Rockets' Harden says he and Howard are franchise 'cornerstones,' Parsons responds

Tap here to access our NBA Tracker, which includes offseason rumors, trades and signings.

Dwight Howard had a mouthful of words last week about the Houston Rockets, noting the departure of Chandler Parsons wouldn't affect the team at all.

From the Philippines, teammate James Harden is getting in on the action, reiterating that the team will be just fine with only its cornerstones.

Not surprisingly, he feels those cornerstones are he and Howard, as told to The Philippine Star:

As for the Rockets’ future, Harden said he’s not worried that Jeremy Lin has left for the Los Angeles Lakers and Chandler Parsons for the Dallas Mavericks. “Dwight (Howard) and I are the cornerstones of the Rockets,” said Harden. “The rest of the guys are role players or pieces that complete our team. We’ve lost some pieces and added some pieces. I think we’ll be fine next season.”

And though Parsons dismissed Howard's comments on Wednesday, he wasn't so forgiving with Harden.

In a Thursday interview with Big Sports 920's Jay Mohr, the new Dallas Maverick responded, again, to a former teammate's slight of everyone else.

"It's a pretty ridiculous statement if he meant it," Parsons said. "I'm excited to go to Dallas. I'm ready for my next step, a bigger role. If anybody should understand, it's James, since he was in the same situation in Oklahoma City, and then he got the chance to come to Houston and shine."

And if this isn't enough evidence of a plot to Mean Girls 3, Parsons added a subtweet.