No. Every player's stat is directly related to the team system. You look at teams with top notch players in at least 2-3 positions (PG position) and you are going to find that the guard's stat line is not going to be that great. Miami is a great example since you have Lebron, Wade, and Bosch (pretty similar to Howard, Harden, Parsons)....now look at Chamlers/Nicole as both of those stats look paltry to Lin's. You can't compare him to a Lillard (probably 2nd best player/option on his team) or CP3 (best player on his team)....This is probably a big reason McHale wanted Lin to come off the bench, he wants a Chamler.
Your standards are absurd. Here are the list of active guards that have met that criteria. Wade, Rose, Russ, Deron, Nash, Parker, CP3 and Billups. 8 players. By that criteria Damian, Conley, Jrue would not make the cut.
A performance like tonight on national TV may be a reason why Harden gets so little votes. For Houston, he's a superstar. For the rest of the world, not so much. He doesn't even get a lot of endorsements on his own, outside of Nike and Footlockers. But don't worry, the coaches will vote him in so H & H will still represent H-town in the ASG.
Harden isn't regarded as a star player outside of Houston, which is why he was ranked a top 5-10 player on like every major sports media list? CF is like an alternate universe at times.
this makes little sense. i live outside of texas and most of the fans i talk to agree that harden is a superstar.
Maybe it's just my interpretation, but a superstar should be someone who can impact the game on both offense and defense. To me, Harden is a star, but not even close to a superstar.
Yeah, I think that might just be you... Otherwise, guys like Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony wouldn't be superstars. Even Jordan wasn't exactly the world's most consistent defender. Defense is important, but from an individual perspective offense is always going to skew as more valuable for a variety of reasons, so when you are evaluating a single player their offensive contribution is always going to weigh more heavily than their defensive contribution (or lack thereof). There's always the distinction between production and fame, as well. Is Harden famous? Outside of the NBA, probably not as much as some other players, including the ones that aren't even remotely as good as he is (think Kris Humphries). Is he a superstar in terms of production? Yes - he's at the same level as the 5% of players who are just below LeBron.
Some really good replies and PoV in here considering the subject matter. I only have one thing to add. When discussing race, talent and popularity I wouldn't put too much emphasis on comparing Lin to Tiger, Jackie Robinson or Serena Williams. Race aside, you're talking about three legends of their respective sports that changed the game. I like Lin and I think he may have all-star potential, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. At this point I'd still consider Yao (when healthy) a better player.
At one time there was a criticism of MJ's defense. However, I would say for the span of his entire car he was well above an average defender. At times elite. But any comparison to MJ outside of Kobe and LaBron just isn't fair to the respective player.
I'm the person who drew that comparison, so I'll clarify. I'm certainly not comparing Lin to those individuals in terms of talent -- just in terms of being one of the first in a professional sport.
Naw, it wasn't your original post that caught my eye. From reading your contributions to this thread it's pretty clear that you get it.
Exactly. And clearly an all-star caliber player, popularity aside. I don't feel the same about Lin, but I know how that talk gets you labeled here.
Michael Jordan is tied for the most NBA All-Defensive first team selections. He was an elite defender for most of his career.
I was responding to the poster that said MJ wasn't the most consistent defender. I'm one of the biggest Jordan fans I know, you don't have to convince me
