James Harden Hasn’t Earned the Right to Dictate, Unlike LeBron James, Says Skip Bayless

Talking about having the power to control their careers with a franchise, LeBron James is arguably at the top of the list. However, Houston Rockets’ superstar James Harden is not far behind.

Ever since Harden joined the Rockets, he has clearly been the leader of the team. He has carried them to 8 straight playoff appearances, the only team to do so. Regardless of the phenomenal regular seasons, Harden and Rockets have always struggled in the playoffs.

Skip Bayless on James Harden getting special treatment

NBA analyst Skip Bayless compared Harden’s power situation with that of Lakers’ LeBron James. Bayless took a shot at Harden along with Shannon Sharpe on “Undisputed.”

“LeBron has earned the right to dictate some off days and practice schedules. But, LeBron has paid that off by getting teams 10 NBA Finals, not 8 or 6 or 4, 10, and he won 4 out of 10. That’s payoff, that’s earning your right to have that power.”

Bayless praising LeBron is something that happens once in a blue moon. However, he was not wrong: LeBron has delivered his teams the success while taking a few days off.

“James Harden has gotten the Rockets, even though he has gotten them to 8 straight playoffs, he has gotten them to 0 NBA Finals. And he has obviously won 0 NBA Finals.”

Over the last few seasons, Harden has had everything he has asked from the organization. But in return, he is in no way as successful as LeBron James is. Maybe it’s finally time for Harden to move on from the team as he has already requested for a trade.

Are LeBron James and the Lakers still the favorites to win it all?

Although Skip compared LeBron’s situation to Harden’s, there is honestly no debate between the two. While Harden is uncertain about his future with the Rockets, LeBron and co. are already preparing for the regular season.

In the pre-season games so far, the Lakers have looked stunning with their supporting players showing off their skill sets. But for the Rockets, Harden looks pretty out of shape and it indicates he is clearly not 100% committed to the Rockets.

Keeping everything in mind, the Lakers are definitely a notch above the Rockets, at least in terms of chemistry and preparation for the upcoming season.