Was thinking that very thing! Would be somewhat complicated, but it could work. Frankly, none of this feels plausible without George. We've got to get him.
I understand you have to use more than anyone stat to gain a picture about defense. And the biggest stat when it comes to defense, imo, is the eye test from scouts. And im a HUGE stats guy. I know about rapm and the likes. Even Morey himself has said there is no good defensive statistic. The problem with trying to use data for defense is there is too many variables. It's so much a team thing that even if you did your assignment perfect it could measure out negatively for a number of reasons like a teammates late rotation or the offender making a lucky contested shot etc... I'm not defending hardens defense. He's below average. I disagree with your assumption he is one of the worst in the league but he's closer to being one of the worst than he is being one of the best at his own position. So it's not like we are extremely far apart. Besides lacking lateral movement defensively, his biggest weakness on that side of the ball is discipline and staying engaged (IE ballwatching). Overall hes below average. But he's better than Westbrook, lillard, curry, Kyrie and some others. Which, usn't saying much because they are of the worst in the league. You think James struggles to engage defensively or close out on shooters, watch OKC games. My lord is Westbrook bad.
I generally agree with you. I am being a bit hyperbolic when I imply he's one of the worst. I get that there are definitely worse. Below average is accurate. I don't think he's better than Westbrook or Curry. Maybe Westbrook is arguable... they both give little effort. I think Harden is a better post defender, Westbrook can be a better guard defender and has the lateral quickness James lacks. In either case, its not good for either.
I just think your glasses are stained from the playoff let down. You've been extremely harsh on harden and that's your prerogative.
Which is fair. Harden has locked people up though at times. He can't deal with quick guards for sure, and he definitely suffers from lack of interest/effort/focus throughout a game, but he can absolutely play solid defense at times. Westbrook has him beat on the physical side, but he's just as bad in terms of effort, probably worse. Westbrook actively refuses to guard shooters so he can go for a rebound lol. Steph can't keep up with quick guys AND he's small.
At least he finally admitted his repeated claims that Harden's not completely incompetent at D. Now if only we can get him past trying to completely twist other people's words.
Well maybe. But it's not just that. I mean I don't live in Houston so I get the national perspective. I listen to NBA radio on xm. I spend time reading everything from reddit to national articles. I take it all with a grain of salt but recognize that there isn't some huge media conspiracy against Houston teams. I mean do I think Russ' 10 all defensive team votes are crazy? Yes. I mean someone gave IT a vote. But 10 is more than one that's for sure. Let me ask you - do you think Russ can win a championship in OKC as the #1 guy? Keep in mind their cap, the GSW, etc
He's basically incompetent. Below average is basically that at defense if you're an nba player. If you want to discuss twisting people's words there's a whole post out there for you to respond to that can't figure out what you were trying to say at all. Is average, could be average, is poor, can be good on the post... it was confusing.
Absolutely not. He's just not a good enough team player imo. He's much more entertaining than he is successful in terms of winning. Imo of course. And I'm from Vegas and it's where I grew up although I am back in Houston nowadays. But let's be honest, the national media aren't as intelligent and knowing as the local media and fanbase. I mean Max kellerman and the likes really dumb down the national voice and most of them don't hardly watch any games and just stay with whatever narrative their is. The fact he got 10 is just extremely laughable because it's mostly people who were so enamored with the triple double, IE the uninformed media who casually watch basketball. But I'm not saying there is a huge conspiracy against Houston. There is some funny questionable stuff but Ehh we arent one of the huge desirable markets.
I see CP3 going to the Spurs like Lamarcus Aldridge did. He's never seemed emotionally invested in the Clippers like Melo did with the Knicks. He's had no playoff success in LA and looked frustrated having to carry that team in the first round against the Jazz. No one can even tell if the Clippers are still trying to compete or rebuild next year. Going to San Antonio is basically a guaranteed trip to the WCF. I hope he comes here, but I don't see any reason why he would choose us. San Antonio has the better coach and culture. And Kawhi is also an MVP candidate that he won't need to compete with in terms of playmaking duties. It just seems like a more natural fit for him.
Look, I agree with @Clutch and @BimaThug that this FEELS like the Rockets know something here, but I also know better than to get my hopes up anymore. I've been burned by enough offseason pursuits to fall for it anymore. Morey had Pau/Nene locked up Chris Paul was leaving the Clippers to sign here Chris Bosh was signing here All out push for Melo We were runners up for Horford (and lesser extend Bazemore) Sorry, I've gotten dressed up for this dance too many times. I know we aren't bedding the prom queen when the music stops.
Gotcha. And without my rose colored glasses, this is exactly how I feel about Harden. Well, not exactly for the exact same reasons, but the general idea.
Well, the Clippers can officially cross James’ name off their wish list, because he doesn’t plan on ever wearing a Clippers jersey. That’s the word from Mike Wise of the Undefeated, who stated so via the Freddie & Fitz radio show. “I got from a very good authority, a very good authority, that LeBron James will never be a Clipper. “I can’t tell you who, but I’m going to tell you it’s somebody that knows, and LeBron James will never be a Clipper. “I don’t know if that’s because he remembers what the Clippers used to be, or he just doesn’t want to put his lot in there, or he thinks Steve Ballmer is just too animated on the sideline. “Whatever follicles Steve Ballmer has left—and he has more than me—they’re falling out right now. But he’s never going to be a Clipper.” Only way CP3 was staying is if he thought LeBron was coming next year. He ain't.
If his only ambition is money, then sure, I could see him signing that. Make a bit of $, lose in the first round for the rest of your career, watch the team fold up right in front of your eyes next year and the year after...
