James Harden, the star guard of the Philadelphia 76ers, has earned a reputation for being difficult to handle in his 14-year NBA career. After leaving Houston and Brooklyn in the last few years, James is now willing to do anything to get traded to the 76ers. This comes after Harden publicly stated that he is frustrated with Philadelphia’s president, Daryl Morey, for failing to reach a max contract extension.
Harden’s former Coach showed surprise
Harden’s latest trade request has surprised many, including his former Houston Rockets Coach, Kevin McHale. He coached Harden in Houston from 2012 to 2015 but was fired just 11 games into the 2015–2016 season. Houston started with a 4-7 record that time after making it to the 2015 Western Conference Finals the previous season. However, according to McHale, the team’s poor start was due to Harden’s deliberate effort.
Kevin revealed about Harden’s animosity
McHale revealed that Harden’s animosity towards him began in Game 6 of the 2015 West Semifinals against the LA Clippers. The Clippers were leading the Rockets 3-2 when McHale opted to bench Harden in the fourth quarter. Houston won Games 6 and 7 to advance to the Conference Finals, but according to McHale, Harden never let it go. As a Result, He reportedly arrived at training camp in bad shape and made minimal efforts to fire his coach.
During his tenure with Houston, McHale finished with a respectable coaching record of 193-150. However, he hasn’t received another coaching opportunity since 2015 after being fired from Houston. During his interview with Heavy Sports, Kevin also talked about Daryl Morey, who was the general manager of the Houston Rockets at the time. McHale defended Daryle against the recent allegations that he lied to Harden in Contract negotiations and said that it is likely that the 76ers’ ownership has decided not to offer Harden the max extension.
McHale took a shot on Harden
McHale also took a subtle shot at James and said that Harden’s poor playoff performance during the Eastern Conference Semifinals against Boston likely played a role in the 76ers’ decision. Harden finished with only nine points in that game, and the team lost by 112-88. McHale also mentioned that Morey is a tough negotiator, so it’s going to be a while before Harden finds a new home.
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