We've only played 35 games this season. Kobe Bryant has been the best shooting guard in the NBA for about the last 950 games. Let's wait just a bit before we hand that title to a guy who's biggest accomplishment is 6th man of the year. James looks great, but again, only 35 games. He could cool off.
Harden is in the conversation and it is not clear that he is better OR worse than Kobe at this point -- and that in itself is awesome. We have not had a player you could make a reasonable case for being the best at their position since Yao was healthy. Kobe is having a better season statistically and is still the better defender, but Harden's team is winning more -- and the Lakers are underachieving while the Rockets are overachieving. Plus, Harden is still very new to the team. Overall I think Harden is better than Kobe or Wade -- but I am clearly bias. My thinking though is that if you replaced Harden with Wade or Kobe, and vice versa, that the Rockets' record would be worse and those of the Lakers/ Heat would be better. But again, I am a bias Rockets fan. But again, this thread is perfect because it points out that Harden is already at that all-NBA level and, barring injuries (knocking on wood) we have a franchise player. While there is no argument clearly showing Harden to be the best shooting guard in the NBA, there is not one that can show he isn't at this point...and that, again, is freaking awesome.
Right now, there isn't a SG who is playing better than Harden, ie there is no evidence to the contrary of Harden being the best presently.
This is a fair point but please remember that it's not just 35 games. Harden was already in the top 3-4 shooting guards last season on limited usage off the bench. It's not like Harden is some rookie, we already have a substantial track record of him being an excellent player. His efficiency last season was record-breaking good, and yes, he may only have scored 17ppg, but he did it on only 31 minutes and just 10 shots. So we're not looking at Harden from a perspective of just these 35 games, we're looking at the total picture where those 35 games represent a small but important step forward from the player we already knew he was.
I know that Harden wasn't very impressive against Miami in the Finals, but didn't he absolutely destroy the Spurs?
Different when you are the "man" though. I think it would at least require a McGrady-esque playoff performance, up 3-1 into game 7 loss while putting up monster stats, to put Harden into best-SG territory. If the Rockets make it to the 2nd round, I don't care against who, then Harden may have cemented himself as at least 1A to Kobe's #1.
I'm with you. I'm just absolutely thrilled we're having this discussion. When we acquired Harden, there were people arguing he wasn't even a max contract guy. Others were saying he is at best a 2nd option on a championship team. I feel like he's shut all of those doubters up. Harden is proving he can be the center piece of a championship contending team. These days, we're all talking about finding that "2nd star". And I couldn't be happier about that. I can't give Morey enough credit. Around this time last year, I literally quit watching Rockets games for the very first time since my childhood. I just couldn't take the mediocrity treadmill any longer. Now, we have the youngest team in the league, there is talk we could even be as high as the 4th seed by the end of the season, and we have a legitimate superstar to build around. AMAZING TURNAROUND! It's a great time to be a Rockets fan.
That's fair. But I'm just having trouble imagining how he can even be stopped. The man is just so strong! He bulldozes his way through the lane, and, unlike somebody like Kevin Martin, he isn't just driving to get fouled. He's actually trying to score every time - and it often times results in the and 1's. Once we get a legitimate second star (and I think Lin could even be that guy if he can just become a reliable spot up 3 point shooter), the league is on notice. Especially if we acquire even a Paul Milsap type player in the offseason or at the trading deadline.
Let's get real now, Harden is a top 5 shooting guard and WILL be the best shooting guard in the league once he hits his prime. But right now Kobe and Wade are still better. I know Harden is hot right now, but it doesn't mean he's the best. He's a top 5, maybe a top 3, but Kobe still the best.
I'm as big a Harden fan as anyone here, but you can't just crown him the best SG in the NBA when he has yet to show he can lead a team in the playoffs. His performance with OKC in last year's finals was dissapointing and probably one of the reasons he was traded. James still has a lot to prove. Bryant and Wade have 7 rings and 3 Finals MVPS between them.
