The funny thing is how Kwame sh!tted on this guy (and said he lost tons of money this year) when he praised McHale, but now that he tweets something that Kwame agrees with, he's suddenly worthy of a thread? Nice flip-flopping and selective posting.
Good exposure. These are the kind of comments that will motivate James in the playoffs and prove haters wrong where it counts.
"I love Bev. He brings the attitude, man". Really? That is making headlines these days? I cannot stress enough how many good paragraphs I've laid down in here, and to be beaten by that is quite concerning. There's one more.
He didn't actually "praise" McHale. He just didn't consider him one of the 3 worst, or one of the best. IE, nothing special in either direction.
Let's hope so. He's saying that they're the worst, by far. Again, he's saying Harden is the worst by far. Also, his theory about Harden being physically unable to be a 2-way player is interesting. He did disappear in the 2012 Finals against Miami. I'd say both of those comments are pretty new and some may consider them insightful. How did I **** on the guy when I posted facts? He himself admitted to losing money during the previous season from the youtube clip I provided in the other thread. I also said that it neither validated nor invalidated his opinion so make what you want of it. Now, if you had actually listened to the interview, he didn't necessarily praise McFail. He said that McFail doesn't get in the way. I believe those were his exact words in the interview with BS. I do think the Rockets need a new coach though. I've posted stuff by Voulgaris before. I enjoy betting on the NBA myself and I have a decent track record of making good picks. However, I don't agree with everything he says. All I did here was relay some of his recent comments. I didn't pass judgement on his analysis. I don't think anybody here would disagree that Harden's d is subpar, but to be called the worst by far from someone who likes the Rockets and praises Harden's offensive abilities is interesting. So is his theory on Harden's conditioning vis-a-vis his DGAF approach on d. I strive to be as objective as possible (see my comments in Rockets vs. Grizzlies thread that was recently bumped in the NBA Dish for a recent example). I'm sorry I let you down Yung-T. Again, let's hope so.
So you're saying Harden isn't good at Defense? What an exciting and fresh take, I'm sure this will lead to a sophisticated and intricate discussion.
The more important question for me is does Harden know this about himself and if so does he care enough to improve. Before the season started he stated in an interview he wanted to be a better defensive player. I think he's fully aware of his short comings on defense, I just question his drive to really improve in that area. He's still young so I can understand, but he's either got to learn this soon or someone else is going to have to teach and discipline him in this area. I obviously don't know what goes on between coaches and players but this is my biggest area of frustration with McHale, I just don't if he does or has the personality to hold his best player accountable.
Let's be honest - how many terrible defenders have turned it around to become a good defender? If Harden can even become an 'average' defender, it would be a BIG win for the Rockets. However, I think it's more likely he'll continue down the Melo path of defense/conditioning. Same ****, different toilet.
This is why I've advocated for Hollins as head coach. The shortsighted will immediately point to Hollins's opposition to analytics, but Hollins has never said that and wants to incorporate all forms of analysis into his evaluations. The problem with that approach, other than it being factually incorrect, is that it doesn't take into account the big picture. Hollins preaches defense and is willing to hold players accountable, which will lead to a more disciplined brand of basketball.
Harden, Lin, parsons have all regressed on defense bad. Which leads lead me to believe the bs practice Mchale runs. Mchale is a nice guy, like that substitute teacher you take advantage of. People giving hopes he will improve is a waste till further coaching change. Harden and parsons were good as their first year with Mchale, slowly it's going down hill. Parsons first year trumps this one so as hardens last year.
I thought that was the plan last off season and he broke his promise. What makes you think he will do it this off season.
Haralabos Voulgaris is the best, but We have Bev to cover Harden. This is what the system is about, just like Yao/Artest/Battier used to cover AB and Scola defensively.
I first learned about Haralabos Voulgaris when he started showing up on the High Stakes Poker telecast. It turns out he makes his money betting on professional basketball. A basketball sharp. He uses sophiscated analytical data mining to gain a edge. Very smart, no-nonsense. Has a sharp wit.
I think he brings up an interesting point regarding the DGAF on D being a conditioning thing versus a care thing this season. He looks a lot more conditioned this year from last year but might still need a few more years of conditioning to probably be able to handle 40 minutes on both sides of the ball.
