bwahaha There was a time Harden was great. I enjoyed watching him and routing for him. He was pretty much done after that GS series. It was clear then that he shriveled up in the biggest of moments and would never be the guy to lead you to a championship. He may still get one but he won’t be THE guy. It’s clearly evident he’s a malcontent who still thinks of himself as the guy that got to that GS series. Glad that chapter is over and so thankful Udoka said NO to bringing him back. The Clips forum should be good this year once he starts his antics.
Harden gave us the last real good year he had left. He got us a truckload of draft picks. He gave us a decade of relevancy. He couldn't get it done. Neither did Yao. Neither did T-Mac. Neither did Stevie. Is what it is. Still love the guy and how much he loves/reps this city.
This part of the quote is exactly how I felt... ...You wanted Dwight Howard, they brought him in and got rid of him when you were tired of him. You wanted Chris Paul, they brought him in and got rid of him when you were tired of him. They brought in your old friend Russell Westbrook. You want to go to Vegas on off days? They looked away. You wanted the team to stay over so you could go out at night, they changed the schedule—and it didn’t work....Listen James, have you ever had those friends who had bad roommates? Over and over they complained about their bad roommates: “this guy’s terrible,” “the bad roommate here,” they never thought to be self aware enough that THEY’RE the bad roommate! They’re the problem! Hey James, YOU’RE the PROBLEM!
James Harden provided the Rockets the best years of his career. It was a heck of a ride. The whole NBA hated his style and we reveled as the wins stacked up! Don’t let the disdain the national media have for Harden dictate the excellent player that Harden is. My all time Rockets first team would definitely have Harden on it. The man was a machine, unfortunately he got hate everywhere but Houston. I think he may have thought he was hated because of where he played instead of how he played. However, it’s obvious Harden took for granted how Houston fans and the Rockets organization appreciated him. Which is why I think Harden forced himself to the New York scene; then onto the 76’ers, after he was no longer being prioritized, he thought Morey had been his benefactor. Until he realized Morey always saw him like an asset just like he saw everyone else; it’s apparent that Embiid stole Morey’s heart. As soon as Harden realized that, he wanted out! So Harden realized, going back to Houston would be an option; until the new coach said a resounding “NO” on Harden! Harden has perhaps 3 or 4 years; but the Rockets core can be good for the next 12 if handled right. I am happy the Harden iso experience happened. If not for the blatant interference from the referee’s the plan would have succeeded. It exposed a lot to be exploited in the NBA game, and forced rules where there were none previously. Almost sound like the end of a Scooby Doo episode; “if not for you meddling kids I’d of gotten away with it!!!”
Imo the difference between James and whoever else is in the rockets top 5 players of all time is that James didnt maximize his talent. He became tunnel visioned and took advantage of his status of being a franchise player. He became uncoachable and developed a "I am the system" attitude. He is a great talent, but he was lazy and never looked in the mirror so that he could reach that next level to become a champion. All world talent with a sixth man attitude. He told us early on he thought he was just gonna be in okc and be their sixth man forever. Just lets you know he never developed a mindset of being THAT guy and once it was thrust upon him the bright lights took control. It was all about swag and looking good and putting up numbers. Great for regular season wins, but its no wonder he had so many ugly playoff moments. He wasnt built for it.
Don't know about that last line there. I never heard that part either. I just cut out the part about all his "friends" he recruited, then didn't work well with, and my comment was about that part.
