[Official Thread] Media/Player Reaction to James Harden 2019-2020

I saw this a few days ago(after the Clippers game). It's a few days old, but relevant to this thread.

 

This was terrible. I mean Bucher

 

Love the ball dominant argument.

Wonder what those same people think of young Golden Boy Luka Doncic this year?

Because he’s currently the league leader in time of possession and touches per game.

Not James Harden.

 

Not that we need to rehash this day after day after day - which apparently this thread will do... and I'm participating in!!

But, the Nick Wright take is the most spot on if only because it's the only response you ever need to use. "Great... it isn't pretty, it might be slightly less effective in the playoffs - though Harden's playoff numbers last year were great - and he may never win a championship with it. But he has used it to earn an MVP and nearly half a billion in gross earnings. So you can bet that any player that isn't otherwise a top 5 superstar in their own right would happily copy it... if they could. They can't, it's impressive."

If you wanted... you could also add...

"BTW, his game is very similar and likely the inspiration for a guy named Luca that is beloved by everyone."

Then if you want to further trigger some folks you add...

"What's the difference between Luca and Harden?? Sure, one has a beard, but beard's are in vogue... one is white, one is black. there you go! put that in your pipe and smoke it you racists!!!!!"

 

Pure hatred . .. .
"The clippers did not take the game seriously. . . . "
Serious????

If I knew it was shitlock . .. i would not have clicked

Rocket River

 

People who hate on harden are miserable sad people or they are posers who could give a **** about basketball and just want to hop on the nuts of the latest media darling.

Most these “analysts” don’t know **** and don’t bother to learn they take the easy way out and bash the easy target(harden).

They can all go to hell.

 

Holy ****... I actually watched this (no idea why), but their comments boil down to:

1 - not efficient enough. I think harden is top 3 in TS%

2 - Kawhi is better. Okay, Ric... for 15 days Kawhi was considered better.... because he won a ring... with a Toronto team that was better (winning % wise) without him in the regular season last year and is also better this year with Kawhi completely gone. EDIT: Kawhi is media wise one of the luckiest athletes of all time. He is HORRIBLE with the media. He completely abandoned the Spurs - even if there were elements to it that were warranted. He left the Raptors - even if he said he was going to... he still did. He's played more than 70 games twice in his career. His defense has declined imo. he's made a grand total of 3 all star teams in his 8+ years to date. He's a top player, but the idea that he's THE top player or one of the top players is baffling. You know who I'd take over Kawhi, 10 times out of 10 at this point? Pascal Siakim. Younger, still improving, a better defender at this point, and a better creator relative to Kawhi at the same point in their careers/age, and most importantly has played 80+ games each of the last 2 years.

3 - AD. Lol.... AD. A guy that was so successful as the #1 guy on his own team he said nah, f'it, I'll go and join the best player maybe ever to actually try and win.

Morons...

 

Kawhi and Giannis got their nuts in the mouth of the casual “fan” who thinks Jordan never missed a shot and could average 100 in today’s nba.

In other words they only like guys who behave a certain low key way off the court and kiss the media’s ass. (Know their place)

 

Ric Bocher needs to get hit by a truck

He can’t possibly be any more hateful towards one guy. Dude even looks like a ho

 

And amount of dribbling.

 

I should have put a disclaimer up with that one. "Watch at your own risk". That was hard to watch.

 

"It's never been easier to be a hateful troll in the media."

 

WHOEVER GAVE T-MAC THAT HALL OF FRAME MUST BE DUMB AS HELL.

 

I was listening to No Dunks and they were talking about Harden and why no one cares and compared him to Iverson. They said Iverson only really was scoring high one season so people didn’t get sick of it like Harden. The same argument that they believe Harden was good but then he didn’t win a championship so they are disappointed then they get numb to his greatness. All Harden cares about is MVP blah blah blah.

Has it always been this way? We’re people saying Barkley/Stockton/Dominic suck and are overrated because they don’t have a ring? Is it the 24 hour news creating narratives? Is it because Harden is black? Is it because he started as a 6 man and not hyped as a superstar from the jump? I know it’s not the free throws because people have been baiting people into fouls since I started watching basketball. I cringed whenever Kevin Martin would do that stuff. People love DWade and he would always jump into people.

All that to say media conspiracy.

 

**** Ric Bichner!

 

Stacy will never have his jersey retired. and that brings me joy. Also Robert Horry taking a fat dump on Tracy brings me joy.

 

Barkley was a respected laughing stock for most of his career and got hammered in 94 and 95 after losing to the Rockets in the playoffs after guaranteeing wins and talking trash. Media loved him because he was a good quote, but that’s about it.

Stockton never really got criticized, it was Malone that took most of the brunt of the criticism for Utah. Then again, he won two MVP’s...one was because they got tired of Jordan winning it and gave him a pity one and one was because he was one of the few that came back in shape during the strike shortened seasoned. He still doesn’t get much respect though for his place in the stats leaderboards that he probably would had he gotten a title.

Dominique was killed regularly for not being able to win the big one...a lot like Harden in fact. Guy was talented, but he never had a great supporting cast to knock off the Celtics or Bulls. By the time the Hawks had a strong supporting cast, Dominique was injured and washed up so they traded him in ‘94 right before they ended up as the top seed out East.

Ewing went from a guy that people thought was the best center during his career (over Hakeem and Robinson) to a huge afterthought when he finally left New York. Even New Yorkers realize that those two were better...only because he never won a title. He’s largely forgotten these days.

Hakeem was talked about a lot like Harden before he won his titles. He regularly got little respect before he won those titles and it wasn’t until the 1995 playoff run when people finally woke up about him and took notice.