For second time in the last three off-seasons,
the Philadelphia 76ers dealt with a disgruntled co-star next to their perennial
All-Star and reigning Kia MVP center. Their latest unhappy co-star had opted
into the final year of his current deal hoping to be traded to L.A.’s other NBA
squad. Nothing took place during the offseason, which led him to act irrational
and call the Sixers’ President of Basketball Operations “a liar.” That said
second star player missed Media Day at the start of October and the start of Training
Camp and missed the start of this season in late October. The question now was
how were the Sixers going to deal with this? They decided that now was the time
to get what they could for said player and they did that at the start of this
month.
In the early part of the morning of Nov. 1
according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the 76ers (6-1) dealt 10-time All-Star
guard James Harden along with veteran forward/center P.J. Tucker, and forward
Filip Petrusev to the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for veteran forward
Marcus Morris, Sr., Robert Covington, and Nicolas Batum, and youngster KJ
Martin (Kenyon Martin, Jr.). The Sixers also acquired a 2028 unprotected
First-Round pick; the Clippers 2024 and 2029 Second-Round picks, and a 2029
pick swap and a 2026 First-Round pick from the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The Clippers in this deal are sending a
2027 First-Round pick swap to the Thunder, which cleared the way for the
Thunder to move said 2026 First-Round pick to Sixers, a source close to this
deal told ESPN.
To make the deal work in their favor, the
Sixers waived veteran forward Danny Green that cleared a roster spot.
The fact that this blockbuster trade
happen where Harden was dealt is not a shock because the 10-time All-Star and
2017-18 Kia MVP opted into his $35.6 million salary in the final year of his
two-year, $65.6 million that he signed with the Sixers in summer of 2022, a day
before the start of free agency. Harden then requested for the Sixers to trade
him, specifically to the Clippers to team up with fellow perennial All-Stars in
two-time Finals MVP (2014 & 2019) Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and 2017 Kia
MVP Russell Westbrook.
This marks the fourth time since the
2020-21 seasons that Harden has been traded, tying him with Westbrook, and Hall
of Famers in the late Moses Malone and Bob McAdoo for the most times a former
Kia MVP has been dealt in NBA history.
The Sixers front office from the ownership
group led by Josh Harris and David Blizter, General Manager Elton Brand, and
President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey tried over the summer to see about
getting the proper return for a deal for Harden.
Nothing came to fruition because the
Clippers were the only team that was only interested in acquiring Harden, which
led the Sixers to take their time and wait for the right deal to come their way
from the Clippers or another team that became interested in acquiring Harden.
This did not appease Harden, who grew more
disgruntled as the offseason wore on, especially with Morey, who acquired him
from the Thunder to the Houston Rockets 11 off-seasons back.
To put into context of how bad things got
between Harden and Morey, back in August after not getting dealt to the
Clippers during the offseason or getting a long-term deal that he was
reportedly promised in the summer of 2022, Harden at an Adidas event in China
in front of a bunch of reporters said, “Daryl Morey is ‘a liar’ and I will
never be a part off an organization that he’s a part of.”
To make sure that Harden was very clear of
what he said, he repeated what he said about Morey by saying, “Let me say that
again: Daryl Morey is a liar and I will never be a part of an organization that
he’s a part of.”
Harden also at that even at China to claim
that the 76ers never really wanted him in the first place when they acquired
him at the Feb. 2021 NBA trade deadline from the Brooklyn Nets for three-time
All-Star Ben Simmons, now Mavericks guard Seth Curry; now Bulls reserve center
Andre Drummond, a 2022 unprotected First-Round pick and a 2027 protected First-Round
pick.
Morey, when Simmons asked to be dealt two
seasons back held onto him until the right deal came where the Sixers acquired
a perennial star player. They got that star in Harden.
To show how much Morey and the Sixers
valued Harden, they gave then head coach Glenn “Doc” Rivers the boot over the summer
after three seasons and hired new head coach Nick Nurse, who was fired by the
Raptors after five seasons, including leading them to their first title in
2019.
