"You aint got no problem, James. I'm on the mutha****er. Go back in there and work on your defense, and I'll be sending Ty Lawson directly."
Sorry for bumping this old thread but considering how this season has gone so far: 1) Harden wants more help at guard after last year's playoff exit with only Prigs and Terry in the backcourt with him 2) Beverley comes back healthy (at least at the start), Morey makes a trade for Ty Lawson a more than capable PG and signs Marcus Thorton on the cheap Backcourt from last season's playoffs went from: Terry/Prigs Harden/KJ?? to Bev/Lawson Harden/MT Granted Beverley wasnt really much of an add though the Rockets did have to re-sign him in the off season. Now in this aspect you figure Morey has done his part - his star player wanted help in the backcourt and he got the best available guys he could get without having to gut the team of any other talent. It hasnt worked out though. Lawson and Harden can't coexist consistently in the backcourt and it seems MT is taking away from Harden's play as well. Which leads me to think -- What exactly DID James Harden want when he said this last season? I mean having help in the backcourt means less ball handling for him and less scoring opportunities. A lighter load and less wear and tear on him. He often said how he had to do everything for this team. But from the games I have seen so far this season now that we have had this "help" arrive it seems he has not really gave up as much control as we all thought he would have. Lawson is effective with the ball - he has shown he can still create for others and keep the turnovers down. James though just seemingly isn't willing to play off the ball as much as he should. I mean MT was benched for a while after his strong game in NJ. I know I am piling on Harden but in light of what cyberx posted about Lawson being showcased to be moved - like WHAT exactly did Harden want? Morey has done everything he could to surround Harden with what he said he wanted to help take this team to the next level and contend for a championship. Harden needs to be really clear what his intentions are - does he really want to be a one man show and put up stats -- if so fine then the team will be constructed that way (and he'll probably be traded too since that wont win rings in today's NBA) Harden is one of the best players this franchise has seen and still is one of the best players in the NBA, but the immaturity that is starting to creep up more and more is starting to get super frustrating. Especially since it seems we sort of just went through this SAME scenario with T-Mac and Yao. The similarities is eerie - Ridiculously talented Guard/Wing player with maturity issues and defensive issues paired with a center who leaves it all out on the floor but is often injured. We all knew how the Tmac/Yao era ended - so much potential and so little to show for it. If anything Harden/Howard have even more potential since outside of the 08-09 Rockets (which were killed from injuries) I cant think of a more talented Rockets team top to bottom in the last 10 years. If Harden wants help -- fine but he needs to be SUPER clear on the type of players he wants so Morey can get them to lead the team to success because at least the type of players that made sense to get isn't working.
WOW, re-reading page one of this thread is a real eye opener. Holy cow. some of you guys are absolutely clairvoyant . . .
he asked for these players whom he wanted and he got yet, he seems to be working even harder than last year while getting worse defensively. That's just puzzling to me. Huge problem with the way Harden plays is only certain type of players "fit" next to him and those players aren't as talented as they need to be if you want to win and cover up his flaws. Harden needs to look at himself first in the mirror. If he's absolutely comfortable with what he's done so far and who he is as a NBA player right now, then we likely won't see much change from him regardless of who comes in or out of this team in the future.
I think the regression of both Ariza and Brewer has muddied the waters a bit. Both players helped cover some of Harden's warts last year, and it's just simply not the case this year. I don't know how well Ariza would take a demotion if we were to add a more dynamic wing next to Harden...but to me that is the more glaring hole at the moment.
What Harden wanted: 1. Elite 3 point shooter who can catch-and-shoot, play off ball, run around staggered screens to get open, cut to the basket. 2. Can play defense on his own man but also cover for Harden when needed. That's it really.
actually he wanted help with ball handling and playmaking which is interesting because he still has the ball in his hands, maybe even more than last year. That was the first thing he mentioned in his exit interview after the GS series. Taking away responsibilities with ball handling.
Harden was full of hot air, that's what. Harden to Morey: Get me help at guard Work off the ball, move without the ball, work on his "entire game", not turn the ball over as much, 50-40-90 Spoiler Hanging with Ty in the offseason James names specific point guard, Daryl go gets said specific point guard, Daryl & the Rockets right on their initial gut feeling.
Harden wants help with ball handling/playmaking but he doesnt't want quick trigger guys like Thornton out there taking looks away from him. So I guess Harden wants Rubio.
It might have been a knee-jerk reaction by Harden at the end of the season when he is tired and beat down from the grind of playing all those games at a near-MVP level. He has simply changed his mind since then and realized he doesn't want to share control of the ball, after all. He certainly doesn't want to run around the court on offense fighting to get open so the ball will be passed to him by a traditional PG.
Seemed like he wanted help ball-handling and playmaking. But when someone else has the ball he is standing and waiting 3 or 4 feet behind the 3-point line
Actions speak louder than words. Harden: "Get me help at guard" Morey....."OK, here is Lawson and Thornton....." Harden: "Wait, what? They need the ball, I don't want that kind of help" Morey: "What kind of help do you want, James?" Harden: "You know, the kind that makes ME look good so I can build my brand" DD
This thread is now incredibly ironic. What a joke. Lawson is not a quick trigger guy and he is a ball handler and playmaker. Rubio would be such a bad fit but no need to start this conversation YET again.
The sad thing is Frauden could have been in the elite top 3 (with Bronbron & Wardell) if he learned how to play off ball and kept working on his game. I'm going to hope next season Ty is still with us so this happens & I can buy a Harden jersey again... cause my other one is currently ashes in my fireplace
