Attention trade partners: Don’t overthink the greatness of James Harden

Many feel many types of ways about James Harden. His latest performance indicates how none of it should impact his basketball greatness.

This article isn’t about defending James Harden the person. Because the truth is that version of James Harden has done a lot of questionable things over the last few months to warrant ire in his direction.

Harden is not the first superstar-level player to seek greener pastures before he is given the contractual obligation to do so. He won’t be the last. But you can’t help but roll your eyes when considering the Houston Rockets’ inability to compete for a championship anytime soon is a result largely of his doing.

He was the one who forced Daryl Morey’s hand when it came time to pull the trigger on the infamous Chris Paul-Russell Westbrook swap, the unofficial beginning to the end of the Harden era. It didn’t matter that Westbrook was an objectively worse fit on a roster that won 65 games just two years prior or that the deal would cost Houston up to four first-round picks.

“We knew who the boss of the organization was,” a former Rockets assistant coach told ESPN’s Tim MacMahon. “That’s just part of what the deal was when you go to Houston. The players, coaches, GM, owner all know.”

“Whatever James wants,” said another former Rockets staffer.

When the Rockets failed to immediately bend to his trade request, Harden made things more difficult for everyone involved. First-time head-coach Stephen Silas couldn’t get through his first training camp, nor could new faces John Wall, Christian Wood and DeMarcus Cousins acclimate themselves without speaking on things for which they had no answer.

Need it be mentioned why the actions of Harden during his absence project poorly amid a pandemic?

It’s easy to let one iteration of a person affect your perception of another. LeBron James the basketball player was absolutely obliterated for a decision he once made in the interest of himself and his family. Same goes for Kevin Durant.

The once clear line between the two becomes blurred. In Harden’s case, his dropping stock off the court has raised questions about his value on it while being weighed against the cost his services would demand in a trade.

So the questions arise: Why would contending teams like the Heat and Nuggets surrender stars of tomorrow in Tyler Herro and Michael Porter Jr. for a superstar of today? Should the 76ers part with an All-Star whose fit alongside his star teammate has always been middling at best in exchange for a perennial MVP candidate whose shot-creating abilities would immediately vault them up the league’s hierarchy of contenders?

Would any deal for Harden be worth the forfeiture of less than a one percent chance at a similar player through the draft? Multiple chances?

Harden couldn’t rebuttal those concerns because he wasn’t in the only domain that would let him. The last we saw of him in a meaningful basketball game came while the Los Angeles Lakers were putting the finishing touches on a 23-point elimination victory.

Well, Harden has returned, quite emphatically and surprisingly considering how long it’s been since he last played in a legitimate NBA game.

Houston came up short against the Portland Trail Blazers but Harden’s play was as loud as ever. He shot 12-of-22 from the field and 6-of-13 on threes, registering 44 points along with 17 assists in just over 43 minutes in the overtime loss. In typical Harden fashion, he was also 14-of-16 from the free-throw line.

To believe that these types of numbers are merely a product of the excessive dribbling freedom afforded to Harden is to ignore the brilliant artistry of the reigning three-time scoring champion.

He is an offense unto himself, one who has finished top-two in MVP voting in four of the last six seasons while registering 30 and 40-point outings at a rate that generates an alarming sense of normalcy. The Rockets haven’t posted an offense outside the top-10 since 2015 because they’re led by a player who generates some of the most efficient looks in all of basketball.

Whatever Herro, Porter or even Simmons might become, the best of their future or anyone else involved in these hypothetical deals doesn’t compare to the player Harden has proven he still is at age 31.

There are only so many superstars in the NBA today, the type of players who instantly legitimize championship hopes independent of the system you think they need to thrive. Harden is one of the super rare to hit the open market with multiple years left on his deal.

His Hall-of-Fame game hasn’t done much of the talking recently. That it remains present and impactful is how simple trading for Harden should be instead of the complex dilemma other stuff has made what could be a franchise-altering deal for the team wise and quick enough to get one done.