WCF, scoring titles, top seed... it don't mean a thing without the ring... so just for grins n giggles... Can it happen at some point and what would it take? Poll options: 1) YES, James is da man! A real coach and/or better role players who can sink open 3s and he can take us to the promised land! 2) YES, but he needs another star... gotta add a Durant or somebody to have a legit shot! 3) YES, but it requires a MAJOR attitude adjustment! Less 'me ball' and more team ball and a higher level of devotion to the game. But he WILL make the adjustments needed 4) NO, he'll never be willing to adjust his game and/or lifestyle on an ongoing basis, so he will always have an Allen Iverson career - great player stats but no rings! 5) NO, no matter what he changes or whatever personnel changes happen - he's just not that talented... 6) NO, cause its the whole system, man! It's Les, it's Morey... MJ couldnt win in these circumstances! It's just another plot perpetrated by the man designed to keep the brother down! If you think a championship REQUIRES multiple moves (ie some mixture of 1-3... chose the most important need for the poll and feel free to explain...)
Here are the obvious reasons why James Harden can not win a championship being the #1 option: -purposefully doesn't play defense -quits on his coach and his team (WCSF) -does not work to expand his game -does not work to get better -too much ISO -very limited offensively (no shot) -doesn't have the BBallIQ to play off ball -never puts the blame on himself -takes horrible shot selection -passes to teammates on the perimeter with 4 seconds on the SC -does not care to feed his big man -takes flopping to an extreme -would rather flop than finish at the rim -if refs don't take any of his flopping bs he becomes passive -whines too much -talks too much about being great -gets disrespected by multiple players and never comes out with fire -made himself a hero to the fans/Houston then decided to stop working once his $200M came through -goes to strip clubs between playoff games -choked some point in every playoff season he has been in -does not make his teammates better -said **** you to everyone that gave him tremendous support -doesn't care to win that should be everything.. i'll still cheer for him when he actually has a good game but he is a definite cancer to the Houston Rockets and fans shouldn't defend him. He could care less about us and winning
The idea that one guy can win you a championship is silly and semi-delusional Even if Harden was playing like last year, this team lacks a second consistent high productivity player. If you look at all the real contenders, they all have at least two players who are a threat to score 25-30 points any night. The Thunder who they just lost to is a great example Where did this "One-Guy-can-Win-It-All" nonsense come from??
it's more a matter of can harden win a championship as the #1 guy - or is his brand of ball dominance going to prevent us from winning a championship (ala Iverson)...
further, I believe we have a second consistent high productivity player - but he only gets 8-9 shots a game...
No, not until he grows up or we sign Anthony Davis to cover up for all of Harden's ole defensive sets.
Assuming Harden spends his career here, Rockets will win a championship under his time here. One way or another. And what does "He's an AI" even mean. How do you describe Iverson?
Teams win rings, not players. Harden is a fine foundational piece. We need more good players around him.
lol lebron plays with great players and allstars. Let's give harden bosh and Wade or Irving and love before you just right the guy off. Lebron can't even win with those guys on a consistent level. His team gets blown out from golden state by 30 too. When you guys realize unless we get KD were not winning a ring anyone soon. But guess what neither is Cleveland okc or anyone else. The Warriors are young and that good.
We need a better 3rd best player. Lawson was a good idea that cost virtually nothing, but it hasn't worked out the way we hoped because Harden must dominate the ball to be a high-impact star. He's a poor off the ball player and a poor defender - in order for him to impact the game he needs the ball in his hands. Howard is perhaps not as impactful on a game as a Draymond Green or a Kyrie Irving but he's a more than adequate second best player. He makes a huge impact on defense, and on most nights outscores his opponent on offense. That's a rock solid piece you want to keep, but shouldn't need to rely on heavily. Capela will hopefully improve on par with Howard's ageing process, giving us a nice situation at the 5 spot in the next 2-3 years. To me it's clear we need a 3rd guy who can hit a tremendous % (comfortably over 40%) from 3pt range as a catch and shoot player while being average at everything else. I'm thinking of maybe someone like Ryan Anderson with average defense - I don't know that there's anyone out there who fits that mold. I also think if D-Mo's back holds up and he continues his consistent hard work off the court and in the offseason, he MIGHT become that guy for us next season. I can see D-Mo showing up next season with the ability to hit 40% of 4 or 5 3's a game, especially because it will insulate him against having to play inside TOO much. D-Mo obviously brings other important skills as well such as really good post play and above average team defense. We have the cap space to sign someone up in the summer as well, but so does everyone else. I don't think we're another Harden caliber player away from contending with the Spurs and Warriors. I genuinely think we are a D-Mo upgrade and a Bickerstaff upgrade away from being top contenders. That might come externally, or it might actually come from surprising improvement from D-Mo and/or Bickerstaff. We'll see. There are worse positions to be in. We control all of our best assets, we have hit rock bottom this season and still in the playoff race, our health looks like it's getting better and we have the flexibility to add big names this summer.
