The narrative may already be out of James Harden's control.
After leading the Houston Rockets to last year's Western Conference Finals and finishing second in MVP voting, Harden appeared bulletproof—that rare ball-dominant star who avoided criticism for a seemingly selfish style.
Now, with a disappointing Rockets season stripping away the flak jacket of team success, Harden is taking heavy fire as the worst kind of pseudo-star: a stat-hogging gunner who can't lead and doesn't make his teammates better.
Tainted. Maligned. Picked apart despite obvious talent.
Harden is in Carmelo Anthony territory. In fact, he's been there for a while. It's just that wins and the perceived potential that came with youth (he's still only 26) quieted the discontent for a time.
ESPN.com's David Thorpe had this to say of Harden two seasons ago:
There's a darker side to Harden's game, one that does little to engender a team concept and ultimately just makes him look selfish. Because of that, the Houston Rockets and their fans are fair to ask whether Harden is beginning to resemble a p ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NBA
Article written by Grant Hughes
Criticism Reaching Critical Mass for James Harden, But Is It Fair?
February 23rd, 2016 by Grant Hughes Leave a reply »
Advertisement