The Sixers may be setting themselves up for an uncomfortable October, but James Harden is still the one who actually has something to lose, writes ByDavidMurphy.
James Harden the negotiator is in the same spot that James Harden the player often finds himself.in a corner. He is the one who misjudged his market value. He is the one who tried to take the money and run. Now, he is the one with nowhere to run to.Harden can release as many diss tape videos as he wants. Hey, put a beat to the next one. Go full Eight Mile. If Harden isn’t careful, he may well end up playing Detroit.
Harden’s biggest issue right now is the narrative that he has created for himself going all the way back to Christmas Day. That’s when someone with knowledge of his thinking thought it would be wise to let the world know that he was more focused on returning to the Rockets than he was on playing in the Sixers’ nationally-televised game against the Knicks.
The worst thing Harden can do is push the Sixers to a point where they can no longer stomach the thought of capitulation. If I was Sixers ownership, I might already be there. Three months ago, they gave him a choice. They would pay him $35 million to play basketball for them, or they would pay him nothing and set him free to find somewhere else to play. Instead, Harden decided that he would take their money and also find somewhere else to play.
That’s the key factor here. Harden had a choice. He could choose to play for the Sixers, or he could choose to play anywhere else he damn well pleased. He knew the rewards of opting in, and he knew the responsibilities. In essence, the Sixers were offering him $35 million in exchange for his freedom. Everything he wants right now he could have gotten immediately by declining.
Think about where that leaves the Sixers. In other circumstances, it might make some sense for them to get Harden on the first flight out of town. Do the guy a solid, minimize the disruption, take something rather than nothing, wish him well. If he is determined not to play for you, you don’t have much to gain by forcing him to sit.
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