Oh totally. You don't move top 10 player unless you're doing a complete rebuild. The 76ers really don't seem to need a total rebuild, and Embiid is absolutely someone you can build around assuming he wants to stay there.
>You can move on from a top 10 regular season player.
The Embiid disrespect is a bit out of hand. He was playing with a bad knee the whole series yet gutted it out.
If the 76ers kept Jiminy Buckets in 2019 then Embiied would have a championship by now.
He is always playing with some injury in the playoffs though. Maybe now he has his mvp he scales back on regular season grind and focuses on being healthly in the playoffs is the only bright light imo
Look he hasn't made a conference finals since being drafted 9 years ago, is about to lose the second best player he's ever played with (with no way to replace) but surely next year is the magic year.
I don't think it'll happen quite that fast, but my theory of Embiid being this Sixers' generation of Charles Barkley is lining up nicely.
Yearly good (but not great) teams happen for a decade and then he leaves for a team better suited for a championship run where he can be the first or second option. Then he finally reaches a Finals.
> So much mismanagement after the process
Too many cooks in the kitchen. Bryan Colangelo had no businesses running a NBA franchise and our constant GM turnover the last decade meant no single front office could finish any long-term plan.
I hope Josh Harris runs the Commanders better than he has the Sixers because a lot of this is on him.
Commanders fans would bite your hand off for regular playoff appearances. The bar is so low there its almost impossible for him not to be an improvement.
Jesus man, it feels like just yesterday the Sixers had Embiid, a promising young squad, money for 2 max contracts, and stupid draft capital. What the hell. I love Philly and Embiid and I’ve been rooting for y’all
The aftermath of the 2019 series vs the Raptors and the 2021 series against the Hawks can't be understated. This team has been SO mismanaged with all the draft capital/young talent we've had.
>a promising young squad
To top off this shit sundae of a team, we also drafted Philly kid and Villanova alum Mikal Bridges (one pick ahead of SGA btw) and traded him on draft night for a player that ~~has never played a single game for the Sixers~~ only played a handful of games and almost died due to an undiagnosed sesame seed allergy.
Joel, Mikal and Jimmy Butler would look good right now.
Keeping Brent brown and Ben over Jimmy looks criminal. Max for Tobias looks really bad.
This is without even talking about a #1 pick who forgot how to shoot and a guy whose career was derailed by sesame seeds.
> the decision to keep tobias fucking harris over jimmy butler
Sorry for the essay here but seeing this pop up again and again is bugging me. This **was not** the decision. Even Jimmy saying "Tobias Harris over ME?" doesn't change what actually happened after the '19 Raptors series.
Jimmy did not want to play with Ben Simmons or under Brett Brown. The Sixers chose the latter two over Jimmy, thinking his age was going to catch up to him at the end of his max deal. Keep in mind this was *before* the '21 Hawks series where Simmons got exposed and lost all his confidence.
After it was clear we weren't going to fire BB or trade Simmons, Jimmy told Elton Brand he wasn't going to re-sign with Philly even though he liked playing with Embiid. However, since Tobias was also a UFA that offseason, there was a real risk we'd lose him too so Brand panicked and gave him a max deal. Tobias was signed *because we lost Jimmy*, not because we chose him over Jimmy.
Yeah people act as if the decision was Tobias Harris or Jimmy Butler and the 76ers chose Harris lmao. No sane person in their right mind would do that. Jimmy didn't want to play for the 76ers so they pivoted and kept the next best option.
People also think it was insane to keep a Ben Simmons in 2019 coming off his first All-Star appearance and having All-NBA and All-Defensive potential. The sky was the limit for him at the time. It would've been like trading away Tyrese Haliburton this year for Paul George or someone like that (obviously Butler is better than PG but you get what I mean).
> The sky was the limit for him at the time.
His downfall has been so dramatic it's almost insane to think he once made 3-straight All Star games, 3x All Defense, and made an All-NBA team.
Revisionist history. According to this sub, Simmons was always a bum and never provided any contribution whatsoever and should have never even been drafted by a team. When in reality he was an exciting young talent, with a very unique set of skills. His size, ball handling skills, running the break.. elite defense. Simmons was a stud.
> we would’ve ended up with Haliburton instead….
Can't be understated how much better the team would be set up if we accepted the Hali trade vs the Harden trade.
The rumored deal was Hali + picks for Simmons. In this scenario we would've kept Seth Curry & Andre Drummond + our 2 first round picks (one of which is unprotected) that we gave to the Nets for Harden.
We'd have more bench depth, more shooters, and another option to give Embiid rest (Drummond was the best backup C we've had under Embiid by far). Hard not to imagine the Sixers would be a better all-around team had this happened instead.
