Bravo to Harden to have improved so much from last year. He faced his nemeses and played like a man. Lebron has matured a great deal as well and spoke the truth here. The same, or actually the reverse of this, can be said of Jeremy, who lost his freedom this year and his confidence. Lesson here for all is do not let others dictate and take away your freedom. There is no shame in losing a game like this. But as I watched the final minutes ticking away while Harden playing hero ball and not trusting and passing to his teammates (particularly Lin who was also heating up in the 4th), I knew we would lose. My only thought then was, "Give him time. This is only his first year being the man. In time, he will learn to balance and know when he needs to trust his teammates, and who he can trust."
Always somebody who needs to turn this into how Lin got screwed over. By the way, Lin's 2 points from 2 free throws in the 4th quarter =/= heating up.
Because i spoke with several Lakers fans and they all wouldn't do the trade. I actually said the same thing, and they all didn't want to hear any of it. I also asked em if they would consider trading Dwight right now for Asik, Parsons, Patterson, and Douglas.. they all laughed at the idea.
The dude is a legit star and it's awesome that other great players recognise Harden is the real deal, but what else is there to say in this thread other than "cool" or "Harden is awesome."
The Rockets are average, but James Harden is remarkable. I hope we can find another one like him soon.
http://blogs.houstonpress.com/hairballs/2013/02/zen_beard_james_harden_b.php The writer thinks Harden can be Zen. Very nicely done!
Looks like Morey got away with murder with this trade. That Toronto pick isn't looking to good now that they have Gay.
Harden is a superstar, or will be. He's 23 only folks, lots of potential for even bigger superstardom! And he likes strip clubs apparently. For those of you who live in the area and know where those clubs are, go on a non game day and bring your autograph books!
You are correct he doesn't have the trophy... But he has the playoff experience and the heart... T_Man
Yes, but he would not be putting up those numbers if he was with OKC. He benefits greatly from being the #1 option on this team and steps out of the large shadows cast by KD and Westbrook. Yes, they would want him back but at what cost to them and their payroll. I stand by what I said - it was mutually beneficial. OKC hasn't shown any signs of weakening because of the Harden trade, which is what everyone thought would happen.
They haven't shown any signs of weakening because KD and Westbrook are still developing and they got better this year, which is what people would expect. It all comes down to playoffs I guess. People remember Harden for sucking in the finals, but he was the reason they were there in the first place.
I said at the time of the trade that I thought they should've traded Westbrook instead of Harden. And so far nothing has changed my opinion. Especially since a lot of "rumors" have came out about many teams unwilling to give up a motherload for Harden. Which implies that his trade value was not what one would expect from a sure-fire future star. If OKC traded Westbrook, they would've gotten a better package than the one Houston offered because Westbrook was a "proven" star. Perhaps something like for Batum and 6th pick(Lillard) in a trade to Portland.
I'm so glad that Presti finally screwed up. I agree he could've gotten something like you said for WB, and OKC would have been unstoppable with Lillard/Harden/Batum/Durant/Ibaka (Miami small ball style).
