. The state’s most populous city, Houston, has joined the track, making the promise to vaccinate 13,000 people this week.
The large vaccination event will be held Thursday through Sunday at NRG Park, a large complex that’s home to NRG Stadium, where the Houston Texans play. The drive-thru clinic is being organized by Memorial Hermann, a Houston-based hospital system.
The vaccine will only be administered to pre-registered individuals who have been invited to participate in the hospital system and have an appointment.
Texas is currently vaccinating 1A and 1B populations, including health care workers, people 65 and older, and those with medical conditions that put them at greater risk of hospitalization and death from COVID-19.
“We also hope to host more events like this in the near future as we continue to make vaccination available to all those who are eligible and eventually to all patients and members of the community. The speed at which we can move through additional populations will be determined by continued and/or increased vaccine supply,” Memorial Hermann said in a statement.
Texas has seen record-breaking numbers of hospitalizations and cases coinciding with the nation’s alerting numbers. As of Wednesday, the Lone Star State is the second state after California to surpass 2 million COVID-19 cases.
In response to frustrations over a slow and often confusing rollout of vaccines over the past month, Texas is shifting from its original model of using thousands of smaller vaccine providers to large-scale “vaccination hubs” that can process thousands of shots per day.
Texas is one of several states opening football stadiums, major league ballparks, fairgrounds, and convention centers to inoculate a larger and more diverse pool of people.
In Houston, Mayor Sylvester Turner said more than 3,800 people were vaccinated this past weekend at Minute Maid Park, where the Houston Astros play baseball. Turner said Houston could move faster if it had more vaccine supply.
The state’s other large cities like Dallas, San Antonio, and Austin have also created vaccination hubs and makeshift hospitals to accommodate the surging number of cases across the state.
(Left to right) MOCA Director Debbie McNulty, HPL Director Dr. Rhea Brown Lawson, Houston’s 2019 – 2021 Poet Laureate Leslie Contreras Schwartz, and Mayor Sylvester Turner at the Poet Laureate Reception on May 20, 2019.
HOUSTON – Mayor Sylvester Turner and the Director of Houston Public Library (HPL), Dr. Rhea Brown Lawson, are pleased to announce the search for the City of Houston’s next poet laureate.
The Poet Laureate Program celebrates Houston’s rich culture and diversity through the work of a Houston poet who serves as the City’s ambassador for the literary arts. The Houston poet laureate’s role is to stimulate poetic impulse, foster appreciation of poetry in all its forms, and serve Houston residents and visitors with expressions of culture through words.
“Right now, perhaps more than ever, Houston needs the power of community offered through written or spoken word poetry,” said Mayor Sylvester Turner. “We look forward to finding and announcing our City’s fifth poet laureate, whose words will bring us together in spirit and inspire us to be resilient in the coming years.”
The City’s next poet laureate will serve from April 2021 through April 2023 and receive an honorarium of $20,000 from the City of Houston’s City Initiative Grant Program. The program is coordinated by the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs (MOCA) and HPL. The Poet Laureate Program is funded through the Hotel Occupancy Tax that is dedicated to the arts.
“The Houston Public Library is so pleased to partner with the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs again to welcome Houston’s next poet laureate. We have so many Houstonians who are passionate about poetry and community, and we encourage them to submit their poetic works to support our effort in celebrating Houston’s diversity and elevating this art form,” said Dr. Lawson. “It’s a great opportunity, especially during these challenging times, to have this citywide platform for poets to share not only their invaluable talent but also their voice.”
During a two-year appointment, the poet laureate makes several guest appearances at special events and completes a feature project. Houston’s most recent poet laureate, Leslie Contreras Schwartz, created Bayou City Broadsides, which are one-page artistic displays of lines from poems of everyday Houstonians. Houston’s 2017-2019 Poet Laureate Deborah “D.E.E.P.” Mouton created community performance poetry videos highlighting various Houston neighborhoods. Houston’s 2015-2017 Poet Laureate Dr. Robin Davidson developed an anthology book of Houston residents’ favorite poetry, and Gwen Zepeda, Houston’s 2013-2015 poet laureate, created the Houston Poet Laureate’s social media platforms.
