The Cleveland Cavs have been on a tough stretch of late, currently sitting in 7th place in the Eastern Conference with a record of 5-6. The Cavs are coming off a disastrous loss to the Charlotte Hornets earlier this week that brought the vibes of the team down to a new low.

Recently, ESPN NBA insider Tim McMahon broke down why he views James Harden as the culprit behind Cleveland's struggles.

“The biggest concern is that James Harden does not look like a guy you want as part of your foundation right now,” said McMahon, per the NBA on ESPN on X, formerly Twitter.

Indeed, Harden has looked like a shell of his usual self so far this year, shooting an abysmal 36.4 percent from the field and contributing next to nothing on the defensive end of the floor.

One sequence in particular against the Hornets went viral in which Harden allowed multiple consecutive offensive rebounds, not so much as lifting his arms toward the ball against an overmatched Charlotte team.

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The Cavs were widely criticized when they brought in Harden last year in exchange for Darius Garland and then signed him to a new contract this past offseason, and although they did make the Eastern Conference Finals last season, they didn't exactly come close to beating the New York Knicks in that series, and then watched as several teams around them in the standings made big moves this offseason.

In any case, the Cavs will take on the Knicks in a rematch of that series on Wednesday night in New York City. Tipoff for that one is set for 7:00 pm ET.