An Honest to God Look At James Harden and His Latest Stink Bomb

JAMES HARDEN AND HIS LATEST STINK BOMB DESERVE AN HONEST LOOK FOR HIS LEGACY

So I have to be immediately honest when it comes to talking, writing, or even thinking about James Harden; I don’t like him. Sure, I don’t know him even a French Lick. But if you know that reference, you know I have a classic, possibly even outdated bar of what I think an NBA superstar should be. And it’s not James Harden. You probably know that he has demanded a trade from the Philadelphia 76ers, away from playing more alongside the current NBA MVP, Joel Embiid. And yes, I already know that Reggie Miller already called that out. So what’s going on with this latest stink bomb that Harden has fanned across the entire league (again, or again the second again time).

EVERY STINK BOMB HARDEN HAS THROWN HAS BEEN ENTIRELY, SELFISHLY STRATEGIC

Sam Quinn over at CBS Sports wrote a pretty detailed piece, James Harden’s NBA future is growing dimmer with each day that passes without a trade to the Clippers. I don’t tend to throw kudos to many sportswriters, but Quinn fleshed out the entire scenario with details I hadn’t considered in some of the only best reporting I’ve seen on Harden this month. And from this reporting, it’s pretty conclusive that Harden knows exactly what he’s doing, and why. But this makes me like Harden even less, as I also think he’s known exactly what he’s been doing in his past trade requests, with a still growing list of victims he’s thrown under the bus.

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THAT STINK BOMB YOU SMELL IS ALL ABOUT ONE MORE NBA MONEY PAYDAY FOR JAMES HARDEN

So what is the short answer? Money, of course. Which doesn’t make Harden unique as an NBA player, in any era. But most guys who only care about the money aren’t A-list players, never mind superstars. The best players want to win. And, the best players have some notion that it’s worthwhile to place some value on their legacies. But not Harden. He literally does cartwheels to celebrate the easy money he made selling out his wine label in the Chinese market. But back to winning or, in Harden’s case, the veritable dearth thereof in the NBA postseason. Harden is not a winner, he’s a check casher. And he wants one more big paycheck in the NBA that the market doesn’t think he’s worth.

That’s it. That’s the whole thing. Sir James has a chance to win an NBA Championship this about to begin season. His best remaining chance, to boot. But he’s going to wreck another NBA team to get what he wants. Or, he’s going to wreck another NBA team and not get what he wants. It’s all the same to James Harden.