Dr. Robin Davidson, Houston’s 2015-2017 Poet Laureate, reading “To Speak of Rivers, after Langston Hughes” for Mayor Turner (Photo credit: Tony Davidson), Sept 10, 2016
The Houston Poet Laureate Selection Committee, a diverse group of poets, scholars, literary experts, and community representatives, will assist in the selection process. The group includes all poets laureate emeritus Gwen Zepeda, Dr. Robin Davidson, Deborah “D.E.E.P.” Mouton, and Leslie Contreras Schwartz; Radu Barbuceanu of Visit Houston; Dr. Ginger Ko of Sam Houston State University; Jennifer Julian of Texas Southern University; Roderick Robinson of Public Poetry; and Harrison Guy of the Fifth Ward Cultural District. Non-voting members include Monique Mogilka of the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs (MOCA) and Carmen Abrego of the Houston Public Library (HPL).
The selection committee will interview finalists in March, and Mayor Turner will select the winner. The City will announce Houston’s next poet laureate in Apil to celebrate National Poetry Month.
The deadline to apply is midnight on February 25, 2021. Submissions are welcome from poets, authors, writers, and spoken word artists.
Gwen Zepeda, Houston’s 2013-2015 poet laureate, at the U.S. Hispanic Literary Heritage Conference XV in February 2020.
The guidelines and application portal for the Houston Poet Laureate and term requirements can be found at https://www.houstontx.gov/poetlaureate.html.
For more information about the Houston Public Library, visit www.houstonlibrary.org, Twitter @houstonlibrary, or call 832.393.1313.
For more information about the City’s Cultural Programs, visit www.houstontx.gov/culturalaffairs or follow the Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs on Facebook or Instagram @HoustonMOCA.
In the end, the Houston Rockets didn’t get the blue-chip young player they boasted they would receive in return for James Harden — the second-greatest player in franchise history, behind only Hakeem Olajuwon, and one of the league’s all-time best scorers.
Victor Oladipo, acquired in exchange for Caris LeVert as part of this monstrosity, does not quite qualify. Oladipo is almost 29, two years and one major leg injury removed from his only All-NBA season. He has looked more like his old self this season; he is getting to the rim at a pre-injury level. But he also is eligible for free agency this summer, when there will be oodles more cap space than available stars. It’s not out of the realm of possibility the Rockets will have to pay Oladipo the maximum salary, or something close, to retain him — if they want to when the alternative is potential cap space.
LeVert doesn’t have Oladipo’s track record, and he was off to a blah shooting started as a supporting actor in the most predictable soap opera in basketball. But he is more than two years younger than Oladipo and has shown — including during the bubble — that he might be ready for a larger scoring role. He is on a decent contract for three seasons — one that would have carried positive trade value for the Rockets had they decided to flip LeVert later on.
Houston isn’t wrong to bet Oladipo will be better for the next three seasons. I still might rather have LeVert. For the Indiana Pacers, nabbing LeVert in exchange for a player who was likely leaving anyway is a huge win. Oladipo’s future with Indiana has been murky, to say the least, since talks about a potential extension went nowhere before last season. LeVert has a broadly similar skill set to that of Oladipo and fits alongside Malcolm Brogdon, Domantas Sabonis, and Myles Turner.
There are two questions that really matter about the Harden megadeal:
• Did Houston get enough?
• Did the Brooklyn Nets improve their championship odds enough to justify the massive pile of draft assets they forked over: three unprotected first-round picks and four unprotected swaps, a bounty that sustains through 2027 — when Harden, Kevin Durant, and Kyrie Irving will be ancient (by NBA standards) or retired?
The answers, from here, are “yes” and “maybe, but I’m wary because, umm, defense.”
That is an enormous amount of draft equity. Enormous. I don’t care how good the team is now, or how good it projects to be in 2023, dealing that many unprotected draft assets that far into the future is a giant risk. It can ruin your franchise for years. If you don’t win at least one championship, the trade can go down as a bust — even if you win 60 games a bunch of times, and breach the inner circle of contenders every year.
