If you remember last season Lowry's return did to the team, it is low risk for the team and for Harden's health to rest him til the end of this season since he is not 100% and is cold from the resting.
I say play him. We need to win some games to make sure we get in. We're not going anywhere anyway, so he can get healthy in the offseason.
Harden should play if he can go, although they should reduce his minutes but until we are clinched for positioning Harden should play.
as if it's 100% Win if he plays...he can hardly gurantee W when 100% healthy let alone now when he's not...on contrary his game suffer a lot when hurt...not to mention dubious isoheroball...why not continue collecting hardless wins?
If he's 100% feeling alright then play him. Otherwise, just rest him. We need him for the playoffs. Once he's able to play, integrate him again slowly until the playoffs and conserve his playing time. He needs not be injured for the playoffs.
i don't know the nature of the injury but if he can withstand the pain and won't do further damage if he plays, then we need to play him, and make sure he plays his style rather then a 'reduced' style to compensate for the pain. coming back from injury has a lot to do with mental. even if you're completely fine, because you've been playing with injury, you've learned to do certain things to compensate for it, and that makes you less effective. could be a reason why he stopped going to the hole and kept jacking up threes in previous games. he may not notice it but i'll bet if you show him videos of him playing pre-injury vs. after, there's big difference. it's hard to come back from injury and play up to what you're capable of, because you've become accustomed to playing below your level for quite a while.
I'm pretty sure we were in this same situation last year (I think we were near 98%), but still managed to lose. I won't feel safe until we are guaranteed a spot. I'm not saying we should play him 40 min every day though...
very funny. (NOT) For the short and long term he needs to return when he's healthy. (Hopefully he has a miraculous recovery.)
If there is one thing we should have learned from last year is that getting a guy back too soon might hurt the team. Sure the situation was different but Harden is really a game changer, for better or worse. If he holds the ball, does not move without it, has no energy on defense at all because he wants to give it all on offense, cannot finish layups properly, tries to draw too much contact - some of the things we've been seeing lately - he should just sit it out. I'm glad this is how he feels as well: http://www.csnhouston.com/basketball-houston-rockets/talk/harden-no-adjustment-needed-upon-return
yeah the harden of old is just not the same as the harden that just joined this team. I rarely see him do his amazing penetration anymore. Rest the young pup and let him lick his wounds and he'll return as hungry as ever
Im kinda torn. On one hand, I want him rested, on the other hand, I want him to start developing chemistry with the boys again. I'd say rest him until his feet feel better for maybe a couple more, but I don't even know if that's gonna do anything!! I hate injuries and I think McHale should've conserved his minutes a bit more, but I do understand wanting him out there as much as possible.
VERY INTELLIGENT COMMENT! REPPED! Harden is my favorite player so much so its disgusting to see him forcing the issue and becoming a liability...sit him if he is not 100%
