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[chronic] MDA tells Hot Take artists to get their facts straight with Harden

Discussion in 'Houston Rockets: Game Action & Roster Moves' started by Invisible Fan, Mar 26, 2019.

  1. Invisible Fan

    Invisible Fan Contributing Member

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    They're not hacks because their hot air winds up here.

    https://www.houstonchronicle.com/sp...Mike-D-Antoni-irked-by-arguments-13717639.php

    MILWAUKEE — With the meeting of James Harden and the Rockets with Giannis Antetokounmo and the Bucks on Tuesday sparking fresh MVP debates, Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni said he gets annoyed with the need to denigrate the play of either.

    He specifically cited the reliance on "narratives" to diminish Harden's play on the defensive end, while making a case for Harden to repeat as MVP.

    "First of all, Giannis is great," D'Antoni said. "He's great. If I was his coach, I would be all over it with him.


    "The thing that irks me is you'll see the statement, 'Well, he plays both ways,' meaning James doesn't play both ways. I don't think people give him enough credit that he's No. 2 in steals behind Paul George, No. 1 in deflections, he's the best post defender in the league. No. 1. Not six, 10, 30; No. 1. Our team since the All-Star break is fourth in the league in defense and he's a big part of that."

    Harden allows the fewest points per possession in the low post while creating the largest percentage of turnovers among those that defend at least 1.5 possessions per game and have played in at least 30 games.

    With that said, D'Antoni said Harden is also effective on the offensive end.

    "He's carried us offensively and he plays every game," D'Antoni said. "He plays as much as he needs to play every game. He plays hurt. He's hurt and he gets 61 (against the Spurs.)


    "Yeah, I don't mind making the case for other people. But to say it in a negative light this guy doesn't do this I think is absurd. There's no holes there. If you can make a case another guy is more valuable, OK, sure, that's your opinion. That's great. But there's nothing you can say about his game that isn't top flight.

    "Past things and people not really doing their homework and throwing out a narrative. To me, that's how our society is a little bit."
     
  2. Os Trigonum

    Os Trigonum Contributing Member
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    this is the D&D thread of the day ;)
     
  3. Invisible Fan

    Invisible Fan Contributing Member

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    You posted a WSJ article on GARM...I figured why the hell not? :D
     
    Os Trigonum likes this.
  4. Os Trigonum

    Os Trigonum Contributing Member
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    you sir are my new hero. sorry @NewRoxFan !!
     
  5. KingCheetah

    KingCheetah Contributing Member

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    Edit: thread moved to correct forum.
     
    #5 KingCheetah, Mar 26, 2019
    Last edited: Mar 26, 2019
  6. Jugdish

    Jugdish Member

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    MUELLERWAUKEE
     
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  7. diehardrockets

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    Get em Mike!!
     
  8. Reeko

    Reeko Member

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    My guy Mike!!!
     
  9. photojoe

    photojoe Member

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    Understatement of the decade
     
    banzai, macho GRANDE and cbs1507 like this.
  10. Os Trigonum

    Os Trigonum Contributing Member
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    am disappoint no longer in D&D :D
     
    Invisible Fan likes this.
  11. Nero

    Nero Member

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    Guys, it's time to just be real about this.

    We all watch Harden play, we have watched him with amazement ever since Meroy stole him from OKC.

    We know, ok? We KNOW. We have watched him grow, mature, and like some kind of mutant from another galaxy, we have watched him get BETTER every single year. This is a generational player. We know this.

    BUT.

    But all these 'former players', guys who have spent their entire basketball LIVES playing for one coach or another, fitting themselves into a system and into a sport which had previously dictated that 'you play the game THIS way' or 'you play the game THAT way', and to do anything outside of that box is to 'not play the game the right way', a la Quitten and the nonsense he spouts.

    And then here comes Harden, and he clearly has talent and a 'improve-o-meter' that is simply off the charts. And he is grabbed by a team and a GM who recognized this, and put in place a coach who could bring it all together.

    And what does Harden do? He goes out there and plays the way all those guys always WISHED they could play, when they were being silly and daydreaming - 'Hah hah hah wouldn't it be awesome if we could just chuck threes from 8 feet outside the arc, and drive to the bucket any time, and take as many shots as we want, and (in THEIR minds anyway) just be able to get away with playing the most selfish 'street ball' they could imagine?

