Former NBA All-Star Slams Cavaliers' James Harden Title Chances

The Cleveland Cavaliers doubled down on the James Harden experiment this offseason, signing the star guard to a massive contract extension.

Cleveland gave Harden a new three-year, $97 million deal, keeping him with the franchise for the next few years. Harden pairs alongside Donovan Mitchell in the backcourt, giving the Cavaliers a legitimate star duo.

However, there was a lot of pushback on the contract, especially given the history of Harden in the playoffs. The star guard has typically fallen short of expectations when the lights are brightest, but for the Cavaliers, this didn't seem to matter.

So far this season, Harden has gotten off to a slow start, with the veteran potentially showing his age. Harden is now 37 years old, and it looks like he may be starting to decline from where he was even a year ago.

On the year, Harden has averaged just 15.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 0.7 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game. Harden has scored under 15 points in four of the 10 games this year for Cleveland, leading to some concern around his game, especially given the contract that Cleveland gave him.

Former NBA star DeMarcus Cousins recently discussed Harden on his show, throwing major shade at the Cavaliers star. Cousins said that he doesn't believe that Harden will ever win a title as a starter in the league, but maybe if he were to transition to a different role.

Harden has taken all sorts of flak over his career for his play, especially when it comes to the playoffs. But this is the territory that comes with being a top player in the NBA, especially in this era of basketball.

The Cavaliers star has underperformed in the playoffs pretty much every season of his career, and it has led to all sorts of questions around his legacy. Harden has done a lot in the NBA, winning an MVP and other awards, but he is missing a title.

For the Cavaliers, they will have to hope that the slow start from Harden is an outlier, with the veteran just getting off to a rough start. If Harden's issues continue, the Cavaliers could be in some trouble this season and maybe beyond.

Cleveland has a record of 5-5 through the first 10 games of the year, with the issues of Harden being at the forefront of it all. There is still time for Harden to turn everything around, but at some point, tough conversations may need to be had if not.