The problem with Harden is a unique, albeit familiar one...

I remember back when I was in high school my best friend had HBO. My dad was a preacher and we only did basic TV because he wanted to shelter me from the sex and violence of what made premium cable popular. I’d sneak to my friend’s house and watch all that it had available, but nothing really moved me like a Mike Tyson fight. We’d sit in awe and watch “Iron Mike” hit opponent after opponent with one thunderous blow after another until the fight’s inevitable resolution. Although we were in awe of his raw power we remained confused by the negative commentary. Analyst after analyst would criticize his technique, introduce the word “brawler” into every ringside conversation and engage in what felt like excuses for him doing what boxers should do...win.


Several years after that, a young Venus Williams began to grace the tennis spotlight, an aristocratic sport that had never seen the likes of her power, speed and beads. I remember rushing back to my hotel room after a gig to watch her play their darling, Martina Hingis. To the naked eye they were playing the same game, but the more Venus dominated, the more the establishment commentators would critique her. They nitpicked everything. Her style, her lack of grace, her technique and the fact that her training wasn’t conventional — although she was doing what tennis players were supposed to do...win.


Experts have a hard time adjusting to things they’ve never seen. It undermines their expertise and convolutes their sense of history. They fight to marginalize what doesn’t make sense to them and would rather criticize what they’ve never seen other than accept the fact that they’re witnessing a shift in the foundation of sport. That’s the problem with James Harden.


Harden is an athlete without a template. There is no schematic to what he does and no present history to compare him to. He is better than basic analysis and more productive than their status quo. He’s the Einstein of Naismith’s game and the Paul Bunyan of future generations. How dare he score points at will and render the best point guard of this generation a mere sidekick. How does he Baryshnikov his way to “and 1’s” merely seconds after the threat of his pretentious step back three point jumper? It’s illegal! It’s cheating! It’s Heresy!! He’ll never win a championship accumulating points!


The problem with James Harden is that nobody has ever seen it. He’s the most polarizing figure in the sport and a blind spot for basketball purists. Funny, because he’s doing exactly what basketball players are supposed to do...win.