Former Miami Heat star Udonis Haslem was critical of Cleveland Cavaliers player James Harden
In recent years, many NBA fans have struck up James Harden versus Dwyane Wade debates.
Some have said Harden is the better player despite Wade holding edges in most categories. Wade has more championships, was a better defender and is generally regarded as the third-best shooting guard behind Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.
If that isn't enough to show Wade as the superior player, his former teammate offered some more reasons. With Cleveland Cavaliers trailing 2-0 to the Detroit Pistons in the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, Haslem pointed out how Harden has struggled with turnovers.
"The carelessness with the basketball in Cleveland in the playoffs, it's just confusing to me," Haslem said on the ABC/ESPN broadcast. "Especially when you're playing a team like Detroit who struggles in the halfcourt. Take nothing away from what they've been able to do but the Magic gave us the blueprint. They're a one-trick pony in the halfcourt setting. How can you give them 31 points off turnovers."
Haslem was most disappointed because of Harden's experience. He has made multiple appearances in the playoffs. In 2012, he helped lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to the NBA Finals, where they lost in five games to the Heat.
According to Haslem, Harden should be more than prepared for the intensity of playoff basketball. Instead, he continues to make the same mistakes every year during the postseason.
"There's five guys that have been to the playoffs 17 consecutive time," Haslem said. "[John] Stockton, [Karl] Malone, Jason Kidd, Tony Parker ... James Harden. Why are you turning the ball over so much? You have been in the playoffs. You know what it's like to be in the playoffs. You understand playoff intensity. Why the hell are you turning the ball over? It's so self-inflicted, one-hand passes, things that I would take my son out of the game if I was coaching. Why are you having these plays and these passes in the second round of the playoffs. I don't understand that."
Hopefully, these stats end the Wade vs Harden debate even though both players had Hall of Fame careers.
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Shandel Richardson is the publisher of HeatRoundtable. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com