Harden: Part of the solution for the 76ers or problem?
Difficulties were mounting if you thought a trade between two direct Eastern Conference rivals could ever materialize. However, February 10 arrived and it didn’t take until 3:00pm Eastern time to learn that the two franchises had decided to reach an agreement.
It has been 14 days since Harden became a Sixers player, as he wanted, while Simmons was able to fulfill his desire to leave the toxic environment he himself had helped create in Philadelphia for a Nets organization that welcomed him with open arms.
On paper, it all looks like a win-win move for both sides, but reality does not always go hand in hand with what one previously imagines.
The truth is that Daryl Morey, Philadelphia’s President of Operations, opened the doors of the kingdom to his favorite player since the time they were part of Houston Rockets and, it must be said, the only possible option to consider good the change made is that the ‘Beard’ and Joel Embiid, the star who has carried the weight of the franchise for some time now, complement each other without problems. There is no plan B.
But considering how Harden’s relationships with other stars have been, success would not be guaranteed. On the contrary, they even generate doubts.
Is Harden’s arrival in Philadelphia a problem or a solution for the Sixers, and is it a relief for Brooklyn, which can only hope to improve from now on?
Harden’s case with the 76ers
The past clearly tells us that Harden has been one of the most relentless offensive weapons any team can have. His 25.0 points-per-game average over his twelve seasons and his four career leading scorer titles (2014/15, 2015/16, 2018/19 and 2019/20) attest to that.
However, the past also condemns James Harden.
In 2012, Oklahoma City Thunder reached the NBA Finals in the hands of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Serge Ibaka and himself. Despite losing to the Miami Heat, the future looked bright, however, that future progressively faded. The ‘Beard’ was the first to leave the team for Houston.
With the Rockets he was lord and master, but without the possibility of fighting for a title. Things changed when Chris Paul arrived, but the relationship between the two was not rosy. Later, he returned to share the billboard with Westbrook (he arrived in exchange for CP3), but the reunion was not as fruitful or harmonious as expected.
Cuando Houston decidió que era tiempo de reconstruir, su salida era uno de los objetivos. Allí apareció Brooklyn sumándolo a su plantel para terminar de conformar un Big 3 con su viejo compañero en OKC, Kevin Durant y con Kyrie Irving.
En la cancha todo funcionó bien cuando los tres compartieron minutos de juego, pero fueron solamente 16 partidos en los que pudieron mostrar su potencial. El tiempo y las lesiones se encargaron de que viejos fantasmas volvieran a aparecer y la armonía se resquebrajara.
Su relación con Durant se fue deteriorando hasta convertirse en una “guerra fría” en la que los protagonistas no se dirigían la palabra. Fue entonces cuando la gerencia de los Nets, encabezada por Sean Marks, tomó la decisión de explorer escenarios de cambio para un jugador que lucía claramente descontento en Brooklyn. La perseverancia de Morey por contratar a Harden, hizo el resto en esta historia.
With the goal accomplished, it now remains to be seen whether his arrival will raise the team’s level thanks to his guaranteed offensive production, or if his constant and well-documented relationship problems with other stars will end up hurting their chances of winning a title.
Without Simmons playing even a second, the Sixers this season have the third best record in the East with a 35-23 mark. They have in Embiid their guide, a pivot who leads the team in averages in three different categories such as points (29.6), rebounds (11.2) and blocks (1.4), and Tobias Harris (18.7 pts) and Tyrese Maxey (16.9 pts and 4.6 assists) as good supporting players.
The arrival of Harden is going to take some of the spotlight away from these two players, especially on offensive stuff. If that adaptation is done organically, without trying to hurt the chemistry of the group, then Harden would be part of the solution for Sixers.
It is known that when someone arrives at a place where they were anxious to get there, the coexistence is usually good in the early days. But many times that communion is not possible to maintain for a long time. That’s what Harden has shown with every star he’s played with. If that were to happen, then it will help create a problem that, in the medium to long term, the franchise will have to face and solve.
The case for the departure of the ‘Beard’ from Brooklyn.
Having a disgruntled player in a team that intends to fight to be champion is not a good idea. Neither is having a player who can only play away because he has decided not to be vaccinated against Covid. And if you combine the two situations, there is definitely a serious problem to solve.
What Brooklyn has done by trading Harden to receive Ben Simmons, Andre Drummond and Seth Curry in return: try to solve an existing problem and welcome with open arms players willing to adapt to the team’s culture and compete for a title.
Just as Harden was aiming to come to Philadelphia (as he expressed in his introductory conference with the team) Simmons wanted to join the Nets and play alongside Durant. That’s a plus for the franchise.
If we add the fact that the arrival of a shooter like Seth Curry will help mitigate the absence of Joe Harris while he remains injured, and that he managed to transform a player he was planning to buy out like Paul Millsap into a center like Drummond who can split minutes at that position with LaMarcus Aldridge, everything would seem to indicate that several problems were solved in one fell swoop.
Granted, Simmons doesn’t have the offensive firepower of Harden, but defensively the improvement is vast. In addition, Simmons can give versatility to the roster by playing different positions, and surely he will not be someone who is going to create problems by wanting to score points and gain prominence. Winning games will be enough for him to be comfortable.
In addition, with the signing of Goran Dragic, the Nets would have found a point guard capable of scoring and creating games for his teammates when Durant and Irving rest. And apparently without egos problem.
Putting all these ingredients on the scale, the weight leans to the side that the departure of the ‘Beard’ has been a solution to a problem they were suffering from. In theory, all the pieces fit together, but it remains to be seen if on the field as well, lest they have lost a piece that prevents them from completing the puzzle.
Finally, intrigue still hangs in the air. Harden was part of a problem in Brooklyn but the franchise found a solution.
Could the Sixers organization have found in Harden’s arrival the solution for this team to make the definitive leap in quality to achieve a championship? Or simply in their attempt to improve and climb positions, have they hired a potential problem rather than a probable solution?
Time will write the end of this story. In the meantime, those who dare can rehearse the answer they like the most.
