Houston Rockets star James Harden and first-year head coach Steven Silas had their first interaction on Wednesday after Harden reported to camp.

They said hello. Or at least, Silas did.

Tim MacMahon of ESPN reported Silas did not have any interaction with Harden prior to “The Beard” reporting to camp on Tuesday. They came together for the very briefest of interactions on Wednesday, per MacMahon:

During his holdout, Harden and Silas did not have any communication. They had a brief interaction Wednesday, according to Silas.

“I said hello to him,” Silas said.

Silas has been put in a very tough spot.

Harden has given no indication he has moved off his desire to be traded, and he spent the past weekend in Las Vegas rather than reporting on Sunday. It had also been reported “The Beard” wanted the Rockets to hire Tyronn Lue or John Lucas as head coach, driving another potential wedge between coach and player.

Silas grew rather tired of answering questions regarding Harden's whereabouts this weekend. He acknowledged there was no timetable for Harden's arrival, saying his absence was a “setback.”

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It is only logical for Silas to feel this way. He has less than two weeks to install an offense and get the Rockets ready for the regular season. That is pretty hard to accomplish when the team's most important player is missing in action.

Having said that, Silas' ability to relate to Harden will play a vital role in the former MVP's future with the franchise.

Perhaps Houston's new head coach can help convince Harden he is the right man to take the Rockets to the next level. Indeed, Silas has already said the organization is far from a rebuild.