WhatsNew2Day – Latest News And Breaking Headlines
Just before the Los Angeles Clippers’ demoralizing loss to the Dallas Mavericks, a Mavs analyst started scorched earth in his analysis of James Harden.
Brian Dameris, former Mavericks Director of Basketball Development and current Bally Sports Southwest analyst, cooked Harden over an open fire in mid-air while going over almost every issue the guard has had thus far in his career.
After saying he asked the producers to pipe the sound of this into the Clippers locker room, Dameris began, “James, I hope you’re taking notes. I’ll tell you in advance: you’re welcome for the wisdom I’m about to share.
“Because listen, I get on my knees every night and pray that someone believes in me like (former Rockets GM and current Sixers GM) Daryl Morey believed in you.
“You wanted a certain coach (the Houston Rockets) to bring in Mike D’Antoni. You wanted to play a certain style, they played it. You wanted Dwight Howard, they brought him in and left him when you got tired of him.
Former Mavericks general manager Brian Dameris roasted Clippers guard James Harden before a game
“You wanted Chris Paul, they brought him in and got rid of him when you got tired of him. They brought in your old friend Russell Westbrook.
‘Do you want to go to Vegas on your days off? They looked away. You wanted the team to stay over so you could go out in the evening, they changed the schedule – and it didn’t work.
“And you know what, you said… I see the bright lights of New York. I want to go there. My old friend Kevin Durant. It’s going to work, the big three, and after a year you wanted out.
“You realized, ‘Oh my God! I took this man for granted, the man who believed in me. I want to get back with Daryl Morey. They traded Ben Simmons for you. How did they do that?
‘And you know what? You went there and you got a partner (Joel Embiid) who got the MVP. He won the MVP, and what did you say afterward? You said, “They didn’t hand me the reins.” You are the point guard! You were in control!
“And what did you do when you were in government? You scored 9 points in Game 7 against Boston and blew a 3-2 series lead. So they fired their coach, not good enough.
Harden (1) was criticized for being consistently unhappy and unsuccessful wherever he went
“You broke up with the man who believed in you again, you said, ‘the bright lights of LA!’ That’s where I want to go! Let’s see if that works.”
“Listen James, have you ever had one of those friends who had bad roommates? Over and over again they complained about their bad roommates: ‘this guy is terrible’, ‘the bad roommate here’, they never thought they were self-aware enough that THEY were the bad roommate! They are the problem!
“Hey James, YOU ARE the PROBLEM! If this doesn’t work this year, in this system, with this team, then you’re going to point fingers at everyone else and then you’re going to go back home and you’re going to swipe right for another team. and there will be none left.
“Because James, you are not the beard, you are not the system, you are the problem.”
Harden proved Dameris right on Friday, shooting just six in 29 minutes in a 144-126 loss
Whether or not Harden heard Dameris’ words, his play on the field proved his assessment completely correct.
Despite playing 29 minutes, James Harden took just six shots all game – and made just three of them.
He finished with 14 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals, hitting all six free throws he took.
But the effort wasn’t enough to prevent an embarrassing loss for the Mavericks: a 144-126 defeat that dropped the Clippers to 3-5.
It’s the third straight loss LA has suffered since trading for Harden.