James Harden has been at the center of many press conferences this year as he is averaging 29 points a game and the Rockets look like contenders.

Mostly he fields questions about how his team is adapting to Mike D’Antoni’s system and personal adjustments to becoming the squad’s primary playmakers.

On Friday, at All-Star media day, The Beard was asked if he would play the role of mediator between his two former teammates Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant.

Harden was traded to Houston in the fall of 2012 and long before KD left for The Bay this summer, but media members still though he could bring his friends together now that there is tension between them.

The Master of the EuroStep was quick to point out that he has some other things on his plate these days and friends go through these things sometimes.

He said: “I’m staying out of it. It’s not my place. I’m on a totally different team now. I know them both very well. If they need advice, I will give it to them. But I’m staying out of it.”

That seems to be a wise choice for the scoring guard as the media’s constant questioning has driven an ever widening rift between the two superstars.

In fact, those 2012 Finals featuring Harden, Durant and Westbrook feel like an eternity ago rather than five years.

Hopefully, Sunday’s big game can be the first step towards burying the hatchet between these close friends.