Harden is a Warg who turns into a charging musk oxen when needed. <iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/gq8n447nkoo" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
He becomes air bender on defense.. He opens air pathways for opposing shooting guards to get career highs. It's a talent. Only superstars can do that
Haha yeah me too, I was imagining something about his defense being along the lines of Jekyll and Hyde
Well-written piece, unconventional language, and nice use of the drawings to show the shape of the defense. Made me see defense in a different light. Reminds me of Royce White's comment on how he sees play evolve on court as shapes that are constantly shifting. boy, if we ever see White on court for us, our offense will really be trouble for our opponents. Imagine him and Harden and Lin together.
I had a fever dream last night. Harden morphed into Kevin Martin, he was perfectly happy with trading baskets and allowing his man to score easily in consecutive possessions.
I don't think that would be pretty. Seems like all three guys need the all in their hands to be most effective. It's already a task with Harden and Lin, what the hell are we going to do by adding Royce to that mix?
Agree. From what I saw from Royce White's D-League games, he doesn't have much of a jump shot, so he needs the ball in his hand to play point forward. We already have a guy who doesn't shoot the spot up well (although Lin has improved a whole lot since that dreaded November performances). Multiple offensive ball-handlers on the same team have negative synergy with each other. Adding one more to the equation is just asking for trouble when they need the ball to be effective. Harden is the only person who can thrive off the ball, but he's also the best ball-handler on the team. However, I don't mind having him play the prime Lamar Odom type of role off the bench if he ever pans out.
Weird to look at defenses as "shapes," but the article is definitely spot-on. This team can only score cause Harden affects opposing defenses in such a manner. Teams fear Harden about as much as they fear a player such as Kobe.
shape shifter? i'd rather him be a shadow person! if you're north of the rockies please reply... west of the rockies hit ENter repeatedly
You definitely have to admire what's happening in those videos... but, to my eyes, what's happening is that the defenders are demonstrating a lack of discipline. They're terrified of Harden's ability to drive, and they don't believe he'll be adequately defended by his man, so they're collapsing to try to affect him. In other words, I don't see Harden masterfully manipulating the shape of the defense. I see defenses freaking out about an incredibly good dribble penetrator. Where am I going wrong?
Well, the author is showing successful offense, which often involves defensive failures. If the videos all showed ideal defense, they would probably accompany a different article. I suppose you could have vids of ideal defense in which Harden still scores anyway, but the author is interested in this "shapeshifter" idea.