On the Nov. 1 edition of ESPN’s “NBA
Today,” Wojnarowski reported that the Sixers and Clippers engaged in talks
again over the past weekend that brought a “sense of inevitability” that they
were going to execute a deal.
From a position standpoint and who was
available to acquire on the trade market, Harden fit a positional need for the
Clippers at the lead guard spot. On top of that, this would give the Clippers
and head coach Tyronn Lue time to make the fit of Harden, Leonard, George, and
Westbrook work as well as they could with 70-plus games left this season instead
of doing this at the February trade deadline with at or over 25 games left.
What made this deal good for the Clippers
is that they kept their own two First-Round picks as well as reserve guard
Terance Mann.
For the Sixers, it was the Clippers that
were the only team in the NBA that expressed “significant” interest in Harden.
For both the Sixers and Clippers, the
thought of having this deal hanging out there into February 2024 did make “a
lot of sense.”
In his one-plus seasons with the Sixers,
Harden, a seven-time All-NBA selection seemed the perfect fit, especially
alongside reigning Kia MVP Joel Embiid.
Haren adjusted his game to fit alongside
Embiid where Harden became more of a facilitator instead of the prolific scorer
that he was for eight seasons with the Rockets (2012-21), including leading the
NBA in scoring for three straight seasons (2017-20).
Harden in his 21 games after being
acquired from the Nets two seasons back averaged 21.0 points, 10.5 assists, and
7.1 rebounds, even though he shot just 40.2 percent from the floor and 32.6 percent
from three-point range.
In his first full season with the Sixers a
season ago also averaged 21.0 points, a league-leading 10.7 assists, and 6.1
boards. It was the third season of his career where Harden averaged 20-plus
points, 10-plus assists, and five-plus rebounds.
Along with sacrificing shot attempts,
Harden also sacrificed money, taking a major pay cut two off-seasons back for
the 76ers to add more talent via free agency and trades like the aforementioned
Tucker, De’Anthony Melton, and Danuel House, Jr.
Harden had hoped this past summer after
making that sacrifice that he would be rewarded with a big pay day of his own.
Coupled with his performance in the 2023
Playoffs, where he averaged 20.3 points, 8.3 assists, and 6.2 rebounds on 38.8
percent from the field and 39.3 percent from three-point range and the fact
that the Sixers wanted to keep their payroll clean for the summer of 2024, Harden
did not get his big pay day back in the offseason.
The final nail in the coffin for Harden occurred
in their 112-88 loss in Game 7 of the 2023 East Semifinals at the East
runner-up Boston Celtics, Harden had just nine points, seven assists, and six
rebounds on 3/11 shooting and five turnovers. That included going just 1/5 from
three-point range.
To put into context how ups-and-downs of
Harden in his two postseasons with the 76ers, setting aside Game 4 of 2022 East
Semis versus the eventual East runner-up Miami Heat and Games 1 and 4 of the
2023 East Semis against the Celtics, Harden in the other 10 games averaged 14.5
points on just 32 percent from the field and 22 percent from three-point range.
Just from this Harris and the Sixers
ownership group did not have the stomach to offer a serious long-term deal to
Harden. Harden’s attitude along with his performance also soured the other 28
NBA teams of bringing in Harden, who would be considered a rental because if
said team acquired him, he would just leave in free agency.
What should also be taken into context is
that Harden has left money on the table in his previous stops.
Back in the middle of November of 2020,
Harden turned down a two-year, $103 million extension, that would have been
added to the remaining three years and $133 million left on his current deal at
that time. Harden was offered that deal in the state of Texas with no state
income tax and he missed out on becoming the first $50 million per year player
in NBA history.
When Morey and the Rockets acquired Harden
in the summer of 2012, he viewed the perennial All-Star better than Michael
Jordan in terms of his ability to score so easily.
“It’s just factual that James Harden is a
better scorer than Michael Jordan,” Morey said back in the early 2010s on his
belief that Harden was the greatest scorer in NBA history.
