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No more "Scary Hours": after depleted Nets lose steadily, disgruntled star Harden traded to Philly for estranged star Simmons, shooter Curry & more.

In the end, the "scary hours"--what star James Harden predicted when the Brooklyn Nets' superstar trio involving him, Kevin Durant, and Kyrie Irving--were barely six, an astonishing 364 total minutes in 16 (of potential 125) games, of which the Nets won 13.

And those ads featuring Harden at the Triangle Sports building and in shop windows--well, they're history. Same for the slam-dunk odds for the Nets to win a championship.

What to blame? Injuries, Kyrie's refusal to get vaccinated (which placed more of a load on teammates); Harden's on-court unhappiness with the team and mercurial teammate; GM Sean Marks' roster construction, and, of course, player empowerment.

So the disgruntled Harden, less than 13 months after forcing his way out of Houston with a trade, this time forced a trade to the Philadelphia 76ers, who were thriving--if not top-tier--without their problem star, Ben Simmons, who hasn't played this season.

Nets improve, but...

Both teams have improved--True Hoop's David Thorpe said the Nets did better, but the Milwaukee Bucks still should top the east.

The Nets got Simmons (an Australian, like teammate Patty Mills), shooting guard Seth Curry, and center Andrew Drummond, plus two draft picks, in exchange for Harden and non-playing Paul Millsap. 

That should help them arrest a stunning, ten-game losing streak and, assuming Durant comes back and Simmons--who claimed mental unreadiness to play for Philly, where he was booed for shying away from shooting--get back

Most pundits think the Nets won the exchange long-term, especially since they got back picks after losing them when acquiring Harden, though the 76ers probably won it short-term, assuming Harden can mesh with star center Joel Embiid.

Then again, Steve Lichtenstein warned that the "players the Nets received from Philly are better versions of what they already have," while Marks didn't get "a legitimate 3-and-D wing who could at least occupy a potential help defender and another shot creator."


No one knew?

In The Ringer, Kevin O'Connor summed up the state of punditry on 2/7/22, three days before the NBA's trade deadline, Harden-for-Simmons Is Happening. Eventually. Probably. Or Not.

On 2/3/22, ESPN's panel of NBA insiders addressed the question about whether Simmons would stay a Sixer, with three experts saying yes, one saying "more likely" yes, and only Tim Bontemps pointing out that "Philadelphia has to make a move to get better right now."

Coach Steve Nash played along, all the way until the morning of the trade, claiming the Nets wouldn't trade Harden.

That's Yormarkian levels of deception, but it's par for the course. They're not required to tell the truth. 

It's a business

It's another reminder, of course, that sports entertainment is a business, not a community asset, however much people identify with local teams.

And yes, you're rooting for the clothes. And now, wrote New York Post columnist Mike Vaccaro, Simmons brings passing, defense, and questions, even if it's not important for him to be a shooter. But he too is an enigma:
And there is no way of knowing what version they’ve gotten until he takes the floor again, whenever that is. There is the deer-in-headlights version of him, which is the last version we saw of him last spring.

The narrative changes

From the Daily News yesterday, Inside the Nets’ new math equation: Minus one, plus three and the challenge ahead for Brooklyn:

The Nets, however, are well-equipped for their next chapter — and to be clear, Harden is already a distant memory. He is but a blip on the radar tracking the Nets’ championship journey, a package that landed in Brooklyn that perhaps the Nets knew belonged elsewhere.

“There’s a mutual respect,” Irving said of his former teammate. “So, I can’t really say that you felt (Harden being unhappy) in the locker room — but we get hints. So, we just wish him well. We want him to be ultimately successful. Now, we move forward with the guys that are coming in. We’re excited.”

The New York Post reported that GM Sean Marks said the team "went all-in on getting" Harden but acceded to his desire to leave, with one factor Irving’s part-time availability--after the Nets agreed to let  him play road games--which meant he played more minutes.

Citing The Athletic, the Post noted that when Irving burned sage to dispel negative energy, a Native American ritual, Harden “looked at Kyrie like he had three heads."

Now Marks says the Nets are "thrilled" to have Simmons. Of course.

NetsDaily, citing ESPN, said Durant was not happy with Harden's pre-season conditioning, and the Nets weren't happy with Harden's late-night socializing habits. And Harden, after indicating his desire to leave, took off from the team and returned to Houston.

Now, the teams have to prove themselves.

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