The Houston Rockets have been through a lot of changes as of late. With the recent departure of head coach Kevin McHale, the James Harden squad is still reeling over the snap decisions. While the move was pegged as inevitable by some sports analysts, it looks like the NBA team still has some issues to work on outside of the coaching staff. That is, the players remain to be under pressure to prove that they remain in the running as NBA champs.

One of the most widely talked about performance this NBA regular season is that of Harden's scoring. As the runner-up MVP in the past year, some fans of the star even went as far as saying that the Houston Rockets player deserved the award more than Stephen Curry did. In fact, even Harden himself echoed the sentiment regarding his superior status over the Golden State Warriors star. With his recent performance, however, followers of the MVP runner-up are now questioning the veracity of the earlier statements.

"We're all frustrated, but the confidence is still there," Harden said, referring to the share of losses incurred by the Houston Rockets this NBA season, according to ESPN. He added, "I think we're getting a lot of open shots that we normally make, and they're not falling. It's putting a lot more pressure on our defense, and we got to continue to take those shots."

While Harden attempts to rally the Houston Rockets stars back into bringing their A-game to the hardwood court, the rumor mill continues non-stop churning stories linking the NBA team's losses to Khloe Kardashian. It is no secret that the Keeping Up With The Kardashians star is romantically linked with Harden. However, speculations are rife that the lovebirds may have been dealing with a rough patch lately.

The hospitalization of former Los Angeles Clippers star Lamar Odom is said to be taking a toll on the Harden-Kardashian romance. Sources are claiming that Kardashian has been spending too much time with her estranged husband - a move that undoubtedly bothers Harden. Consequently, the performance of the Houston Rockets star is reportedly affected negatively.

"James knows Khloe has to be by Lamar's bedside," said a source to Hollywood Life. The insider added, "He doesn't want to be selfish, but he wants her to leave his bedside and sit courtside at his games. Khloe's his biggest cheerleader and he needs her now big time because his game is off."

The source further claimed, "He's been playing miserable ball during the start of this season and the fans, even the ones at home, are letting him have it, and it's not pretty. He's in a funk right now. He's not in the groove of things. After a shitty day at work, all he wants to do is go home to Khloe so she can help cheer him up. But instead, he goes to a hotel room alone. He's missing her big time now, and his basketball game reflects that."

While the absence of Kardashian in Harden's games could be a factor in the poor performance of the Houston Rockets as of late, General Manager Daryl Morey shrugs off the said rumors. He said via the Real GM, "One reason people love playing for the Rockets is we worry about what's on the floor. I don't talk to him about his personal life. (But) I don't think that's a factor at all.