CJ McCollum talks Harden's brilliance, the hate, and the Luka Doncic double standard on his Podcast

The pod was a great listen. I've always been a big CJ fan. Thanks for sharing!

Remember back in the day when it was totally cool to NOT lavish praise on your best competitors? LBJ isn't obligated to say anything about Harden, and Harden doesn't need his acknowledgment. Don't insinuate a divide where there is none.

 

Damn, I was about to post in before Reeko or Zboy pull the race card.

You guys are fast lol.

 

I've never listened to CJ before. He seems pretty bright and self aware.

 

I like CJ, always thought he could be Harden's Klay-lite if we could get him but I can't help myself.

 

not insinuating a divide.. that would take both harden and lebron to hate each other. harden doesn't hate anyone. and like i said... it wasn't really a matter of harden needing to hear any sort of praise from lebron (funny how lebron praises any rival that is soon to be a free agent tho isn't it?). it's just that lebron shows absolutely no respect for harden ever since harden started becoming this perennial mvp candidate while being with adidas.

c'mon... lebron pretty much knew nba casuals would eat up the way he played 'both hands behind the back' defense on harden and meme that to death. and then instruct his teammates to do the same thing as well. and he was right. nba twitter pretty much ate it all up. why is it that only lebron's lakers decided to implement such a troll defense on harden? the amount of disrespect it takes to actually do that... and yet harden didn't say one thing about it and just kept to himself.

and all this 'back in the day' stuff doesn't exist anymore so no use talking about it. everyone in the league now is pretty much buddy buddy with each other like one giant family and it's so commonplace to find players hanging out with one another even if they are on different teams. players from different teams train together in the offseason. if you're not doing that, you're pretty much out of player circles and losing out on the recruiting trail. you'd be losing out on a ton of potential opportunities if you're harden or lebron, and you decide that you're gonna hate on all of your rivals. why is that we need athletes to hate each other and hold angst just because they are competitors? you can have a healthy amount of respect for one another and still be competitive as hell.

 

Cj is really good at this I’m almost positive he graduated sports broadcast in college. I know he’s said time and again since he got in the league that his passion is being a broadcaster after his career is over.

He’ll be on tv 100% he’s already had quite a few guest appearances on TNT and I think nba tv also.

 

real competition is when you know your opponent is playing his/her heart out just to beat you. not some petty **** like what lebron, steve kerr, or steph do and complain that harden gets away with this and that. if harden beats you just know you got beat by an all time great. stop trying to make excuses and diminish what he's doing.

i'd rather hear 'no layups' like what cj said and then get a beatdown and then recognize that harden beat you fair and square than **** that lebron and gsw has said and done the past few years against harden.

 

McCollum keeps it real. He has a background in journalism. Should be great in the media in his post career.

 

Rockets Legend CJ McCollum

 

Right, until he ends up working for ESPN and magically turns into another narrative driven idiot

 

No, it wouldn't. Regardless of LeBron and Harden's relationship status, you're implying there'd be a divide amongst their peers and predecessors based on who does or doesn't praise Harden, and that the divide would come at LeBron's expense. I can't understand were that thought is coming from. It doesn't appear like it's that serious for these dudes.

Based on what? That he doesn't extol Harden?

The hands-behind-the-back defense was clownish, but I never read that as disrespect to James Harden. The Lakers were using it as a jab at the refs. Plus, if you watch that December 2018 game when this defense was first exhibited by LA, LeBron first uses it on Chris Paul, and only Paul, then others follow suit to guard Harden the same way. So I'm not with the slant that LeBron and LA were making mockery of Harden (at least, not only Harden). Twitter will latch on to anything.


Edited to add: I think the Celtics used the hands-behind-the-back defense in that 26 point comeback back in 2017.

 

Which players? Which sources? Yeah...ok

 

Doubt Rockets "burn" CP3 or even Melo if Lebron signed with Rockets for guaranteed ring instead of signing with Lakers to set up his retirement.

 

But 90% of Harden's fouls are legit lol

 

It burns you that someone has something positive to say about James dosent it? Get over all these pent up hate you have. It’s unhealthy

 

Pulling the race card is racist. Hypocritical effort. Do better.

 

I was serious, his fouls are mostly legit. He deserves all the regular season praise he gets, and has been the best player in the NBA imo. Doesn't change anything else I've posted about his playoff performances

 

Met a friend of a friend this past month who is a Mavs fan. He was the most logical Mavs fan I ever talked to. While others were trying to hate on Harden, he was defending him and saying what's so different about lukas game? You can't hate on one guy and love another guy for playing the same way. Me and him became good friends that night. We now smoke briskets together.

 

You know he is a lin fan troll so he can’t help himself

 

Luka Doncic might model his game after harden, but it looks nothing like Harden. His stepback is before he gathers the ball most of the time - he's not pushing the limits like Harden and not nearly as quick. He doesn't need to create space the way Harden does, and he's a lot slower.

It's a double standard but I don't think jumping to race is quite right