So i guess those ragging on the possibility of JVG returning dont prescribe to the 'In Morey We Trust' mantra? lol
so roster construction matters...thanks if Harden had rosters stacked to that level, he’d have multiple titles too so spare me with that reasoning KD’s playoff performance was dipping long before that series against GS, so again, what was his excuse, and why was the reaction to his decreased performance basically crickets? KD’s performance dipped more than Harden’s...Steph’s dips...Kobe’s dipped...I can go on and on... there are only a select few who maintain or even exceed their regular season performance Harden averages 30, 6, and 7 on 61% TS during the regular season since he’s been in Houston. That’s what you’re crying about him not maintaining in the postseason against elite defenses. Name the players in NBA history who’s career playoff averages are on par with what Harden needs to be maintaining. Name the players that actually exceed that. The last 2 seasons, maintaining would be 35 ppg on 60% TS in the playoffs for Harden. Please provide the players and their playoff runs that exceed what Harden needs to maintain. I’ll wait...
God speed to nba, Houston, worldwide. Give harden credit for exceeding Jimmy butler, Wiggins, and derrick rose in the 2018 playoffs. Houston needs to recognize harden and the 25 th year anniversary of back to back championship!
Harden had a stacked roster in OKC. They made the Finals, where he played like trash. As far as the comments on KD, you may have missed the part where I said he still catches flack for how he won his titles. No one is arguing on his behalf here. Like I said, he’s an elite regular season performer.
Bringing up OKC when he was a 6th man and 3rd wheel in his 3rd year in the league? Are u kidding me? That’s what you’re resorting to? Lmao, that’s irrelevant. Try again... catching flack for how he won his titles is not the same as catching flack like Harden does for his performance dipping so much in the postseason before he joined stacked GS...I didn’t miss what u said, it’s just irrelevant to what’s being talked about like I said, very few superstars in NBA history exceed or maintain their regular season performance in the playoffs Again, please name all the players who’s playoff career averages are on par with what Harden needs to be maintaining or even exceeding. I’ll wait...
He was on a stacked team. In the biggest moment he folded. Facts are facts. Like I said, nothing he’s done should make one give him the benefit of the doubt that he will rise to the occasion when it matters most. It’s quite relevant. Durant still catches heat for how he won. If he never won he’d still be catching as much heat as Harden. He’s sitting on two titles and two finals MVPs and still gets crap about it. Very few players in nba history actually lead their teams to titles. Go look at the ones who did and you won’t see many examples of ones who play worse in the playoffs literally every single season. I don’t need to list players to match Harden’s elite regular season numbers. That’s not relevant. What’s relevant is how you maintain your play when it matters most. Is it par the course, do you play better or do you fold. We know which category Harden falls in. Go look at the guys leading their teams to titles and they don’t keep folding.
what is relevant is what he’s done since he’s been a superstar...not when he was a 3rd wheel 6th man...what complete nonsense from u your comment on Durant is once again irrelevant...we are not talking about him catching flack for how he won his titles, we are talking about why he didn’t receive much flack for his performance dipping more than Harden’s while in OKC, something that was happening long before that series against GS...I guess you’re just not able to answer it so you’re not capable of listing them just as I thought...next...
Can he join now? We can have two head coaches for this team or ask Jeff as assistant coach first for the short playoff. Strongest defence plus offence should be perfect, but it must have more people rotation and add back a strong center.
You don’t have to be a superstar to fold. Superstars are just remembered more for it. It’s complete nonsense from you to try and ignore him going ghost in the Finals, in a discussion about him playing worse in the playoffs. Again, Durant caught plenty of heat after blowing that 3-1 lead. No need for revisionist history. He still catches plenty of heat even though he won, twice. He didn’t catch as much heat as Harden because he actually led a team to the Finals and upped his play in that series. How is that comparable to Harden, who plays worse every year and has a history of folding in bigger moments? As in no examples like the one I just left mentioned for Durant? I’ll wait....
In OKC's case it was frankly pretty simple, they rather paid Ibaka than Harden. Keep Harden at least for 3 more years, at least it would be raining Finals appearances or at least consecutive WCF appearances. Chances are good that they win a ship. Durant's OKC was lucky he could hang with the GSW with an slightly above average coach and not enough fire power and star power against a well oiled machine. It was all about star power unless your team is Detroit or the Mavs. Do not make it complicated.
comparing his work back when he was a 3rd wheel 6th man to his work as an MVP level superstar is stupid and irrelevant Again, he was performing much worse in the playoffs than in the regular season long before that series against GS. Where was the heat then? U seem incapable of answering that question. He catches heat because he joined a stack team. Where was his heat for his dip in performance all those years in OKC which was happening before that 2016 WCF? It’s a simple question. Answer it. Idgaf about him catching heat for how he won in GS. It’s not relevant to the question. He led a team to the finals. Oh, was that with Harden playing an extremely pivotal role in that Spurs series? Provide the examples I asked for. To no ones surprise, u can’t. I’m still waiting...
