James harden stats vs rockets1/21/2024 ![]() ![]() He's clearly no longer the explosive athlete he once was. ![]() He and the organization as a whole agreed that such a deal could not be offered. Morey wanted Harden back, but not on a four-year, max deal, according to people familiar with the Sixers' thinking. Not long after, the Sixers were eliminated in the second round of the playoffs by the Boston Celtics, with Harden shooting just 7-for-27 and scoring just 22 points combined in Games 6 and 7, both losses. According to people familiar with Udoka's thinking, he was not a fan of Harden's then, and so his hiring removed Houston from the board. Udoka was an assistant with the Nets when Harden was in Brooklyn. That meant there'd be at least two bidders fighting over Harden's services, a market which, he assumed, would lead to a big new contract.įirst, in late April, the Rockets hired Ime Udoka as their next head coach. Not only was he playing great, but his former team, the Rockets, would be entering the 2023 offseason with an abundance of cap space, a mandate from ownership to make the leap from tanking team to competing one - and they were open to a Harden reunion. He even bought his center a Rolex as a congratulatory gift.Ī post shared by Philadelphia 76ers looked like Harden was in line to cash in as a free agent. "He was thrilled when Embiid won MVP," someone close to Harden said. He became a potent pick-and-roll partner with Joel Embiid. ![]() There wouldn't be a paper trail.įor much of the last season, it looked like it wouldn't matter. Then again, as rivals agents and executives across the NBA have pointed out in interviews throughout the year, if such a conversation did take place, it would be in-person or over the phone. The Sixers, as you'd expect, insist that no such guarantee was ever made the NBA investigated that allegation last offseason and found no proof of an under-the-table handshake. Was there some sort of side deal made? It was assumed by many throughout the NBA that, in exchange for the pay cut, Morey promised Harden he'd take care of him the following offseason. And if something went wrong - Harden was coming off yet another poor playoff performance - the player option, and the insurance it provided, carried some value. If he played well, he could sign another, more lucrative extension the following offseason with the Sixers. He then signed a new two-year, $68.6 million deal, with that second year also an option. Harden declined his $47.4 million player option. Tucker, who not only boasted some tools the Sixers lacked but also happened to be one of Harden's closest friends. Some of that additional salary space was used to sign P.J. Harden and the Sixers agreed he would take a nearly $15 million pay cut for the benefit of the team. The seeds of the breakup were planted last offseason. Because the reality is the very traits which allowed their partnership to thrive were always destined to one day drive them apart. And while there's plenty of blame to go around, the true answer is there is no one to blame. FOX Sports spoke to nearly a dozen NBA sources connected to Harden, Morey, the Sixers and the Rockets and, as you can imagine, everyone has a different take on how we got here.Įach side has an agenda, each corner will tell you why it's the other corner's fault. How could things between the most inextricably linked player-GM combo in recent NBA history have soured so quickly? It wasn't even two years ago that Morey, having completed a trade with the Brooklyn Nets, was greeting Harden at the Philadelphia airport with a smile and a hug.ĭifferent people on different sides have different answers to this question. On Monday, in protest of the Sixers not trading him, Harden no-showed the team's media day. Then, later in the summer, Harden torched his relationship with Morey by publicly describing his former partner as "a liar." First came the shocking news in late June that Harden was done with the 76ers and demanding a trade. Together, they changed the very nature of the sport.Īfter a summer punctuated by a public falling out, that relationship is now broken. Together, they've built some of the game's most successful teams. Because you can't tell the story of James Harden without Daryl Morey the same way you can't tell the story of Daryl Morey without James Harden. And, honestly, they should be enshrined together. Both will likely one day have their names enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame. The two spent eight seasons together in Houston and then another two in Philadelphia. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply.AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |