This is what I mean. The fact that he is a 2nd year player is irrelevant to how good he is. All the talk about how much better he can be is more proof that you're not evaluating him as he is now. For all the talk of Davis's defensive prowess, the Pelicans were terrible on defense last year. The Pelicans only won 34 games. This is all excused for Davis, though, because he's young. It would not be for LMA, Griffin, or Love.
At this moment in time it's got to be Harden. If Rose was his MVP self, fully healthy with all the explosiveness to take down a mountain, then it would get interesting, but at the moment he's probably 2nd tied with Curry. I think it's still too early to have Davis in the same conversation as these other guys, don't get me wrong he's vital to the team and is an upcoming superstar. Just not yet. Too early to put all this on his shoulders.
ummm NO Harden under Thibs would be the 3rd best player after LBJ and KD without a doubt. Unfortunately, he is stuck with the pathetic joke that is McHale Likewise, Rose under McHale would probably not be a top 10 PG in itself. Rose is made to look better than he is because of coaching. Harden is made to look worse than he is because of McHale. I guarantee you that if Harden played for Thibs, he would give effort on D and be a plus defender.
Your hate towards McHale is just unbelievable. With that said, people who picked Davis, this is not a Pelicans forum. Even with some slight bias, Harden tops Davis. The brow is good, but not as good as the beard.
I still don't understand how Harden is better than Curry. Curry is better offensively and its basically a wash defensively. No player distorts defenses as much as Steph Curry since prime Dirk.
Curry doesn't distort defenses as much as Harden, he just punishes his own man if he's not balls in his face. The distortion comes more from their threat to turn it into a drive and the need to help (see Lebron and Durant). Curry doesn't really drag anyone but his own man, who is usually a point guard and really isn't breaking their defense being a few extra feet out on the perimeter.
What? HAve you watched Golden State play? Curry distorts a defense way more than Harden could ever imagine. Standard pick and roll coverage doesn't work at all against him. "The Curry doesn't drag anyone but his own man" is absolutely bull****. That's a complete joke. The second big man has to hedge hard against the pick because Curry is almost definitely the greatest off the dribble shooter of all time. You can't give him any space which turns almost every possession into a 4 on 3. Biggest in the league. Curry was second in the NBA in offensive RAPM behind only Lebron.
It was between Davis and harden for me. Picked Davis because I believe a big man with that skill set will be more important than any guard.