That draft equity is a strong return for the Rockets. Is it stronger than Ben Simmons by himself? To be clear, I don’t know precisely what the Rockets and Philadelphia 76ers discussed, what the Sixers offered, or whether they even made an ironclad offer in the end. Reconstructing trade talks at the moment is maddening. Maybe one team, or both, got too cute haggling over whatever young players and/or draft picks Philadelphia might attach to Simmons. I feel confident saying this: The Rockets could have had Ben Simmons if they wanted him. They apparently decided they preferred the mother lode of picks from Brooklyn. Maybe they got greedy in negotiations with Philly.
Time will tell if they were right. Simmons is a great player coming off an All-NBA and All-Defensive season. He is 24, and he provides an identity upon walking in the door: Run like hell and put shooters around him.
Building a good version of such a team would have taken Houston years. And even if you construct one, it’s unclear if Simmons can ascend into being the best player on a title team. I’m dubious, though the designation is more fluid than people would like. Few conceived of Jimmy Butler as being in that circle, but the Miami Heat came within two wins of a title despite multiple injuries in the NBA Finals.
The Rockets decided they’d rather (basically) start over. You need picks to do that, and the Rockets had flung away two — plus two swaps — in the disastrous Chris Paul-for-Russell Westbrook deal. They get more back here. They are shorting the Nets’ future, wagering on a train wreck. Can you blame them given the train’s current status?
Of course, trading Simmons down the line could have brought Houston some picks — though likely not this same bounty. And even with this trade return, the Rockets still can’t compete with the Oklahoma City Thunder and the New Orleans Pelicans — fat with picks — for the next disgruntled superstar (should either of those teams decide to get in on that fun).
Either way, Houston has come out well here.
Back to the Nets. They also gave up three rotation players, including a rising rim protector and ferocious rim runner in Jarrett Allen. (The Cleveland Cavaliers are an undisputed winner for turning a lousy Milwaukee Bucks first-round pick into Allen, even if they already have so many centers that they are playing Dean Wade — look him up — at shooting guard in spot minutes.)
From the moment the Nets acquired Irving and Durant, they faced an existential dilemma many championship hopefuls have navigated in many different ways: depth or a third star, Big 2 or Big 3?
It is the question that keeps GMs up at night — makes them queasy. There is no universal answer. If your Big 2 are Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant, or Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, perhaps you roll with a deeper and more flexible roster behind two top-five overall players.
Irving has never been a top-five player. Right now, he’s not actually playing at all. The clock was also ticking on Brooklyn’s depth. Allen is eligible for a big, new deal this summer. Spencer Dinwiddie, a likely ingredient in any blockbuster of this sort before tearing his ACL last month, has a player option for next season. Teams often trade depth for stars because the depth is about to become too expensive to keep all of it.
Perhaps that was not of concern to Joseph Tsai, the Nets governor and one of the wealthiest humans. If Tsai was willing to swallow huge luxury tax bills year after year, Brooklyn could have run almost a dozen deep in quality NBA players around its centerpiece stars.
But no amount of depth compensates for an ill-timed injury to a superstar. Lose one superstar in the playoffs and any two-star team is toast. Acquiring a third star fortifies the Nets against an injury to Irving or Harden. An injury to Durant might destroy any title hopes, considering the team right now has two players with any experience at power forward (Durant and Jeff Green, who is somehow always around NBA history, like a backup singer to the stars) and one solitary experienced center (the recently benched DeAndre Jordan.)
Acquiring Harden also opens the possibility of trading Irving at some point to recoup depth and draft picks (if he rebuilds his trade value). It is a hedge against Irving vanishing.
Will the James Harden trade work out for the Nets?
Tony Kornheiser and Pablo S. Torre break down the long-term ramifications of James Harden being traded to the Nets.
As of now, the Nets have nine proven or semi-proven NBA rotation players: their new Big 3, plus Joe Harris (a perfect fit anywhere), Jordan, Green, Bruce Brown, Landry Shamet, and Timothe Luwawu-Carrot. Some might include Tyler Johnson, but he has been more or less bound to the bench for the past two seasons. Three of those guys — Brown, Luwawu-Cabarrot, and Shamet — are mostly untested on the biggest stages.
It’s a thin team, but the Nets can carve a workable rotation out of it. They will find another center. They should dominate the buyout market. Stars win in the postseason.
