“He was fat & didn’t feel like playing” - Kevin McHale disses James Harden following rant against Daryl Morey

Over the past week, the James Harden saga has reached a fever pitch. After the former MVP spoke out about Philadelphia 76ers general manager Daryl Morey, a former coach came to the latter's defense.

This offseason, Harden informed the 76ers that he'd like to be traded. Morey had conversations with the LA Clippers, but no deal ever came about. When news emerged of Philly ending trade talks for "The Beard," the All-Star point guard called out Morey for being a "liar."

As this situation continues to develop, one of James Harden's former coaches wants to hold him accountable. During a recent interview, Kevin McHale talked about Harden coming into the year out of shape after being benched in the playoffs. This ultamitely led to McHale being fired just weeks into the season.

“The next year he came to camp, he was fat and didn’t feel like playing, and I got fired (11) games into the season,” McHale said. “He had a plan.”

The former Boston Celtics star coached the Houston Rockets for five seasons and had a record of 193-130 and a postseason record of 13-16.

---

Kevin McHale comes to Daryl Morey's defense in feud with James Harden

James Harden might be focusing all his anger at Daryl Morey, but Kevin McHale doesn't see it that way. He feels the decision to give the All-Star guard a max extension goes beyond just the GM.

Later on in the interview, McHale touched on Harden not getting the deal he wanted this offseason. Along with lessening the blow for Morey, he also pointed out Harden's blunder in the postseason.

“James wanted a big extension from Philly, and Philly wouldn’t give it to him, and that’s not a Daryl decision. Daryl’s got a part of that, of course, but that’s an owner decision.

“So (Harden) was really mad, saying Daryl lied to him, but, you know, maybe they saw Game 7 against the Celtics (9 points on 3-for-11 shooting in a 24-point loss) and said, ‘I’m not interested in that.’

James Harden had multiple 40-point perfomances against the Boston Celtics in the playoffs, but also came up short when the team needed him. He scored 13 points on 4-for-16 shooting in Game 6 and finished in single digits in a pivotal Game 7.

This led to the Philadelphia 76ers coughing up a 3-2 series lead and getting bounced in the second round again.

As McHale mentioned, coming up short in the playoffs might have been a factor in Harden not getting the long-term deal he was seeking.