3 Crucial lessons the current front office must learn from James Harden Rockets

Some say that an NBA team is only as good as their general manager. If that's true, we think the Houston Rockets are in good hands. 

They've been in good hands for some time. Rafael Stone has done a fine job of building this team from the ground up. His predecessor, Daryl Morey, engineered some of the best teams in Rockets history. Under his watch, the Rockets came as close to winning an NBA title as they have since the 90s. 

That's not to say Morey didn't make mistakes. He did. If he's astute, Rafael Stone can learn from them. 

Here are 3 lessons we hope he'll learn from the James Harden era. 

1. Empower your stars with caution 

This is the player empowerment era of the NBA - and rightfully so. Your best player is the most important person in your organization. Why wouldn't they be treated accordingly? 

On the other hand, nobody should be above the team. That's how it felt during the James Harden era. It was Harden's team, and everyone else was lucky to be there. 

That led to a carousel of supporting stars. Harden and Dwight Howard seemed to be at odds, so Howard was sent out. Chris Paul came in, and Harden grew tired of him. That led to the Rockets regrettably bringing in Russell Westbrook. More on that later: 

Much more, in fact. 

Whoever emerges as the Rockets' franchise player should receive the star player treatment. They shouldn't be given the keys to the Toyota Center. The Rockets should instil a culture where the name on the front of the jersey is always more important than the name on the back.