This dude is one of the greatest offensive weapons this game has ever seen out of shape and a bit overweight by at least 12 to £15.

From what I could tell do with no training camp, no pre season.

This brother showed up in Game one against Portland and dropped 40 for showing the world.

This is what I can do when I'm not even nearly myself.

We know what James Hardie could do, so when you turn around and over the last four or five games, you're only averaging 17 points a game and you scored under 20 about three or four straight games.

That doesn't make any sense to us whatsoever, because we know how lethal James Harding is having said all of that.

Here's what we need to understand, Max.

You can't say what you just said because it's inconsistent with your previous messages.

You talked about James Harden and how stars in the NBA have leverage, and ultimately they're going to get what they want.

Somehow, some way.

Well, this is what James Harden is doing.

He's trying to force his way out of Houston.

He does not want to be there now.

I don't think he wants to be in clear in Brooklyn anymore in light of what's happening with Kyrie, because he knows that's a mess that's not going anywhere and clearly, if you're the Houston Rockets, you'd never swap James Harden for Kyrie.

Because what Kyrie issues, you're not bringing that to H Town.

Okay and say what you want about James Harden.

But James Harden shows up on the court night in, night out.

He's never engaged in load management.

You can depend on him.

And so, in light of that reality, knowing that he's uninspired to play but seeing what he's capable of doing when he is inspired, there is no way of wiggling around that issue.

The bottom line is James Harden wants out.

He wants out by any means necessary.

He wants to go to Philly.

From what I'm being told, even more so then Brooklyn.

Obviously, Daryl Morey would have something to do with that.

I don't know if they have the assets that willing to give up to get the James Harden, because I think it would take a Ben Simmons.

A couple of pics, maybe another player in order to get James Harden from Houston, and I don't see Philly doing that.

But Daryl Morey is there, even though Doc Rivers has some say, too, along with Elton Brand, so you just never know.

In the end, what it comes down to is this.

James Harden should be handling this better, but he's been in Houston all of these years.

The greatest argument you could make against James Harden is that you wanted Dwight Howard.

Then you didn't want him.

You wanted CP three and then you didn't want him.

You wanted Russell Westbrook, and then you didn't want him.

So because of that, you could make that argument against them.

But James Harden could retort by saying, I also wanted Daryl Morey to stay here.

I also wanted Mike D'Antoni to stay here, and both of those dudes were gone.

Eso Why should I want to stay?

You can take whatever side you want Any end.

He is a super star player who I believe is handling this all wrong.

But I'm not going to engage in that kind of perpetual condemnation because I don't believe that wherever James Harden ends up, like if you traded him to Philly or you traded him to Brooklyn, that you would see what you're seeing.

He has a far longer history of showing up and giving his all that he does off just sitting there and being ah, bit disinterested and apathetic because he's disgusted with this situation.

My position is perfectly consistent.

Superstars do exert tremendous leverage in the n B A and the teams that have them, particularly if they're under contract for two more seasons.

They're not in the final year of their deal.

Want a king's ransom for them because we know the history of trades in the N.

B.

A is almost always.

Whoever gets the best player in the deal wins the trade.

That's how it goes.

I don't care.

You trade shock.

Oh, but we got this guy and that guy and owed him, and whoever gets shock wins that deal.

So the superstars have leverage, but it's but the team that trades them want what's, ah, whole lot back since they know they're gonna lose the deal anyway, they might get the winds.

We'll get the best deal they can and This is where, where?

It's perfectly consistent.

Superstars, Yes, and James Harden is a superstar, one would think.

But what they're what you're seeing is he doesn't have superstar trade value.

Teams don't want to give up what it takes to get him.

Stephen A.

Because of the point I made that you re iterated and you threw in Dwight Howard.

James Harden has wanted teammates, and those players have thought they wanted to be teammates with James Harden.

And usually, after one year, they go, No, I don't wanna be teammates with him anymore.

And even if they have good personal relationship supposedly off the court, No, we're still boys.

I just don't wanna play basketball with him.

Well, that's a problem.

And Stephen A.

It would be less of a problem if James Harden, in spite of the style where he monopolizes the ball.

In spite of what I just mentioned the dynamic with other star teammates.

If Harden was perceived as a crunch time player, if he was a guy who'd won a championship, if he'd hit some of those threes against the Warriors and gone on to win the championship, where they would have been favorite If they got past the Warriors, then even the equation would be different.

But I think GM Zehr sitting around going OK, They want, what for?

Harden All that and he's probably going to be unhappy in a year or two and teammate he's gonna get is gonna be an issue playing with teammates and when I need him most in the playoffs and the biggest moments, he's not the dude with the reputation or the resume that says, Yeah, he's gonna bring us there.

I don't want to trade all that stuff for him.

That's why he's still a rocket.

The Rockets aren't getting viable trade offers.

That's why he looks bad.

They're not getting viable trade offers because they're asking for the farm for him.

It's not that nobody wants him.

It's that they don't want to give up the farm for him because again, you don't want Houston Part two.

You don't wanna be.

You don't wanna have an organization that completely evolves around James Harden, where you have nothing else because you've given you've given up all the assets that would surround him, but that's what comes with that.

But that's what comes with stars.

Max do you understand that?

If LeBron listen, let me let me sound.

Let me sound a little crazy for you here, okay?

Certainly, LeBron.

We know that LeBron is the greatest player in the world.

OK, but if you sat up there, you went to the Golden State Warriors.

And you said, you know what?

You could have, LeBron.

But we want Steph and Clay and and and two picks.

And wait a minute.

Now wait a minute.

Now, not parent LeBron with them would be a different matter.

But sit up there and give all of that up for LeBron.

What are we accomplishing here?

Of course.

That's an extreme.

Hold on.

Hold on, Hold on.

Of course, that's an extreme case.

I'm not trying to say it's an equivalent, Max, it's not.

This is an extreme case.

I'm simply saying that when you're great, it takes an awful lot to get you.

So let's not talk about how Oh, they're not getting any office for James.

It's not that they're not getting any offers.

Is that Tilman Fertitta has made it very, very clear this one of the greatest players of this generation we ain't giving him up for just anything.

That's what this is about.

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