He says one thing and does the opposite, he's been doing it since the moment he entered the league, and he shows no signs of changing.
Harden is only a "willing" passer if he gets the ball back. The majority of his PNR with Dwight ends up being Harden taking the shot.
How did he finish the season with the 6th most assists in the league (the most for a non-PG)? It seems like you haven't watched any of the games or even checked the box scores.
http://stats.nba.com/playtype/#!/post-up/?dir=1&Season=2014-15&SeasonType=Playoffs&sort=Poss The only thing Dwight sacrificed was the team's possessions to his unhealthy desire for post ups. He managed to pull off this many, even with Harden flat out refusing to pass it to him in the post.
I think you need to arrange this deal ASAP. That is a major haul for DMo! We could flip plenty of that for a PG.
Absurd, borderline asinine. Dude do you even look at stats? In a bad mood? This isn't even troll worthy because it isn't remotely true. You should take a self imposed ban for 1 month.
Could you imagine if it was Kyle Korver or even say a Mike Conley over there in the corner instead of 'mid-season-cold-streak-Ariza or 35%-on-6-3's-a-game-Beverley? James would have averaged 8+ assists a game.
I remember reading on basketball reference, during the regular season, Harden had the highest # of assists/game for 3pt-ers.
This actually makes 2 points (pun intended). First, it's clear that James is very willing to kick the ball back outside when he drives. However, the other fact is that James is not a good interior passer. Part of that is because he's never been a particularly accurate passer. He often throws the ball at the feet of the receiver, and while perimeter shooters have the time and space to adjust, interior players do not. This lack of accuracy, combined with his tendency to telegraph passes and attempt them a bit later than what would be optimal, is one of the reasons his turnovers (and the team's) are high. To his credit, he doesn't seem completely oblivious to this weakness in his game, and so he attempts fewer interior passes. The problem is that it negates a major weapon - Dwights ability to finish strong close to the rim off a pick and roll. Dwight's effectiveness is completely dependent on getting a pass to the right place at the right time, and James doesn't seem to have figured out how to do that consistently. It's something he really should work to improve because the team has a lot of money put into Harden and Howard and it would be a big waste to see their lack of offensive synergy continue. That's also why it's crucial that the Rockets move on from the "harden as the default PG". He's simply not a good enough all-around passer to effectively run an offense. We were a bit spoiled by McGrady's passing when he was here, but most SGs (Harden included) don't have that kind of ability. Furthermore, James' passing limitations are even more exposed when he's the sole focus of opposing defenses. This is not insurmountable however - if we get a good playmaking PG who can play a more effective PnR with Dwight and allow Harden to play off the ball more, I'd expect everyone's play to improve noticeably.
Rockets have set plays. Problem is that there is little secondary action and off ball movement, which leads to stagnant offense if the initial set is shut down.
Thats because they don't have the personnel for it. Guys like Parsons, Delfino, Budinger, Brooks, Dragic, Lowry, Martin were good quick speed cutters that were a threat to shoot or drive. We don't have that anymore. Ariza, Terry, Bev, Prig, are all limited in that regard and thats the big difference. Goldenstate, Atlanta, Clippers, and SAS, all the teams with the crisp offenses, are chalk full of those types of guys.
That has nothing to do with the lack of imaginative sets. Like why not set some back screens on the weak side while Harden has the ball on the right wing, etc... The sets are so simple and nothing follows them.
We do use those to some extent. We could use more, but honestly the most complex types of those sets come after years of playing with each other. You can't build that kind of stuff with a new roster every year.
They do. I've seen them run flare sets to get Ariza an open 3 on the opposite side of the court. Most people don't even notice when it happens. I've seen them run horns sets that use flex screens to get shooters open. I've seen them run floppy sets for Harden to get him an open look.