Morey in constructing everything around
Harden during his time with the Rockets first paired him Hall of Famer Kevin
McHale as the Rockets head coach (2011-15) and eight-time All-Star Dwight
Howard (2013-16).
That trio only got as far as the Western
Conference Finals in 2015, where they lost to the eventual NBA champion Golden
State Warriors 4-1.
The Rockets then tried the pairing of head
coach Mike D’Antoni (2016-20) and now Warriors perennial All-Star guard Chris
Paul (2017-19) alongside Harden in their pursuit of their third title in
franchise history.
In 2017-18 led by their All-Star backcourt
and coach D’Antoni, the Rockets set a franchise record with 65 regular-season
wins and made it to the West Finals. But they lost again to the Warriors 4-3.
They also lost to the Warriors in the 2019 West Semifinals 4-2.
After the Harden/Paul pairing ran it
course, Morey dealt Paul to the Thunder in the summer of 2019 for Westbrook.
That pairing only lasted one season where
after winning 44 games in the 2019-20 season, that was restarted in Orlando, FL
because of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Global Pandemic and lost in the 2020 West
Semis to the eventual NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers 4-1.
Things for the Rockets changed after that
postseason as Morey left the front office. Coach D’Antoni’s contract was not
renewed and he moved on. Westbrook was dealt to the Wizards in exchange for
five-time All-Star guard John Wall, in a deal that was made by the Rockets’ new
front office leader Rafael Stone.
The Rockets got off to a rough start in
2020-21, which prompted Harden to express his true feelings about his current
situation following a blowout loss versus the Lakers.
“We’re just not good enough, you know?
Obviously, chemistry. Talent wise. Just everything,” Harden said.
“I love this city [Houston, TX]. I’ve literally
done everything I can, you know? I mean, this situation is crazy. It’s
something I don’t think can be fix.”
It was at this time that Harden’s main
goal was to be a part of a team that had a legitimate shot at competing for an
NBA title.
That opportunity for Harden came, or so it
seemed in the middle of January 2021 when he was dealt to the Nets teaming up
with fellow perennial All-Stars and NBA champions Kevin Durant, his former
teammate with the Thunder and Kyrie Irving in a four-team deal involving the Cleveland
Cavaliers and Indiana Pacers.
While the trio of Durant, Irving, and
Harden had some good moments in 2020-21, injuries and the inability for their star
trio to establish a strong pecking order led to them never coming close to
dominating the Eastern Conference.
There was the feeling that Harden quit on
the Nets when things got tough and then there was vaccination situation with Irving
who went from missing the start of the season to being a part-time player
because he did not want to follow the New York City mandated vaccination
policy.
This soured Harden so much that in late
October 2021 turned down a three-year, $161.1 million extension.
What made with what happened with the Nets
an even tougher pill to swallow is during that time, the Eastern Conference was
wide open because the Boston Celtics and the Milwaukee Bucks were not the
powerhouses that they are now.
When Harden was dealt to the Sixers as previously
mentioned, he was reunited with Morey and teamed up with Embiid, who was just
equally as hungry to win a title.
Those championship dreams came to a
crashing halt in six games in the 2022 East Semis to the eventual Eastern
Conference champion Miami Heat.
In his postgame presser following the series
loss, Embiid said that he and the Sixers when they acquired did not expect him
to be the prolific scorer that he was with the Rockets.
“Ever since we got him, everybody expected
the Houston James Harden but that’s not who he is anymore,” Embiid said.
Last summer as mentioned, Harden in wanting
to help the Sixers to be in position to be an NBA champion took a major pay cut
going from signing a possible four-year, $227 million deal elsewhere signed a
two-year, $65.6 million deal, which included a player-option in the final year
of the deal.
Little did anyone know that this was going
to be the point of contention between Harden and Morey.
While Harden eventually showed up for
Sixers Training Camp in Colorado after missing Media Day at the start of
October, he made it clear that he still wanted to be traded to the Clippers and
that his relationship with Morey was damaged beyond repair.
