Harden would easily have gotten more than $18M a year on his next deal if he had decided to just opt-in. If it was just about money, he would have opted in and then tried to get a contract next summer. This is a wink-wink deal where he's clearly helping the Sixers roster improve but also I have no doubt he has an agreement with Morey that if he balls out he's getting a max extension next summer.
He was slowing to a crawl at the end of last year and can’t jump over a basketball much less finish with one in traffic. I liked the guy’s talent but Father Time is at his doorstep and putting in overtime. No one is giving that guy a superstar deal.
Could also be the hamstring injury he's had to deal with. A lot of people are going to look like fools after this season. Just like with CP. People don't learn. Go straight to bring washed.
I don't disagree with this. My only concern is will James Harden be as motivated as Chris Paul. If he is, we will see a similar story. If not, he will be a strip club legend.
Do you really think it's that easy to commit to a lifestyle change like CP3 did? Especially for a guy like Harden who loves to indulge in life's luxuries?
Lol. People act like Harden doesn't live to ball. This last off season was one of the 1st ones where he couldn't ball. All he was doing was rehabbing his hamstring. He said it and his trainer said it. Harden doesn't have to be a God damn vegan like Chris Paul did. The guy was in MVP form prior to his injury in Brooklyn. He looks to be in great shape already and seems quicker in his videos I've seen.
There's a difference between loving basketball and being willing to commit to the conditioning necessary to excel at basketball. With every passing year since 2015, Harden has gotten thicker. He doesn't have to go vegan, but he'll need to commit a lifestyle change. I don't care what Harden and his trainer said. It's lip service. It might've been the hamstring, but if it wasn't, that means he's washed up. So obviously, they'd blame the hamstring.
I don't think a person who is washed is capable of averaging 22/10/8 in the NBA. We've seen washed players before and they don't even sniff those numbers.
Even if his hamstring is 100% and he manages to shed a couple pounds ultimately it won’t matter. He’ll always be a turnover merchant and a very poor decision maker especially when it matters.
Lowe and McMahon were hinting yesterday that, with Harden's player option for 23, and the Rockets having the ability to add one Max and one near-Max deal next offseason - the door is not closed to a Harden return, way sooner than anyone expected. Don't know about the basketball fit, not sure if I'd do it - but It would be worth it simply to watch @Asian Sensation and @wekko368 's heads physically explode like in an 80's movie.
His absolute best and prime years here wasn’t good enough but we gonna pay a 34 year old James Harden a Max or anything near a Max deal to play with a bunch of kids around 22? Brilliant! You know it’s a terrible basketball fit and you ARE sure you wouldn’t do it.
au contraire....he needs to go carnivore...would become a lot leaner and be much more resilient to injuries....
In Philly he was great in the regular season. Over 20 a game with a near triple double on 60% TS, >3:1 Assist:TO. There is no world where that production isn’t viewed as excellent. Far, far, far from “washed” consideration. What he was in the playoffs was pretty awful and more resembled a “washed” player. Just my guess. He has another productive, efficient regular season and if healthy has a better showing in the playoffs. Kinda hard to be that bad again. Won’t matter what he does if Embiid isn’t healthy and the depth they have added doesn’t pan out.
Well this turned out to be dead wrong.... Instead Harden clearly is betting on himself and expecting to have a big bounce season after a fully healthy offseason because he signed for 2 years with a player option clearly giving up what could've been more guaranteed money down the line.
