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Sentiment, Change & James Harden
�There is no place for sentiment when it comes to building a champion in professional (fantasy) sports.�
This is at least what I tell myself, as I am cycling through the different phases and computations of my team, tinkering and aspiring to always be that little bit better. Cut, trade, forget.
Do you care about the parts in your car, or do you care about its ability to get you where you need to go?
If winning a title is the ultimate outcome, the answer, if you will, then everything that gets you closer to that outcome - every addition, every subtraction - is merely a variable in the equation. Variables by their very nature are change, are ambiguity, are volatility. To ride a wave requires you to be paying attention, to be alert, ready to jerk or duck or change course at a second�s notice. Not to settle in.
Sentiment by nature is the opposite. To feel a connection, closeness to something, requires time, shared experiences, achievements, mutual benefits. It requires expectations, routines, vulnerability. If you had to pack up and leave at a moment�s notice, could you? How much would you be willing to leave behind?
No player has ever meant as much to me as my lofty aspirations do. It is legitimately �title or bust� every single season, no matter how irrational that might sound or appear. I may get prodded and poked fun of for my unreasonable behaviour ('based on how you were commenting, I assumed you were down 15 points but you are up 20') but the baseline is set very high.
No player has ever made me walk away from a trade if the equation adds up. It is simple economics to me. If trading X for Y adds value in whichever context I am focusing on, it is a done deal.
No young player�s hopeful progress, no hustling player�s workmanlike charm, no great player�s skillset.
No player means more than the ultimate goal.
Except one.
James Harden was picked no.14 in the famous inaugural NSL draft.
As more and less established stars came off the board in front of him, I was certain he would be there at pick 14. If I let him go, I think he would have fallen even further. However, that was never going to happen.
At this point in time, Harden was seen as a player whose 2K impact paled in comparison to his NBA achievements. In previous NLL seasons, Harden had lead his teams to mediocre finishes on the back of inefficient performances. But� he had never had a manager like me to build the team around him.
I was thrilled to welcome him to Portland. He was so well rated and seemed to have the perfect traits for 2K. Each pick that followed was directly influenced by Harden; a centrepiece of a championship team.
As the season began, and progressed, everything changed except for two things � Harden�s elite play, and his place at the centre of an aspirational Portland team. Players came and went through the transactional turnstile, but Harden was never available. Not for anyone. He was the heart of the team. He was my guy.
Fast forward three years, and where he resides now is where he did in the very beginning � an elite player and a Portland Trailblazers icon. He has seen hundreds of different teammates, welcomed and farewelled multiple star teammates. All-Star berths, Finals MVPs, iconic performances. He has done it all.
James Harden is the winningest player in NSL history. He has won two titles, as many as any player. He is on countless all-time leaderboards, which is even more impressive considering how few minutes he has played over his career, and the usage he has had to share with other stars. In another reality, Harden was putting up Curry-like numbers. Instead, he valued winning above all else, and winning demands sacrifice.
James Harden will always be my guy. I will always be thankful for everything that he has helped me achieve.
In what was an incredibly tough decision, one that has been flaunted and leaked amongst sources across the league, I chose to trade James Harden.
Despite the equation balancing, I still don�t feel great about it � is that what sentiment feels like?
I feel like the Terminator learning to care, learning to empathise, learning to protect. This must be what GMs wrestle with when they choose to reject deals, despite the value seeming to �add up�.
You can�t quantify sentiment, and it�s not for sale.
Sentiment doesn�t always lead to logic. But it doesn�t have to. That�s the beauty of it. It is an acknowledgement of value, respect and admiration towards something/someone, and a contentment that whatever this is, even if it leads to nothing more or nothing less, is great.
With Harden gone, my sentiment towards players in the NSL has gone, too. Funnily enough, I think it will always be there for this player.
I will always feel a connection to James Harden � the star no one wanted, the star no one liked, yet the star who beat all the others. I will watch his box scores from afar, I will read articles about him. No player will ever be as untouchable on a Portland roster as James Harden was for the early years of the NSL.
Whilst a contract snafu will see him reside in Portland a while longer than first thought, the hands have been played.
James Harden, Portland icon and champion � thank you for everything.
<3
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