00:00This is where I think Jeff and I disagree with Harden.
00:03Is it just a rental?
00:05We had this conversation earlier.
00:06I don't think it is, and here's why.
00:09One, you brought up the point, he doesn't want to go down as the guy
00:12that couldn't get it done in the playoffs.
00:14That guy, right.
00:14He now has an opportunity to change that narrative.
00:17Right.
00:18And the other part is he's playing for a contract.
00:21So, I mean, how do you not look at that and look at both of these scenarios
00:25and say, everyone wants to come out,
00:28well, let's just see what Harden looks like.
00:30Let's see what Harden's going to look like down the road here
00:31because it's going to peter out.
00:33Everyone had the honeymoon period.
00:34It was great.
00:35He was the greatest player in the world when he came to Philly,
00:37or he was here or there.
00:38And now, I think for him, it just behooves him to have that honeymoon period
00:43last as long as possible.
00:45Maybe it happens.
00:46Maybe he signs a new contract, and maybe then the honeymoon period.
00:49I don't think a lot of people, Andy, myself included,
00:51and I've seen James play a bunch of times, he's a real selfless player.
00:56Now, I know there's times when.
00:57That is the biggest thing I noticed, like, right first game of the season.
01:01I was like, what?
01:02I remember game one, I mean, he had a beautiful assist,
01:06like one of his very first possessions, right, four games ago.
01:10And I remember tweeting that he's going to have some 15 assist games,
01:12and mark my word, that will be coming.
01:15You know, there were times when we would watch him in other places
01:18where he'd be dribbling the ball in the perimeter,
01:20kind of through his legs, whatever.
01:21The bottom line with that guy, though, Andy, is that he changes the floor
01:25so dramatically, right?
01:27He takes away this idea that Evan Mobley's got to get the ball 15 feet
01:30from the basket and drive it.
01:32Evan Mobley now can plan himself down in dunk range and wait for James Harden
01:36to, you know, to make a drive and get the ball to him whatever way is possible.
01:41We've also seen over the last few weeks this ascension from Jared Allen,
01:45which is just the fact is that they've decided to use him in the offense again,
01:49right, and he's been aggressive, and he's gone to the hole.
01:52A couple times last night he had, like, you know,
01:54back-to-the-basket-type pivot moves that you haven't seen since, you know, Z was here.
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