Harden: "Dwight and I are the cornerstones of the Rockets. The rest of the guys are role players..."

You know what fools do? They look at the anomylous result that is the success of the San Antonio Spurs and try and emulate that. DD hijacked a series of threads doing that exact same thing. The Spurs are the Spurs. No one will ever be the Spurs again. To have a hall of fame coach, three stars that are able to check their egos and a severe lack of injuries is a perfect storm of luck and preparedness. Had Yao not gone down with injuries, we might be heralding his attitude, and Tracy McGrady's skill as the definitive marker of success in the NBA too.

 

James Harden was fairly easily a top 10 player last year. Among star players, he was 12th in PER, 6th in WS/48 and 7th in RAPM.

 

Reading your recent string of posts in this thread... That would make you a D-league player... a 12th man at that...

Looks like Carl would still have seniority over you... What a shame...

 

I'm a euro-stash that is reluctant to come over because I'm disgruntled with fans like you and carl

and in case you didn't get the joke hmmm - my last few posts were deliberately inciteful as many of carl's are.

 

And regressing fast. lol.

 

This post illustrates the difference between some of you people and me. I post about the Rockets, whether or not my views are positive or critical of them as to a particular matter, you people prefer posting insults about posters and start fights rather than actually having discussions about the Rockets. The team is irrelevant to you, you just want to get mad at somebody on the internet.

What some of you people don't get is that the purpose of "Clutchfans" and what most people are here to do is not to talk about me or talk about you or to evaluate how good each poster is (despite what the stars and rep systems may lead onr to believe). Most people are here to talk about the Houston Rockets and share information or opinion about the Rockets.

It's OK, really. Keep on thinking that criticism of Harden and Morey are just "trolls" and "media hating Houston." All these naysayers, from Zach Lowe to some of us here, are just biased and are on personal vendettas. All these free players who chose to go elsewhere just have no interest in winning a championship. It's just opinions and projections and educated or uneducated guesses at this point. We'll see where this ship ends up and be able to tell whether your faith is justified or misplaced soon enough.

 

I knew you would comment on that post yet dodge the ones where I continually refute your arguments.

Hell, I even noticed aelliot rip your arguments to shreds and you skip those.

but as is typical carl, you cherry pick what you choose to respond to as you cherry pick comments that meet your objectives.

squeal

 

That's the way the cookie crumbles. You have your alphas, the rebels, the che's and then you have the betas, the head nodders, apologists, the why aren't you a gm then, the I'm happy where I'm at the rest of my life, non risk takers

 

Oh, players refuse to come here because they don't want to play with Howard and Harden? And all this time I thought they chose teams that offered more money.

 

Carl, what's your current stance on Morey? You want him fired already?

 

Criticism is fine. Commenting here and there to show your point of view on things is great. Lacking all objectivity when criticizing and spamming criticism at every possible moment is where it goes too far, but that's just me.

Zach Lowe and others harp on Hardens defense plenty. Calling it more than just bad, yet still rank him overall as a player just outside the top 10. Some people around here think he is a team cancer who must be removed. There is a difference.

Some people think Morey on the whole has done a good job, mistakes and all. Others refuse to see any good in the moves he makes or see the logic in the moves he attempts. They also have this weird belief that if you defend Morey, that you think he does no wrong, which is complete BS.

 

At least he didn't say the rest of them were just 'cosplayers'.

 

Funny thing about the Harden defenders here: There are so many of them that one cannot possibly reply to all the posts defending Harden. When you don't reply to all of the Harden defender posts, they accuse you of dodging their arguments. When you do address their posts, they accuse you of "trolling" because you make arguments against Harden too often.

Anyhow, we can argue about Harden all we want, the fact is that he is on the Rockets roster and Morey says he's betting on Harden and Howard. I can see why Morey would make bet on Harden, too: Harden is legitimately an elite offensive talent signed to a cheap long-term contract. There is a decent enough chance that he can fix his defense and become a really elite player.

But the fact that Harden is a "bet" means that there is some risk associated with him. And there is a risk that a player who played inattentive defense in his 5th season for a good team, one who leaves the locker room before media enters it whenever he has a bad game, one who Stephen A Smith says is too "sensitive" about criticism and who called Fran Blinebury a "weirdo" for questioning Harden why he didn't play like a superstar in the playoffs, may just remain a talented but flawed player who never becomes a "cornerstone" to a contending team or a "key to a championship formula." We went through this with Tracy McGrady not so long ago, and Steve Francis before him.