“When you lose trust in someone, it’s like
a marriage…you lose trust in someone, you know what I mean? It’s pretty simple,”
Harden said in his first Media availability of 2023-24.
“Me and the front office had a very, very
good relationship for a decade. There was constant communication. There was no
communication once we lost.”
“When I got traded here, my whole thing
was I wanted to retire a Sixer. I wanted to be here and retire a Sixer and the
front office didn’t have that in their future plans.”
After being in camp for a few days, Harden
disappeared and flew back to Houston, TX where he was for 10 days without even
telling the Sixers.”
The Sixers did not fine Harden for his
unexcused absence or did not take any of his salary where half of said $35.6
million was already paid to Harden.
They did not even fine Harden for missing
any of their four preseason games, which they could have up to $389,082 for
each of those games according to ESPN’s NBA Front Office Insider Bobby Marks. Harden
also avoided $2,500 in fines for each practice he missed out on during 76ers Training
Camp.
Harden last appearance with now his former
team in the 76ers (6-1) was in their 126-98 victory in their home opener versus
the Portland Trail Blazers (3-5).
As Harden’s next chapter his NBA career takes
him as previously mentioned back home to L.A. with the Clippers, who on paper
with him, Leonard, George, and Westbrook had all the makings of a team if healthy
could win the West.
Since the Clippers brought Leonard and George
in summer of 2019, they have only been on the doorstep of a title just once, falling
in their first appearance in the West Finals in their history in 2021, falling
in six games to the Phoenix Suns.
Injuries to Leonard and George coupled
with not having a true point guard has played a major role in the Clippers
coming up short in the postseason, which included missing the Playoffs in
2021-22.
Among those that tried to man the lead
guard spot for the Clippers during this time were journeyman Reggie Jackson and
Wall.
Jackson was great in 2021 during the
Clippers’ run to the West Finals, but eventually flamed out and was dealt last
season to the Hornets, who bought him out of his deal and he joined the
eventual NBA champion Nuggets.
The Wall experiment only lasted for half
of 2022-23 and he was traded last February to the Rockets, who eventually
waived him.
The Clippers hoped the acquisition of
Harden is their long-awaited answer at the lead guard spot.
In his first presser as a member of the
Clippers on Nov. 3, Harden in reflecting on his time with the Sixers “changed”
his role, “knowing” that he can give more on the floor but felt like he was “on
a leash” in terms of how he was utilized.
“When I’m on a leash, I’m not just
shooting the basketball every time,” Harden added. “I meant like I think the
game. I’m a creator on the court…So, if I have a voice where I can, ‘Hey, coach
I see. What you think about this?’ Someone that trust me. That believes in me.
That understands me. I’m not a system player. I am a system.”
In the previous three seasons, Harden has
been credited with 350 uncontested shots off of his passes, according to Second
Spectrum. In that same period, Leonard and George combined to only registered
133 uncontested shots.
What the Clippers have now with the acquisition
of Harden are now four All-Stars in their starting five with the 10 by Harden.
The nine All-Star selections by Westbrook, eight by George, and five by
Leonard. Ivica Zubac, the Clippers’ starting center is the only one that has
yet to appear in an All-Star game.
Two games into the Harden era though have
not panned out in the win column for the Clippers (3-4) falling in Harden’s
debut 111-97 on Monday night at the Knicks (4-4). They fell two nights later
100-93 at the Nets (4-4) on Wednesday night in the third stop on their four-game
road trip.
In the Clippers setback at the Knicks,
they were tied 76-76 after three quarters but were outscored 35-21 in the
fourth period. While they shot 49.3 percent from the field (36/73 FGs), the
Clippers shot just 11/32 from three-point range. Were outrebounded 48-31,
including 18-7 on the offensive glass. Had just 21 assists compared to a
season-high 22 turnovers that led to 35 Knicks points.
