McMahon spoke to former Rockette staffers.

And look, none of this is a big shock, right?

A former Rockets assistant coach that have heart and quote.

We knew who the boss of the organization.

Waas.

That's just part of the deal was when you go to Houston, the players, coaches, GM owner all know the same assistant.

Also said Quote, I don't blame James.

I blame the organization.

It's not his fault.

He did what they allowed him to do.

A member of last season's coaching staff added this.

If they have multiple days off, everybody knows James is gonna fly somewhere else and party.

But he's then going to come back and have a 50 point triple double, so they're okay with it.

Perk.

We know superstars in this league granted a certain amount of leeway, but how much is too much for an organization to allow?

Well, here's the thing.

Rachel is that James Harden has grown last time I checked.

He's a grown man.

So just because they gave him, you know, those type of superstar privileges that don't mean it was the Rockets fault.

This is done all around the league with superstars get privileges.

It's James fault that he abuses the privileges and goes above and beyond.

What was the Rockets supposed to do?

Find them?

Suspend him?

He's the he's the He's the guy that's been leading the league in scoring for the last three years of M v P Candidate, a guy who's almost was almost close toe averaging a triple double.

James Harden.

I mean, what do on ownership?

All the front office is supposed to tell James, don't do this.

We're gonna find you, and he's coming back and delivering on the court.

James has to be the blame for this perk.

You played on a lot of different teams with a lot of different stars, is what James Harden was asking for that much different than what other stars around the league get away with on a regular basis.

Well, im repeat your question again.

Nick, I'm sorry is what Harden was asking for.

What he was doing in Houston is that that much different than what all kinds of stars around the league do on a regular basis.

No, it's not that much difference.

I know a lot of stars that asks for, you know, certain players or ex for certain demands in the organization right now.

We just started offshoring.

Kawai Limit.

Last time I checked, he's taking a helicopter, the San Diego Every day after practice.

He's like 15 planes, so I mean, it comes with being $100 million player.

I think that's the key, though, and you said it earlier perk.

It's what you do with those privileges, right?

Because it is a back and forth.

And by the way, James Harden is far from the first person to be in this situation.

Let's go back to the Jordan rules and Michael Jordan, right?

Or on this show.

When Grant Hill came on with Tracy McGrady and had to inform him of the dinner he had been at with Tim Duncan and Doc Rivers when they were both playing in Orlando, where Tim asked if his fiancee, now wife, could come on the team plane and Doc trying to hold the line on special privileges said no.

And Tim Duncan didn't end up in Orlando with those guys, and T, Mac and Grant were just out of their head years later that it didn't happen.

They were like, Let her on the damn plane.

So obviously, we have seen this for decades.

The issue, though, is what you do with those superstar privileges and how each player who gets them uses his judgment on whether it hurts or helps the team.

And by the way, it's a sliding scale, and and there's a lot of wiggle room there.

But a great example in Tim MacMahon story was Russell Westbrook, who had those same exact privileges right in Oklahoma City.

That entire organization was built around him.

But being built around rust means that you were built around his need for everything to be organized, everything to be on time.

Russ loves things a very particular certain, steady way.

So that was actually good for the organization that they built that around his schedule.

Well, he then got to Houston, and it was the opposite with James Harden and Tim MacMahon details the late planes, late practices.

And that was one of the reasons that Russ wanted a trait.

So it is a sliding scale.

It happens in every every team across the years.

But it didn't work out in Houston, and they are bearing the fruit of that now.

Alright, guys, before we go to break, I do want to take a quick second to mention that.

Today, the MBA Foundation announced a total of $2 million in inaugural grants that will drive economic empowerment in black communities through employment and career advancement.

Seven organizations INCL including this great program, the Knowledge House, have been selected as the recipients of the first grants from the foundation, Kudos to the foundation and a very important step toward equality.

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