We will be a .500 team again and all this cautious optimism that has been building up this summer will get shattered.
I predict that at some point during the season there is a rif between Harden and MDA caused by MDA getting multiple playmakers on the floor to increase ball movement and floor balance and moving Harden off the ball in favor of another distributor who doesn't turn the ball over so much. Right now, Harden is having his way. MDA has, just as McHale and JBB did, deferred the offense to Harden. But it isn't going to work. Harden is going to lead the league in turnovers as he once again tries to force plays against double teams. And MDA will attempt to install another playmaker at the 1 and/or 3 to bring the ball up and "take some of the pressure off Harden". MDA will attempt to gloss everything over by saying it's just a minor change. And Harden will pout and stand around ala McGrady under Adelman as MDA tries to get the team offense rolling with player movement and a true distributor that doesn't turn the ball over like Harden does and is willing to make the simple, obvious passes that present themselves. There'll be talk in the national media about Harden. And it will turn negative about his offense selfishness as outsiders finally begin to recognize what some of us have seen for a while now. Harden is Harden-centric. And as long as he doesn't have a strong coach like Larry Brown/Jeff Van Gundy that will sit him down and force him to change his game to eliminate bad decisions and bad plays he'll lead the league in turnovers and bad plays while putting up gaudy stat lines. Harden is not a championship level primary distributor. He'll never win a championship in that role. He's not Lebron or Magic and will never be. Inside MDA's basketball brain, MDA already knows this and we are still trying to acquire that 1 and/or 3 that MDA can justify giving the ball to. As long as we have Bev and Trevor bookending Harden there's not a choice to be made. So we go along in training camp hearing all this trash about Harden being the point guard. But MDA already knows it isn't going to work in the playoffs. He knows he needs a primary distributor and we're going to have to acquire that guy and Harden is going to have to share the point with them for this team to win a championship. They will wind up clashing.
Bold Predictions: James Harden will win Defensive Player of the Year and MVP. Rockets as a team will be top 5 on offense and defense. Will be in the hunt for top 2 seeds in the West. Will defeat GSW in 6 in the WCF; Will defeat Cleveland in 6 in the Finals. Realistic Predictions: Harden will have a slight defensive improvement from last year. Will be in Top 5 discussion for MVP. Rockets top 5 on offense and between 15-20 on defense. Likely to finish 4th or 5th in the West. Knocked out in the 2nd round.
Why type up this novel of a post when you could easily just repeat for the millionth time that you want Ricky Rubio? I mean...that was obviously the point of this.
