James Harden is a deeply unserious franchise cornerstone. However, within the midst of a pivotal, legacy-defining season for his profession, Harden could also be eyeing a return in free company to the Rockets franchise he pressured his approach out of two years in the past, based on a report from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Harden wanting out at this explicit time is surprising, to say the least. Harden signed a prove-it two-year, $68.6 million contract with Philadelphia within the offseason that features a participant choice for subsequent season. Thus far, issues are going properly. Philadelphia has received 11 of its final 14 video games since Thanksgiving. Just final week, he tallied a franchise-record 21 assists and is on observe to be named to his eleventh consecutive All-Star group. Meanwhile, Joel Embiid continues to be peaking. Surely, Harden would have shot down this Woj Bomb posthaste on Christmas Day. Instead, he supplied up a traditional non-denial.
“I’m here, we’re playing very well,” Harden stated after Philadelphia’s 119-112 victory towards the Knicks. “I don’t know where the report came from, but I’m excited to be here, we’re playing well and we’re continuing to get better.”
Harden’s eyes have at all times been larger than his abdomen. In Oklahoma City he had group success however longed to be the main star elsewhere. For practically a decade in Houston, he registered absurd numbers, however clashed with friends who may have helped him hoist a Larry O’Brien Trophy. He talked his approach out of Brooklyn the place he, Kevin Durant, and Kyrie Irving got here inches away from knocking off the eventual champs in a Game 7.
He’s nonetheless in an excellent place to compete for rings with Philly, however he’s by no means appeared overly involved with championship pursuits. If he’s sending hints that he’s seeking to rejoin one of many NBA’s youngest groups, then it might seem he’s all however dropping by the wayside on a title.
He may have entertained a transfer to Sacramento or Atlanta or Los Angeles to hitch the Lakers, however Harden has tried pairing up along with his friends earlier than. He’s not constructed for that form of accountability. His low effort when confronted with adversity and slothful play are the largest pockmark on a playmaking savant who’s immensely gifted, however unable to entry the additional degree of effort megastars discover within the postseason.
He could also be making the calculation {that a} younger squad with its prime contributors all on rookie contracts off the subsequent two years wouldn’t be so squeamish about paying him $50 million a season.
A return to Houston just like the one LeBron had in Cleveland after Kyrie Irving, and Andrew Wiggins had been drafted first total by the Cavs is the dream. Or he believes he could be the elixir that Chris Paul has been to the Phoenix Suns. James Harden will not be that dude.
Anytime Harden faces greater requirements, he both chases his companions away or jumps ship. The grass is at all times greener on the opposite aspect. But Harden is delusional if he thinks he’s what Houston’s junior Rockets want proper now. At 34, Philly wouldn’t even decide to a long-term supermax deal because of Harden’s underwhelming play and poor conditioning throughout his first half season as a Sixer.
Another knock towards the chances of a Houston reunion is that it’s solely been two years since he reported to coaching camp packing on extra further weight than Black Santa and relatively than giving it his all whereas a commerce was negotiated, performed lifeless on the ground till a deal was finalized.
Nevermind that he’d be a redundancy. Eight of the Rockets 9 prime gamers in minutes logged are 22 or youthful. Jalen Green, Jabari Smith, Kevin Porter Jr., and Alperen Şengün don’t want the unhealthy habits Harden would ingrain into their formative basketball minds. At 10-23, the Rockets possess the NBA’s second-worst successful share, which additionally places them in place to share the most effective odds for the highest decide within the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes with Detroit and Charlotte.
Playing with Harden has by no means been an pleasurable expertise. His final 5 years in Houston, his groups had been the exact opposite of Golden State’s platonic thought offense that created open pictures by sharing the ball. Instead, they had been final in participant motion from 2016 via 2021, based on Second Spectrum, whereas Harden typically dribbled out the clock establishing his personal playmaking alternatives. Paying Harden to develop outdated, ornery, and lackadaisical on a burgeoning Rockets roster is a idiot’s errand.
Discussion about this post