Clippers All-Star Kawhi Leonard 18 Points,
Five Rebounds, 8/16 FGs 32 Minutes
Foursome In At Russell Westbrook
17 Points, Four Assists, Four Rebounds, Four
The Knicks Turnovers, 8/13 FGs
James
Harden 17 Points, Six Assists, 6/9
FGs, 2/4 3-Pt., 3/3 FTs
31 Minutes
Paul
George 10 Points, Seven Rebounds,
Three Steals, Four
Turnovers, 2/11 FGs, 1/6 3-Pt. 34 Minutes
“Felt kind of weird out there. But, you
know, not really having a preseason game or an opportunity to participate in a
full training camp or none of that. I was out there just basically winging it,”
Harden, who had nine points, three assists, three boards in the first half said
after the loss. “But I tried to go with my basketball instincts and what I’ve
been doing for the last few years and whatnot, and just going out there and
playing and thinking the game and trying to make the game easier for everybody
else.”
“First couple of minutes, I was tired. It
went fast. But I got adjusted to it. It’s going to take me a few games to kind
of get used to the pace. But other than that, it was still basketball at the
end of the day.”
The Clippers had their chances at the Nets
48 hours later but after leading 21-13 after the opening period were outscored 87-72
the final three quarters, including 54-44 in the second half.
The Clippers in their defeat at the Nets
shot just 39.6 percent (36/91 FGs), including a dismal 8/36 from three-point
range. While they outrebounded the Nets 51-49, they were outrebounded 14-11 on
the offensive glass; had just 22 assists compared to 16 turnovers that led to
16 Nets points.
Clippers All-Star Paul George 24 Points, Seven Rebounds, Three
Steals
Foursome At The 7/20 FGs,
2/10 3-Pt., 8/8 FTs 39 Minutes
Nets Kawhi
Leonard 17 Points, Six Rebounds, Two Steals 7/16 FGs,
1/6 3-Pt., 36 Minutes
Russell
Westbrook 13 Points, Eight Assists, Seven Rebounds
6/18
FGs, 1/5 3-Pt., 31 Minutes
James
Harden 12 Points, Eight Rebounds, Five Assists Two
Steals,
4/9 FGs, 2/5 3-Pt. Five Turnovers, 36 Minutes.
“Well, I’m just working my way in. Trying
to figure it out,” Harden said postgame about how his first two games have gone
with the Clippers. “It’s okay. Two games. I’ll figure it out.”
“I just want to win…As long as we can
figure it to where we are all competing. We’re all playing at the highest level
and we’re all winning games, that’s all that matters.
For the Sixers (6-1), they have been rolling
with six consecutive victories since dropping their season opener (118-117)
Oct. 26 at the Milwaukee Bucks (5-3) on TNT.
To put how solid the Sixers have been to
start this season, four of their six victories have come by double-digits. Their
latest victory came against the Celtics (106-103) on Wednesday night.
While Embiid has been at his reigning MVP
best with averages of 31/7 points, 10.9 boards, 5.9 assists, and 2.3 blocks on
53 percent shooting to begin 2023-24, it has been the play of his teammates
that has allowed the Sixers to put the short era of Harden in the rearview
mirror.
Embiid was exceptional in the Sixers
146-128 triumph on Monday night versus the Washington Wizards (2-5), where he
scored 48 points with 11 rebounds and six assists on 17/25 from the field and
14/14 at the charity stripe.
Embiid was astonishing in the third quarter
of that contest scoring a franchise record of 29 points in the third quarter on
a perfect 10/10 from the field and 9/9 from the charity stripe.
Most Points ON 100 Percent Shooting In A
Quarter The Last 25 Seasons
2015 Klay Thompson (GS) 37 Points 13/13 FGs 3rd QTR
2006 Kobe Bryant (LAL) 30 Points 3rd
QTR
2023 Joel Embiid (PHI) 29 Points 3rd
QTR
Most Made Field Goals Without A Miss In A Single Quarter Last 25 Seasons
2015 Klay Thompson (GS) 13/13 FGs Versus Sacramento Kings
2023 Joel Embiid (PHI) 10/10 FGs
Versus Washington Wizards
2008 LeBron James (LAL) 101/10 FGs With Cleveland Cavaliers versus Chicago
Bulls
Tyrese Maxey, who did not get his rookie
extension over the offseason has responded with incredible stats of 25.4 points,
seven assists, and 5.1 rebounds on 48.1 percent from the field and 40.7 percent
from three-point range to open 2023-24.