    They knew they were being silly, and dreaming selfish dreams, because *you just don't play that way*.

    And yet Harden DOES. And he doesn't just play that way, he DESTROYS that way.

    And he does so with the blessing of his coach, his GM, his teammates and the team's fans.

    And while it's tempting to say something like 'NO ONE has EVER played this way', well, that wouldn't entirely be true would it? Go to any rec league, go to any park, and you will see guys playing that way, the guys who are so clearly on a different level talent-wise than everyone else, the guys you just sort of watch in awe while you are playing.. you'll see that in those places.

    But no one has ever done that in the NBA, not even Wilt.Wilt was a physical freak who dominated because there was no way he was NOT going to dominate, given the era and the opposition. But Harden is transformative. He is what the game of basketball is evolving into. Players are already following his lead, young players in the league who will be stars for a long time - Doncic, plenty of others; heck we all saw House's play the other night. Heck, mark my words, before too long, there will be a 4-point line, maybe 6 feet further out from the 3-point line. Won't THAT be fun?

    Harden is DOING the things all these guys only dreamed of doing, and they felt guilty even dreaming it.

    And here Harden is, getting away with it!

    That's the bottom line, isn't it? He's GETTING AWAY WITH IT. He should feel guilty, because he is NOT PLAYING THE RIGHT WAY.

    It's envy, plain and simple.

    And many of them have made it clear, they are not going to reward him for it.

    They betray their own smallness when they think and speak this way.

    I have said it before, and I will say it again now: anyone who doesn't vote for Harden this year for MVP should simply have their vote taken away, permanently.
     
    Easy, duluth111222, Handles and 29 others like this.
  12. T for 3

    T for 3 Member

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    (Insert iPhone “amen” emoji)
     
  13. hakeem94

    hakeem94 Member

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    AWESOME!!
     
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  14. rockbox

    rockbox Around before clutchcity.com

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    Post of the Month!!!
     
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  15. snowconeman22

    snowconeman22 Member

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    For me the bigger question is why is harden playing hurt ?

    MDA openly admitted this .... yeah it's nice to pump up your star's toughness ....

    But I would rather MDA create a situation where we don't need harden to do that
     
  16. BigMaloe

    BigMaloe Contributing Member

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    About halfway through this, I started thinking it was a copy pasta from a recent article I musta missed.

    Bravo good sir. Bravo.
     
  17. Earnie Banks

    Earnie Banks Member

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    Short version: He is just hoopin' and they are jelly.

    GREAT post by the way
     
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  18. Invisible Fan

    Invisible Fan Contributing Member

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    This x1000

    You'll notice a pattern with these "former stars"....in their heyday, they were constantly dogged for wasting or never reaching their billed potential. Scottie with that infamous last minute shitfit because Phil chose Kukoc to take the Winning Shot. Scottie was blessed with great IQ and an NBA body. Still not enough to carry Michael's burden. Tmac...because he's a loser. Kenny or even Charles...

    From the day he hit the NBA, scouts called Harden's play an Old Man's Game. Not only because he's smart/crafty but because he wasn't flashy or athletic and just plain fat looking. Harden is a basketball savant, but that alone doesn't make him Great. All the flashiness we've seen in the last 5 years is the product of Harden's blood and sweat. All the weaknesses he's been dogged with on or off camera...he never complained about it or made excuses for it.

    NONE of these Former Stars can say that they did or tried their best in their prime. If they did, they'd give him his due and criticize him constructively like Kobe.

    Like losers, they'll crawl back and retreat when confronted claiming, "We are just entertainment. We are doing our jobs." Uhh no. They're encouraged to bring out their personalities and are paid accordingly.

    If their inner personality is a winner, a winner will come out. If it's a clown...keep juggling.
     
  19. Spacemoth

    Spacemoth Contributing Member

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    AND I HOPE THEY BURN IN HAIL!
     
    juanm34 likes this.
  20. Remlap

    Remlap Member

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    If James doesn't have any broken bones he WANTS to be on the floor. That's why
     

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