The Rockets Are Thriving And John Wall Is Already Taking Shots At James Harden

Carmen Mandato. Getty Images.

You may not have noticed, but things are looking pretty damn good for the Houston Rockets right now. While some thought the James Harden trade may have been the start of a downturn for the Rockets, it's basically been the exact opposite since they shipped him to Brooklyn. 

They've currently won 4 straight, have the #1 defense in the entire NBA since the trade, and John Wall is looking like the All Star player he was before he got hurt. They are banging on the door at the moment of being in the play in game. Just look at what he did last night

There's a good chance we're seeing a bit of the Ewing Theory at play here. Now with new life, the Rockets look entirely different and John Wall was not shy about the reason why in his postgame comments where he basically shit all over James Harden

That's not an accident. John Wall isn't scared of James Harden and isn't afraid to call him out for all the bullshit he caused. Just listen to Victor Oladipo talk about this team now

It's crazy what can happen when a team is made up of guys who all buy in and want to go to war together. You add that mentality to a breakout year from Christain Wood, John Wall and Oladipo looking as healthy as they have in years, and then solid vets like PJ Tucker/Gordon/Boogie etc, there's no reason to think the Rockets can't stay competitive in a playoff race. Sure they might not be able to win the whole thing, but this is not a team that has to blow it up because their season went into the shitter after trading their franchise guy.

For me, I'm just happy that Wall has returned to form because when he's healthy he's so damn fun to watch. He might be back to being one of the fastest dudes in the league which is insane given his injuries. Whenever someone has that type of injury luck, I'll always root for them. It's almost as if the Basketball Gods are blessing Wall and Oladipo after everything they went through. 

Meanwhile, you have James Harden talking about how he didn't exactly love how he was used in Houston

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Buddy…that role IS WHAT YOU WANTED. The franchise literally catered to your every desire in terms of their style of play. It didn't have to be like that in Houston, but it's what HE demanded at the time. If he told the Rockets he wanted a role more like what he has in Brooklyn, guess what they would have done? Found a way to make that work.

But hey, this looks like one of those rare trades where everyone involved looks to be happy with how it played out. The Cavs have their future center, the Pacers got a great wing option in Caris LeVert, Harden got to form his superteam and the Rockets are playing the best basketball of their entire season.

Can't say I saw that coming.