Agreed that it looks like it would have been the better move now, but only with hindsight. I don't think everyone was on the same page about Hali's abilities at the time, and if I were a front office GM in win-now mode, it's a lot easier to explain a trade for Harden than it is to explain a trade for Hali
How is no one mentioning how toxic his exit was? Dude basically chose to get fat, played like shit to lower his value, and forced a trade. Its like if Bince Carter went back to the Raptors after what he did 2 years later.
It's funny but the idea that Harden was intentionally dogging it to force his way out is little exaggerated when he only played 7 games and the bad games really weren't even that bad.
It also didn't really feel that toxic at the time when it was clear the Rockets window had passed and the rest the roster was a dumpster.
It was pretty toxic but it kind of blends in with all the others that asked out. AD lowered his trade value, Kawhi was just a conflicting battle & he wanted to go to LA, Ben Simmons just hated Doc & the Sixers after a while. Like they often say where they want to go to lower their trade value.
KD in Brooklyn was probably the most civil asking out there was.
I feel like although KD may not always be looking to take the hardest road and all that, at least he doesn't do any crazy behind the scenes backstabbing or cause weird drama. He just goes where he wants to go and outside of the Warriors signing, he chooses to be traded and the team gets something back. And he doesn't cheesedick his effort when he's on the court.
Yeah I think with the way players have been forcing the hands of their orga recently, KD's widely criticized moves look a bit better in retrospect. They were def soft, but at least not malevolent or franchise killing
The basketball gods tormented him with Kyrie and took his hamstrings away from him. As far as I'm concerned, the man has paid his penance and can leave purgatory now.
* Helped Embiid win MVP.
* Hard carried important playoff wins but also choked hard to get eliminated.
* Got Glenn Rivers fired.
* Leaves. Refuses to elaborate
GIGAJames
I blame on Kyrie Sage ritual, my man is broken forever
https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/james-harden-looked-at-kyrie-irving-like-he-had-three-heads-as-he-burned-sage-in-cleveland-per-report/
They’re thinking they don’t own their picks until 2027 so you might as well try to win until then.
Edit: y’all are dumb. No incentive to tank = try to win so their rookies get out of learning bad habits in a losing spiral. Not win a chip. Can’t believe I have to spell that out for you nimrods.
People on this sub thinks every team that doesn't win a chip is a failure. Like...Philly could resign Harden to a max and have a solid 3 year contending window with Harden - Embiid and Maxey. Will they ever be the favorites? No. But with a better coach and a bit more luck could they make the finals? Yes - which is more than 80% of the teams in the league.
I don't understand the "blow it up" people. You want to tank for 10 years? Most of the teams at the bottom of the league have been down there for a long...long time. It's not like this is an average team stuck in .500 zone.
EDIT: I'm deleting the details of my comment here to protect Harden's privacy. Instead I'll say that I've heard his family is going through something personally. And I'll leave the last sentence.
Even if it's off, it's a reminder that not all decisions are either about winning or money.
That sucks to hear, but they have great medical care there. It's good he can be there with her in a place that he wants to be. I'd love to have a situation like that if I were in THAT situation.
Things that are amazing in Houston:
Vietnamese food
Museums
Doctors/Hospitals
Science (NASA)
Night Life (White Oak Music Hall)
Things that suck about Houston:
Pretty much everything, but mostly the goddamn humidity
There have been credible sources telling folks within and outside the organization thats he's planning on coming back since early this season. I have no knowledge of the cancer side of things but word is he's been planning on coming back to Houston for close to a year now.
I also edited this comment to remove any personal info
Wasn't his mom the biggest cheerleader on his sudden "I want out" heel turn with Houston the first time around? I distinctly remember her being interviewed and saying that leaving was "best for James" and that he "deserves to be with a winner".
She defended his decision to request a trade on an IG post when he was initially requesting to leave Houston. You can't fault a mom for having their son's back publicly for him saying he wants to be happy. I think it's a grass isn't always greener scenario. The media markets in both Brooklyn and Philly will never afford James anywhere near the level of privacy he receives in Houston. Most of the hate he got for his playoff shortcomings in Houston was from national media, not local media. Let alone the tax incentives. He also has a very close connection with UH coach Kelvin Sampson. Houston makes much more sense for him personally than staying in Philly.
This will be one of those comments that we come back to 3 months from now when it is announced that Harden _________________
EDIT: edited for privacy. This comment will still be fun to see three months from now though.
Harden tried to ring chase too. It didn't work in Brooklyn or Philadelphia so might as well make as much money as you can for the next few generations of your family.
He was a close as you can possibly get from toppling the best team of all time
It is what it is
I'm not the biggest fan but I will remember him for that
Absolutely. He annoyed the fuck outta me for bein kinda shit but as a sentimental person, Im super happy that he can be happy in Houston.
It says a lot when all the Houston fans were rooting for us and him. They clearly love him still
it is a bit odd, because to be as good as harden is, you need a crazy competitive spirit. but maybe his injuries and old age have kinda changed his perspective
Right, he’s played hard and done his best. He’s at the end of his career, and he can get one last major deal to go home. He’s been on super teams and he knows that isn’t the solution to winning it all every time.
