Skip Bayless went on a tirade on Halloween while addressing the recently concluded James Harden trade between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Los Angeles Clippers. After a prolonged period of drama throughout the summer, Harden was finally traded to the Clippers by the Sixers’ front office in a deal that involved six more players, multiple draft picks, and a 2029 pick swap. However, Bayless seemed fixated on Harden’s move to Los Angeles during his rant on FS1’s UNDISPUTED, describing the deal to be the “worst nightmare” for the Clippers.
Advertisement
The veteran sports analyst further went on to make other ominous predictions, which included forecasting Harden’s departure from the Clippers in the near future. In fact, Bayless couldn’t see any way how head coach Ty Lue could salvage the ‘dysfunctional’ roster the LA side has assembled to compete in a stacked Western Conference.
“The Clippers just fell into the worst nightmare they have ever been in…He [James Harden] has quit his way out of three teams and I do not doubt that at some point fairly soon, he’ll wanna quit his way even out of his home town here in Los Angeles,” Bayless said, during his rant. “So you’re combining lethally the highest turnovers with the worst three-point shooter [talking about Russell Westbrook] and a James Harden who’ll disappear in big moments worse than anybody we have ever seen…It will not work. It will be an unmitigated disaster,” the 71-year-old added.
“I do not doubt that at some point very soon he will quit his way out of his home town.”
@RealSkipBayless reacts to the Sixers sending James Harden to the Clippers pic.twitter.com/fc5v0WyEDD— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) October 31, 2023
Bayless pointed out that Harden is in his fourth team in less than two years of basketball. So, there’s no guarantee that he’ll stay committed to the Clips if things start to go awry. In addition, the veteran FS1 host also had a problem with the LA side’s backcourt, which now has the two players with the most turnovers in the last seven seasons combined. To conclude his tirade, Bayless predicted nothing but a trainwreck for the Clippers this season despite a healthy Kawhi Leonard and Paul George duo ready to take over the action.
The Clippers chances this season after adding James Harden
The Clippers are certainly the dark horses in the West this season. Kawhi Leonard and Paul George are still two of the best two-way players in the NBA. They are elite perimeter defenders, who can score at will. Leonard can shoot the lights out from mid-range, while giving the opposition a tough time on the defensive end of the floor. On the other hand, PG’s three-point shooting is quite underrated in the league.
However, Bayless’ concerns are very legitimate. Harden’s commitment to his team has been an issue for a long time. In addition, there’s no denying that his performance during crunch time in crucial postseason games have been quite underwhelming. Therefore, the Clippers would have to figure out a way to utilize him effectively in the playoffs if they are looking to make a Championship run this year.
Moreover, Russell Westbrook’s poor shooting form is past laughs and giggles by now. It is difficult for a backcourt player to thrive in the modern NBA without a decent jump shot. Therefore, it will be interesting to see how Ty Lue uses him this season.
