Joel Embiid disagrees with James Harden's claim that the Sixers kept the veteran "on a leash". "I don't think so. I think he did a lot of great things for us. But in my opinion, we gave him the ball every single possession, because he's really good. He's an amazing player. Obviously, being that great of a passer, I think we gave him the ball ... we'd give him the ball every single possession to just go out and, you know, do his thing. And from there he had to make decisions as far as getting guys open or looking out for himself. But I thought he did a pretty good job of getting us into an offense and just passing the ball, getting guys open. That's the reason why he won the assist title last year," Embiid said after the Sixers' win against the Raptors.
Furthermore, Embiid's comments come as a result of Harden's fiery introductory press conference with the Clippers. Harden said the Sixers kept him "on a leash" and didn't respect his knowledge of the game. "I think the game and I'm a creator on the court. So if I got a voice to where I can, 'Hey, Coach, I see this. What you think about this?' Somebody that trusts me, that believes in me, that understands me. I'm not a system player. I am a system. You know what I mean?" Harden told reporters.
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Clippers Express Faith In Harden
Meanwhile, the Clippers have expressed full confidence in Harden being their missing piece. "James Harden should have been an All-Star last year. But he's a 10-time All-Star. He has an elite skill set, and all he cares about is one thing. He wants to win a championship for the LA Clippers. And he wants to be part of something bigger than himself. He's had all the individual awards. He's about doing something really special," said the team's President of Basketball Operations Lawrence Frank.
The Clippers gave up a lot to acquire Harden, sending a monster package of depth players and first-round picks to the Sixers. If he can learn the system in time, Harden is expected to debut for the team in a game against the Knicks at MSG this weekend. The Clippers are coming off an overtime loss to the Lakers. Harden was present on the bench but did not suit up. However, head coach Ty Lue did state after the game that he would have liked to have been able to use Harden. The Clippers continue to struggle with early-season injuries, hampering their now-depleted depth.
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