James Harden was as marketed in his introductory information convention with the Los Angeles Clippers.
Three days after the long-awaited commerce that introduced him over from the Philadelphia 76ers, the previous MVP spoke to the media in regards to the circumstances that led to his commerce demand and what he hopes for transferring ahead. As many might guess, he had rather a lot to say in regards to the management in Philly.
After calling himself “very elite as a person” whereas additionally being nice in a staff setting, Harden laid into the Sixers entrance workplace, saying he surrender $26 million to play for the staff and deliberate to retire there till they modified their minds, saying “they did not need me.”
The breakdown in Harden’s relationship with Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey dominated protection of his calls for to depart the staff, most notably when he took a microphone in China and pronounced “Daryl Morey is a liar.” One other report Wednesday indicated Harden by no means plans to talk to him once more.
Harden ratcheted up the rhetoric even additional Thursday, describing his time on the Sixers as “being on a leash.”
“Philly [was] simply altering my position understanding I can provide extra, understanding I can do extra, however if you’d like me to be sincere, it is like being on a leash. Like, me understanding, to ensure that us to get the place we need to get to, I used to be going to must be taking part in my finest offensively whether or not it is facilitating and scoring the basketball, and Joel as properly. I by no means actually had that chance. I believe all that performs into the place I’m at present.”
It is easy to mock that quote given how Harden led the NBA in assists final season and was very a lot a part of the Sixers’ offense, however he additionally posted his lowest utilization price since 2012 (little doubt because of the presence of league MVP Joel Embiid).
When requested to broaden on the leash line, Harden indicated it was extra about speaking together with his coach than precise utilization on the courtroom, whereas additionally dropping probably the most circulated quote of the day:
“After I’m in a leash, I am not which means shoot the basketball each time. I meant like, I believe the sport and I am a creator on the courtroom, so if I’ve received a voice to the place I can [say] ‘Hey coach, I see this, what you consider this?’ then it is all OK. Somebody that trusts me or believes in me and understands me that I am not a system participant, I’m a system.
“Any individual that may have that dialogue with me, and perceive and transfer ahead and determine and make changes on the fly all through the course of video games, that is all I actually care about. It is not about me scoring the basketball, I’ve executed that already.”
Harden would not be the primary particular person to criticize former Sixers coach Doc Rivers’ in-game changes.
Naturally, the “I am not a system participant, I’m a system” wound up being probably the most viral second of the convention, as many individuals prepared to color Harden because the ball-dominant staff disruptor seized on it as proof he hadn’t modified. Which, perhaps he hasn’t, however the response certain appeared to vindicate an earlier pronouncement from Harden: “You are all the time going to take one thing out of what I say and make it into a special story.”
As for when Harden will really take the courtroom with the Clippers, he stated he’ll observe Friday and plans to debut Monday in a street recreation towards the New York Knicks, per The Athletic’s Legislation Murray.
