James Harden might have been the neatest individual within the room all alongside.
Almost a 12 months earlier than the Nets traded Kyrie Irving to the Dallas Mavericks and Kevin Durant to the Phoenix Suns, Harden pressured a commerce out of Brooklyn to the Philadelphia 76ers.
Now that each Durant and Irving are gone, Harden has been vindicated. His determination to go away early confirmed foresight. He noticed the smoke and obtained out of the home earlier than it burned down.
“There was a lot of things. A lot of dysfunction, clearly. There was a lot of internal things,” he advised reporters after the Sixers beat the Nets on Saturday. “I’m not gonna simply put it within the media or something, and that was one of many explanation why I selected to make my determination. Now, quick ahead to right this moment, I don’t appear like the loopy one. I don’t appear like the quitter or regardless of the media wanna name me.
“I knew what was going on and I just decided I’m not built for this. I don’t wanna deal with that. I wanna play basketball and have fun and enjoy doing it. Fast forward to today, they got a whole new roster.”
Harden requested a commerce in the midst of drama introduced on by Irving, whose determination to not get vaccinated in opposition to COVID-19 left Harden with an elevated workload given Durant’s absence as a consequence of harm.
Harden selected to not reply whether or not or not Irving’s determination to not get vaccinated was the first cause he left Brooklyn.
“That’s not something I’m gonna answer, but the reason I made that decision to get out of my comfort zone which was to leave Houston and do everything that I did to get out of there was to come here and play with KD and Kyrie,” he stated. “With that being stated, that didn’t occur as a lot as I’d have favored to or how a lot the group would have needed to. It’s simply one thing I knew wasn’t gonna probability
“For me, I just had to make an individual decision for the betterment of my family and my career and what I wanted, and that’s what happened.”
Harden used one phrase to explain his time in Brooklyn.
“Frustrating,” he stated. The Nets solely performed a complete of 16 video games with Harden, Irving and Durant on the roster. They had a 13-3 document in these video games, however as a consequence of harm and Irving’s off-court drama, they by no means obtained to see the trio’s full potential. “There’s a lot of what-ifs. I think we only played less than 20 games together so it was a little bit frustrating, but it is what it is. Hopefully, everybody’s in a good place now and we can move on.”
Harden was additionally requested if Durant and Irving have dedication points due to their historical past of successful championships elsewhere.
“It was a lot. I enjoyed my time,” he stated. “Obviously, playing with KD and Kyrie for those games, there’s a lot of possibilities of what could happen, but it’s a part of life. I’m sure everybody’s in a better place, a good place, and here we are.”
Harden stated he’s completely happy for the Houston Rockets, who acquired a number of first-round picks from the Nets within the deal that despatched him to Brooklyn.
“I didn’t just ask to leave for no reason. I was in a really good place in Houston. Obviously, we didn’t have a chance to win the championship, but I was comfortable,” he stated. “So for me to up and leave my family and all the things that I created there to Brooklyn for, what a year and a half? To just up and leave? It was for a real reason, but I’m happy for the organization in what they got back. They got some really good pieces.”
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Source: www.bostonherald.com