If Harden wasn't a Rocket would you still be a fan of James Harden's game?

I think his beard is severly overrated. Time to chop it off. Its powers have diminished.

 

Actually his game and demeanor are pretty good representations of the city.

slow and un-athletic that can be stopped with a bit of rain and ice. Boom and bust games with unattractive skills that get the job done.

 

Thats a good question.........

 

Better question would be, how many posters here truly are fans of players on other teams right now, especially players that have been in the league for a while now?

Sure, everyone probably likes KAT, Porzingas, maybe Winslow, even AD. But give them a couple of years, when that initial humbleness and hungriness goes away.

Everybody loved young fearless DWade taking on defenses all by himself. We all enjoyed watching young Kobe playing in the ASG against Jordan's last year in the league. Nobody really likes them anymore unless they're fans of the team. Let's see how many fans Westbrook has when his athleticism declines and he desperately tries to stick in the league by chucking and drawing as many fouls as possible like Wade does now.

I really doubt any real Rockets fan would follow Harden if he were somehow traded, even if they were fans of him when he was at OKC.

 

Now if he were mcgrady.....

 

I'm sure I would hate him and his game like everyone else who roots for other teams. I would claim he gets free passes to the FT line. All that crap... . Deep down...he would have some of my respect...but I would hate on him nonetheless. My recollection is I didn't like him when he played for OKC.

He's easy to root for when he's on your team and you are reaping all the benefits.

 

in these topics like this. I gather up all the haters and put them on ignore. It improves the quailty of this board

 

The one-on-one is fun to watch sometimes, but I'm not a fan of his game.

 

Harden's peaks and valleys are much more dramatic than any star player I remember. That's the most frustrating part about his game. He is one of the easiest player to get rattled and usually completely shut down and be a liability.

He plays the game one stubborn way, when it's effective it's really good because it gets the opposing team in foul trouble and frees up three point shooter whenever he drives. But when he doesn't get certain calls early, or misses some shots, he gets into his own head and either plays really passive and stops moving, or forces iso's every possession to make it up again.

watching Harden play is like gambling, it's actually hit or miss.

 

He just doesn't have a very enjoyable game. More of an old school, below the rim type of player with very little flash. Bulldoze to the line. Draw a foul. Dribble. Dribble. Step Back. 3 pointer. That's all he's got.

More of an Alex English type of boring game for the modern era.

 

If Harden was not a Rocket, the majority of your exposure to Harden would be highlights of his best plays. Then you have 2-4 games a year when your team plays against him.

Within that frame of reference, he would look like a really great player, especially since he's the best SG in the league and would demolish whoever we had playing against him.

He is putting up 29ppg and 7 assists and 6 rebounds, a lot of teams would love to have that even at the expense of poor defense.

 

Whomever called him the modern Adrian Dantley is pretty spot on.

DD

 

If Harden wasn't a Rocket people would be trying to figure out how Morey could sign him in free agency.

 

He could be much better if he just focused on playing the game. His stepback jumper is great and he's deceptively fast (for a fat ass). That being said, I've enjoyed his game for 2014 and 2015 excluding the play-offs where he's nothing special. WCF vs. Warriors were his best, but that series was not enjoyable. Now I don't think he's a bad guy but the strippers, the kardashian fiasco, the defense, the lack of leadership etc. makes me hate him as our franchise player yes. I just cannot enjoy it any more and cannot wait for him to mature or leave.

 

I became a fan of him when he torched SA during the playoffs as a thunder.

Been a fan since.

 

I like his defense...

 

This....

 

Once again...I'd like to encourage everybody to hold on for just a little bit longer. Harden won't be a Rocket in a couple of years in all likelihood, and then everybody can be happy again.

 

I was unbelievably excited when I heard we traded for him, why? Because I knew he was ****ing good at the game of basketball.

 

Every non-Rockets fan I've met despises Harden. I can understand why. If Harden had never become a Rocket, I'd probably feel the same.

But since he's a Rocket, I spend a lot more time watching him than if he was not on my team. I have come to appreciate his offensive talent and skills. His game is not sexy, super athletic like the young Kobe or unreal shooting skill like Curry. But Harden's offensive greatness is subtle, though I still wish he didn't spend so much time pounding the ball. (At least he is much better than Francis.)

I dislike his personality. I would not be his fan before and after his career with the Rockets.