Lowe and Goldsberry are at the top of my list. And although they aren't necessarily writers and sometimes I get a little tired of them the guys from the starters on nbatv atleast watch a lot of games and are generally pretty knowledgable about teams.
I am not certain five games this season should out weigh Harden's poor defense all of last season. I would say that many of the comments, while harsh, are certainly not unfair. If Harden plays another forty games like the first five, their comments will naturally change. Harden has a large body of defensive work to undo.
Pretty much this! Common guys, we've been 5 but talk about MVP and Harden given his track record not just on defense, but also in the playoffs in his 2 years with Houston are not MVP type. Remember, Olajuwon had a lot of great years before being crowned MVP, while having 5+ seasons of dominating, leading categories and improving his teammates. Harden has yet to prove he's a leader, can play both sides of the ball for consecutive seasons and that he can take a team on his back in the playoffs. The comments by some of those guys are typical ESPN / NBA sports writers following the narrative that is hot, but still, some make valid points.
I agree, Blinebury is an old Chronicle writer and I'm sure he is cheering for Harden and he said the D needs to improve and we don't know that the 5 games is an aberration. The Dwight comments seemed unnecessary other then that fact that they could steal votes from each other like Blake and Paul. The guy that said, "sure he is a candidate like Beverly is a candidate" is a moron.
2 days ago: Sekou Smith, NBA.com: Seriously? Just because a guy looks into a camera and says something preposterous we don’t have to legitimize it here. He could win the scoring title this season and that still won’t make him the MVP, not on my ballot. My MVP has to impact the game in more than just on facet. He’s an offensive juggernaut, an absolute scoring machine. I’m a huge fan of that part of his game. But he’s deficient on the other end to the point that it takes away from his overall value. The MVP of the league has to be a more complete player than Harden is right now. Today: Sekou Smith (via his top 10 MVP candidates article on nba.com): The Rockets have Dwight Howard, a low-post anchor few teams can boast of, but Harden is the catalyst for this team. He's been on an absolute tear to start the season. Harden's work through five games -- 26.0 points, 7.2 assists and 6.7 rebounds -- looks like the digits of a true MVP, someone who impacts the game in all phases. Routinely criticized for not being stellar on defense, he's raised his game there, too. The Rockets are ready to take that next step if this is the Harden they can count on every night.
