[Rant Sports] James Harden Needs To Improve His Relationship With Media by*John Raffel

i know he passed it too far out for chandler to catch...

they started yelling back and forth. and when a timeout was called, you could see harden look at parsons a couple of times..

i really think parsons got to him...he probably took it too hard.

 

that was like a few minutes into the 3rd or 4th quarter of the game.

 

It was after a series of piss poor defensive possessions by the rockets in which harden let klay Thompson go off for 8-10 points effectively killing any momentum we had. Then he threw that horrible pass to parsons and proceeded to blame parsons.

It was then parsons had seen enough enough and became irate. Harden immediately knew he was at fault and didn't say anything when they got back to the huddle. Parsons remained irate and for good reason

 

OP, did you actually go through the article to delete paragraph breaks and spaces after periods, and insert random asterisks? A simple copy-pasta would have produced something a lot cleaner than what you stuck in here.

As for the article, the only people who benefit from Harden being available after the game is the journalists who need filler for their articles. Post-game insights are not informative for fans and not helpful for teams. I wouldn't care if the whole team routinely cleared out before the writers were let in. I don't know why I should believe Harden has some responsibility here.

 

LOL !!! "Improve His Relationship with the media" ...they must of not heard Mchales interviews lol !

 

Heaven forbid journalists should have to come up with some analysis or interesting information instead of just describing the score at 3 different points in the game and pasting a quote from the top player about how it wasn't our night and we need to execute better.

They know perfectly well that's the quote they're getting. Why not give Patrick Beverly or Greg Smith a chance to be the one quoted instead? Doesn't change the article they put out in any way.

 

You're not serious. There is a reason why players are required to provide interviews, so that the league can keep the fans engaged and informed. Imagine a world where the media does not do its job, we'd not have any intel on the game beyond what we see on the court. That's not a good scenario for the fans or the game of basketball.

 

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Obviously, that wasn't helpful. But do we really want to model the interview process after BDL?

 

I waited to speak with this writer after this sub par performance on his atrociously self-centered and presumptuous article, and he was no where to be found. He must not be ready for the big time, and certainly is no leader.

 

I'm so sick of these reporters. Their hypocrisy is boundless. None of them will stand for one second the kind of criticizm they heap on athletes every day. As a group, athletes treat reporters far better than they deserve.

 

If improving his relationship with the media helps his game then im ok with that but if not, the media needs to gtfo cause I dont want the media breaking his concentration and abusing him with bad questions.

 

He's a competitor, sometimes competitors get pissed and don't wanna talk... It's not a big deal!

 

Most of the post game interviews are pretty generic anyways. It doesn't really give much insight.

If lose:

Play better defense.
Not aggressive enough.

Win
We shared the ball.
"x player" had a great game.

etc

 

Haha.. exactly.

 

I'd tend to agree except sometimes (a) there are some insights in these interviews (for instance in the Minny Lin post-game, where he talked about daring Rubio to shoot) and (b) as fans, you want to see the players be pissed in the post-game like Lin/Parsons. There are information that we can get out of it even if they say standard things, which they don't always do.

 

either that, but if your his teammate he basically abandoned you and is leaving you to answer all these questions that you don't want to.

 

isnt he on House of Lies now?

 

Who the **** is John Raffel??

Is he the savior of sports journalism?

 

I understand that Harden was frustrated and that he didn't want to talk to the media, however, I think he should have for several reasons.

1. It's good for the fan base to see the Stars in interviews.
2. It's contractually obligated by the CBA.
3. A good relationship with the media benefits the Rockets.

Now, no. 3 is one that has value. Reporters are human beings just like anyone else, and when they are exposed to a player and team, especially a likable one that has intangible value to the team.

Increased media coverage and more favorable articles helps keep the team in the public consciousness. This can not only have direct financial impacts (more fans, more sponsors, more dollars) on the bottom line, but makes it easier for an Owner to spend more on a Roster. The Lakers are able to pay $30M per year and go to a $100M payroll because of their deep fanbase, media coverage and sponsorship deals. Teams that aren't profitable aren't able to do this.

It also helps keep the team in the consciousness of players considering a move to other teams. It's all great that a team is competitive, however big name talents also want to be in the spotlight. The Media is the definition of the spotlight.

When a Star is thinking about destinations, reading about the Rockets or seeing them on television makes that team more attractive, especially if the team and players are likable. Players think, "That team looks exciting" or "That's a team that has a future".

If it was all about season records, then perennial low seed play off teams would get more stars (like the Bucks), however, when people can't stop talking about a team (like OKC), then suddenly you not only increase your chances of getting top tier talent, but more importantly the inexpensive 3rd tier talent that you need to fill out a Roster.

Those wily veterans that can bolster your Bench are more willing to make the move, and even take pay cuts so that they can be on a competitive team in the spotlight.

So yes, it's understandable that Harden was frustrated and didn't want to talk to the Media, however, as one of the Faces and Leaders on the team (along with Lin and Parsons), he should take the responsibility head on.

He owes it not only to the Fans, but for the benefit of the Team.

Happy media = more coverage and favorable articles = more fans = more sponsors/money + television coverage + better image + better chances at higher quality free agents/traded players

Leadership is about more than what you do on the court and in practice. The sooner Harden understands that, the more the team benefits.