What's stupid is to try to dismiss instances of folding in a convo about a player folding. FYI, do you realize Manu was a 3rd wheel 6th man? Harden was just as important to that team as Manu was to the Spurs when they were winning. Ok, lets look at his regular season and playoff numbers by year. I excluded the year he got hurt. 2010 30, 8, 3 on 48%, 51% and 61% (FG%, TS%, eFG%) 25, 8, 3 on 35%, 39% and 50% He got a pass because it was his first playoff appearance, at the age of 21. 2011 28, 7, 3 on 46%, 51% and 59% (FG%, TS%, eFG%) 29, 8, 3 on 45%, 51% and 58% Consistent play throughout. 2012 28, 8, 4 on 50%, 55% and 61% (FG%, TS%, eFG%) 29, 7, 4 on 51%, 57% and 63% BETTER PLAY, AS HE LED HIS TEAM TO THE FINALS AT THE AGE OF 23. And he played better in the Finals. At this point, it should be clear why any comparison to a player that plays worse every postseason is laughable. You may want to find another comparable. 2013 28, 8, 5 on 51%, 56% and 65% (FG%, TS%, eFG%) 31, 9, 6 on 45%, 50% and 57% He got a pass coming off a Finals trip, after Beverly knocked Westbrook out of the playoffs. 2014 32, 7, 6 on 50%, 56% and 64% (FG%, TS%, eFG%) 30, 9, 4 on 46%, 51% and 57% The heat is starting to build after he lost when winning MVP. OKC blew G6 despite Parker missing the entire 2nd half, with Durant missing the game tying 3 in OT. This is when he starts taking shots, two seasons after leading a team to the Finals. 2016 28, 8, 5 on 51%, 57% and 63% (FG%, TS%, eFG%) 28, 6, 8 on 43%, 47% and 54% He's now getting killed after blowing a 3-1 lead. That's 5 playoff runs pre 2016 (since we seem to agree that he was getting killed after 2016). One in his first postseason, one with consistent play, one with better play where he got to the Finals and played great, and two where he played worse. Please explain to me how that is comparable to Harden, who always plays worse? Prior to 2016 he had 2 of 4 consistent or better playoff runs. How does Harden resume compare? It was. Harden stepped it up that series before collapsing in the Finals. The beginning of what has become a trend for him.
Valid point. Just saying JVG is a defense and discipline first coach. Whether guys are taking 2's or 3's offense takes a back seat. Maybe being in the booth as seeing the way the league has evolved some of his coaching philosophies will change. Don't get me wrong, I am a big JVG supporter. I just hope we don't scrap the roster and continue wasting James AND Russ best remaining years.
He, nor does any coach, ever suggest offense taking a back seat. They’re given equal weight/emphasis. Just like the narrative that James Harden “doesn’t play defense” has been well refuted by many members here and we all hate the national media pundits that spout that nonsense... people need to get off the “this coach doesn’t care about this” nonsense. In the end, mostly every basketball player... even pick-up ones... wants to score/shoot the ball. Most don’t focus on defense because they don’t want to... not because they can’t. It take a mindset shift to look at all aspects of the team that will improve their standing. If effort is lacking on one side of the ball, there’s a good chance that team isn’t going to contend for championships... the Rockets have proved this theory nearly every year, minus the 2018 season where their defense was markedly improved.
Just get Robert Horry to coach. Played for 3 championship coaches. Probably knows how to handle egos. Loved by all. He can also teach these boys how to be clutch.
I think Harden has a lot of demands in terms of catering an offense to him only. I think it's a fair question to ask if Harden would work well in a Kerr motion offense where you have great shooters who constantly move without the ball. Is Harden going to excel in that environment? Curry can because he's a more versatile scorer in my opinion who can run off ball and is a great iso scorer. Harden has a very particular way he scores that makes him dominant and that's the slow methodical stationary iso dribbles that lulls defenders to sleep. Does that work in every system?
Harden was a pick and roll god before he became an iso step back god. Not to mention changing positions from SG to PG then back to SG. Led NBA in scoring 3 times as well as in assists 1 season. Harden was also a 6th man god prior to that as well. Harden has always been willing to adapt his game for good of team. That is abundantly clear when system was changed to accommodate CP3 and again to maximize Russ. You are spouting BS per usual.
New York Knicks: Jeff Van Gundy ‘open’ to returning to the bench with ‘right team’ https://empiresportsmedia.com/new-y...en-to-returning-to-the-bench-with-right-team/ Good news for Pro JVG Rockets fans?
