NBA News Report: I wish to return back to Philadelphia 76ers………

Regarding his tenure with the Sixers, James Harden declared, “I’m not a system player.” “I am a system.”

Joel Embiid saw himself and James Harden together to win an NBA title. Embiid’s new strategy for winning a championship with the 76ers is to face his old teammate, the Los Angeles Clippers, in the NBA Finals.

“He’s on the losing side of things,” Embiid chuckled. “We’re coming out on top in this.”

Embiid and the 76ers are happy that the daily Harden soap opera that has surrounded the team since the summer is over.

This week, the 76ers dealt Harden to the Clippers in exchange for a group of players and draft picks, bringing an end to the prospect of two NBA MVPs competing for a title in Philadelphia.

They are, perhaps for the first time since former guard Ben Simmons issued his trade demand in 2021, a complete team without the headaches that come along with All-Stars bellyaching about their role, their contract, their feelings inside the locker room.

Winning helps.

The 76ers are perhaps an uncalled travel away in the season opener from being 4-0. As it is, the 76ers are 3-1 with Embiid putting up numbers like a player intent on defending his MVP crown. Tyrese Maxey has blossomed into the true, unselfish No. 2 role that Harden never really embraced over 79 regular-season games. And Tobias Harris and Kelly Oubre Jr. are playing more like pivotal contributors rather than oft-forgotten role players.

The 10-time All-Star said the Sixers kept him “on a leash” during his brief stay, making some parting remarks on Thursday in Los Angeles. In order to give the organization enough cash to sign free agents, Harden said he wasn’t given enough credit in Philadelphia for forgoing millions on his final contract in the summer of 2022. Additionally, he claimed that the Sixers’ ball-dominant, freelancing offensive approach was not compatible with that of previous coach Doc Rivers.

The idea that Harden, who lost favor with Philly supporters after scoring a combined 22 points in Games 6 and 7 of Boston’s second-round playoff series the previous season, was limited by the Sixers’ plan was ridiculed by Embiid.

“Every single possession, we gave him the ball to just go out and do his thing,” Embiid remarked. From that point on, he had to choose between looking out for himself and persuading guys to open up. He did a really decent job, in my opinion, of basically drawing us into an offense.”

In the locker room, it didn’t appear as though the Sixers missed Harden.

On Thursday night, the Sixers defeated Toronto in a game that nearly everyone helped to win. Embiid finished with 28 points, 13 rebounds, and 7 assists. Oubre and Harris both had 23 points. Maxey was eighteen.

Naturally, Harden’s locker was cleared of his nameplate, and his items were completely absent from the team stores located on the Wells Fargo Center concourse. Not even on the clearance section.

However, Embiid pointed out that it’s still difficult to picture how much more of a threat the 76ers may have been had Harden remained healthy, content, and well-paid.

“We had no control over that,” Embiid stated. You have to accept the circumstances of the situation. However, I think we still have a chance. That’s where we are. particularly with the group we now have.”

After being hired in the summer, Sixers coach Nick Nurse found himself attempting to negotiate the muddy waters of Harden; to further exacerbate the situation, the guard openly dubbed team president Daryl Morey a liar.

While Nurse was trying to install his style and get to know his new squad, Harden chose to play out the final year of his contract in an attempt to force a trade. He was also tardy to training camp and showed sporadic participation at practice, showing little desire to actually really play.

Nurse acknowledged on Thursday that he never really thought he would coach Harden, despite having stated in the open before to the deal that he would be happy to have Harden back.

Nurse remarked, “I think that I thought the chances were pretty low.” “Okay, we get to coach him. That’s what I said when he chose to participate. Then the events transpired, and I had a “Oh.” Up and down, slightly up and down. Yes, there were instances where

“Let me just add that he looked amazing, worked really hard, was very professional, and was in excellent form. During his time here, he truly did. We simply never got around to playing the game.

“Guys have been focused knowing we’re still good enough,” Embiid said, adding that Harden was never really a distraction. She also wished him well in Los Angeles.

Embiid remarked, “I think he did a lot of great things for us.” However, the idea of abuse may have stemmed from his feelings toward the coaching staff. But we just seemed to have let him be himself, in my perspective. Because he is so good, we handed him the ball on every single possession. He is a fantastic player.