This is the most illogical, insecure basketball analysis I've ever heard in my life. The guy who has the influence and poor decision making to bring this franchise down should stay because OP is desperate. 1) He didn't fire McHale. Perhaps he wanted McHale fired and told management, but he literally did not fire McHale. 2) If he is so chaotic, why on earth would we want him to stay long term? 3) Being confident about the partnership with Howard is not a mistake, it's a rare slice of confident leadership from Harden which didn't pan out. It was still the RIGHT thing to do to say that he and Howard are the most critical to the team's success. 4) Who the F makes decisions in their life this way? "Oh I screwed up so I'm going to waste the prime years of my basketball life chained to the franchise out of sympathy."
Harden needs to take the next step in the evolution of his game. He has all the tools: ball handling, shooting, strength, vision, post-up potential... Offensively, the next step is an unstoppable go-to move. All the greats became great once they established a go-to move and a simple counter to it...Jordan's fadeaway and Hakeem's dreamshake for example. This simplifies defensive reads and requires zero collaboration from the referees. Simplifying the offense allows for better conservation of energy. Both Jordan and Hakeem were the focal points on offense yet had the energy to exert defensive pressure as well. If Harden can take this next step, then of course, his age and utilization of talent is something to hold on to. If he has already reached his peak, then the price point IMO is not worth it.
If this team continues to put mediocre talent and coaching around him he will leave. This offseason coaching hire will determine a lot.
