NFL
By: Mark T. Wilson
The Philadelphia 76ers vs James Harden saga catching headlines around the NBA. Harden wants out and has gone as far as calling GM Daryl Morey a liar. But it’s not Morey who’s really to blame here. That falls on the Houston Rockets.
It was reported as far back as last season that Harden was thinking about giving the Rockets a second chance. Many around the league and outside the NBA thought this was a head-scratcher. Why would Harden go back to Houston when it’s clear they’re in a rebuilding stage?
But now, you look at the moves on the chessboard and one has to think if it was Harden himself or someone in his camp who leaked that information. That could have been done to get Morey to offer Harden a long-term deal. And from what we see, it didn’t work in Harden’s favor. He played a game of chicken and lost.
As for the Houston Rockets, they did give James Harden a second look and instead went with Dillion Brooks and Fred VanVleet. That left Harden out in the cold and since then, he’s requested that the 76ers trade him.
But his trade value is not what it was a few years back. Many believe he’s not worth the $36M he opted in for this offseason and while he has a final destination of the Los Angeles Clippers, they’re not even offering a substantial return for the former MVP. So, instead of taking it all in, Harden has decided to rage war on Morey, the 76ers, and his current teammates. Not a smart move.
The Houston Rockets Didn’t Want James Harden
For the last 2 seasons, this has been the norm for Harden. He gets upset and wants out. And yet, the finger-pointing is in the detection of Morey when it should be in the direction of James Harden. He wanted the Rockets but they did not want him. He wanted to get paid a max deal but no one wants to pay him that. This is his fault.
We love to see players get paid but it’s heartbreaking to watch them throw temper tantrums. He said Morey lied and we all speculated that Morey told him he would sign him to a long-term deal and did not. When the truth was, he was angry that Morey said he would trade him quickly.
Harden wants to be moved and he doesn’t care what that does to the Philadelphia 76ers. But you can’t trade a player with his skill set just for anyone. There needs to be some type of return.
His ego has to be bruised at this point and like a little kid, all he knows to do is lash out. He’s playing with the reigning MVP and was ready to give that up to return to Houston. Or, he was ready to take his chances with the Clippers for a team with two stars who can’t stay healthy? Something else is going on here.
Are we led to believe that James Harden doesn’t care about winning championships anymore? Was that ever his goal? From the talk, there is no drama between him and any other players on the 76ers.
Just a few weeks ago all was well. Despite his playoff failures (including last season), he was all smiles in the Philly uniform. But now, things have taken a fast turn for the worse. All this started with the Houston Rockets and their decision to leave Harden hanging. When one of the worse teams in the league hears that you want to come there and they turn and look the other way, that says more about your character than what you can do on the court.
