James Harden often waits till the spring to fade. Everytime you want him most, he’s gone. In a tense sequence recreation, you may all the time rely on Harden bouncing when the going will get powerful.
After saying the appropriate issues final week, Harden failed to point out up for a number of practices, together with Wednesday and Monday’s preseason contest. I might fake to be shocked, however that is par for the course. All offseason he’s gaslit everybody who’d hear about how he wound up on this predicament. Philadelphia has one of many worst monitor data relating to preserving stars joyful. Nonetheless, Harden is egocentric.
Final season was freed from damaging vitality. He shaped an superior 1-2 punch with Joel Embiid and led the league in assists per night time. I’ve solely seen one participant of his caliber in a contract yr ask off of a contending staff. That may be Kyrie Irving, six months in the past. That’s not so nice firm to be included amongst. Reportedly, Harden discovered this type of habits unsettling from Irving.
Self-awareness has by no means been The Beards’ robust go well with.
Harden is doing his finest to match Irving’s all-time low 2021-22 season. His habits since opting into the contract that Morey offered is equally as mystifying. He’s been melodramatic concerning the circumstances surrounding his one-sided falling out with Morey and waited till he was in China to denounce Morey, which was lowkey despicable, contemplating China’s stance in direction of him.
“This isn’t even about this example — that is in life,” Harded bemoaned final week. “Whenever you lose belief in somebody, it’s like a wedding … you lose belief in somebody, you realize what I imply? It’s fairly easy.”
It’s disgusting how a lot mental dishonesty is baked into Harden. It doesn’t even get individuals upset anymore. His insolence is what we’ve come to count on. He talks about belief as if he isn’t the one who’s been asking out since his final no-show within the Japanese Convention semifinals. Belief is a two-way avenue. Within the offseason, Harden lamented the dearth of communication between him and the entrance workplace after the Sixers had been eradicated in seven video games. However it was his resolution to opt-in as a result of he believed he might use and manipulate Morey. When that didn’t earth, he went scorched earth. Morey even jettisoned the coach Harden scapegoated.
James Harden is the toughest workin’ man in basketball relating to discovering methods to hardly work. Chris Paul held him accountable, so he wished him gone. Brooklyn wanted him to play a bigger function whereas Irving was boycotting COVID vaccines throughout a lethal pandemic. Now that Philadelphia wants him to step up in a contract, Harden needs out. At the least Irving had an oddball constituency for his inane beliefs. Who’s rooting Harden on? Clipper Darrell?
In the end, no matter cause Harden makes use of to justify vanishing for a preseason recreation and a number of practices might be a farce, however unprofessionalism is what you come to count on from Harden. The query that ought to have Philadelphia nervous is whether or not he has sufficient delight in his legacy to play properly for a staff he doesn’t respect and enhance his commerce inventory as soon as the common season ideas off. In the end, Harden is making it much more tough for the franchise that does purchase him to entrust him with a multi-year deal.
On one hand, Harden cares sufficient about his paper to keep away from incomes fines and shedding recreation checks. There are a litany of Houston-area dancers he might placed on scholarship with that cash. Alternatively, he’s a self-sabotaging nimrod. Reportedly, Harden is huddled down in Houston, which is the place he spent all final season hinting he’d quite be than Philly – two years after he demanded a commerce out of Houston.
It’s truthfully stunning that Harden needs a long-term deal contemplating how shortly he sours on each jersey he wears. If he does get what he needs in a commerce to the Clippers, and asks for an extension on the eve of Clippers transfer into their model new stadium, Steve Ballmer will rue the day he gave assured cash to Harden as a result of it gained’t be lengthy till he’s demanding they commerce him to the Lakers or again to Brooklyn.
Comply with DJ Dunson on X: @cerebralsportex