So, lets recognize what we are getting into with Harden-- Recognize his talent but also his flaws and his reputation around the league, which, fair or not, has an impact on players making decisions as free agents-- you can call stuff like Chandler Parsons' reacting to Harden "gossip" or whatever, but "gossip" matters-- why do you think people care about Yelp reviews?

I'm sure Morey sees these things. He is betting on Harden now but if new information comes out that suggest that the odds on his bet have changed or that a better bet is available, I don't doubt that Morey will change his bet quickly.

 

He is right though he could of shut his mouth.

 

Carl, I must be fooled. When I take a casual glance at the GARM and read some threads, read some posts, at least lately (not that I'm generally a casual reader here), I'm seeing more negative posts about the guy, leavened with some posts that basically are saying, "Meh." Considering the guy is one of our two superstars, and that people were singing his praises to the heavens the majority of the time we've had him, it's quite a change. A change because of the Portland series, and a change because Morey didn't pull a rabbit out of a hat and get a Bosh, or Melo, or Love, or Rondo, then there was the Lin trade, with the topper being the departure of Parsons after he signed his own exit out of here with that contract, in my opinion. So people have taken all their frustrations, from what I can tell, out on Harden. Hey, I'm frustrated. I just think that, in a sense, Harden's being made a scapegoat here for the frustration and general pissed off feeling of our community, and count me as one who's pissed off with how things have turned out. Right now, Harden's like a punching bag, and you've salted your gloves.

 

Fixed

Harden is a really good defender when he puts forth the effort. Post D is great, perimeter D is at least average when he's focused. This team needs a leader that holds everyone accountable, that's a scarcity in todays NBA unfortunately.

No question Harden has developed bad habits when he first arrived, he was given the green light to do whatever to his hearts content. That falls on the Coach to reel that player in and make him shape up, and of course we know McHale is poor in that department, yet he's a 'leader of men' but can't get his star player to play both ends of the floor. Now its time to unlearn Harden of his poor habits since leaving OKC.

Harden is immature you act as if he's Howards age or older, he is going to be just fine, he's not even in his peak years yet, which is a bit scary. Kobe needed time to mature and hone it all when Shaq was traded, Harden is in that phase right now. But he will be OK.

In Hardens defense Blinebury was provoking him and in sports emotions can run high. Like I've said as well, Harden is immature and he will need to start growing up and accepting criticism, he'll truly take off then.

Harden is a cornerstone, plain and simple.

Harden nor Francis hasn't and never quit on the team, they're not McLazy. No comparison there, totally different cases for each player actually that's extremely to lump them in the same category. The jury is still out on Harden and I believe the guy will get it together.

Harden calling a spade a spade is 'gossip'? It's not surprising because we are in such a sensitive politically correct day and time.

There is no better bet in the NBA unless that bet is LBJ, Kevin Durant and no one clearly better than Harden beyond that. Maybe Melo, CP3, Griffin, Steph Curry, KLove, Westbrook are the only players that a case can be made for. CP3 and Melo are older which rules them out for me, KLove is the classic numbers guy on a bad team, can't make an 8th seed to save his life. AND Love doesn't take criticism too well either, isn't that immaturity Carl? Be objective. Curry and Westbrook have glass ankles and knees respectively. DRose also if you want to throw him in there as well.

We're lucky to have Harden, sure he has his flaws but what players doesn't outside of LBJ and Durant?

 

Yeah, associate your repetitive vendetta with Zach Lowe. They are *exactly* the same thing. Sure thing.

 

Lowe always say love is a top 12 player in the league. Harden is about the same. Guys who have produced numbers but haven't really accomplished much. Harden gets there if he leads the team to the wcf (has to bring up his to to some extent to get there). Love actually needs to step foot in the playoffs.

 

Read my posts. I did not compare Lebron to MJ or Hakeem.
They are history, the past. Deal with it.

Lebron is the best player on the planet from 2006 onwards. He is the closest thing to MJ and Hakeem today.

Lebron is the one in TODAY's game that need less help than any other players to get to the Finals.

I was talking about today's players. Unlike tinman I do not dwell in the past.
Dominant centers like Hakeem are extinct.

(Well we will see about Anthony Davis)

 

Jordan, Pippen, Zeke, Lebron, Kobe, Hakeem, Yao, etc. - all expend tons of energy on offense BUT they did not shirk on defense. Defense is an attitude, you have to live it and breath it to do it right. Harden just does not like to play hard D. Heck I would take any effort on D from Harden right now, other than the let your man run by you then try lamely to swipe a steal D.