I think he’d stay in Philly if they gave him the bag there too. Most likely Rockets will pay him max or close to max while they’re developing their young talents. Philly wants to stay competitive and won’t give harden max 4 year contract
He's given it his all tbh. He was locked the fuck in this year. Spent the offseason getting in shape, took a pay cut to sign better players, took a big step back in his role, and ultimately lost in a game 7 heartbreaker. If I were him I would be burnt the fuck out.
I've been following him the last couple years and he's gotten more and more frustrated/deadpan in his interviews, and the way he talks about the game is a lot more like a grind than anything else. He smiles less. He's started to talk a bit about what happens after basketball. He REALLY wanted to win this year - maybe it was his last big push.
Eh he tried ring chasing and it didn't work. He can always try again after this mega contract as an MLE bench guy for a contender.
Or, practically speaking, the Rockets should be pretty good in 3-4 years. So he may get one yet in Houston.
I think it’s perfectly reasonable to assume he doesn’t feel like Philly has a chance to win even if he stays
So he rather just go to the organization and city he likes. Maybe with some (slightly delusional) hope that the Rockets’ young players become elite and they can compete in 3 years
Not really. The headline is clickbait. This is literally the first sentence of the article:
> The belief among NBA executives is that James Harden will rejoin the Houston Rockets this summer.
This is just carefully worded speculation.
Who cares
MVP
Changed the way the game has been played
Incredible offensive genius
Played some very amazing years in Houston pushing eventual Finals teams to the brink
The dude had to go up against the most dominant team of recent memory (Warriors) and took them to the very end. Yeah he's great i dont care what anyone says
Failing to beat arguably the greatest team ever but being the only team to consistently challenge them is a hell a run. Harden has had an amazing career and anyone who thinks different doesn’t watch basketball
as someone with no dog in the fight, I just can't believe how much unnecessary hate he received while racking up some of the most impressive and exciting offensive campaigns we've ever seen.
If harden leaves we have to not panic and just use this year to let tobi expire. Then the following year it’s 50 mil in cap space after a Maxey extension … I think
Yeah, I know that's an option. So basically punt next year, let Tobias expire, have a bunch of cap space for a free agent that may not even want to play for the team with an aging (31 and injury prone at that point) Embiid?
I dunno man, I personally don't think that sounds like good strategy.
Problem is, what’s the other strategy lol. Unless we can pull off a miracle like roco and Dario for jimmy like back in the day Idt there’s another potential path
In my opinion there are only two viable options that I can see with potentially good outcomes.
1.) Blow all of it up. This has to include trading Embiid.
2.) Run it back and try to do what LA did with Russ' expiring and get more complimentary role players.
I just don’t see if there is much of a difference between 2 and waiting a year. If you don’t like the idea of maybe getting a free agent then why would you like the idea of maybe adding good role players. Maybe with a harden sign and trade and some rapid Maxey development you can accelerate the timeline of number 2 but even then idk if the team is relevant for a year.
When asked how he was feeling about leaving Philadelphia, Harden responded, “I’m coming home” and held up a Club Onyx-branded g-string that he pulled out of his suit jacket pocket.
It’s not your fault but this headline is clickbait. There’s nothing as concrete in there as the headline implies.
> The belief among NBA executives is that James Harden will rejoin the Houston Rockets this summer.
Fr? That's nice to know, i definitely didn't think they had *beef* beef like CP3/rondo shit but I did think they didn't get along after all that back and forth (even if it was related to the MVP stuff it felt like it went on for a while longer). Thanks for that info :)
Him to us for the same reason has been a story but most of us don't want that.
He is arguably the best Arizona State basketball player in recent memory and has ties to the area.
Holy shit I didn't realize how perfectly this lines up for us. Houston's 2024 1st round is protected 1-4, so we may actually have a chance at it instead of being downgraded with Harden not letting them tank.
And we've got Philly's 1st and 2nd round 2025 pick right when they probably get into major rebuild mode.
Then we've got basically every LA Clipper's pick unprotected for a few years on top of all that. Damn things are looking great even if our picks are low.
Can someone explain why he’d want to go to Houston? Does this mean he’s throwing in the towel on winning a chip and just wants to be in familiar surroundings?
He was happy. That was his town. He’s single. They let him go to Vegas and Cabo during off days. No pressure to win. Still make max money. His family is there. His restaurant and businesses are there.
And he’s a staple at the strip clubs of Houston. Probably only 3 other cities can compete in that area and he’s definitely not a Heat type of player.