Teammates To Average 2018-19: Stephen Curry and Kevin
Durant
25 Points, Five Rebounds, With
The Golden State Warriors
And Five Assists First Seven
Games Of A Season In 2023-24:
Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey With
NBA History Philadelphia
76ers
Tobias Harris, who last season was the
team’s four offensive option has come out of the gates strong to begin 2023-24
with averages of 19.3 points and 6.4 rebounds on 60 percent shooting, including
37.5 percent from three-point range.
Along with the play of Maxey and Harris,
the Sixers newest addition of Kelly Oubre, Jr, who got really no traction on
the free agent market over the summer was signed by the boys from the “City of
Brotherly” love and has been a real steal so far behind averages of 17.4 points
and 4.7 rebounds on 51.8 percent from the floor and 41.2 percent from
three-point range.
While this great start by the Sixers might
have gotten them past the Harden saga for now, they are still on the clock to
put a team around Embiid that can help him accomplish his main goal of winning
a championship, especially now that at the start of this season was the first
of four-year, $213 million supermax deal he signed in the summer of 2021 that last
through the 2026-27 season.
Back in the summer at an event in Las
Vegas, NV during NBA Summer League with LeBron James’ friend and one of his business
associates Maverick Carter, Embiid said, “I just want to win a championship.
Whatever it takes.”
“I don’t know where that’s going to be.
Whether it’s in Philly or anywhere else. I just want to have a chance to
accomplish that. I want to see what it feels like to win that first one and
then you can think about the next one.”
Embiid said at Media Day that he hoped the
Sixers and Harden could find a resolution to their contentious squabble but
that “doesn’t change” the main goal of this season in Embiid’s mind, to “win a
championship.”
While the acquisitions of the aforementioned
Batum, Covington, Morris, Sr., and Martin, Jr. add quality players that can
help the Sixers at least this season with their ability to shoot and defend, they
are not the kind of moves that have the Sixers in a position to win it all in
the spring of 2024.
What the Sixers do have in their favor are
those draft picks they acquired from the Clippers, bringing their total to
three First-Round picks; three First-Round pick swaps; six Second-Round picks; and
$105 million in expiring contracts. Those expiring contracts also keep the
Sixers on track to potentially have close to $50 to $65 million in salary cap
space for next summer.
The Sixers also have the right person in
the front office in Morey, who when he has the chance to acquire talent that
will put his team in position to compete in the postseason, he has shown no
hesitation to be aggressive in doing so.
All of this depends on how patient Embiid
is willing to be with the Sixers and their ability to put a championship cast
around him.
At least for now, Embiid is on board with
what the Sixers are doing and how they have maintained themselves during the
Harden saga.
“I think it’s a lot of credit to the
culture that we have,” Embiid said following his performance of 27 points, 10
rebounds, and four block shots in the Sixers 106-103 win versus the Celtics
(5-2) on Wednesday night.
“No one has an ego on this team. We have
new guys. We took them in. We’ve go them up to speed and I think guys want to
play with each other and they like being around each other.”
Nearly two seasons back, the 76ers acquired
James Harden in hopes that him pairing with Joel Embiid would lead them to
their first NBA title since 1983. It did not workout and now leads both star
players as well as their respective teams with high expectations and a lot of
questions not just this season but in the future.
In the case of Harden, he got traded to
the team he wanted to go to again in the Clippers as he did in joining the
Rockets, and Nets.
The Clippers have his so called “Larry
Bird rights,” meaning if the Clippers re-signed Harden in the summer of 2024
exceeding their salary cap.
