Former 76ers Partner Michael Rubin: James Harden Situation 'Just Not Handled Well'

Former Philadelphia 76ers partner Michael Rubin doesn't believe the organization's relationship with James Harden would've deteriorated like it has if he were still involved.

Rubin said on the Pat Bev Pod the situation is "breaking my heart" because he's so close to Harden. He added that the matter "was just not handled well."

Perhaps Rubin's friendship with Harden would've helped the Sixers achieve a peaceful resolution with the 10-time All-Star, but some of the available evidence says otherwise.

Rubin was a member of Philly's ownership group when the Sixers engaged in a similar standoff with Ben Simmons. He was either fine with alienating a star player then or powerless to expedite Simmons' exit for the player's benefit.

It's not as though this is the first time Harden has intentionally made things awkward for his current employer in order to force a trade, either. He's simply following the same blueprint he set forth with the Houston Rockets and Brooklyn Nets.

More than anything, Harden's issue is with president of basketball operations Daryl Morey and not Sixers ownership. Was Rubin implying he would've personally involved himself in basketball-related matters? Because that would've opened its own can of worms.

Playing armchair general manager and attempting to diagnose something from the outside is easy.

In the case of the Sixers, it's nearly impossible to find a mutually beneficial outcome when Harden is determined to leave and his value has diminished to the point where dealing him at a loss is unavoidable.