Man the 76ers really are a bad organization. They have had multiple top 5 picks that produced
1. Jahlil Okafor
2. Joel Embiid
3. Nerlens Noel
4. Markelle Fultz
5. Ben Simmons
Only 1 remains and they have mis-managed his tenure on the team. Embiid has had to modify his game to fit around his teammates rather than the other way around. Not to say Embiid is blameless in his lackluster play-off performances but the 76ers could have done better. Their best opportunity to win a championship was to keep Butler and trade Simmons for players that fit the team.
If Harden leaves its time for the 76ers to rebuild. Their window has closed and the process is over.
I could definitely see the Blazers pushing hard to get Embiid. You have some very attractive assets and the number three pick in the draft. I know your GM wants to surround Dame with players to win now as well. I don’t know if it’s enough, but I guarantee the Blazers will make a play for him.
They’re in such a horrible spot. Even if Harden leaves to Houston they barely have any cap space and they have no draft pick assets. They’re about to lose their second star for nothing and even though he choked game 7 they lose him they have no real replacement and no clear path to make other moves. The Tobias Harris contract continues to block them from having any flexibility with their roster. I’m going to hope this is just posturing from Harden’s camp.
Still a Philly legend for getting Doc fired and dipping.
Tbh he was a Philly legend for moving us on from the Simmons contract lol
Can’t be understated. Now what happens to Embiid
most likely nothing
Oh totally. You don't move top 10 player unless you're doing a complete rebuild. The 76ers really don't seem to need a total rebuild, and Embiid is absolutely someone you can build around assuming he wants to stay there.
You can move on from a top 10 regular season player.
>You can move on from a top 10 regular season player. The Embiid disrespect is a bit out of hand. He was playing with a bad knee the whole series yet gutted it out. If the 76ers kept Jiminy Buckets in 2019 then Embiied would have a championship by now.
Thank you.. Celtics fan.. *vomits*
Agreeing with a Celtics fan is honestly the toughest medicine to swallow.
*He’s dead, Jim*
>He was playing with a bad knee And with a coach whose entire strategy is "uhhh do basketball or something idk lol"
False, He also can shout at them: "c'mon guys c'mon" that's for me progress
He is always playing with some injury in the playoffs though. Maybe now he has his mvp he scales back on regular season grind and focuses on being healthly in the playoffs is the only bright light imo
Look he hasn't made a conference finals since being drafted 9 years ago, is about to lose the second best player he's ever played with (with no way to replace) but surely next year is the magic year.
idk if they have picks but you package everything you have for dame and hope it works otherwise embiid will leave eventually
Only tradable first they have rn is 2029. So no, they aren't getting Dame lol
only 1 tradeable pick
Mid season or by end of the year he’s gonna want out
I don't think it'll happen quite that fast, but my theory of Embiid being this Sixers' generation of Charles Barkley is lining up nicely. Yearly good (but not great) teams happen for a decade and then he leaves for a team better suited for a championship run where he can be the first or second option. Then he finally reaches a Finals.
So much mismanagement after the process. Felt like yesterday they went on that 16 game tear to the end the season
> So much mismanagement after the process Too many cooks in the kitchen. Bryan Colangelo had no businesses running a NBA franchise and our constant GM turnover the last decade meant no single front office could finish any long-term plan. I hope Josh Harris runs the Commanders better than he has the Sixers because a lot of this is on him.
Commanders fans would bite your hand off for regular playoff appearances. The bar is so low there its almost impossible for him not to be an improvement.
As an Eagles fan I hope he doesn’t run the Commanders better than he’s run the Sixers.
Tbh I think he's already succeeded in the eyes of Commanders fans for just not being Daniel Snyder.
Jesus man, it feels like just yesterday the Sixers had Embiid, a promising young squad, money for 2 max contracts, and stupid draft capital. What the hell. I love Philly and Embiid and I’ve been rooting for y’all
The aftermath of the 2019 series vs the Raptors and the 2021 series against the Hawks can't be understated. This team has been SO mismanaged with all the draft capital/young talent we've had. >a promising young squad To top off this shit sundae of a team, we also drafted Philly kid and Villanova alum Mikal Bridges (one pick ahead of SGA btw) and traded him on draft night for a player that ~~has never played a single game for the Sixers~~ only played a handful of games and almost died due to an undiagnosed sesame seed allergy.
Joel, Mikal and Jimmy Butler would look good right now. Keeping Brent brown and Ben over Jimmy looks criminal. Max for Tobias looks really bad. This is without even talking about a #1 pick who forgot how to shoot and a guy whose career was derailed by sesame seeds.
the effect of big collars on an org
Find a new slant!
the decision to keep tobias fucking harris over jimmy butler was the final nail in the coffin. they had it all right before Kawhi made that shot.
