What a mess they’ve got on their hands in Philadelphia, with James Harden declaring GM Daryl Morey a “liar,” and that he won’t play on the team as long as he’s there. He wants to get traded to the Clippers, and reportedly will make things as “uncomfortable” as possible for the Sixers until he gets his wish.
Mercifully, this turn of events has, other than the potential impacts on a conference rival, literally nothing to do with the Lakers. There is no rumor, no supposition, no anything linking Harden to the Lakers that is even two percent plausible. Or one percent. Or half a percent. Given the scope of Harden’s star power, that’s a nice turn of events, and indicates a change in how this sort of thing works. We saw a glimpse with the post-deadline path of Kyrie Irving, where, sure he was connected to the Lakers but there was no momentum there.
What does it mean that the Lakers aren’t the automatic “What about?” when stuff like this happens?
And how does this Harden moment compare to another one that certainly did impact the Lakers… specifically when Kobe Bryant demanded a trade, called Dr. Buss an idiot and found himself as one of the earliest subjects of amateur video in the summer of 2007. So how does that summer compare to this one? We reminisce.
And from there, what does the Harden controversy say about the decision of the Lakers to quickly and enthusiastically give Anthony Davis a max contract extension? Hint: It should make fans feel much, much better about it.
HOSTS: Andy and Brian Kamenetzky
SEGMENT 1: James Harden is a cartoon, creating real problems for the Sixers that, in a twist, will not touch the Lakers in the slightest. Is this a new trend?
SEGMENT 2: Comparing the Harden controversy with the Summer of Kobe.
SEGMENT 3: What the Harden controversy says about the Anthony Davis extension.
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25 Comments
Just trade James plus someone for Damian. Problem solved 😂
Friendly reminder that it’s “nuclear”, not “nucular”. You’re saying it in the George W. Bush way. It’s noo-klee-uhr. Where you are saying noo-kyuh-luhr.
Harden is a knuckle head.
Harden might be traded for Christian Wood
Joel Embiid asking for a trade could be more interesting, would you trade AD for Embiid?
How about cw35? Any news?
Are the Lakers a genuine championship contender?
No not yet in my mind.
They need atleast 2 out of the below 3 things i believe…
1. Elite rebounding. They will need a big that can rebound at an elite level and also backup AD. They were a -5 per game differential against the Nuggets and Warriors in the playoffs. They haven't really addressed that till now. It wont get them thru 4 rds of playoffs without elite rebounding esp with their lack of shooting prowess
2. They need a bona-fide closer. Lebron is getting older, AD seems to have lost his jumper and Reaves is not there yet…..this is a question mark esp when the conference has Steph/Klay, KD/Book, Jokic/Murray, Kawhi/PG, Kyrie/Luca….and so on
3. Elite perimeter shooting. The Lakers lag behind the Nuggets, Suns, Warriors, Celtics et ,….in this aspect. This is the most difficult to fix but if they can have a collective uptick in shooting starting with their 2 stars, it can mitigate this issue to a large extent.
I believe if they can address 2 of above 3 gaps, they can be legit championship contender.
Having said that, the Lakers depth will matter in propelling them to a top 3 or even 2 regular season seeding. But they cud fall short of expectations in the playoffs if they don't address aforementioned aspects. They still have time and need patience. It cud take them even until the buy out mkt to get their needs fully sorted out.
Harden is going to have to pull a FULL GEORGE COSTANZA. I know yall get the reference bros 😂
Question: it seems like we have very few real new stars in the NBA they are all aging names. You have Luka and joker and….not much else. I wonder what you think is happening with star production in the NBA
This is where the NBA needs David Stern Stern would never allow players to act out this
ways…..
Kobe wanted the Laker to bring in better players than Smoosh or Kwame so they would have an opportunity to win another championship. It’s all about intent
Wow y'all just lost a viewer what does Kobe have to do with this situation? Y'all just can't help yourselves can you? RIP mamba
That is such a PLAY BOOK…VILLIANIZING THE BLAKK GUY IN THIS SCENARIO…FITS PERFECTLY WITH WHAT THIS CHANNEL IS ALL ABOUT…THESE 2 DUDES VILLIANIZED KOBE…
NBA needs to put a stop on these diva players like Harden, kyrie and Simmons
I thought i remembered the Kobe wanting to get traded drama but i DO NOT remember it being THIS drastic. That's crazy he did all of that especially considering how it all ended in LA with him being heralded as a living legend by the time he retired.
Harden is a child
The truth is Kobe just wanted the free agency experience.
He always said this. And even though he later said he came close to leaving I never believed that. I think he just wanted those other places to think he wasn't just wasting their time
Screw the Chiefs!
Harden is not an A player anymore. Doesn’t play defense, and comes out of shape. Doesn’t do well in playoffs.
There is so much talk about The Lakers chasing Christian Wood.
What about Jymichael Green? I always loved his stretch 5 game on clippers and wondered why he didn't get enough minutes on Denver. If he's still available I'd give him a serious look. Too many red flags with c wood from a character standpoint.
The Kobe drama was great for me. The uncertainty produced an opening in a pool of 4 guys sharing great season tickets. I bought in and enjoyed the ride.
Really lazy comp…Kobe in his prime asking out vs Harden ovee the hill on his 3rd trade request
What are the facts about Christian Wood situation and will he be going to South Beach or Lakers. Someone has to know something.
Harden is toxic and he needs to sign his overweight body with the clippers.
An entire episode on Harden 😏