Former ESPN host Rachel Nichols and former Los Angeles Clippers star DeMarcus Cousins recently started off their new show Bully Ball. While talking about all that’s happening around the league, the conversation eventually drifted toward LA, where James Harden recently joined the star-studded roster of the Clippers. Harden has raised eyebrows around the league for his antics throughout this summer. In the wake of the Beard’s new journey, Cousins gave his two cents on James Harden’s stint in LA.
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After causing drama with the 76ers, Harden hopes to finally contest for a ring after years of jumping from team to team. But according to analysts league-wide, the 34-year-old might have a problem sharing the ball with the other ball-dominant players on the Clippers team, like Russell Westbrook.
During the show, Rachel Nichols asked Boogie Cousins for his views on the team, “How do you think Harden is going to fit in with Russ, with PG and with Kawhi? ”
In response, Cousins said, “You can look at it from two perspectives. Obviously, there is one basketball, there’s four guys that all enjoy shooting the basketball. But you also have to look at the intangibles of each player. Knowing that this team is built around Kawhi and PG, those are going to be your main two guys scoring the ball.”
He also pointed out, “Adding two playmakers, obviously in Russ last year and James this year, I think it could be a recipe that could work and it also could be a one that can be a complete disaster. I do have confidence in Ty Lue and making this thing work…There are a lot of things in the air for the Clippers this season, I think three of the guy’s contracts are up at the end of the season. So this is almost like a do-or-die type situation.”
A factor that is often stressed while analysing the Clippers is that they have veteran Coach Ty Lue on their side. Coach Lue has a reputation for running a tight ship league-wide. Not only did Lue lead a Cavs team back from a 3-1 deficit in the 2016 Finals, but unlike many other coaches in the NBA, he knows how to deal with multiple stars on the team. Playing team basketball is the only way to win, and Harden has to move on from his ball-dominant days at Houston to being more a part of a well-defined system.
Somebody has to sacrifice minutes for the tandem to work. It will be interesting to see how these stars adjust to fit into their roles for a common goal. Paul George has already claimed that he is willing to give up the playmaker role in order to focus on defense and rebounding. Now the onus is on Coach Lue to create a strategy that optimizes the strengths of these aging stars.
The star wings of LA haven’t reached a deal yet
For the Clippers, the problem doesn’t just end with James Harden. The problem only seems to begin from there. The other star players such as Paul George, Russel Westbrook and Kawhi Leonard aren’t without their faults. Kawhi and George are nearing the end of their primes in many people’s eyes and haven’t had a lot of playing time in the last few years.
The Clippers have traded away their future for the present and next summer they have a decision to make. As Cousins pointed out before, two of the stars on the team are on expiring contracts and might walk out next year. Whether the Clippers resign them may depend on the outcome of this season.
In the case of Paul George, he has made it clear that a possible Re-signing is still on the table. Yet both parties haven’t seen eye to eye yet. Talking more on the subject, PG told the media during an interview, “It’s active but both sides have to be on the same page and that’s just what we’re trying to figure out.”
Paul George says he and the Clippers are active in extension talks.
“It’s active, but both sides have to be on the same page and that’s just what we’re trying to figure out.”
— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) October 4, 2023
Kawhi was later interviewed and the star forward was singing a slightly different tune than George. Replying to questions about PG’s interview, Kawhi clarified, “We’re good. I mean, I came here back in ’19 to be a Clipper. So me and the front office is good……I don’t know what PG said about us and the front office, but as far as the relationship between us and the front office, it’s been good. ”
So, from the looks of it, it seems that the Clippers’ top brass are being conservative about extending the contracts of their star duo of Kawhi and PG. Having already spent hundreds of millions of dollars on the team, Steve Balmer and the top brass would now be looking towards their star stars to get them silverware. It’s not all that impossible, as Kawhi has done way more with way less.