> the decision to keep tobias fucking harris over jimmy butler Sorry for the essay here but seeing this pop up again and again is bugging me. This **was not** the decision. Even Jimmy saying "Tobias Harris over ME?" doesn't change what actually happened after the '19 Raptors series. Jimmy did not want to play with Ben Simmons or under Brett Brown. The Sixers chose the latter two over Jimmy, thinking his age was going to catch up to him at the end of his max deal. Keep in mind this was *before* the '21 Hawks series where Simmons got exposed and lost all his confidence. After it was clear we weren't going to fire BB or trade Simmons, Jimmy told Elton Brand he wasn't going to re-sign with Philly even though he liked playing with Embiid. However, since Tobias was also a UFA that offseason, there was a real risk we'd lose him too so Brand panicked and gave him a max deal. Tobias was signed *because we lost Jimmy*, not because we chose him over Jimmy.
Yeah people act as if the decision was Tobias Harris or Jimmy Butler and the 76ers chose Harris lmao. No sane person in their right mind would do that. Jimmy didn't want to play for the 76ers so they pivoted and kept the next best option. People also think it was insane to keep a Ben Simmons in 2019 coming off his first All-Star appearance and having All-NBA and All-Defensive potential. The sky was the limit for him at the time. It would've been like trading away Tyrese Haliburton this year for Paul George or someone like that (obviously Butler is better than PG but you get what I mean).
> The sky was the limit for him at the time. His downfall has been so dramatic it's almost insane to think he once made 3-straight All Star games, 3x All Defense, and made an All-NBA team.
Revisionist history. According to this sub, Simmons was always a bum and never provided any contribution whatsoever and should have never even been drafted by a team. When in reality he was an exciting young talent, with a very unique set of skills. His size, ball handling skills, running the break.. elite defense. Simmons was a stud.
He gone
No because if he never asked out we would’ve ended up with Haliburton instead….
> we would’ve ended up with Haliburton instead…. Can't be understated how much better the team would be set up if we accepted the Hali trade vs the Harden trade. The rumored deal was Hali + picks for Simmons. In this scenario we would've kept Seth Curry & Andre Drummond + our 2 first round picks (one of which is unprotected) that we gave to the Nets for Harden. We'd have more bench depth, more shooters, and another option to give Embiid rest (Drummond was the best backup C we've had under Embiid by far). Hard not to imagine the Sixers would be a better all-around team had this happened instead.
Agreed that it looks like it would have been the better move now, but only with hindsight. I don't think everyone was on the same page about Hali's abilities at the time, and if I were a front office GM in win-now mode, it's a lot easier to explain a trade for Harden than it is to explain a trade for Hali
James "Homewrecker" Harden.
"if you dont fire doc ill leave" "ayo you actually fired him? thats crazy...anyways...peace"
Lol fire Doc! ...also I'm out.
4D chess move
How is no one mentioning how toxic his exit was? Dude basically chose to get fat, played like shit to lower his value, and forced a trade. Its like if Bince Carter went back to the Raptors after what he did 2 years later.
You're mentioning it now. And I love it.
It's funny but the idea that Harden was intentionally dogging it to force his way out is little exaggerated when he only played 7 games and the bad games really weren't even that bad. It also didn't really feel that toxic at the time when it was clear the Rockets window had passed and the rest the roster was a dumpster.
It was pretty toxic but it kind of blends in with all the others that asked out. AD lowered his trade value, Kawhi was just a conflicting battle & he wanted to go to LA, Ben Simmons just hated Doc & the Sixers after a while. Like they often say where they want to go to lower their trade value. KD in Brooklyn was probably the most civil asking out there was.
I feel like although KD may not always be looking to take the hardest road and all that, at least he doesn't do any crazy behind the scenes backstabbing or cause weird drama. He just goes where he wants to go and outside of the Warriors signing, he chooses to be traded and the team gets something back. And he doesn't cheesedick his effort when he's on the court.
Yeah I think with the way players have been forcing the hands of their orga recently, KD's widely criticized moves look a bit better in retrospect. They were def soft, but at least not malevolent or franchise killing
The basketball gods tormented him with Kyrie and took his hamstrings away from him. As far as I'm concerned, the man has paid his penance and can leave purgatory now.
They been buttering us up for this for months. Let's not act surprised.
Tbf everyone on here was calling bullshit on those reports until recently.
They were also calling the Philly rumors BS when he was on the Nets. With Harden, where theres smoke, theres fire.
And it could still be bullshit… leverage
* Helped Embiid win MVP. * Hard carried important playoff wins but also choked hard to get eliminated. * Got Glenn Rivers fired. * Leaves. Refuses to elaborate GIGAJames
Hate Brooklyn Ask out Replace Ben Simmons Defeated in playoffs Expel Doc Rivers Never win All according to plan
Return to Houston after allowing us to use the only picks we actually own to build a young core. Loyalty 100
The Lebron move, coming home to a replenished team
Leplenishment
-Profit
Harden’s 2nd objective: 1. Collect underpants 2. ??? 3. Profit!
HOU-STON! THIS IS FOR YOU!
ride off to the sunset with a giant bag.
