3. Forget The Trade
There was no future for James Harden in Houston. He overstayed his welcome and the franchise was heading in a different direction. This cannot be held against him when discussing the NBA MVP race. Harden has played a total of 39 games this season, 31 with the Nets and 8 with the Rockets. In all 39 games, he has been incredible.
Harden currently leads the league playing 38.1 minutes per game. In Houston, he played 36.3 minutes per night in eight contests. He averaged 24.8 points and 10.4 assists per game. Houston has won two games since the first week of February. Finding 10 assists per night on that team is impressive in its own right.
A midseason trade to a contending team does not discredit what Harden has done on the floor, especially when looking at a few other factors that we will get into.
The Rockets made their decisions in the offseason on what direction they were heading in. Harden was not part of the plan and he was interested in winning. This should not be a factor when attempting to discredit Harden on what he has done this season.
