Stephen A. Smith is one of the harshest critics in the entire NBA. He always has something to say about the league's most prominent players, and lately, he has been taking aim at James Harden. Harden has fallen off of a cliff in terms of production, and fans are starting to believe that he will never be the same guy that he used to be. With that being said, Smith is advocating for Harden to not get a max contract this summer.
On First Take today, Smith debated whether or not the max would make sense for Harden. In fact, Smith went so far as to say that Harden should come on First Take to debate why he does, indeed, deserve so much money from the Sixers. In Smith's eyes, there is no way in hell Harden will actually be able to justify it.
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“James Harden, why don’t you come on First Take bro,” Smith said. “I dare you to sit up in front of me… I want you to sit up and tell me you deserve the max. There is no way in hell he can make that argument! He hasn’t played like the James Harden we know. Yeah, the 22, 10 and 7, give him that no doubt about it… He’s a starter in this league, he’s an All-Star caliber player, we get all of that.”
Harden's decline should be a huge concern for the Sixers going forward. Having said that, it remains to be seen if Harden can get back to his old ways. Needless to say, the Sixers are approaching a whole lot of risk this offseason.