James Harden responds to analyst's criticism: 'I pay that sh-t no mind' [Update]

Updated Nov. 16: Clippers guard James Harden told Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes that he hasn’t seen Brian Dameris’ rant, but has heard about it.

“I didn’t even hear exactly what he said, but people were telling me he was going in on me,” Harden said. “He doesn’t know me or the situation. That would be f—ked up if I went at him and started being disrespectful to him, but I can’t. They don’t know anything. They just go off what they see on social media or hearsay.

“I don’t know exactly what he said, but I pay that sh-t no mind. … I do a really good job at ignoring the noise because it doesn’t affect me. It’s just people talking. I guarantee that if you put whoever is talking in this situation, it wouldn’t be beneficial for them. That’s my mindset, but my focus is getting wins.”

Dallas Mavericks’ announcer Brian Dameris had a lot to get off his chest when the Clippers visited for the first time with new teammate James Harden on the roster. Dameris went hard and completely obliterated Harden for being a prima donna going back to his days in Houston. Of course, the original post of the rant has been taken down, but we all know the internet, especially Twitter (X) catches everything.

“You’re not the Beard, you’re not the system, you’re the problem.”

Adding Nas’ “Ether” beat to this epic rant was only fitting. Dameris wasn’t wrong about anything he said. Was it unprofessional? Yes. Big time. That’s why the original post from Bally Sports was deleted. Doing this on the team’s broadcast wasn’t the right time or place, but what’s done is done. Luckily for Dameris, the Mavs made easy work of this Los Angeles squad, 144-126.

Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving had the announcer’s back, outscoring the Clippers quartet of stars 69-62 in the contest. They were also able to outshoot them 11 to 5 from behind the arc. That loss dropped the Clippers to 0-3 with Harden in the lineup and further drove Dameris’ point home about the beard.

For those who don’t know, Dameris is a former executive of the Mavs, once performing as Director of Basketball Development for the organization. Dameris probably never would’ve said this publicly while working in Mark Cuban’s front office, but he’s got a platform now where he has a mic in his face and made use of it.

Dameris didn’t tell any lies, but may have gone a little far in his criticism. There wasn’t anything constructive about it, but the destructive intent came across loud and clear. His broadcast partners sat back and watched uncomfortably, not knowing what to say.

Now we sit back and wait for the forced apology and how he made a mistake and was “wrong.” Dameris wasn’t wrong in his message; he just chose the wrong platform to take personal shots at a player, although we all nodded in agreement.