They are going to be impossible to guard. I’m more optimistic about the fit on offense than those snarking about how Brooklyn’s three stars can possibly share one ball. That’s a real concern. There will be growing pains. Irving has to buy into a third option role after winning a title as LeBron James’ No. 2.
But Durant is the most malleable superstar in NBA history, playing at his old MVP level again. He can do everything, on and off the ball. He has always been content toggling between one-on-one plays and everything else: scurrying around pin downs, screening for other dominant ball handlers, spacing the floor.
Harden should supersede Irving as Brooklyn’s lead ball-handler. He is just better. He will have to pivot from James-ball back to regular basketball. Harden won’t be able to dribble endlessly into 15 step-back 3s every night. He will have to, like, move his body and limbs when he doesn’t have the ball. Maybe set some screens.
Doubt over whether Harden can rewire his game crept into discussions within teams on the fringes: Boston, Denver, Toronto, Miami, Portland, others. At go time, none was really a contender to get him, sources said. Boston wasn’t trading Jaylen Brown, according to sources. Portland wasn’t going to include CJ McCollum — a beloved player currently raining fire across the league — in any deal construction that approached Houston’s desire to strip teams of picks and young players, sources said.
Harden’s listless play and off-court flouting of both Houston’s training camp schedule and the league’s coronavirus protocols had several within those teams wondering if Harden — at age 31, two years from free agency — was worth upending their franchises. He will perk up. You watch: We are going to see peak Harden pouring in 40 very soon.
But what would happen if anything was not to his liking — if he grew weary of their coach, or soured on yet another superstar teammate? Would he pout and carouse? It was entirely predictable — I have discussed it in several podcasts and columns dating back months — that Simmons would be the only blue-chip young player available to Houston.
Some grappled over whether any Harden deal would leave enough talent for them to win the title in the next two years. That is the window we are talking about here. For all the talk in the media over whether Harden would re-sign in 2022 with whatever team acquired him, that extended timeline was of little concern to a lot of teams poking around. Any deal for Harden would have been about winning today.
That is what made Philly such an intriguing fit. Joel Embiid is almost 27, playing like an MVP. When engaged and in shape, he is maybe the best defensive player in the NBA — an ideal cover for Harden’s weak spots. The Harden-Embiid duo would have fit complications to work through on offense, but the Harden version of the Sixers probably has a better chance to win the 2021 title than the current one. If Houston’s ask was as big as has been speculated elsewhere, Philly can feel OK demurring. Maybe there was no price that would have made Tilman Fertitta, the Rockets’ governor, comfortable trading Harden to Daryl Morey. If Houston’s reported demands are exaggerated, the Sixers have to wonder if they haggled themselves out of a deal they should have made. (My best intel suggests Houston was at least signaling it would have taken much more than Simmons in players and picks to beat Brooklyn’s offer.)
Teams confident in their ability to contend with Harden then asked themselves whether he would rise to the occasion when it mattered — if he would commit to the grimy things that win in the playoffs. Harden’s postseason résumé is not as bad as his harshest critics conceive of it. It’s also not what you would expect from a player of his caliber. It is almost devoid of signature moments since his 3-pointer turned the 2012 Western Conference finals between the Thunder and San Antonio Spurs.
Dig deep into Harden’s postseason record and you will find a disproportionate number of his best games came with Houston down 3-0 or hopelessly overmatched — that many late-game scoring flurries came with Houston far behind in the waning seconds, and sometimes with the opponent conceding layups. You will also, somehow, find three 2-of-11 shooting performances in super-high-leverage games.
Harden redefined the boundaries of basketball in Houston. He wasn’t the most enjoyable player to watch, but the strategic implications of his game made him among the most interesting. And playing his way, the Rockets in 2018 came within a whisker of derailing the Golden State Warriors dynasty and maybe winning it all.
But they didn’t, and both the Rockets and Harden disappointed in several other postseasons — including in falling flat on their faces against the Warriors in 2019 (with Durant injured late in Game 5 and the deciding Game 6) and against the Los Angeles Lakers last season. The Nets provide his latest chance, and maybe his last, to write a meaningful postseason story.
