Stephen A. Smith calls James Harden the heir apparent to Kobe Bryant

Barkley actually needs to do the job in order to finance his life style. He doesn't do it because he wants to, from what i've read.

 

That’s a broad statement. I don’t love ESPN nor do I watch. I think all media has its own agenda. TNT wants ratings...again agenda.

 

Championships are irrelevant for just the reason you point out. Kobe was the best player on arguably 1 of those teams that won the championship and every one of them was by far the most stacked team in the league. It's hard to knock Harden for not being carried to championships by Shaq and Pau on what was the Golden State Warriors of the day. Does Durant being on the Warriors last season make him a better player?

 

Kobe was fortunate to play with Diesel and Big Shot Bob

Point gawd is a big step in the right direction

 

can you imagine the Beard in his prime playing with Diesel, Big Shot Bob, Phil, and in his hometown?

 

Would have won more then 6, that is for damn sure...

 

Read my complete post before you attack my point. Harden never had the best team in the league and with that GSW roster he prob won't have it for the next years. I didn't say he has to prove anything to me - but the basketball world.
Right now pretty much everyone (who doesn't really follow the Rockets) thinks that Harden is a Playoff choker who is great at stuffing the stat sheet and doesn't play defense.

Until he wins the ship he won't be respected.

And no, i think Durant's ring is more a knock on his legacy than anything

 

I wasn't suggesting that you were one of those people, I was suggesting that those people are stupid and their opinion shouldn't be respected.

 

Eh, it's good to see Stephen A admit he was wrong(even if he doesn't phrase it that way in that clip). What the Rockets were doing sans CP3 to start the season was impressive. Now you add Paul to the mix and they're literally unbeatable so far. Granted it's a small sample, and they're gonna lose their fair share of games with Harden and CP3 in the lineup. But if they keep focusing on defense and at least a couple guys are making their 3's on any given night, they'll be a very tough out for anyone in the postseason, including the Warriors.

 

If you don't watch ESPN why do you care what Stephen A Smith says?

I see on Clutchfans people do care what Stephen A says and Max Kellerman who is a boxing analyst.

The need to be loved by the media is strong here.

 

OKC had 3 MVP’s on their roster at one point, happy Harden is here. But my Gawd if those three were playing still today building on chemistry, but then again OKC didn’t believe in Harden.

 

I agree. Kobe/shaq/lakers also got help from the refs vs his stiffest competition (sacramento kings). He never had to beat a team as good as GSW.

Harden would have like 3 chips by now if okc wouldve traded westbrook instead of harden. He and durant wouldve gotten it done and durant woulda stayed IMO.

But it is what it is. Harden/morey/dantoni need to find a way to get 1 ring and then the debate can be opened IMO.

Sometimes its dumb and makes no sense but you need a ring to be immortalized in basketball.

 

It all comes down to them trading the wrong person. If they had traded away Westbrick and kept Harden and Durant, they'd have built a dynasty that would have won multiple championships by now. Instead they backed Westbrick which caused them to lose Durant. A bad GM can really screw up just about any situation.

 

Sad part is, a NBA Players' legacy will always be determinded by those guys. My eyes see Harden doing amazing stuff on a nightly basis. Most people don't give a **** about the rockets in regular season, so they evaluate harden's career by his playoff perfomances - which have been bad for his standards. He needs to have an amazing playoff run this season in order to validate his position as one of the 2 or 3 best players in the NBA and one of the best SG's of all time that he already has on CF.

 

He just yells stuff
Stephen A Smith is wrong all the time

 

Kobe shot 20% on tying or go-ahead shots in the last 24 seconds of playoff games, I can name 3 times Kobe bricked a game winner only for his teammate to bail him out (2002 WCF G4, 2010 WCF G4, 2009 WCR1 G6)

The greatest moment in Kobe's entire career was game 7 of the 2010 finals, he shot 6/24 and the game was close late in the 4th, but instead of taking every possession and turning it into a brickfest, HE PASSED THE BALL and the Lakers won the championship off of Ron Artest's 3.

 

I don't think it's about "loving" ESPN.

They have a stranglehold on mainstream sports media, which is why all you get is Cowboys, Patriots, Lakers, Warriors, Yankees, Dodgers, Lebron, Westbrook, etc. etc. coverage shoved down your throat and rarely ever see teams like ours get recognition.

Hell even in the WS the media was praying that LA beat us. They would have loved if the Dodgers won it all rather than a "Cinderella" team like the Stros.

 

I have said for a long time, even calling into your shows and said why does anyone care what those jokers say.

I think it’s a hilarious that SAS and Max like to be experts in every sport, when they specialize in 1 sport each. Does anyone remember SAS playing b-ball? I remember him being a bigger joke on the court then his mouth.

I find the humor in those two puppets and the TNT chumps talking and will love to hear the spin they put on it when the Rockets win the Championship.

 

*3 of the last 4 years.

 

The Rockets haven't won a championship in 20 years.

Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley were former NBA starters. They give you perspective on what NBA players do and go through based on their stories.
There's real chemistry.

Nobody at ESPN is as entertaining as Barkley, they would have to hire a professional comedian.

TNT walks all over ESPN for NBA, and they keep winning Emmy Awards to prove that