To me this just a bunch of crock. Is that really the excuse for that 4th quarter full of Harden's iso plays? Is it for all his iso plays where he fumbles the ball or passes off at the last second? Is it an excuse for not moving without the ball? Is it one for him waiting for the ball when everybody knows he wants it and he just stands still losing precious seconds? Is it an excuse for him wasting seconds as it is by walking the ball up the court, leaving between 16-6 seconds once he gets into a legitimate play like a pick and roll or drive. To me it's just bull and that's on Harden and the coaches!
I would be more concerned if the team had any other players (besides maybe Beasley) who are capable of creating their own shot.
What a joke. Harden has been coddled by Morey and his regime since he got here. Instead of holding him accountable for his bad defense and mistakes, they make excuses for him. They treat him differently than the rest of the players. They give him power to fire coaches. Morey's quote doesn't even make sense, if Harden truly had a desire to win and do whatever is necessary, how about he play some DEFENSE. Harden was a good defender in OKC and it was only until he got here that they let him do whatever the f*** he wants. In summer 2012 he was in an environment with guys like Thibs and Coach K who did not care about his status and demanded defensive excellence from him and he came into the season a different player completely. The majority of Harden's bad habits have been developed because the Rockets never gave him proper coaching and accountability.
this is such a weird thing to say, 'cause Harden is one of the most unselfish superstars out there; you could almost make a case that he's too passive sometimes. his assist numbers are through the roof, and most of his turnovers come from trying to pass to his teammates, however careless it might be. so i don't get from where Morey is getting this.
Maybe if Morey and by proxy the org were less enablers and more teachers or coaches, we could actually win something. DD
Harden's number of ISO plays are fairly standard across other similar types of players. So there is really no need for an "excuse for it". ISO plays are just a part of basketball and that is not something that is unique to the Rockets. Are you asking if Harden not wanting to give up the ball is an excuse for plays possibly ending up in turnovers? No, I don't think that is an excuse. Harden is not an off the ball player, just like Brewer isn't an on the ball player, Beverley isn't a playmaker, Dwight isn't a shooter, and so on and so forth. You can be mad about it, stomp your feet, but players are who they are. He really doesn't have the speed to be curler, nor are our players exceptionally good at setting screens, and getting the ball off movement is probably not going to create any back look than an isolation play does. Whats the ideal amount of time he should be leaving? Your overall premise doesn't make sense. You seem to be asking if Harden using the best available weapon we have is an excuse for all the things that can go wrong on the court. And the answer is no, its not an excuse, because an excuse isn't really expected or warranted.
http://espn.go.com/blog/houston-rockets/post/_/id/2238/the-missing-game-of-dwight-howard Here's the source.
Morey knows the truth, the fate of the Rockets for the next decade lies on Harden's shoulders. If he leaves they're ****ed beyond belief. Harden does have some flaws, but even if he were to fix them this team as currently constructed is going nowhere. Why piss off your best player for no reason?
well, in full context, that quote seems to mean that Morey thought Harden was being too passive before, and that he actually likes seeing Harden taking matters in his own hands? you can say whatever you want about Harden, but he's not that selfish compared to other superstars in this league. if you watch his game, a lot of his turnovers come from him trying to involve his teammates during 4Q, trying to make a pass through defenders, when it would be much better for him to just take a shot.
What's Morey gonna say? He's lost control of this team and he needs his star player to be happy. They need a coach who can rein this circus in.
context, taken out of agenda - tired and beaten to death this logic meant something with stevie 6 asst from a point guard on 42% shooting
Not taken out of context at all, I'm not saying he's selfish. I'm saying it's on the coaches to draw up plays so we're not so reliant on Harden, especially on a freaking bum ankle!!! I've stated this plenty of times lately so back and check it, I don't care. I'm also saying Harden IS at fault, because he needs to be more careful with his passes, give up the ball earlier, fight for position and move around if he's not able to receive the ball, stop being passive when he doesn't have the ball, not waste so much time by going through those slow between his leg dribbles and walking up the ball.
Look at Olajuwon, he got plenty of plays in the crunch time and throughout the game but when something wasn't there, he gave up the ball and they made quick passes for a 3 or something else. That's on our coaches and teammates as well! Also Harden doesn't really fight for position. He usually leans on his man and holds up his hand.
When will mauri finally address the real problem here, haren's beard. That thing needs to be shaved clean. haren needs to realize that it holds no special power.
Another dumb post. I really shouldn't have to explain why. Who exactly is harden supposed to give the ball up too no one else can facilitate, hell they can barely make simple passes. We all know he's unselfish he averaged 9.5 assists this month. He wants help because we know that he asked for help at guard and he's recruiting Durant. So how do you come to the conclusion that he doesn't want to do something that given our system players coaches would probably be unwise for him to do anyway.