James Harden has once again found himself in the spotlight. After a recent game against the Mavericks, James Harden was publicly called out by Mavs announcer Brian Dameris. Dameris, during his rant, pointed out a variety of reasons as to why James Harden is in deep trouble. On top of the list was James’s behavior towards his ex-general manager, Daryl Morey. Dameris said,
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“I get on my knees every night and pray for someone to believe in me like Daryl Morey believed in you. You wanted a certain coach they bought in Mike D’Antoni. You wanted to play a certain style they played it.”
Not only this, Dameris also points out how many star players such as Dwight Howard, Chris Paul, and Russell Westbrook were brought in to help James win in Houston. But like Dameris pointed out, it was never enough for James. Harden would proceed to take his talents to the Nets and play alongside Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant.
This episode would have a nightmarish ending as well, as Harden proceeded to ask out after only one year. Another reason Dameris called Harden out was for his performance with the ’76ers. After his stint with the Nets, Harden jumped ship to join the process, alongside Joel Embiid. But after a disastrous performance against the Celtics, Harden was already being called out. Dameris further said,
“You said ‘They [The Philadelphia 76ers] didn’t hand me the reigns’. You are the point guard, you are holding the reigns, and what did you do when you had them? You scored nine points in game seven against Boston. You blew a 3-2 series lead.”
Dameris would finally end his rant on the point of Harden’s future. The Mavs announcer pointed out how no one wanted Harden anymore. Not only that, but that the Clippers might be all that Harden has left.
Once Dameris was done with his monologue, the wheels of Reddit basketball started moving. A post by a Reddit user pointed to the fact that Harden has never missed the playoffs. The post read, “James “the problem” Harden has never missed the playoffs in his NBA career. He has the longest active streak in the league.”
The comments section of the post was full of mixed reactions. A pressing point that came up in many comments was the fact that Harden always vanished when it mattered the most. Harden’s poor playoff performance is something that has always haunted the ‘Beard’. It looks like unless Harden doesn’t figure it out quickly with the Clippers, he might struggle to land another starting job.
Kendrick Perkins doesn’t believe in James Harden
Dameris wasn’t the only media personnel to take shots at James Harden. During a recent episode of First Take, Kendrick went off on James Harden after the Clippers suffered back-to-back losses. Calling out Harden, Perkins said “I don’t believe Harden cares if he’s going to be a hero again! I don’t care if he gives a damn about being vilified.”
But this wasn’t all. The 2008 NBA champ also pointed out Harden’s hypocrisy. Big Perk pointed out how Harden always talks about winning but never does anything to back it up. Bringing up James’s past in Philadelphia, Perkins said,
“James Harden just lied throughout that whole interview. Talk about all he do is care about winning. Because if you did, you would have stayed with Philadelphia. Because you and Joel Embiid are the perfect fit.”
These observations from Perkins sure are interesting. Harden undoubtedly has played the system to his benefit, and now might be in some trouble. With many big players’ contracts expiring on the Clippers next summer, it would be interesting to see how seriously Harden takes his chance with the Clippers.
