Daryl Morey on James Harden: ‘Privately, he’s a basketball genius’

“We’ve worked together for eight or nine years now and I couldn’t have a better partner to try and win a title,” Morey said of Harden.

Houston Rockets GM Daryl Morey is aware of the criticism that superstar James Harden gets from some corners of basketball media, and he believes the reserved nature of the former MVP’s personality plays a role.

In an appearance on Anthony Pompliano’s Pomp podcast, Morey was asked about his off-court interactions with Harden, who can be less visible to the public than many other modern NBA stars.

Morey responded:

I don’t think the media is super fair of him. … I think part of it is he he has a tight circle of people that that he trusts. With those people who he knows have his best interests at heart and he’s had a history with them, he’s very gregarious, very open, very smart. Just this great guy. And with everyone else, he’s not the opposite. He’s just reserved. He’s not someone who is going to be a big media guy or things like that.

So, I think that hurts him a little bit, but I can I can tell you privately he’s like a basketball genius. He’s a great quality human being. We’ve worked together for eight or nine years now, and I couldn’t have a better partner to try and win a title with. In fact, most days I wake up saying, ‘I’ve let him down,’ because I haven’t gotten him got him the right players to win a title.

Morey’s partnership with Harden, which began with his October 2012 trade from Oklahoma City to Houston, is now in its eighth year.

After not making the playoffs in any of the three previous seasons, the Rockets have not missed the postseason a single time in all eight of Harden’s seasons in Houston. He’s also eight-for-eight in All-Star appearances, a three-time NBA scoring champion, and the 2017-18 MVP. (Harden finished second in MVP voting on three other occasions, too.)

Off the court, Harden worked with Morey to help bring in future Hall of Famers such as Dwight Howard, Chris Paul, and Russell Westbrook.

Though it has yet to produce an NBA title, the Harden-Morey partnership has led to Houston being perhaps the most consistent contender over that period. While Harden is often credited for his on-court contributions, Morey wants to ensure that he’s respected off the court, too.

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