NBA Hall of Famer Charles Oakley is blaming James Harden of the Houston Rockets for messing up their team chemistry. It seems like a strange claim coming from one player, but there could be other reasons as to why this happened so just take it with some salt.
The era of James Harden with the Brooklyn Nets came to an end before it had begun. Last season’s blockbuster transaction that took Harden to Brooklyn from the Houston Rockets culminated in just one trip to the conference semifinals before his dissatisfaction with the franchise led to him being traded to the Philadelphia 76ers earlier this year in exchange for Ben Simmons.
By adding Harden, the Nets basically created a super squad. He’ll now be teammates with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. Despite the fact that they have already parted ways with the famous scorer, they may have another next year if Simmons is healthy.
Former NBA All-Star Charles Oakley, on the other hand, feels that Brooklyn should not have traded for The Beard in the first place.
He said that the Nets’ relationship was “messed up” by the 2017-18 MVP.
The Nets should never have dealt for James Harden, according to Charles Oakley.
Mike Stobe/BIG3/Getty Images; Michelle Farsi/Getty Images Charles Oakley and James Harden
The Brooklyn Nets are on the danger of being swept by the Boston Celtics in the NBA playoffs’ opening round. After moving James Harden to the Sixers, they are without him, and Ben Simmons has yet to play for them this season due to a back ailment.
Despite the fact that Harden is a three-time All-Star and Simmons is a previous league MVP, Charles Oakley believes the Nets should not have made the first deal last season.
“Brooklyn made a mistake last year; they didn’t need James Harden,” Oakley told TMZ recently. “They didn’t need his services.” They could have maintained their supporting cast. Last year, they had a terrific chemistry.”
Oakley makes an excellent argument. In order to get Harden, the Brooklyn Nets had to make some great trades.
He didn’t stop there, however.
He said, “They didn’t need James Harden.” “I believe he screwed up the relationship over there because they had to defer to him once they acquired him last year.” And he wasn’t in good shape. He wasn’t in the best of shape.”
Who would be on the Nets if James Harden hadn’t been acquired?
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The Nets’ decision to trade for James Harden backfired. Last season, he only scored 24.6 points per game for them before suffering a hamstring injury in the playoffs. Before being moved to Philadelphia, the 10-time All-Star averaged 22.5 points on 41.4 percent shooting in Brooklyn this season.
With Ben Simmons, the squad has a bright future, but he is proving to be just as unpredictable as Harden. It seemed that he might participate in this year’s playoffs, but that scenario is becoming more doubtful.
So, if they hadn’t gotten the former Rockets star, who would they have on their roster?
Jarrett Allen, who was named to the Cleveland Cavaliers’ All-Star team this season, would join the Brooklyn Nets. He’s turned into a top defender in the paint, averaging 16.1 points and 10.8 rebounds a game. Caris LeVert would be a member of the squad as well. Last season, he averaged more than 20.0 points per game before averaging 17.0 this season with the Indiana Pacers and Cleveland Cavaliers.
Other assets were involved in the purchase, but they were the most significant losses. Allen and LeVert would have been a terrific offensive complement to Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving the previous two seasons, and Allen would have bolstered Brooklyn’s lackluster defense.
However, you can’t blame the Nets for wanting Harden last season. He’d just finished three seasons in a row as the NBA’s leading scorer, averaging over 30.0 points per game. They had no idea his abilities would deteriorate so quickly.
Do the Nets have any regrets about acquiring James Harden? Possibly. Jarrett Allen would be an All-Star center, while Caris LeVert would be a strong wing. However, they must now proceed.
However, if the Celtics sweep them in the 2021-22 season, that remorse might become even deeper.
Basketball Reference provided the statistics.
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