James Harden on Kevin McHale: "He's a clown. He never taught me anything"

Horry got 7 of them

Rocket River

 

weird previous year was 41 wins all by himself, did Harden take magic pills that made him single highhandedly win 14 more times, or is it because he had better team mates like 6th man of the year Gordon and coach of the year.

 

I didn't think McHale was a bad coach in 2015. I still don't.

That said, D'Antoni is clearly much better.

 

I agree, and that was the way it was reported.

Also, Howard was not happy with McHale, either. People forget, Howard was on that team coming off WCF glory. It was only 11 games in, and Howard wanted change moreso than Harden.

 

I think if McHale comes out and says . . apologize it was a bad joke. . . . then I will believe him.
If he comes back swinging then I will think it was intentional and mean spirited

Rocket River

 

Harden gets far far too much crap

He is the best player in this town since Hakeem . . BAR NONE!
I was not sure when he came but HE MADE ME A BELIEVER!!


Rocket River

 

#1 this isn't the first time McHale has taken a swipe at Harden, this is at least the third time he has come out unprovoked and attacked Harden. He said Harden wouldn't be able to play the point, he was wrong and had ample opportunities to either apologize or say nothing. Instead he tripled down.
#2 if you think McHale said what he said to light a fire under Harden's butt, you haven't been paying attention.
#3 he didn't need to respond to it? He didn't the first time or the second time. By the third time, if he wants the respect of his teammates he needs to respond. A leader eventually stands up for himself. That is exactly what James has done.
#4 who cares what the media thinks, Harden is concerned what those in his locker room have to say.
#5 please tell me what McHale taught Harden? McHale was not a hands on head coach, he deferred to his assistants to coach and design plays. His job was to oversee his assistants and keep all the players on the same page.
#6 McHale was honest? I don't know if he was honest, but what I do know is that McHale was bitter and vindictive.

 

it's easier to game plan versus 1 superstar in a 7 game series. obviously the playoffs are a different animal and would tire you out a lot quicker.

 

McHale was a terrible coach and Harden is not a leader, so they are both right about each other. Nothing to see here!

 

Disappointed that Harden didn't take the high road. McHale was wrong for what he said publically, regardless if it's true or not, but Harden shouldn't have fallen into the trap of continuing the public bashing which is what the media wants. This is just national drama that the Rockets don't need.

 

BTW
What DEFENSIVE JUGGERNAUT was in the locker room that HAD THE RIGHT to comment on James' Defensive abilities?
The *ONLY* one that I would respect would be ARIZA. And Trevor is not that dude. Trevor does not seem to the type to shake heads he's the type to say SHUT UP JAMES!!! But they respect each other too much for all that.

DWIGHT maybe but I would think it was more him being a diva goofball than anything

Rocket River

 

Just wish this wasn't in national sports news.

 

Harden is so ungrateful. Who else taught him to "Play Harder!" and "Clap, Clap, Clap"?

 

I'm glad Harden said something. I fully agree that praising me while here and dogging me while gone is weak, especially when you divulge locker room info. Harden typically is the bigger man and has been for years, as he receives tons of criticism (lots earned). Being the bigger man doesn't equate to always eating **** though. Nothing wrong with defending yourself.

 

Exactly. You can say, "Harden would be more of a leader by example- Paul is more of a vocal leader." And you can even make the point like Paul Pierce did- your best player doesn't have to be your vocal leader. Ask LeBron, Wade, and Bosh- they all said that the most respected player on that team was James Jones. When Jones spoke, everybody listened.

And you remember those pep talks before games- it was Cassell, or Smith, or Maxwell. Hakeem was more of a leader by example.

Again, if you're McHale, you take the high road. Harden was not the one who said anything negative about McHale- this is on KMH.

 

I read the title and thought OP was trolling. Harden is known for playing it safe, protecting his image and his bag. He must've really not liked McHale.

 

McHale had his strengths and weaknesses, but was a clear liability in the playoffs.

 

Which is worse? Being called a clown by Harden or being called by LeBron a bum?

 

McHale's a blabbermouth. Think back to his postgame press conferences. Even in his short interviews with Doris Burke between quarters, he was the opposite of Popovich, yapping too much. He's always had a thin line between what he's thinking and what comes out of his mouth. It's not that he's mean. It's that he's undiplomatic. Probably a great guy to have a beer with, but you wouldn't want to confide in him.