INDIANAPOLIS, IN — When the LA Clippers traded for James Harden, there was certainly a lot homework and calls put in before acquiring a player of his caliber with the recent history he had been through. New Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers says he was one of them.
The Clippers' trade for James Harden shocked absolutely no one went it went down the night of October 30th. After months of calling out the Sixers publicly and repeatedly naming the Clippers as his desired destination, Harden got what he wanted.
After a five-game losing streak with Harden, the trade has been a monumental success. Kawhi Leonard and Paul George's shooting efficiencies have taken off with fewer on-ball responsibilities while James Harden has looked like the perfect point guard alongside those two. Russell Westbrook, who lost his starting job in the process, has embraced his role as a leader off the bench.
Speaking with ClutchPoints at NBA All-Star Weekend, Doc Rivers revealed that the Clippers reached out and consulted him before completing the trade with the Philadelphia 76ers.
“I was the one, obviously, they consulted,” Doc Rivers told ClutchPoints before the Clippers acquired James Harden. “They made calls and I was one of the guys who said it would be a great deal for them because I thought he fit them better than he would fit the Sixers team. I think he's a perfect fit there.
“It's a league. We talk. They just talked, asked questions, and I was on board early.”
It did take the Clippers several months to finally agree to terms on a trade for the Sixers guard. After repeatedly calling out General Manger Daryl Morey and the Philadelphia 76ers organization, it became clear the team would not want to deal with this long. It felt like it was only a matter of time before a deal was finalized, but there's always the potential for a second or third team to emerge as trade candidates.
When James Harden was finally traded to the Clippers, one of the more resounding comments came during his introductory press conference in Los Angeles.
“When I'm in a leash, [it doesn't mean] I'm not just shooting the basketball every time,” James Harden said. “I meant like I think the game and I'm a creator on the court, you know what I mean? So if I got a voice to where I can say, ‘hey, coach, I see this. What you think about this?’ Then it's like, okay. Somebody that trusts me, that believes in me, that understands me, that I'm just not, I'm not a system player. I am a system. You know what I mean? So somebody that can have that dialogue with me and understand and move forward and figure out and make adjustments on the fly throughout the course of games, that's all I really care about. It's not about me scoring a basketball, scoring 34 points. I've done that already.”
When asked about those comments at All-Star Weekend and what he meant by that, new Milwaukee Bucks Doc Rivers declined to even address the topic.
“Listen, that's… I don't coach James anymore,” Rivers countered to ClutchPoints. “And I don't need to answer any of those questions. That's whatever he wants that to mean. You should ask him. I'm not the one who said it.”
Rivers did, however, provide Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue credit for handling such a tough situation with the quartet of Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, James Harden, and Russell Westbrook.
“He's done a terrific job. Ty is obviously he's a sensational coach. I knew he was going to be. I'm the one who hired him. So every time I see him do well, it makes me happy.”
The Clippers are 36-17 this season, sitting at third in the West at the All-Star break. They're also 33-15 with James Harden this season, including a stretch where they won 31-of-39 games.
Doc Rivers' Milwaukee Bucks and James Harden's LA Clippers have yet to play each other this season. The first matchup is set for March 4th in Milwaukee and the second contest will be played less than a week later on March 10th in Los Angeles.
Follow Us
Subscribe