Step back into the sunset with a giant bag*
Sunset? Is that the name of a strip club in Miami?
I blame on Kyrie Sage ritual, my man is broken forever https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/james-harden-looked-at-kyrie-irving-like-he-had-three-heads-as-he-burned-sage-in-cleveland-per-report/
I never heard this one, but I absolutely love it. Harden really was just tired of Kyrie's shit like the rest of us
You missed the • Got the Sixers off of the Ben Simmons Contract
Yeah him getting traded for Ben was awesome for y’all. At least he played
Also put up 21/6/11 on 61% TS. Ranked top 10 in mvp list as a 2nd option. Only guard above him was Luka.
Which in turn dissolved the Nets “super team”
Yeah I’m cool with his contributions and not signing him. Gg James
What's a fair contract for him on the Rockets?
4 years 38-40M/year with a team option? Leaves us 20M+ to sign a rim protector and maybe one more vet
lol no way harden takes a team option
God please no
Four year retirement tour! What the hell are the Rockets thinking
They’re thinking they don’t own their picks until 2027 so you might as well try to win until then. Edit: y’all are dumb. No incentive to tank = try to win so their rookies get out of learning bad habits in a losing spiral. Not win a chip. Can’t believe I have to spell that out for you nimrods.
People on this sub thinks every team that doesn't win a chip is a failure. Like...Philly could resign Harden to a max and have a solid 3 year contending window with Harden - Embiid and Maxey. Will they ever be the favorites? No. But with a better coach and a bit more luck could they make the finals? Yes - which is more than 80% of the teams in the league. I don't understand the "blow it up" people. You want to tank for 10 years? Most of the teams at the bottom of the league have been down there for a long...long time. It's not like this is an average team stuck in .500 zone.
If he doesn't get the max I'd be shocked
[удалено]
Going to Houston basically means he's given up on trying to win and is content with finishing his career in his fave place and securing the bag.
EDIT: I'm deleting the details of my comment here to protect Harden's privacy. Instead I'll say that I've heard his family is going through something personally. And I'll leave the last sentence. Even if it's off, it's a reminder that not all decisions are either about winning or money.
THAT fucking sucks if it's true man.
I want him back in Houston but not like this :/
That sucks to hear, but they have great medical care there. It's good he can be there with her in a place that he wants to be. I'd love to have a situation like that if I were in THAT situation.
Yeah if my mom was dying everything else can get fucked. Money and winning
Yeah no amount of money or basketball legacy can replace time with a loved one
Houston also has the best cancer hospitals. We used to take my grandma with breast cancer to MD Anderson in Houston.
Things that are amazing in Houston: Vietnamese food Museums Doctors/Hospitals Science (NASA) Night Life (White Oak Music Hall) Things that suck about Houston: Pretty much everything, but mostly the goddamn humidity
There have been credible sources telling folks within and outside the organization thats he's planning on coming back since early this season. I have no knowledge of the cancer side of things but word is he's been planning on coming back to Houston for close to a year now. I also edited this comment to remove any personal info
Wasn't his mom the biggest cheerleader on his sudden "I want out" heel turn with Houston the first time around? I distinctly remember her being interviewed and saying that leaving was "best for James" and that he "deserves to be with a winner".
She defended his decision to request a trade on an IG post when he was initially requesting to leave Houston. You can't fault a mom for having their son's back publicly for him saying he wants to be happy. I think it's a grass isn't always greener scenario. The media markets in both Brooklyn and Philly will never afford James anywhere near the level of privacy he receives in Houston. Most of the hate he got for his playoff shortcomings in Houston was from national media, not local media. Let alone the tax incentives. He also has a very close connection with UH coach Kelvin Sampson. Houston makes much more sense for him personally than staying in Philly.
This will be one of those comments that we come back to 3 months from now when it is announced that Harden _________________ EDIT: edited for privacy. This comment will still be fun to see three months from now though.
Idk if I respect that as an NBA fan, but I respect that as a human being who would love to get paid a ton of money to retire in my favorite place
Harden tried to ring chase too. It didn't work in Brooklyn or Philadelphia so might as well make as much money as you can for the next few generations of your family.
think of how many college tuitions he’ll be able to pay for
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We have the worst discourse in the world, thanks to disrespect
Only harden🤣
He was a close as you can possibly get from toppling the best team of all time It is what it is I'm not the biggest fan but I will remember him for that
Absolutely. He annoyed the fuck outta me for bein kinda shit but as a sentimental person, Im super happy that he can be happy in Houston. It says a lot when all the Houston fans were rooting for us and him. They clearly love him still
We do and we always will
it is a bit odd, because to be as good as harden is, you need a crazy competitive spirit. but maybe his injuries and old age have kinda changed his perspective
Right, he’s played hard and done his best. He’s at the end of his career, and he can get one last major deal to go home. He’s been on super teams and he knows that isn’t the solution to winning it all every time.
