Following the Los Angeles Clippers loss to the Dallas Mavericks, Mavs commentator Brian Dameris eviscerated former MVP James Harden, calling him out for the way he’s handled his career as of late, as well as for turning his back on Daryl Morey, who always had his back.
Dameris stated that Harden was a problem everywhere he went. He called him out for not stepping up in the playoffs and whatnot, and he didn’t mince his words about his personality, either.
However, the former Philadelphia 76ers star claimed to be unbothered by those comments. When asked about that, he simply stated that he does a great job of shutting down the outside noise and that it doesn’t affect him at all:
“He doesn’t know me or the situation,” said James. “That would be [expletive] up if I went at him and started being disrespectful to him but I can’t. They don’t know anything. They just go off what they see on social media or hearsay. I don’t know exactly what he said, but I pay that [expletive] no mind. I do a really good job at ignoring the noise because it doesn’t affect me.”
Harden Admits He’s Not In Great Shape
Still, even Harden had to admit that he’s not playing his best basketball right now. Unsurprisingly, he blamed the lack of a training camp for his current shape, stating that he’s taking steps in the right direction to get back to his usual self:
“I keep reiterating that I didn’t have a training camp or a preseason,” Harden said after the loss to the Denver Nuggets. “Kinda learning on the fly for a new team, also getting myself into James Harden shape and game shape is very, very important. Tonight was definitely another step in the right direction, and just keep improving; I wasn’t really playing 5-on-5. These are my practices.”
Of course, Harden forgot to mention a tiny detail, which is that he didn’t have a training camp because he decided to hold out. He should’ve still worked out and stayed in shape, even if he was away from the team.
Tyronn Lue Knows It’s A Big Challenge
Harden comes with a lot of baggage. There are countless stories about his ego, and everybody has seen him burning bridges every place he’s gone. Add three more stars to the mix, and coach Tyronn Lue knows he’s in for the toughest challenge of his career:
“This is my toughest challenge as a head coach, but I’m up for the task for sure,” Lue told Bleacher Report. “The biggest thing is getting these guys to sacrifice for guys, whether that’s starting the game, finishing the game, shots, touches, who’s running pick-and-rolls, and things like that. Getting these guys to sacrifice will be the biggest challenge all season.”
At the end of the day, the Clippers’ success — or lack thereof — will most likely depend on something that has been almost impossible thus far, which is getting Harden to buy in on something that’s not about him at all.
SURVEY Will the Clippers figure things out with Harden?
Will the Clippers figure things out with Harden?
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