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As the 2023 season neared, James Harden was a too-heavy 76er calling his boss a liar. He wanted out of Philadelphia, and after his stints there and in Brooklyn, he was generally seen a roundball radioactive.
Harden wanted to be traded to the Clippers, but team president Lawrence Frank was being strongly advised to avoid the hazard — that his job would be at stake if the move didn’t work out.
“But Lawrence pulled the trigger,” said one coach with ties to the situation. “Nobody saw it. James was out of shape, and he’d played the way he did in Philly. He got numbers, but he’d bug out and he was driving people crazy. It seemed like nobody wanted him.”
It therefore took some, uh, Wilsons on the part of Frank.
“It did,” the source told Heavy Sports. “You’ve got to give him his props. I mean, we all thought Harden was playing like he was done. He didn’t care about it. That’s what it looked like. All we kept hearing is that he was going to the clubs; that’s what was important to him. But he’s damn sure playing now.”
More importantly, the Clippers are damn sure playing now. They lost Harden’s first five games in the lineup, but when Russell Westbrook left Harden in the starting lineup and accepted a role off the bench, the Clipper ship began to sail. They are 25-7 since, with 20 wins in their last 24 outings.
Clippers Have ‘Great Chemistry’ With James Harden
Harden is playing two and a half minutes fewer than last season, but his shooting percentages are up, with a career-best .423 on 3-pointers. The key for the Clips remains the health of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, but Harden is fitting in to the puzzle.
One league executive had his doubts.
“Lawrence was right — at least so far, and that’s a lot when you consider how people were looking at this move when he made it,” he told Heavy. “I didn’t think it would work out. A lot of people didn’t think it would work out. But he had it right. Russell is playing within himself. Harden is sharing the ball. They have great chemistry right now.
“Getting (former Celtic Daniel) Theis was huge for them, too. Theis is a really solid winning player — good pick and roll defender, roller, can make an open 3, knows how to play, can play DHO (dribble hand-off) and toss game, sets screens. I think they’ve got a legitimate chance.”
‘James Was Out of Shape’
The initial view wasn’t necessarily encouraging. There wasn’t much optimism at first sight.
“Their people told me James was out of shape when he got there,” said a source. “He was totally out of shape, and there was a question about the personalities. But he got in shape and he’s shown Kawhi and Paul that he is that point guard that’s going to deliver the ball and make plays. And they trust him, and they’re comfortable with him.
“Right now, they’re really comfortable and they’re happy playing with each other. The results started to come, and they’re feeling good about it. They think he’s the guy. They think he’s the piece that they’ve been missing, the point guard that can make the plays they need. Personally, I don’t know. We’re going to see. But you know what it comes down to — health. When they’re all healthy, it’s kind of scary.”
He added, “When Russ accepted that role, that was huge. But the biggest thing is, again, they’re healthy. If they’re healthy — if Kawhi and PG can be out there doing what they can do — everybody’s in trouble. That’s a nightmare, because those guys are good.”
Will the Clippers be able to defend well enough when it matters?
“They’ve got a lot of athletes with good size rotating and covering for each other willingly,” the source said. “I mean, that’s a great start.”
As Good a Chance to Beat the Nuggets as Anyone
Presently, LA’s Other Team stands in fourth place in the Western Conference, a game behind Denver, but a game better than the Nuggets in the loss column. The young and unproven Timberwolves and Thunder are up ahead, their fitness for the postseason grind in question.
The Clippers have enough of a sample size be labeled as real, but the defending NBA champions give one pause when assessing whether Lawrence Frank’s bold move could get his club to June.
“I don’t know,” said a league exec. “Beating Jokic is tough, man. You saw what he did that game in Boston, and when Jamal (Murray) is healthy, those two really know how to play off each other. Then you have Aaron (Gordon) going from being the main guy in Orlando to a supporting role — and with his skills and athleticism, that’s almost unfair.
“But I think (the Clippers) have about as good a chance as anybody out there. We’ll see what OKC and Minnesota can do when it gets down to the playoffs, but with Denver, man, it’s going to be tough.”
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