Houston head coach Mike D’Antoni said Saturday that the NBA’s new emphasis and revised language on traveling violations this season shouldn’t affect James Harden, and the superstar Rockets guard doubled down on that assessment Sunday.
Speaking after the second day of 2019-20 training camp in Houston, Harden was firm in his response after being asked by media about the traveling emphasis in regards to his renowned step-back jumper.
It shouldn’t have been a point. Period. At all. The moves I do and I create aren’t travels, or the referees who get paid a lot of money, and are the best at what they do, would call a travel. …
I’m tired of hearing that’s a travel. From coaches, other players, haters, fans, whatever you want to call it Embrace it. It’s going to be here for a while. It’s going to be here forever.
While regularly utilizing the step-back move, Harden averaged a career-high 36.1 points per game last season. In his remarks Sunday, Harden said his approach is about “being a creator.”
I don’t understand where this whole traveling thing comes from. Just because it looks awkward or looks different from what the world is used to. That’s called being a creator. That’s called changing the game. So live with it. And hopefully your favorite players will start doing that, too.
In his commentary a day earlier, D’Antoni said the NBA had specifically made it a point to tell other coaches and teams that Harden’s move was not a travel.
They made a point to tell every head coach that [Harden’s step-back jumper] is not traveling. And it’s not traveling.
Hopefully coaches will quit complaining, and hopefully you guys in the news will understand that’s not traveling.
Now every once in a while, maybe there is [a travel], like anything else. But his patented move is not a travel. That’s the way it’s defined in the rulebook, and it isn’t.
Led by Harden and D’Antoni, the Rockets will open preseason play Monday night at Toyota Center versus the Shanghai Sharks.
