Kevin McHale doesn’t think James Harden is a leader

Well he led the commentators and the Timber Pups.

 

Fertitta can mend things with him as Les is gone.

 

name me a player who won more games with rosters weaker than rosters james harden had

screaming at people isnt leadership, micromanaging isnt leadership

 

Coming from a coach that is not a real coach..... James Harden isn't a leader.

The team was flawed from coach to the players.

Would have liked to watch CP3 bark at McHale.

 

Harden might not be a " Vocal" leader but to say he has not led well is a flat out lie! This is the same guy who carried the Rockets to the second seed in the west in 015 and just last season to one of the best regular seasons in our history and had a historic season along the way.When we got him were a team filled with roler players like Asik, Lin, Patterson and Morris and even then in his first season he got us to the playoffs. He then got us to the 4th seed the next season and to the WCF's the season after that. McHale should have said not a " VOCAL " LEADER!

 

wow shots after shots mwahahah milkhair.

 

Leading in scoring and assists during the regular season is a good feat but if you can't lead in the playoffs, when the team's resurgence against the Clippers begins when you are mostly on the bench, that aint postseason leadership either.

When the team needs you, gives you a wake up call, and you dial it in against the Spurs without its major stars, that is not even a thing that can be named.

 

what would make fertitta want to have any kind of relationship with milk hair?

 

What did he say was wrong here? McHale is dead honest and he might exaggerate a little bit, but I can totally see his team mates rolling their eyes sometimes when Harden mentioned play better defense. Also the last bit about not wanting to come off screens, we all saw he didn't do that. Harden leads in some ways, but he's not a natural leader and lacks the effort to be one of the greats. That's all McHale is saying.

Harden just doesn't want to give it that 100%, he might give 90, or 95%. That extra 5 to 10% on defense and off the ball will be the difference between being perceived as another T-Mac or one of the best ever. Now we get CP3 who will push Harden and is a natural leader which is a good thing for the Rockets. Harden himself has said he wants CP3 to push him so that shows some leadership skills for sure, just not like CP3.

How can you disagree when looking at this objectively, so without your bias because McHale used to be our coach and you maybe don't like what he says?

 

Milk Hair is a fairly good actor, could act in his Landry commercials.

 

Think Harden made the players around him better. I mean I looked at the roster objectively and believe Harden was working with mostly bench players who only looked like starters because Harden made them better. That's leadership in one form of another.

 

give me regular season performer over po guy(say like kyrie) any day of the week..i live 365 days a year and need good basketball to watch on a daily basis,
that being said,

Harden WAS the leader in playoffs , josh, brewer and others were EMPOWERED and ENABLED and even INSPIRED by Harden leadership that year and that made them achieve the comeback...also since you are concentrated more on micromanagement aspect game 7 of clippers series Harden was BIG, he was also big in other series his teams won

 

I agree. CP3 has it though so we're good now. 2 legendary floppers on their peak, so we got this year.

 

Refusing to accept any information to the contrary while actively proliferating your own stance in an attempt to make it a self-fulfilling prophecy is confirmation bias. Which is what you are doing.

 

If there is, penny pincher Tillman will certainly find it!

He's in financial trouble in case you haven't heard

 

McHale is right. Biggest example was game 6 against the Spurs last years playoffs.

 

correct
not being a leader is different than not being a VOCAL DEMONSTRATIVE leader

Rocket River

 

Let's just ignore all the good stuff and failures and start from Point Zero.

This season's playoffs - I go from there.

 

First, McHale blames Harden for losing his job. Which really isn't fair because the decision to fire a coach has always been made by one person, Les Alexander. The owner called Morey in the middle of the night and told him to fire McHale immediately.

However it is easier for McHale to blame his players rather than take accountability for his firing. McHale didn't have his players ready the next year after the Clippers series. He failed miserably at motivating his players or building confidence. He can say that other players rolled their eyes at Harden when he discussed defense (a year where he was second in the MVP voting btw); but it is pretty clear the players rolled their eyes at McHale's play calling and complete lack of accountability.

When you think about it, it shouldn't be shocking. McHale was known to not be a leader when he played. Larry Bird was constantly berating McHale for his poor practice habits. He exercised really poor judgment and leadership as an executive with the Timberwolves including the Joe Smith fiasco.

What McHale doesn't seem to realize is that as head coach, he needs to be the leader and set the example. Phil Jackson didn't count on Kobe Bryant or Shaq to lead. Even Michael Jordan was divisive in his locker room and Pippen was a cancer. Phil Jackson lead those teams and let his really talented players play the game. Same with Popovich, he is the leader. Even in Golden State Steve Kerr leads that team. When Draymond Green is missing playoff games with nonsense and his off the court issues; it is the head coach keeping the Warriors focused.

McHale knows he isn't getting another head coaching job and he feels that his players didn't support him.

At the end of the day he comes across as a bitter, passive aggressive sad man.

 

The problem with McHale's comments is that it is not "the full truth." It is just 1 part. And his presentation of the content in "chucklehut fashion mind you," about "playing defense" feeds into Harden's bad rep for defense. Which again, is only partly true. But the WAY things are presented it is a dig. And the WAY EPSN/Twitterverse/HotTake shows take the information they will ONLY take the argument at face value. e.g. "Harden is no leader, doesn't play defense." And then present that to the world.

But the reality is Harden isn't always bad at defense. And does many leadership things. He is just not a VOCAL style leader. He is an introvert. I can relate, as I am also an introvert. Leadership from introverts come in different styles. McHale's "caveman" approach to this topic is what is annoying. I would have rather seen McHale present a more BALANCED view and less in joking format. Otherwise, it is just a DIG and like clockwork, ESPN will pick it up and trash Harden. You could see it coming and it happened.