James Harden needs Miami Heat culture in his life
According to recent reports, the Miami Heat, alongside the Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets, are considered the frontrunners to acquire Houston Rockets guard James Harden via trade. Should the Heat win the Harden sweepstakes and plug him in the starting lineup alongside Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, this trio will present an interesting dynamic.
This new big three would skyrocket (pun intended) up the ranks of Eastern Conference projections should this trade come to fruition. If the Heat can get Harden without shipping Adebayo or Butler away as part of the deal, then the Heat will have to be considered a top-three team in the East moving forward.
One thing that could be worrisome is the potential clashing of personalities between Butler and Harden.
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The issues Butler has had with teammates over work ethic are well-documented. Butler allegedly questioned the work ethic of Derrick Rose as his tenure with the Chicago Bulls began to wind down in 2017. Much of the same can be said for his relationship, or lack thereof, with the Minnesota Timberwolves’ young stars at the time, Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins.
Butler only lasted one season with the Timberwolves. Butler questioned the work ethic of both Towns and Wiggins just as he did in Chicago with Rose. Butler felt neither Towns nor Wiggins had the amount of intestinal fortitude that he possesses. Then, Butler had a short stint with the 76ers in Philly and then landed in what feels like the best spot for him, in Miami.
Knowing Butler’s past and knowing now what gets under his skin about former teammates, one must wonder if pairing Harden with Butler is just a landmine waiting to explode all over South Beach?
No one has ever accused Harden of having a strong work ethic. We need to look no further than the recent soap opera in Houston, starring Harden himself. Along with the reports about Harden being late to film sessions and not showing up on time for training camp, among other things. All of this comes off as the behavior of someone who isn’t used to being told, NO. The Rockets finally decided to stop bending over backward for Harden, so now he wants out.
Is Butler going to be able to deal with a player like Harden?
No matter how good Harden may be, and he is very talented at what he does on the court. It just does not seem like the two would mesh well.
On the flip side, it wasn’t too long ago when Butler threw a fit of his own to force his way out of Minnesota. So, who knows, maybe these two could work out for an extended period in Miami. What the Heat do have on their side is structure, and discipline starting at the top with Heat President Pat Riley.
Riley once told LeBron James no, and those Heat teams won two out of four NBA Championships from 2010-14. So Riley has no problem letting superstars know who runs the Heat and how players on the team will conduct themselves.
If Harden truly wants to win as badly as he claims he does, then this potential trade to the Heat may be the best path for Harden to hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy.