Earl Watson doesn’t claim to have discovered James Harden, but the Suns coach likes to think he was ahead of the game when it came to recognizing the Houston superstar’s talent. And while you’re at it, go ahead and put Russell Westbrook in that category as well.
"It’s an L.A. thing. I was just lucky,’’ said Watson, who played high school ball in Kansas City but college ball at UCLA. “I saw James and Russ when they both were in high school. I just knew those two were different. James always had a maturity to his game and a patience to his game that high school players just don’t have.