3 Questions We Can’t Believe We’re Asking from NBA Playoffs’ 1st Round

One thing up front: These are not special-edition NBA playoff hot takes. Think of them more like the questions that, if answered a certain way, could produce hot-take answers.

There’s a subtle difference.

If you’re as sharp as Chuck Klosterman, you can parlay them into a whole bunch of great essays and an upcoming book called But What If We’re Wrong?. If you’re a deliberately incendiary rabble-rouser, Fox Sports will pay you more than $5 million a year to shout and preen and furrow your brow in performative consternation.

The point is, you can get pretty far trafficking in hot takes if you do it intelligently enough or commit to the bit with sufficient soullessness.

How hot your takes are on the following “somebody had to ask” questions is up to you. I’m just here to get you thinking.

1. Is James Harden a Bigger Problem Than Dwight Howard in Houston?

If you leave enough teams on bad terms, it might be time to look inward. But for Dwight Howard, who can become a free agent this summer and who has the power to exit the Houston Rockets with nearly as much disappointment and ignominy as he did when he jetted from the Orlando Magic and Los Angeles Lakers, maybe there’s something else at work.

Maybe this is a James Harden problem.

At least as far as the Rockets are concerned, Harden profiles as the more practically significant problem. He followed up a second-place finish in last year’s MVP voting by coming to camp out of shape, rarely defending and offering very little in the leadership department.

It’s entirely possible this is all Howard’s fault, but with D12 primed to walk away via an opt-out clause, Harden is the more permanent worry.

This is some big-picture, team-construction thinking, but if this is the version of Harden that Houston can expect going forward, it’s in trouble. Harden has evolved into the type of player that absolutely has to be the focal point of his team. He’s great when dominating the ball, and with better shooters around him, the Rockets could field a dominant offense. But when the guy who must be the alpha isn’t fully equipped to handle all alpha duties (leading by example, commitment to conditioning, caring about defense), you might have a sub-contending ceiling on your team.

Harden could certainly grow. A season like this one might spur change.

It better.

“Our team was just not strong enough mentally to get through those adversities and learn,” Jason Terry said Wednesday after the Golden State Warriors eliminated the Rockets, per Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com. “A lesson for [Harden] as a star of a team, you have to deal with certain issues and still be able to be mentally tough to …

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