James Harden must still be salty.
That's the only explanation for Harden's attack on reigning Most Valuable Player Giannis Antetokounmpo in his sit-down with ESPN's Rachel Nichols that aired on Friday. Harden had hopes of repeating as league MVP last season, but Antetokounmpo's year in Milwaukee turned those dreams into a nightmare.
"I wish I was seven feet and could run and just dunk," Harden said to Nichols. "That takes no skill at all. I've gotta actually learn how to play basketball and how to have skill. You know? I'll take that any day."
Maybe Harden is dreaming about the wrong thing. Instead of getting mad about trash talk, he should be upset about his title hopes.
This is on brand for Harden, who let it be known in no uncertain terms that he felt he should have won the MVP award last season. Harden had a great case to repeat: He led the league in scoring, improved his defense, recorded eight 50-point games, scored 60 points twice and dragged a lifeless Rockets team from the 14th seed to the four seed in the Western Conference despite a roster battered by injuries.
"And all the talk was about [Giannis Antetokounmpo]?" Harden said in a Sept. 12 interview with GQ. "There's no way."
Yes way. Antetokounmpo's Bucks were consistently good all of last season and finished with the best record in the league. The Greek Freak averaged more than 27 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists, a steal and a block per game in his MVP year.
Antetokounmpo beat Harden by 55 first-place votes in last season's MVP race despite Harden putting on one of the most impressive seasons of his career.
Nichols made it a point to note that Harden's isolation-heavy style of play may rub some people the wrong way. She also made it a point to note Antetokounmpo's joke as a 2020 NBA All-Star Game captain, when he selected Kemba Walker over Harden because he felt Walker passes the ball more than Harden.
"I average more assists than [Walker]," Harden said. When Nichols replied with the statistics, stating Harden ranks 10th in assists while Walker ranks 36th, he responded: "I don't see what the joke is. But I didn't even see it. I don't pay attention to stuff like that. I just know none of them can mess with me."
Harden's right: Few players can guard him, and Walker is not one of them. But he's also missing the point: MVPs are nice, but championships reign supreme.
Antetokounmpo is on pace to win one before Harden does, because Bucks' brass built a complete team around their franchise player.
The Rockets, on the other hand, have tried and failed at a championship with every version of the team they built around him. That's what Harden should be salty about -- not an award voted on by the media.
Sports on 02/29/2020