In his first public feedback since rejoining the Philadelphia 76ers final week, James Harden advised reporters after Friday’s follow he continues to see no manner his relationship with Daryl Morey could be repaired whereas additionally saying his plan “is to play basketball. Sure, for positive.”
“No,” Harden mentioned flatly, when requested straight whether or not he thought issues might get patched up with Morey. “This isn’t even about this case — that is in life.
“Whenever you lose belief in somebody, it is like a wedding … you lose belief in somebody, what I imply? It is fairly easy.”
Harden made some extent of by no means saying Morey’s identify on Friday, solely referring to him as “the entrance workplace.”
Harden evaluating his relationship with Morey, now Philadelphia’s president of basketball operations, to a wedding is becoming, given the 2 of them have been just about tied on the hip ever for the reason that defining second of each of their careers, which came about 11 years in the past this month when Morey introduced Harden to the Houston Rockets in a blockbuster commerce with the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder.
From there, Harden turned himself into the NBA’s Most Beneficial Participant in 2018, and considered one of its best offensive gamers of this era and of all time, serving to energy the Rockets to a number of playoff appearances, together with a pair of Western Convention finals losses to the Golden State Warriors. However after the 2 of them had been reunited this summer season, their relationship broke down after the 76ers misplaced to the Boston Celtics in seven video games within the Japanese Convention semifinals.
Harden, who referred to as Morey a “liar” throughout an occasion in China in August, mentioned the communication between the 2 sides — after being a continuing for years — ended when Philadelphia’s playoff run was over.
“Me and the entrance workplace had a really, excellent relationship for a decade,” Harden mentioned. “There was fixed communication, what I imply? There was no communication as soon as we misplaced.”
When a follow-up query was requested about whether or not that meant there was no communication as soon as the Celtics sequence got here to an finish, Harden did not reply.
In that absence of communication, Harden selected to decide into his $35.6 million participant possibility for the 2023-24 season and requested to be traded to the LA Clippers. Thus far, nevertheless, that request has not been granted.
When requested whether or not he want to be traded, Harden merely mentioned, “You have to discuss to the entrance workplace about that.”
And, after lacking media day and the staff’s first follow at Colorado State College in Fort Collins, Colorado, final week — a follow Harden mentioned he missed as a result of he was present process preseason physicals — he rejoined the staff and has been practising ever since.
Harden mentioned he is feeling “actually, actually good” bodily however that “there’s one other stage I really feel like I can get to and I need to get to.” He mentioned he’s nonetheless ramping his physique up and will not play in Monday’s preseason recreation in Brooklyn in opposition to the Nets, however that he might play within the closing preseason recreation subsequent Friday in opposition to the Atlanta Hawks.
“I will ramp it up and attempt to play the final one simply to get myself in recreation conditions and get used to the physicality of defenders bumping you and whatnot,” Harden mentioned. “The pace, the tempo, all that great things. So I feel we have got a superb plan in place.”
Harden’s feedback got here greater than per week after he returned to the staff, collaborating in a number of practices however sitting out the staff’s first two preseason video games in opposition to the Celtics. The NBA usually offers some stage of grace interval in most of these conditions, but it surely was reaching the purpose the place that was anticipated to attract to a detailed and Harden wanted to talk to the media about his state of affairs.
His return, coupled with the character wherein he has achieved it, has made for an odd state of affairs across the franchise, with everybody concerned being happy with the way it’s going within the second however remaining not sure about what’s Harden’s plans are or what this case will appear to be from day after day — not to mention from week to week or any longer time-frame.
All through, nevertheless, Harden has made it clear his disdain for Morey would not prolong to the staff’s new head coach, Nick Nurse, who changed Doc Rivers earlier this offseason. On a number of events Friday, Harden praised Nurse for his versatility and adaptableness as a coach, and he mentioned he is been impressed with the conversations he has had with Nurse since he took the job and with the scheme Nurse is placing into place.
“I feel it is extra spacing, extra alternatives for everybody and simply unpredictable,” Harden mentioned of Nurse’s system, after beforehand saying that he was a “participant’s coach” and that “he will get it.”
“He can change issues up on the fly, and if issues in a single, 5, six, seven possessions aren’t going proper, or in a single quarter, he can change it and make changes. Which could be very troublesome to do. However he is very, excellent at that.”
Harden, nevertheless, isn’t adjusting his stance on Morey in anyway. He mentioned that when he was traded to Philadelphia in February 2022, he “wished to be right here, retire a Sixer, and the entrance workplace did not have that of their plans.”
Now, although, he mentioned he is merely specializing in what’s in entrance of him — including that his plan is to play this season.
“I’ve obtained to decide for my household. It is a enterprise. It is so simple as that. I are available right here at the moment and work my butt off and do the issues crucial as knowledgeable as I might do and as I’ve been doing for 15 years.
“Like I mentioned, I can management what I can management. I take it at some point at a time and deal with each day as a brand new day. My plan is to play basketball, sure, for positive.”