1. Welcome! Please take a few seconds to create your free account to post threads, make some friends, remove a few ads while surfing and much more. ClutchFans has been bringing fans together to talk Houston Sports since 1996. Join us!

Simmons & Zach Lowe - Book of Basketball 2.0 podcast - James Harden Episode

Discussion in 'Houston Rockets: Game Action & Roster Moves' started by Patience, Nov 20, 2019.

  1. Patience

    Patience Contributing Member

    Joined:
    Apr 25, 2002
    Messages:
    7,685
    Likes Received:
    9,336
    I didn’t see it posted, but please lock/merge if so.

    https://www.theringer.com/2019/11/1...0-james-harden-and-the-pyramid-with-zach-lowe

    Bill Simmons and Zach Lowe devoted an entire episode of the “Book of Basketball 2” podcast to James Harden and his place in the “pantheon” of great basketball players. I thought it was a very thorough, and mostly positive, evaluation of his career to date. Other than the usual snark about strip clubs and defense, I didn’t completely object to their evaluation. Definitely worth a listen.

    Some key points:

    -James Harden’s stats are unquestionably historic

    -James Harden has been very durable, which makes his impact that much greater

    -Harden got a reputation for being a poor defender early on, but has actually improved a great deal

    -Harden was ranked something like #36 all-time on the list, but Simmons made a point to say Harden is only 30, and could move up a lot if he continues this way for many more years, and/or wins a championship or performs really well in a Finals series

    -Zach Lowe pointed out that Harden has great stats, but they are not empty. You can basically put any four guys around Harden, and it’s a 50 win team

    -The Harden trade is one of the biggest “what if” events ever, in that it broke up a team with 3 future MVPs all very young in age. Obviously, it was a terrible trade for the Thunder, which Lowe and Simmons said even at the time.

    -Harden is still missing a “signature” playoff game or moment that would help his case for being an all time great (I agree to some extent)

    -Simmons is convinced Harden was concussed for the last two games of the Spurs series

    Anyway, it’s worth a listen, even if there are one or two eye rolls. For the most part, it was a pretty fair evaluation, and it was just exciting to hear an entire hour and fifteen minutes of Zach Lowe (and Simmons to some extent ;)) analyzing the Rockets’ best player.
     
    #1 Patience, Nov 20, 2019
    Last edited: Nov 20, 2019
    DreamShook, BigMaloe, Roomba and 17 others like this.
  2. jordnnnn

    jordnnnn Member

    Joined:
    Jan 31, 2010
    Messages:
    10,972
    Likes Received:
    11,945
    #2 jordnnnn, Nov 20, 2019
    BigMaloe, Deuce, ParaSolid and 5 others like this.
  3. JMAD21

    JMAD21 Member

    Joined:
    Jan 14, 2010
    Messages:
    4,285
    Likes Received:
    866
    All of these have been good, even the Curry pod where they just suck his dick for an hour... Still a good listen.
     
    #3 JMAD21, Nov 20, 2019
    Patience likes this.
  4. Patience

    Patience Contributing Member

    Joined:
    Apr 25, 2002
    Messages:
    7,685
    Likes Received:
    9,336
    The one about Shaq was pretty good too, even though I haaaated that Lakers team.
     
    #4 Patience, Nov 20, 2019
  5. MVP4THREE

    MVP4THREE Member

    Joined:
    May 2, 2017
    Messages:
    233
    Likes Received:
    350
    [​IMG]
     
    #5 MVP4THREE, Nov 21, 2019
  6. harold bingo

    harold bingo Udoka Only Fan
    Supporting Member

    Joined:
    May 16, 2017
    Messages:
    3,468
    Likes Received:
    10,228
    I listened to this and I enjoyed it. Another thing they talked about that you didn't mention is how few minutes Harden has played in close playoff games. He has less minutes in his career than some guys have in one playoff run. It's not something I noticed but after they mention it and you think about it, it's definitely true, and probably a contributor to his "never had a playoff moment" thing.
     
