When James Harden demanded a trade from the Houston Rockets this past offseason, most figured he would likely get his wish. When NBA stars want off their respective teams, one way or another, eventually it happens.
That said – most also understood that Harden’s change in circumstance likely wouldn’t make him happy for long.
Surely enough, Harden had his first run-in with a Brooklyn Nets teammate this past Tuesday night during a game against the Detroit Pistons.
During an early sequence, Harden took exception to how big man DeAndre Jordan was playing defense.
Harden was trying to coach his new team after trailing early vs. Detroit. pic.twitter.com/mSpVQo17oo
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 10, 2021
The play that seemingly triggered Harden featured Pistons forward Jerami Grant cutting into the paint and dishing to Mason Plumlee, who faked a shot, dribbled right and completely went around Jordan.
Jordan, for whatever inexplicable reason, simply watched Plumlee go up for the uncontested shot from a few feet away instead of playing any sort of defense.
Harden’s frustration in this instance was totally understandable, even if him calling out bad defense is a bit of a pot-kettle situation.
The Bucks owner’s daughter decided to bring 2021 in with a bang by stripping all her clothes off. https://t.co/UgzhEEna4o
— Game 7 (@game7__) January 7, 2021
The Nets are somehow simultaneously the best offensive team in the NBA and worst defensive team in the NBA. Many figured this might be the case when they went out and acquired Harden, but nobody expected it to be quite this bad.
Fortunately, the Nets are one of two heavy favorites to land Andre Drummond from the Cleveland Cavaliers. If that ends up happening, the team’s defensive woes will be fixed overnight and they really will become the scary squad some thought they might be at the beginning of the season.
Related: Victor Oladipo’s Blunt Reaction To Rockets Trade
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