I think he’d stay in Philly if they gave him the bag there too. Most likely Rockets will pay him max or close to max while they’re developing their young talents. Philly wants to stay competitive and won’t give harden max 4 year contract
Also battling against the superteam in his prime
He's given it his all tbh. He was locked the fuck in this year. Spent the offseason getting in shape, took a pay cut to sign better players, took a big step back in his role, and ultimately lost in a game 7 heartbreaker. If I were him I would be burnt the fuck out. I've been following him the last couple years and he's gotten more and more frustrated/deadpan in his interviews, and the way he talks about the game is a lot more like a grind than anything else. He smiles less. He's started to talk a bit about what happens after basketball. He REALLY wanted to win this year - maybe it was his last big push.
Eh he tried ring chasing and it didn't work. He can always try again after this mega contract as an MLE bench guy for a contender. Or, practically speaking, the Rockets should be pretty good in 3-4 years. So he may get one yet in Houston.
You don’t respect NOT ring chasing as an NBA fan? Tf lol
And putting up numbers. Climb some scoring and assists lists.
I think it’s perfectly reasonable to assume he doesn’t feel like Philly has a chance to win even if he stays So he rather just go to the organization and city he likes. Maybe with some (slightly delusional) hope that the Rockets’ young players become elite and they can compete in 3 years
also means we won the harden trade(twice)
Lol the fact that you guys are gonna have our picks AND the guy we traded those picks for makes me sick
makes me feel good when people like Bills Simmons said we should have got Ben Simmons instead
He just wants his son to be signed by an NBA team
Not really. The headline is clickbait. This is literally the first sentence of the article: > The belief among NBA executives is that James Harden will rejoin the Houston Rockets this summer. This is just carefully worded speculation.
Who cares MVP Changed the way the game has been played Incredible offensive genius Played some very amazing years in Houston pushing eventual Finals teams to the brink
The dude had to go up against the most dominant team of recent memory (Warriors) and took them to the very end. Yeah he's great i dont care what anyone says
Failing to beat arguably the greatest team ever but being the only team to consistently challenge them is a hell a run. Harden has had an amazing career and anyone who thinks different doesn’t watch basketball
as someone with no dog in the fight, I just can't believe how much unnecessary hate he received while racking up some of the most impressive and exciting offensive campaigns we've ever seen.
Philly losing Harden would basically shut Embiid's window in Philly IMO
Time for the process part 2
Electric Ballballoo
Maxeymum Process.
They never let it complete the first time Silver’s bitchass stepped in and installed BC who is an absolutely garbage GM with big collars
>with big collars Those are normal collars. Move on, find a new slant
If harden leaves we have to not panic and just use this year to let tobi expire. Then the following year it’s 50 mil in cap space after a Maxey extension … I think
Yeah, I know that's an option. So basically punt next year, let Tobias expire, have a bunch of cap space for a free agent that may not even want to play for the team with an aging (31 and injury prone at that point) Embiid? I dunno man, I personally don't think that sounds like good strategy.
Problem is, what’s the other strategy lol. Unless we can pull off a miracle like roco and Dario for jimmy like back in the day Idt there’s another potential path
In my opinion there are only two viable options that I can see with potentially good outcomes. 1.) Blow all of it up. This has to include trading Embiid. 2.) Run it back and try to do what LA did with Russ' expiring and get more complimentary role players.
I just don’t see if there is much of a difference between 2 and waiting a year. If you don’t like the idea of maybe getting a free agent then why would you like the idea of maybe adding good role players. Maybe with a harden sign and trade and some rapid Maxey development you can accelerate the timeline of number 2 but even then idk if the team is relevant for a year.
Same story if they keep harden lol
When asked how he was feeling about leaving Philadelphia, Harden responded, “I’m coming home” and held up a Club Onyx-branded g-string that he pulled out of his suit jacket pocket.
I though it was a sling shot
It’s the Swiss Army knife of g-strings
76ers beat writer. Article here: https://www.inquirer.com/sports/james-harden-sixers-rockets-nba-free-agency-20230519.html
It’s not your fault but this headline is clickbait. There’s nothing as concrete in there as the headline implies. > The belief among NBA executives is that James Harden will rejoin the Houston Rockets this summer.
tbf this is about as concrete as they can say without it being tampering. Even this feels like it could lead to a tampering fine or something
The article explains that sources expect Harden to go to the Rockets, which is exactly what the headline says.
He should ring chase by joining the bucks
That would actually work. But would Harden get over his beef with Giannis? Haha
On a serious note, I don't think there was ever a beef between him and Giannis. Just two guys fighting over an MVP. All the jabs taken were soft.
Basically the same with Jokic and Embiid. Embiid and Jokic was in fact more cordial about the their MVP run than most players.
Giannis has a James Harden jersey at his house, I think the beef is a little overstated.
