James Harden blasted as 'foul baiter' by opposing head coach

Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka wasn’t happy with the undisciplined way that his team defended Los Angeles Clippers guard James Harden during L.A.’s 128-108 win over the Rockets on Tuesday night.

After the game, Udoka put Harden on blast for intentional foul-seeking and simultaneously admonished his own troops for falling into the veteran guard’s well-established traps.

Rockets’ Ime Udoka calls James Harden a ‘foul-baiter’

Harden finished the game against Houston with 29 points and 13 free throw attempts, 12 of which he converted.

“The undisciplined things of reaching in and fouling,” Udoka said. “Fouled him on three jump shots and then slap down. He’s a foul-baiter, and you don’t stay disciplined, show your hands, and reach in. And so, prime example of the things we did well last game or that we need to do against certain guys, and obviously didn’t come out with that tonight.”

Udoka is far from the first person to call Harden out for fishing for fouls, but it is a little surprising to hear a coach be so blunt and critical about an opposing player. 

Harden has led the league in free throw attempts and makes on a whopping seven separate occasions, so there's no denying that he has a certain knack for drawing contact. While some would classify that as a skill, others like Udoka, might label it differently. 

For what it’s worth, Harden isn’t the only guard in the league currently facing foul-baiting accusations. New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson recently responded to similar claims about his style of play by denying them and challenging his defenders to be more disciplined.

“I play by the rules. I’m not a foul baiter,” Brunson said. “I just play by the rules. Be disciplined on defense. Don’t reach.”

Reigning NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander also recently defended himself against claims that he receives a favorable whistle.

"I don't care, not one bit. I can't control how the refs blow the whistle ever,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “I've never been able to. Never been a ref. All I can do is play basketball, and that's all I focus on.”

So again, it’s not just Harden. Players today are very smart, and many have figured out how to exploit certain rules to their advantage. That might not always lead to the most aesthetically-pleasing brand of basketball, but it has proven to be effective given the way the game is officiated today.