James Harden was traded by the Houston Rockets to Brooklyn Nets in a deal that also involved the Indiana Pacers and Cleveland Cavaliers. With the threatening trio of James Harden, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, the Nets are emerging as a threat and a contender for the coveted NBA Championship. NBA Legends Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley weighed in their opinions behind the move.
Charles Barkley, who had earlier claimed that the Rockets should get rid of Harden, proceeded to say that Nets’ latest trio will not match the impact that Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant and Steph Curry brought in.
The Suns legend labelled the new formed trio as “Dribble Brothers”, and pointed out that Durant has stepped down from the “Splash Brothers” with the Warriors to this.
O’Neal, who was also a part of the “NBA on TNT” program, stated that he had issues with the way Harden departed the franchise. He had claimed that he gave his all to the city, and branded the team “not good enough” to compete with the elite teams. The former Lakers legend disagreed to the claim made by the 8-time All-Star.
“When you say you gave the city your all, that ain’t true,” O’Neal said.
“You asked for Dwight Howard. We gave him to you. It didn’t work out. You asked for Chris Paul. We gave him to you. You asked for some shooters. We gave it to you. You asked for Westbrook, your homeboy from little league, we gave him to you. It didn’t work out.
“When you say I gave you everything, I say no you didn’t … He ain’t do nothing. He ain’t step up when he was supposed to step up.”
Barkley does not believe that the Harden infused Nets trio will work out
The Nets line-up following the inclusion of the former MVP is formidable and brimming with talent. However, Barkley feels that Harden and Irving are too selfish which leads o major doubts regarding their chemistry and success as a unit.
“The only one of those three guys who has proven to me he’s not selfish, and not a ‘me’ guy, is KD,” Barkley said.
“KD went to Golden State and he sacrificed. James Harden and Kyrie Irving have never shown me [that] … I don’t think they’re gonna make the sacrifice.”
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