Lakers News: How Rumored James Harden Clippers Trade Could Impact West
James Harden's talents have always been evident.
Current Philadelphia 76ers executive Daryl Morey knew that from the moment he traded Jeremy Lamb, Kevin Martin and draft picks for the future MVP guard.
After several seasons riding the pine behind Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant in Oklahoma City, Thunder GM Sam Presti answered the question of whether or not his Sixth Man of the Year shooting guard was worth a max contract in the 2013 offseason.
Harden blossomed into a perennial All-Star to start his career as a Houston Rocket but the team's hire of Mike D'Antoni turned the former third overall pick out of Arizona into one of the best offensive players basketball had ever seen.
Paired with the genius mind behind Steve Nash's famed "7 Seconds or Less" offense in the early 2000s, the Beard transitioned into a point guard role where he reached a new level of dominance.
Step-back threes, fancy dribbles and strong rim pressure for both euro step layups and free throws galore propelled Harden into the 2018 MVP and multi-time scoring champion heights once thought impossible.
Critics of his game pointed to his lackluster defense and foul baiting as consistent issues, but Harden's knowledge of the rulebook played to his advantage en route to his moniker as one of the best offensive engines basketball has ever seen.
2018 was meant to be the culmination of a dominant season in Houston after they traded for disgruntled Los Angeles Clippers guard Chris Paul.
We all know the story by now.
Chris Paul's gimpy hamstring reared its ugly head.
Harden pounds the rock for far too long.
Double-digit leads were blown in games 6 and 7.
0-27 from 3 in game 7 with a chance to send the Kevin Durant Warriors home.
Unspeakable sadness deep in the heart of Texas.
As a LeBron James fan myself, I wanted to see those miracle 2018 Cavs go up against the Rockets instead.
At least that way I wouldn't have to bear witness to the most unfair team in league history win it all again at my favorite player's expense.
That night taught me, Harden and Morey what we all pretty much know.
In life, but especially in sports, you won't get what you want the large majority of the time.
2019 proved a similar story for Harden and Paul against the KD Warriors and this marked the end of their pairing as it became clear that the team was on the downturn.
Harden still proved a dominant offensive engine with new Houston teammate Russell Westbrook, but a loss in the bubble to the eventual champion Los Angeles Lakers meant time ran out on that duo as well.
This time it was Harden who grew discontent with his time in Houston after he gave everything to the city.
The Beard wanted out of the city where he burnished his Hall of Fame legacy, and got his eventual wish with a move to the Brooklyn Nets, joining old friend Kevin Durant and new dynamic scorer Kyrie Irving.
He even called the new superstar trio in Brooklyn "Scary Hours" and I specifically remember telling my friends when they paired up, 'They're gonna win at least one ring together. We might as well chalk it up.
When the trio appeared together they were every bit as scary as Harden claimed they'd be, but that was the very problem.
They never seemed to be healthy at the same time and that reared its ugly head in the 2021 playoffs.
Brooklyn dispatched the Celtics in five games for their first-round matchup, but minutes into game 1 against the Bucks for round 2, the Beard exited with a hamstring injury that he tried to play through.
Durant and Irving held down the fort for dominant game 1 and 2 wins, but a game three rock fight saw the Bucks come out on top thanks to a Jrue Holiday spin layup with seconds remaining.
Game 4 marked a significant turning point in the series as the Nets didn't just lose the game but they lost Irving to a significant ankle sprain that some fans still aren't over to this day.
An inspired game 5 comeback from Harden propelled a 17-point comeback at Barclays Center from Jeff Green and Durant's near 50-ball performance for the 3-2 lead.
This would unfortunately be as good as it'd get as Harden struggled in games 6 and 7 on the significantly strained hamstring and the Nets dropped the easiest chance to a ring they might ever get.
Chemistry issues in 2022 from Irving's vaccine stance and more injuries wound up destroying the Nets from within and Harden simply had enough.
Another trade request hit his employer at the time and Morey, now in the 76ers front office, welcomed back his proverbial prodigal son for fellow disgruntled Philadelphia superstar and playoff underachiever Ben Simmons.
Harden now paired with MVP favorite Joel Embiid? We all thought their pick-and-roll partnership would look like Kobe and Shaq for their respective dominance.
We should've seen it coming at this point.
Some players rise to the occasion relative to expectations when the lights get brightest.
Hell, the Lakers just saw one of the best examples in recent memory of this phenomenon after Jamal Murray carved them up en route to his first ring with the Denver Nuggets despite never being an All-Star.
Harden, time and time again, hasn't proven to be that guy.
For as dominant as he'd been in the regular season, both of his postseason exits with the 76ers wound up failing spectacularly.
The Beard's hamstring strain sapped his quickness and driving ability and it's clear as day that he isn't the same player he was in Houston.
Once playoff defenses figured out the 76ers pick and roll offense the curtains started to fall.
Two shots in the second half of the clinching game 6 for Miami in 2022 and seven points in last year's second-round flameout to the Celtics showed us exactly who James Harden is.
A great regular-season player, a Hall of Famer and one of the best players of his generation.
All of this is true. But along with those great labels come some ugly ones in recent years.
Playoff choker, diva, toxic and now? Possibly the most volatile asset in the NBA.
I don't care if he stays put in Philadelphia or if he eventually gets the trade he's desired all summer to the Clippers.
He's still a great ball handler and passer, two things the Clippers desperately need after four years of their futility due to injury and lack of a tertiary creator behind Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.
But for all the basketball talk, the Xs and Os, or what have you there is one simple question I have to ask.
At this point in his career, do people really see James Harden as THE guy on a championship contender?
He couldn't do it in Houston so he joined the Nets for some help as the third option and primary point guard behind other superstars.
The toxic culture there prevented arguably his best chance at a championship so he split before the eventual implosion led him, Irving and Durant onto other teams within a year of each other.
Now he's calling his general manager a liar in front of excited campers and in clubs before the season.
Sure he's at training camp, but all reports indicate he's there to cause a scene and force his way to LA one way or another.
I'm tired of the saga. I'm tired of the drama. And most of all, I'm tired of pretending like James Harden will move the needle.
Durant's new team in Phoenix alongside with Devin Booker and Bradley Beal would be better than the Clippers with Harden.
The Lakers' new bunch of their previous playoff roster and other free-agent depth would be better than the Clippers with Harden.
Nikola Jokic spearheads the defending champions who have arguably the best starting lineup in basketball and also would be better than the Clippers with Harden.
At some point we just have to be honest with ourselves.
James Harden is on the wrong side of 30. His defense won't get better. And as the past two years have shown, neither will his playoff performance.
Show me all the 45 point performances you want against Boston.
Hit that clutch three to tie the series in the corner deep into overtime of game 4.
Cross up that unsuspecting defender and show me those glimpses of the player I despised for saying my favorite player was 7 feet tall and unskilled.
The fact of the matter remains.
You, James Harden, no matter where you are next year either in Philly, LA or some other place you'll eventually leave to ring chance are not the man anymore.
No matter where you cry your way to in the near or distant future, it sure takes more skill to fool and tease us fans with your greatness year in and year out than to win a championship.
Just ask Adam Morrison.
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