Something about January seems to always bring out the craziest moments for the Houston Rockets. In 2019, James Harden hit a buzzer-beater over a pair of Warriors amidst a 32-game 30-point streak. In 2020, Houston traded their center to go full six-sevens-or-less small-ball. 2021? James Harden said the Rockets “just aren’t good enough… I love this city. I literally have done everything I can.” He was traded less than 24-hours later. This year?
January 1st, after ending the first quarter up by a point, Houston went to halftime down by 22 to the Denver Nuggets. On TV, the Rockets were back at the bench just moments before the third quarter started. Kevin Porter Jr. was reportedly not returning and in the back mending his leg contusion. Later Christian Wood was reported to be done because he was managing an injury. Houston went on to lose by 23, and there were some classic “work hard” moments afterward. Silas admitted there was tension in the locker room at halftime. Josh Christopher stayed late getting up shots. Felt like another tough loss.
Then reports and leaks began flying. Wood apparently refused to go back in during the second half, after missing the start for a Covid protocol violation. Kevin Porter Jr. left the building at halftime. Both had their effort called out by revered assistant coach John Lucas at halftime and in the verbal altercation, it was leaked that KPJ threw something at the coach.
Just another January for the Houston Rockets.
Differentiating Kevin Porter Jr. and Christian Wood
Throwing things, leaving, and refusing to play are all unacceptable. It’s safe to say the Houston Rockets should punish both Kevin Porter Jr. and Christian Wood. Amidst COVID protocols and mid-season injuries, having either suspended hurts them and the team. And it should. But that does not mean the players, or their actions, are the same.
Kevin Porter Jr. is a 21-year-old kid. He has had a number of incidents and outbursts, including an eerily similar incident days before being traded to Houston from Cleveland. But Porter Jr.’s troubled early life, in conjunction with his youth, serve as reasons to remain optimistic. Reports from The Athletic’s Kelly Iko indicate Porter Jr. decided to leave the arena after being told he would not re-enter the game, and that he was apologetic and had reached out to the team. There’s a decent chance that, had Porter Jr. stayed at Toyota Center, anger and emotions could have boiled out and onto everyone’s television sets. Instead? He left, cooled off, and will miss the Philadelphia game because of the ensuing suspension.
But Wood? Wood’s punishment (not starting) was a minimal punishment for missing a COVID test and showing up late to shoot-around. His play off of the bench? In just over eight minutes, Wood went 0-4, was uninterested in defense, and a -17. While stats aren’t everything, his atrocious line might have been better than his score on the eye test. Wood was understandably benched, then pouted and played poorly. And when his poor play was called out by Lucas? Reports are he refused to go back in the game after an emotional halftime conversation.
Simply put, that is unacceptable.
What’s Next?
Wood did not ask to be the best player and leader of the Houston Rockets. He signed on to be a great third-fiddle to two MVP-caliber guards. While Jalen Green is grabbing the torch and running with it. Christian Wood was bound to get traded. He has a year and a half left on his contract, and before this incident, his value was at an all-time high. When he is engaged and wants to be on the floor, Wood has demonstrated his ability as a three-level roller to be a viable threat as a screener. He is a long defender and, while he isn’t Dikembe Mutumbo, can help defend the rim. Truthfully he could be a great complementary player for a very good team, as he signed up for when he came to Houston.
What’s next for Christian Wood, after serving his suspension, is undoubtedly to be traded. While his refusal to play wasn’t supposed to be public, it is also not his first tantrum as a Rocket. Earlier this season, Wood visibly refused to shoot for half of a basketball game. There are indications his desire to be a Power Forward is what led to 20+ games of “two-big” lineups, even though it was to the detriment of the guard development. And while no one has clearly been pointed to as the “leak” from this incident, does anyone benefit from the Porter Jr. portion more than Wood?
Best Case Scenario?
The best case for the Houston Rockets is to find a good return on Christian Wood, who lost a lot of value as an asset over the weekend. Truthfully, the type of team that could use Wood would have to be a contender, or a near contender, and it’s hard to find which of those would offer the best package.
Some fans want to see Houston send Wood out for big-time hauls. But it’s unlikely Wood could yield multiple players and picks before quitting on the Rockets mid-game, much less after it.
Realistically, Houston could move Wood to a team like the Lakers for a return like Talen Horton-Tucker (who has seen his own value drop this year), and a second-round pick. Maybe the Rockets can swap him instate for Dwight Powell and the first-round pick from Dallas. Houston could even reach out for Jalen Smith in Phoenix if Phoenix was willing to shake up their team’s current chemistry.
To keep fans in check… Wood is not a player who can bring in multiple young prospects and picks. Houston’s not going to pull in a Jonathan Kuminga, James Wiseman, and two pick offer for Wood, even with Eric Gordon thrown in, out of the likes of Golden State.
Realistically, Wood is maybe the best player on the team with the worst win/loss record in the NBA. Additionally, he missed nearly half of last year in his first real season as a starter and has had a number of issues with the coaching staff in Houston this season. Sure, he’s frustrated by the losing. Yes, his $28 Million over the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons is team-friendly for a guy who can get a double-double, but is that worth the headache to a contender?
Time will tell, but hard to imagine Wood lasts the next 40 days on the Houston Rockets. In Monday’s report from Adrian Wojnarowski and Tim MacMahon, Houston’s younger players also saw through Wood’s act, and apparently called him out as a leader. Hard to imagine Wood can be that “veteran” when he has less than 200 NBA games (and less than 90 starts) to his name and has the younger players questioning him.
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