James Harden is on a run that puts him in a class that when the roll is called, only Wilt Chamberlain can also say "here."

The Rockets are in the thick of a tight playoff race.

Chris Paul is expected back at the end of the week, either Friday against the Raptors or Sunday against the Magic.

There has been a Kenneth Faried signing, a deal on a Carmelo Anthony trade, the issues with the NBA trade approval process being on hold until normal business hours.

Yet, the return of Danuel House Jr. to the G League steals the attention.

So for this week's mailbag, we dig into the House situation.

As always, thanks for the questions. They can be sent to my email, jonathan.feigen@chron.com. Please put mailbag in the subject line. Or send them to my Twitter account, @Jonathan_Feigen with the hashtag #askfeigen

Q: I don't fully understand House's situation. Is he still able to work out a deal with the #Rockets or can he only play in G league now? Is he a restricted free agent at the end of the season? — Andre

Q: Daniel House Jr. is clearly what Houston Rockets need, yes it's a business but damn man this man could have been added need for Championship. We are really in trouble. — Robert

Q: What was the problem with the Rockets offer to D House? What is the minimum (for) this player. I assume his agent was using leverage for more $$$$ — J Hill

Q: Are there any chances for the Rockets and House to renew negotiations? — Louie

Q: Any update on Danuel House's status? — Ashton

A: Man, as much as the Rockets might miss Danuel House, Jr. they cannot as much as his fan club.

That's entirely understandable. It is difficult to believe it would really come to this. So, hoping that it is OK that I lumped the questions together, I'll attempt to make sense of the decisions he and the Rockets made and of their trial separation.

To back up a bit, he was on a two-way contract but ran out of NBA service days. He is still on that contract, does not take one of the 15 roster spots, but can only play in the G League. No one else can sign him as long as he remains under contract with the Rockets/Vipers.

The Rockets wanted to sign him to a standard NBA contract and offered three seasons with partial guarantees. He did not go for that so they made it fully guaranteed, $4.2 million over three years.

He wanted only to have his contract converted to a standard deal for the rest of this season to become a restricted free agent this summer or if he would sign for three seasons, to get all the mid-level exception money the Rockets have left. The Rockets would not go for that and did not want to sign a player they consider a developmental player only to have him potentially leave when he develops.

That brings us to the frustration many feel while the Rockets make do without a player that undeniably helps.

House's decision is beyond curious. The Suns let him walk after last season. No one offered a guaranteed contract. The Warriors cut him. The Rockets put him on waivers last month and no one picked him up. He played well for a month. He is an NBA talent. But general managers are slow to change their minds about their evaluations of players. He is gambling that they will.

It has been said that he is betting on himself. But there are two problems with that.

One, he is actually betting on someone else giving him a chance. Betting on himself would imply he is proving himself on the floor, but he has proved all he can in the G League already.

Second, he already bet on himself and he won. He got the deal, a $4.2 million guaranteed contract. That's not bad for a guy that began the season in the G League and went unclaimed on waivers. And when that deal, playing for a contender in his hometown with teammates (James Harden, Chris Paul) that help him succeed, he would still be young enough to get the mid-level money he by then would have convinced GMs to spend on him.

As for the Rockets, their position about a developmental player is understandable – in normal circumstances. These are not normal circumstances.

It could work out. Paul will return. He, Harden, Eric Gordon and Austin Rivers will take up most of the minutes at the point and wings. James Ennis III will fill in a bit. The trade deadline could bring more changes. But House is missed.

Things could work out for House, too. He might have insisted on becoming a free agent because his agent has reason to believe someone will guarantee more than the Rockets were. Sometimes gambles pay off. There does not, however, seem to be much chance either side budges, with the Rockets already giving in by guaranteeing all three seasons and House insisting on only one.

For now, the Rockets' loss is the Vipers' gain (once House gets over the corn on his foot that kept him out.) He seems likely to be back in the NBA next season. He will remain a restricted free agent, giving the Rockets the right to match the offers he gets. But both sides seem to need each other.

And as always, as the House questions this week indicates, in a breakup, it's toughest on the kids.

Q: I'm scared that Harden would be exhausted by the end of the season with this rhythm of work, do you think it's worth playing at 150% of effort if it means running out of gas in the playoffs?( especially with Harden past playoffs exhaustion)? — Ryan

A: I tend to think the playoff exhaustion thing is overrated. He has had some lousy games at the end of series, most notably against the Spurs and Warriors. But I tend to think he could have played 30 minutes all season and taken days off along the way and still struggled late in the series.

Harden has often begun playoff series better than he finishes it, indicating that the goal should be making the Rockets more balanced in the post-season than they often have been. That does not mean they should run him into the ground along the way. But it is still January. They need to get healthy, cut back on his minutes and the load on his shoulders and find a way to be their best in April and beyond.

They also would not get to the postseason if he does not carry them until they are at their best. If resting Harden was the top priority, the Rockets could give him plenty of rest now, and then be sure he will rest when the playoffs begin without them.

Q: Any chance Rox makes a play for (Kent) Bazemore? Is (Dewayne) Dedmon out of the question now due to Manimal signing?

A: Dedmon looks like a good fit, but with Kenneth Faried on board, the Rockets seem like they will be in good shape at center once Clint Capela returns. If things work out, that will only be three games after the trade deadline.

The price for Dedmon would seem too high given the limited minutes he would get with Capela, Faried and Nene on the roster.

The same could be true of Bazemore. The Rockets would not want that salary on the books next season unless they could move contracts they are set to being into next season, also. It would seem the Hawks would want a considerable sweetener in that sort of deal. A lousy Rockets second-round pick would not seem to be the best they could do and a first-round pick might be too much for a team that already has Paul, Harden, Gordon and Rivers to spend.

Q: What do the Rockets think of Bruno Caboclo's development in the RGV? Is he close/ready to be on an NBA roster? — Sam

A: Caboclo had a nice season with the Vipers. He could be ready in the right circumstances. The Grizzlies will give him a look in a 10-day contract. Just to clarify the rules, though he was with the Rockets' affiliate, he was not under contract with the Rockets or on their roster.

Man, it's got to be tough to be a G League coach. But at least Joseph Blair gets Danuel House back.