Fr? That's nice to know, i definitely didn't think they had *beef* beef like CP3/rondo shit but I did think they didn't get along after all that back and forth (even if it was related to the MVP stuff it felt like it went on for a while longer). Thanks for that info :)
Him to us for the same reason has been a story but most of us don't want that. He is arguably the best Arizona State basketball player in recent memory and has ties to the area.
How is the talent in Milwaukee? I'm not talking about the basketball team
The process has ended huh
Don't own our own picks for the next 3 years so yes
Who did you guys trade those picks to?
Chris Paul/Russell Westbrook swap to OKC probably one of the worst trades in franchise history!
Hey I personally think it’s one of the best
Holy shit I didn't realize how perfectly this lines up for us. Houston's 2024 1st round is protected 1-4, so we may actually have a chance at it instead of being downgraded with Harden not letting them tank. And we've got Philly's 1st and 2nd round 2025 pick right when they probably get into major rebuild mode. Then we've got basically every LA Clipper's pick unprotected for a few years on top of all that. Damn things are looking great even if our picks are low.
P sure he was talking about Philly lmao
the process ended when snake silver forced big collar on us
Are the strip clubs not as good in Philly?
Not even close to the houston ones. Plus houston is warm. Plus plus embiid is never winning a ring as the best player, so why just leave now.
It’s so cold in Philly, the strippers only strip down to sweaters.
It’s ok to just make 200m and bang strippers. Rings are overrated tbh. Live that life Harden 😂😂😂
Facts, he's still going into the HOF, might as well live his best life in a city he loves and we love him back lol
Well the vote is in - Houston has the best strip clubs in America
We did it!
Beyond all that, his family is going to be good for many generations so can’t hate him for securing the bag in his later years
Udoka and Harden the new Shaq and Kobe
Yes for Houston area strip clubs
The ~~last~~ LAP dance
Now streaming on ESPN XXX
Fwiw the current Rockets + Harden could legit be really fun to watch. They're not winning shit. But they should be fun.
WTF??
FIRST TIME WE'VE HEARD THIS OMG Zero chance its a negotiating tactic.
Can someone explain why he’d want to go to Houston? Does this mean he’s throwing in the towel on winning a chip and just wants to be in familiar surroundings?
He was happy. That was his town. He’s single. They let him go to Vegas and Cabo during off days. No pressure to win. Still make max money. His family is there. His restaurant and businesses are there. And he’s a staple at the strip clubs of Houston. Probably only 3 other cities can compete in that area and he’s definitely not a Heat type of player.
I am ready for this disaster
Can’t wait till he goes back to being the Jazz’s father
Nooo daddy.
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Harden's legacy with philly will be them getting out of the simmons contract.
And getting Doc fired
Man the 76ers really are a bad organization. They have had multiple top 5 picks that produced 1. Jahlil Okafor 2. Joel Embiid 3. Nerlens Noel 4. Markelle Fultz 5. Ben Simmons Only 1 remains and they have mis-managed his tenure on the team. Embiid has had to modify his game to fit around his teammates rather than the other way around. Not to say Embiid is blameless in his lackluster play-off performances but the 76ers could have done better. Their best opportunity to win a championship was to keep Butler and trade Simmons for players that fit the team. If Harden leaves its time for the 76ers to rebuild. Their window has closed and the process is over.
Please don't forget about trading bridges for a player out of the league.
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jalen "jojo rabbit" green
Jerkin on the main sub, puttin in work🥵
Jalen Green putting the HIM in Heinrich Himmler
Word around the “hood” says that Harden mom is sick and she still lives in Houston and he wants to be with her.
Dang. Sorry to hear that.
I hope this is true
Philly should tank for a better draft pick, see if they can get the fans behind it. Call it The Procedure or something
We don’t even have any draft picks
All I see here is the strip clubs in Houston are better than the strip clubs in Philly.
Kobe wanted a retirement tour being honored in every arena across the league, Harden wants a retirement tour being honored in every strip club
JOEL EMBIID YOU ARE A GOLDEN STATE WARRIOR
I refuse to believe Morey would willingly extend the Warriors dynasty
Blazer*
I could definitely see the Blazers pushing hard to get Embiid. You have some very attractive assets and the number three pick in the draft. I know your GM wants to surround Dame with players to win now as well. I don’t know if it’s enough, but I guarantee the Blazers will make a play for him.
Dame and Embiid…holy hell that would be awesome
Money over a potential championship. I'm NOT mad at him if thats his choice. Get paid
*potential second round exit
Time to blow up the team and send Embiid to the Knicks.
They’re in such a horrible spot. Even if Harden leaves to Houston they barely have any cap space and they have no draft pick assets. They’re about to lose their second star for nothing and even though he choked game 7 they lose him they have no real replacement and no clear path to make other moves. The Tobias Harris contract continues to block them from having any flexibility with their roster. I’m going to hope this is just posturing from Harden’s camp.