ESPN_Kevin Pelton: Rockets Should Trade James Harden

10yrs? 10yrs from now, he'd be 36 or 37.

i like your crystal ball.

 

Iv seen kobe and lebron quit on there teams in the middle of the playoffs.

Don't get on your high horse cause you don't like harden.

He cares about winning as do all players. He prob wants to win more than a lot of ppl in our locker room right now.

We know he takes this stuff personal. Look how he came Back last year after the YouTube videos and ppl saying he wasnt a top 10 player? Dominant.

Trading harden now a) would never happen and b) would set this franchise back for years. You don't trade superstars entering there prime and only 26 unless they ask to be moved.

 

it's hyperbole. I'm not saying it will take 10 years to win. I'm saying if we get rid of him, we aren't doing anything in the next decade. You don't abandon Kobe because your team has Smush Parker playing point guard, you keep him until some team is willing to give you Pau Gasol for his younger brother. I think we will win a championship before James is up for a new contract.

 

Lol 10 years is a long time but I think next year we will be looking at these threads and saying what the hell were we thinking.

The rockets will adjust around him. He will come back more focused after the Olympics and working with top notch coaches and being around all the other great players in the NBA.

Then I want to see it the year after when there is no Olympics to really silence the critics.

 

ok.

but harden is not in kobe's league. far from it. and that's not even a knock on him, becoz very few are.

 

Comparing Harden to Hakeem

Hmm, not sure about that one

 

Difference was no one complained whether or not he played both ends of the floor. There is a reason why guys like Dominique Wilkins, Mcgrady, Kevin Martin didn't win Championships. Harden is another one of those cases. He'll fill up the seats with his ability to score but be prepared to be disappointed every post season.

 

If James Harden is the Rockets only hope of winning a ring in the next 10 years, unless he changes significantly, they aren't winning a championship anyway. Yes, he's a gifted scorer. But he doesn't defend, and he wants complete control of the show offensively. He's not 20 years old either, he's smack in his prime, and he hasn't realized the value of busting his ass every possession, on both ends of the floor.

Honestly, the writer isn't crazy for suggesting the idea. It would take a special haul, and for me to get a true two-way stud in return, but if those conditions were met, he'd be gone. Two perimeter guys that fit the bill are Paul George and Jimmy Butler for example.

 

WTF?

If he is our only chance in the next 10 years, the Rox management consists of monkeys on a tree.

We deserve not winning anything because that means the Rox management is not doing a thing!!

 

He is different from Kobe. He is not athletic, does not really move that well without the ball.

arguably a slightly better passer, a much worse one on one defender, and a bad help defender.

He does not possess the length and incredible long arms of Kobe or McGrady.

He does not have the killer instinct of a Jordan or Kobe.

 

At first I asked how he has a job but then I noticed ESPN

 

Actually, Harden doesn't rely much on quickness. His game is based on change of pace and misdirection. He creates space on his shots by changing direction (Eurostep, step back, etc.).

Westbrook's game is based on speed and athleticism. Harden's game is more smilar to Ginobli's.

 

Totally agree on Harden-Ginobili comparison. If only Harden played defense at Ginobili's level.

 

He actually has longer arms that kobe bud.

 

Besides McGrady in his first two year in Orlando none of those guys have ever been as good as harden on offense, like not even close.

Hardens offense is closer to lebron level than they are to his level.

Okc has been disappointed every year since they got KD.

You can't have it both ways. We all want titles and if trading harden gueanteed a title in the next even 5 years I would do it.

But we know that's not the case at all.

At the end of the day a good player will come play with harden he's highly respected by his peers and has a good relationship with a lot of coaches and NBA ppl.

If Harden wants to be here he should, us as fans should support him because just last season not even 8 months ago he gave us the best ride we've had from not only a winning standpoint but individual play we've see since 95.

I'm jjst not willing to get rid of that yet. I still hold out hope that personal pride takes over and harden buckles down quits the Tom foolery and busts his ass to be the best player in the NBA.

He has a bit of every stars game in the league. He can pull up from deep like curry (not as good thou) has the one on one skills and clutch shot making like Kd and can pass the ball around as a point foward type like lebron.

Hes having a down year and putting up 28/6/7 on 59% ts with a 25.25 PER.

You guys do realize the Bulls and pacers who have players many of you want (PG and JB) have similar records to ours. PG is the worst shooting 20 ppg scorer in the league.

We need to try and find ways to pair harden with guys like them not make trades that would be lateral at best.

If we could some how trade everyone but harden for PG that would be a core you can rock with for years to come.

 

You know I'll take a slightly different view of Harden's impact on the defensive side of the ball. While the numbers point to the Rockets being worse with Harden on the defense, the assumption is it's because he is an awful one on one defender and while that has been true at times, generally I don't see him getting showed up in one on one situations like he did the infamous youtube clip year.

...I think the real problem here is the team defense suffers a lot with him on the court. He seems to have trouble keeping track of all of where his man is, where the game action is moving, and what the defensive scheme from the last timeout calls for in specific situation. I think Houston has tried to simplify the schemes when he's out there(switch on everything!), but good coaches have been able to exploit that pretty mercilessly with favorable matchups. That whole fluid concept of all the defensive players on a string together moving to take away passing lanes from the ball and forcing them into contested shots is for whatever reason something that James just seems to be really weak at. The irony there is on the offensive end he knows where everyone is/will be but as good as he is on the offensive end, he's equally bad at that same skill on the other side of the ball.

 

Harden has almost a 6'11 wingspan.

 

I remember Rudy T talking about never underestimating the heart of a champion. Kobe, and I don't like him both as a player and a person, has proven over many years that he has that heart. I wonder if anyone can say that of Harden. I wonder too if Mr. Alexander has any idea of when the city will at least enjoy the championship spirit again. The point is if Harden remains the focal point of the Rockets' team then the chances of any championship appearance would be a moonshot.

 

It's either James or Nothing. I understand why people demand much more from Harden but they really believe Houston is gonna attract better players than Harden and win also a ring. It seems comical to me.

 

In a related story, the Warriors should trade Steph Curry, the Cavs should trade Lebron, the Pels should trade Davis, the Kings should trade Boogie.....and they should trade them all to the Rockets.