I watched Harden this year, and I don't think his game is compatible with other stars. He's a lazy off-ball player, and statistically, he's a below-average 3 point shooter. Additionally, if we're able to acquire another star, that star would have to be a good defender. So why would a star want to play with Harden? Do you expect people to take you seriously when you say stuff like "CP3 isn't a real two-way player"? I can understand if you want to make that claim about Westbrook, but it's ludicrous to apply it to CP3. In fact, the direct comparison makes Harden look even worse. How many times has CP3 made all-defensive 1st teams? Additionally, Curry isn't close to being a bad defender. In fact, he's fundamentally sound. You can go on youtube and look for montages of Curry's "poor" defense, but for the most part, they're examples of good defense being beaten by better offense. Harden is literally one of the worst defenders in the NBA. Instead of denying or deflecting, ask yourself "how can we win despite this very real handicap?" Against the Spurs, he was used to guard Aldridge since he couldn't be trusted to guard Mills, Green, or Leonard. Think about that. Using Harden to guard Aldridge was our best case scenario... That doesn't change the fact that he's a below-average 3pt shooter. And if he needs the 3 to open up his drives, then he's in trouble. Except for 2015, his 3pt attempts have increased every year while his 3pt% has dropped. It's down to 34.7% at 9.3 attempts per game. Did you see how the Spurs guarded him? They refused to switch the pick and roll, and the primary defender kept his hands up. They continually baited him into taking a 3 pointer, and he happily obliged. Harden's style is built for regular season success, but in the deeper rounds of the playoffs, it'll get exploited. In other words, it's a big problem. Also, there's an aspect to this that we haven't touched on. Refs are human and have pride. As they review more footage and see that Harden baits them into calling fouls, they're going to be more reluctant to do so. We've already seen it happen with Harden's hooking maneuver. Earlier in the season, it was always a defensive foul. However, in the playoffs, it was actually being called an offensive foul. Agreed. He's been the same guy doing the same moves, but in the playoffs, he's had a lot less success. Harden and Durant are best friends so the fact that Durant wouldn't talk to us actually does hold some significance.
Why would I be? I didn't know he was on the Nets until you told me. Do they even have a large enough fan base to warrant a forum? But like I said, you can always count on Lin fans like yourself to inject him into the discussion regardless of relevance.
so then stop acting like a Lin fan. you idiots act like if harden doesn't measure up to lebron then he must be a bum
I don't see a single fact there, I just see opinions. The guy is very unselfish and it's evident. It's true that he demands the ball when he's on the floor with the current make up of the team, but what would you propose? Giving it to Beverley? There's no question that he's not great defensively, and it's likely due to the fact that he's a 'thicker' guy as opposed to being long, thin, and athletic. The 3s attempts point wasn't true when we had Nene manning the other half of the pick n roll. It just became an issue when he was running it with guys who could simply get fronted, in which case, he didn't have a choice. Refs point could be fair. His playoff numbers being down was also a fair point. Mentioning him quitting also isn't fair to him after giving them the kind of year that we had.
Noting Harden's flaws and their potential implications is acting like a Lin fan? Geez, you guys really do go out of your way to inject Lin into every conversation, don't you? Frankly, compared to Lebron, Harden IS a bum.
Some of those things may be true but here is the reality of the situation OP. *Harden isn't going anywhere *Harden is the best player we've had on our roster since Hakeem *There are at least 25 NBA teams that do not have a player as good as Harden on their roster right now. *It's easier to find pieces to put around Harden that could propel the Rockets to the next level than it is to find another player as good as Harden. We have to live with these facts. Harden is not going to be traded or shopped. The best we can hope for is that some of these superteams break up or that Morey can work his magic somehow and keep adding pieces. Keep in mind this team will get better even if it stays the same, last year was their first season playing together so they haven't reached their ceiling yet. Morey needs to keep sprinkling some pieces in, though.
Wekko the notorious YOF/LOF vindictive loser is at it again? Why Harden stole lin's glory loool hahaha
I think last year actually was our ceiling. Our two major acquisitions were injury prone, and for the most part, both of them had healthy seasons. Plus, they both played well. So what kind of improvements can we reasonably expect? Ariza can improve his 3pt shooting a few percentage points. That's about it. I don't expect Capela to develop a post game, and I don't expect Harden to address any of his major weaknesses this offseason. Also, your points #2-4 aren't facts. They're debatable opinions. I personally think Yao was a better player than Harden b/c I place a greater value on mismatch advantages, and Yao could get a good look any time he wanted. Additionally, this team was tailor made for Harden. We gave him 3/D teammates in Beverley/Ariza, and surrounded him with shooters in Beverley, Ariza, and Anderson. Conversely, Yao had poor perimeter shooters in McGrady and Alston. Do you think Bucks fans would trade Giannis for Harden? Do you think Wizards fans would trade Wall for Harden? Do you think Philly fans would trade Embiid for Harden? Do you think Minnesota fans would trade KAT for Harden? Do you think Pelicans fans would trade Anthony Davis for Harden? We don't need to find another player as good as Harden. I think we'd actually be more successful as a team if we acquired multiple "lesser" stars who were compatible with each other. For instance, if we had Butler/Milsap instead of Harden/Anderson, wouldn't we be a better team?
You and Sweet Lou seem like the biggest Lin fans on this forum....always pushing your pro-Lin agenda. Unfortunately for you, no one wants to visit your Lin fan site. I'm sure it's nice, but he simply isn't relevant anymore.
