Harden is a great player and I can understand choosing him. But the level of homerism and lack of objectivity is truly extraordinary. Saying that Leonard isn't leading and can't lead a team is truly bizarre. Who do people think is leading the Spurs to the second best record on the NBA right now, Aldridge??? And for those who think that only a ball dominant player can lead a team, was Shaq or Hakeem ball dominant like Harden is? Yet if I said those players couldn't lead teams, you'd think it absurd! Its subjective, but if you asked this question on spurstalk.com, you will see a completely different answer. More seriously if you asked neutral fans, the poll results with be more 60/40 in favor of Leonard.
It's difficult to theorize an even swap when fit matters. Our roster was constructed for a run and gun offense which doesn't fit Leonard's style. Harden probably could do well under Popovich, so I'll give Harden the nod on being more versatile. Harden is a better ball handler, but Leonard is able to get to his spot off the dribble and posting up well on his own. Harden has better court vision and is better suited as a guard. Leonard is a lockdown defender. The biggest knock I have on Harden is how much he shrinks in a playoff series when teams focus on shutting him down. When he's not involved in the flow of the offense, he doesn't have much impact on the game. Leonard, on the other hand, is able to shut down the opposing team's ball handler and make a bigger impact even if he's having an off-shooting night.
This is fundamentally why Leonard is better. You can easily envision Leonard contributing to his team akin to a glue guy even if his shooting if off. This is far less true of Harden.
I just wanted to come in here to you to Shut the **** up and get the **** out of here with this dumb ass ****! No way in hell would I choose Kawhi over MVP James Harden, no one has ever put up numbers like what James harden is doing this year! It's unheard of! James harden is on another level! **** you and Kawhi and the damn spurs!
That's all it is. Nothing's up for debate here, OP's just looking for people to agree with him. No one feels like conjuring up a ton of numbers that consistently prove why Harden's MVP case is far, far superior then Kawhi's. OP, If you go to Spurs talk you can find more like minded individuals that will talk with you about how impressive his defense, big hands & his incredible career high of 40 points are. (Dare i forget his steals on Curry? Cool!) Also you could always make a twitter (where all the smart people are) poll to bolster your 60/40 argument. Have fun, I packed you lunch.
Harden all day. Give me flash, Hollywood and Bentleys over lunch pails, San Antonio and F-150's every day of the week. Harden looks good, Kawhi just works hard and winning is overrated.
Kawhi's Spurs are unrivaled this year when it comes to winning. The gap between the Kawhi Antonio Leonards & any other team with an "MVP candidate" (lol real MVPs play defense, who needs triple doubles?) is just inmeasurable. 3 whole ****ing games, **** out of my face James Haren, **** you too Popivich THIS IS KAWHIS TEAM LOWKEY MVP NO DRAMA BABY.
This thread title is a bit misleading. It needs to be corrected to say James Harden vs. Greg Popovich. Which guy would you prefer as your cornerstone?
Stephen A Smith @stephenasmith I'm am watching @spurs vs @HoustonRockets. I've always had Kawhi Leonard IN the MVP discussion. Now, it may be time for him to LEAD it!
As a Spurs fan, Kawhi Leonard has & will never ceased to amaze me, ever. No emotion whatsoever after two big plays offensively & defensively to close the game, the guy's just machine, somebody needs to check whether he's actually a terminator sent from the future.