“No matter what you want to say about his
tactics, he [Harden] has delivered what he’s wanted,” ESPN’s Senior NBA Insider
Brian Windhorst said on the Oct. 31 edition of “NBA Today,” about Harden
getting dealt to the team he wanted to be traded to.
“He’s undefeated in four trades in his
career...When James Harden’s career is over, he should open a consultancy where
he advises players on how to get traded because he’s untouchable. And I’m not
just saying this tongue and cheek. He gets exactly what he wants under his terms.
Victory today for James Harden.”
The question now is, will the addition of
Harden get the Clippers over the hump of reaching The Finals for the first time
in franchise history in a very stacked Western Conference this spring?
Along with having to decide to bring back Harden,
the Clippers have to deal with the possibility of having to re-sign Leonard and
George, who have player options for 2024-25 season, which they can opt out of
and be unrestricted free agents this summer. Westbrook is on the Clippers’ book
at $4 million for next season.
The other significance of all of this for the
Clippers is they are set to move into their new home, the Intuit Dome next
season and they want to do that hopefully Harden, but Leonard and George will
still be with the team along with Westbrook.
That means Coach Lue and his coaching
staff have to find a way to make the foursome of Leonard, George, Westbrook,
and Harden to work.
Coach Lue said he wants to give this 10
games to see if this works and hopefully it will go a lot better than it has
the first two games at the Knicks and Nets, both losses.
As far as the Sixers, them keeping Embiid
for the remainder of his prime will depend on what he does leading up to this
February’s trade deadline and this summer in continuing to add to this
supporting cast.
The Sixers know if they do not deliver,
Embiid will be looking to win that elusive title elsewhere and they will a
plethora of teams lined up to take advantage.
“Any team that I’m on, I’m still gonna believe
I have a chance to win. No matter whose on the roster, and we’ve got a lot of
great players,” Embiid said at Media Day.
Embiid added to that saying in the team’s
first game without Harden in their 114-99 win versus the Toronto Raptors on
Nov. 2 following his performance of 28 points, 13 rebounds, and seven assists, “The
only thing I care about is winning. That’s my focus, you know.”
“I hope that we’re all on the same page.
That’s what I want and the moment we’re not on the same page, you know, then we
need to have a discussion. But I think these guys want to win and we’re going
to do our best.”
Information, statistics, and quotations
are courtesy;https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2021-22_Los_Angeles_Clippers_season; www.espn.com; of 10/19/2021 www.nypost.com story, “James Harden Declining
Nets Extension Is A $227 Million Bet,” By Brian Lewis; 1/14/2021 www.nba.com story, “Nets Acquire James Harden In
Blockbuster Trade,” With Information from “The Associated Press;” 10/21/2022 www.nba.com story, “Nets Trade James Harden To
Sixers For Ben Simmons,” With Information from “The Associated Press;”
10/31/2023 www.espn.com story, “Sources:
Clippers Land James Harden In Blockbuster 76ers Trade,” By Adrian Wojnarowski;
11/1/2023 www.nba.com story, “Reports: Sixers
Trade James Harden To LA Clippers;” With Information from “The Associated
Press;” 10/17/2023 3 p.m. ESPN’s “NBA Today,” With Malika Andrews, Ramona
Shelburne, Richard Jefferson, Brian Windhorst, Kendrick Perkins, and Adrian
Wojnarowski; 11/3/2023 3 p.m. ESPN’s “NBA Today,” With Malika Andrews, Chiney Ogwumike,
Kendrick Perkins, Zach Lowe, and Adrian Wojnarowski 11/6/2023 11:25 p.m. ESPN’s
“Sportscenter With Scott Van Pelt” From Washington, D.C.; 11/7/2023 3 p.m. ESPN’s
“NBA Today,” With Malika Andrews, Chiney Ogwumike, Richard Jefferson, Zach
Lowe, and Adrian Wojnarowski; and 11/9/2023 3 p.m. ESPN’s “NBA Today” With Malika
Andrews, Brian Windhorst, Kendrick Perkins, Austin Rivers, and Erin Dolan.