    #6 harold bingo, Nov 21, 2019
    Patience and Deuce like this.
  7. Deuce

    Deuce Context & Nuance

    Joined:
    Aug 1, 2001
    Messages:
    26,577
    Likes Received:
    35,648
    Not sure I am going to listen. But I really enjoyed you pulling out the bullet points. I might listen now that you gave a primer on it. The bullet points are fair. And I appreciated Simmons felt that Harden was concussed in the Spurs series.
     
    #7 Deuce, Nov 21, 2019
    Patience likes this.
  8. topfive

    topfive CF OG

    Joined:
    Jun 12, 2002
    Messages:
    19,018
    Likes Received:
    37,395
    Also talks about how the Thunder are the only team in NBA history to give up 2-3 possible titles just because they didn't want to pay the luxury tax.

    Tilman Fertitta says: "Hold my beer."
     
    #8 topfive, Nov 21, 2019
    Der Rabbi and Deuce like this.
  9. durvasa

    durvasa Contributing Member

    Joined:
    Feb 11, 2006
    Messages:
    37,973
    Likes Received:
    15,447
    No comments from Rockets fans on referring to Harden as “Guard Malone”?
     
    #9 durvasa, Nov 21, 2019
  10. jordnnnn

    jordnnnn Member

    Joined:
    Jan 31, 2010
    Messages:
    10,972
    Likes Received:
    11,945
    Thought it was an interesting comp. Especially the statistical dominance and all time great in their way.

    As a Rockets fan I feel like Harden’s peak has clearly been higher than what Malone reached.

    And as I posted this I had to go check where Malone landed on the all time win shares list..... 3rd..... damn
     
    #10 jordnnnn, Nov 21, 2019
    BigMaloe and BaselineFade like this.
  11. Invisible Fan

    Invisible Fan Contributing Member

    Joined:
    Dec 5, 2001
    Messages:
    43,287
    Likes Received:
    25,312
    If only cc had half the billing of Forward Stockton
     
    #11 Invisible Fan, Nov 21, 2019
  12. jordnnnn

    jordnnnn Member

    Joined:
    Jan 31, 2010
    Messages:
    10,972
    Likes Received:
    11,945
    New The Book of Basketball Podcast featuring Daryl Morey

    Houston Rockets GM Daryl Morey joins HBO and The Ringer’s Bill Simmons in this episode of Book of Basketball 2.0 to discuss the James Harden trade, signing Dwight Howard and Chris Paul, and falling just short of beating the Golden State Warriors in the 2018 Western Conference finals.

    https://www.theringer.com/2019/11/2...-0-daryl-morey-breaks-down-james-harden-trade
     
    #12 jordnnnn, Nov 26, 2019
    Patience and Vivi like this.
  13. DreamShook

    DreamShook Member

    Joined:
    Jun 26, 2008
    Messages:
    70,656
    Likes Received:
    114,671
     
    #13 DreamShook, Nov 26, 2019
  14. J Sizzle

    J Sizzle Member

    Joined:
    Feb 27, 2012
    Messages:
    43,499
    Likes Received:
    29,548
    Tough to listen to. I still am not over the 2018 Warriors series. The pain is real.
     
    #14 J Sizzle, Nov 26, 2019
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)

Share This Page

Toggle Width
Style
ClutchFans Original

  • About ClutchFans

    Since 1996, ClutchFans has been loud and proud covering the Houston Rockets, helping set an industry standard for team fan sites. The forums have been a home for Houston sports fans as well as basketball fanatics around the globe.

  • Rockets Content

  • Support ClutchFans!

    If you find that ClutchFans is a valuable resource for you, please consider becoming a Supporting Member. Supporting Members can upload photos and attachments directly to their posts, customize their user title and more. Gold Supporters see zero ads!


    Upgrade Now