James Harden was forced to leave during their preseason match with the Orland Magic and the word out right now is that the Rockets star guard has suffered a minor bruise knee.
Harden collided with Magic player Evan Fournier during a fastbreak in the first half of the game and ended up limping off the court. Harden never returned, ending the night with 12 points.
The injury is not seen to be a major problem that the Houston Rockets have to be worried about though the Rockets could end up resting him or use him sparingly to ensure that the bearded one is good to go by the time his team opens its 2015-16 campaign against the Denver Nuggets on October 28.
Harden has had a busy offseason, signing that record deal with Adidas and of course being spotted around with Khloe Kardashian. Moreover, Harden was in the headlines recently, letting out a rant that he should be last season’s Most Valuable Player.
While he did clarify that he doesn’t have anything against Steph Curry for winning the award, he believes that the fact he carried the Rockets for most parts of the NBA season and onto the playoffs were enough to prove that he was the league’s best player last season.
Now, he is setting his sights to prove that once again as he and the Rockets try to survive a pretty gritty Western Conference that ironically includes the team of the player who deprived him of the MVP award – the Golden State Warriors.
Aside from the Warriors, there are the San Antonio Spurs, Los Angeles Clippers and Memphis Grizzlies to deal with as well.
The Rockets are looking to blast off well this season, addressing their loophole in the point guard position last year. With Ty Lawson on board, Kevin McHale is looking forward to a better season with the lacking positions they had last year amply filled.
The health of Dwight Howard will of course be critical as well. Just a couple of days ago, Howard revealed that he was playing through pain last season (MCL and torn Meniscus) injury.
Though the 6-foot-11 center did not undergo surgery, the Rockets are expected to keep a close eye on his condition and likely manage his minutes to make sure that his knee issues won’t get aggravated.
Could the Rockets overcome the other powerhouses of the West and make it all the way to the NBA Finals?
Apparently, this is what the Rockets and the other Western Conference team hopefuls are targeting.