In a blistering tirade following the Clippers’ loss to the Mavericks in the NBA In-Season Tournament opener, Mavs announcer Brian Dameris left no stone unturned in his criticism of James Harden.
Harden, a former MVP known for orchestrating high-profile trades, found himself on the receiving end of Dameris’s scathing remarks after his move to the Clippers following a demand to be traded from the 76ers.
Dameris minced no words as he laid bare the narrative of Harden’s career, accusing him of being the root cause of team disruptions and constant roster changes.
Addressing Harden directly, Dameris said, “I asked the producer to pipe this into the Clippers locker room so I can talk to you James. I hope you’re taking notes. I’m telling you in advance you’re welcome for the wisdom I’m about to spew because listen, I get on my knees every night and pray for someone to believe in me like Daryl Morey believed in you.”
Dameris took a trip down memory lane, recounting Harden’s time in Houston, detailing how the Rockets catered to his every whim, from coaching choices to specific teammates. He criticized Harden’s tendency to shift blame and highlighted the star player’s dissatisfaction despite multiple accommodations.
“You wanted a certain coach, they brought in Mike D’Antoni,” Dameris continued. “You want to play a certain style, they played it. You wanted Dwight Howard, they brought him in and got rid of him when you were tired of him. You wanted Chris Paul, they brought him in and got rid of him when you were tired of him. They brought in your old friend Russell Westbrook.
“You wanted to go to Vegas on off days? They looked away. You wanted the team to stay over so you could go out at night? They changed the schedule and it didn’t work.
“And you know what? You said ‘I’m going to break with my wubby. Not good enough, ‘I want to see the bright lights of New York. I want to go there, my old pal Kevin Durant. It’s going to work, the big three.’
“And all after one year you want it out. You realized ‘Oh my gosh, I took this guy for granted, the guy that believed in me. I want back with Daryl Morey.’ They traded Ben Simmons for you. How did they pull that off?” questioned Dameris.
The announcer dissected Harden’s stint with the 76ers, pointing out moments of disappointment, including the pivotal Game 7 against Boston.
“You went there and you got a partner who for the MVP [Joel Embiid]. He won the MVP and what did you say afterwards? You said ‘They didn’t hand me the reigns.’ You’re the point guard, you were holding the reigns.
“And what did you do when you had the reigns? You scored nine points in Game 7 against Boston. You blew a 3-2 series lead. So they fired their coach. Not good enough. You broke up with your guy who believed in you again. You said ‘The bright lights of L.A. that’s where I want to go,'” he exclaimed.
Dameris compared Harden to a problematic roommate, drawing a parallel between those who incessantly complain about bad roommates without realizing they are the issue. “Hey James, you’re the problem,” he asserted.
The verbal onslaught concluded with a stark warning for Harden: “If this doesn’t work this year in this system with this team, then you’re going to point fingers at everybody else and you’re going to go back home and you’re going to start swiping right for another team, and there’s not going to be anybody left because James, you’re not the beard, you’re not the system, you’re the problem.”
