“Remember what Houston did to James Harden? They pampered him… In response James Harden got fat and quit” - Colin Cowherd says Adam Silver has given too much power to the players
Since Adam Silver took over as the NBA's commissioner in 2014, the league has been in what is being labeled the "player empowerment era." In recent years, some players have taken extreme measures to get themselves into different situations.
Over the past two years, there have been some prime examples of players having full control in regards to their wants.
James Harden wiggled out of the Houston Rockets in January 2021. Then, Ben Simmons purposely isolated himself from the Philadelphia 76ers for months and refused play until he was traded. Now, Kevin Durant has requested a trade from the Brooklyn Nets in the first year of his four-year max contract extension. Many called for Silver to step in regarding Simmons, but he refused.
On "The Herd," FS1's Colin Cowherd dove into the current landscape of the NBA regarding player empowerment. He feels things have gone too far, and Silver is too soft to make the changes needed to restore order.
"Remember what Houston did to James Harden? They pampered him. ... And in response, James Harden got fat and quit on the team. ... As much as I like Adam Silver, he is too soft. He is too pro-player."
"There's a line that leagues have crossed."
@ColinCowherd reacts to Adam Silver's comments amid Kevin Durant wanting out of Brooklyn https://t.co/YyZ7oRNrTO
Does Adam Silver need to step in and implement changes across the NBA?
Some might not agree with everything Cowherd said, but there is one thing that's abundantly clear. Silver put all his faith in the players, and it backfired on him in a bad way. Because of what he has let slide up to this point, the league finds itself in a tough spot regarding its star players.
Silver should have stepped in long ago, and now might be at the point of no return. Instances like what happened with Simmons last year should not have gone on as long as they did, and he turned a blind eye as the commissioner.
While the situation might be off the rails now, Silver might have a chance to rectify things if he admits there's a problem. At some point, he has to give the players pushback on how they are treating their organizations.
Adam Silver on KD's trade request: "We don't like to see players requesting trades. ... I would love the focus to be on play," per @TheSteinLine
Silver confirmed the league will look into "remedies" regarding players requesting trades early into their contracts https://t.co/psHTTyIw6n
If players continue to get away with stuff like this, then the next generation will think it is normal to do the same once they're the ones signing max contracts. Silver must make some sort of change before that becomes reality. Player empowerment is a good thing, but now the extreme effects of it are being seen.