Woj: Rockets want to trade Harden "sooner rather than later"

You should check the playoff numbers between those two the last couple years. You might be surprised.

 

Not for nothing but that's a bad night for Harden.

 

that’s not the point. And tbh u guys are gonna find out very quickly if harden is ever traded how spoiled u are by his video game numbers. There’s only like 3 people in playoff history to average those numbers under the age of 23.

 

........ Doesn’t that just speak to his greatness

 

somewhere u got it in your head that I somehow suggested harden isn’t great. I never did it’s actually to the contrary the point I’m trying to make is that when u say those Tatum numbers are pedestrian and a bad night for James well 1) there’s only a handful of players under 23 to ever average that and 2) those numbers are extremely good for a young player including harden at 22 btw

 

2FMVPs vs 0
2 Championships vs 0

 

Tatum is a very good young player and will be (if he isn’t already) a franchise player. He is one of the 5-8 most valuable players in basketball because of his age and development.

As for Rockets fans, they are spoiled because of James Harden averaging 30/7/7 the last 8 years and 35 points a game the last 3 years.... they don’t realize that literally 4 players in NBA history have done that.

 

Put James Harden on the Warriors or those Spurs teams and he would have multiple titles. The experts and historians that cover basketball are becoming more progressive, when it is all said and done Harden will be remembered historically as the second best player of his era behind LeBron James.

 

Harden
2020
29.6ppg 5.6rpg 7.7apg 1.5spg 0.8bpg 0.564eFG%
2019
31.6ppg 6.9rpg 6.6apg 2.2spg 0.9bpg 0.504eFG%

Kawhi
2020
28.2ppg 9.3rpg 5.5apg 2.3spg 0.8bpg 0.534eFG%
2019
30.5ppg 9.1rpg 3.9apg 1.7spg 0.7bpg 0.545efG%

Stats are pretty comparable. Except in 2019.
Kawhi stepped up and made a go ahead jumper to beat the Sixers, stepped up and defended Giannis to come back and beat the Bucks then beat the GSW and get FMVP.
While the Rockets choked vs a GSW beset by injuries.

 

You said that much better than I could and was trying to

 

Over Durant?
Highly doubt that.

Yes Harden would win more if he was the 2nd guy.
Frankly in 2018 Paul was our closer.

Harden should make the all decade team no doubt. But he needs Finals appearances and championships to jump Durant.

 

Lol. They had one injury and it was for 1.5 games. In the half game durant led then to a huge lead before he got hurt. Let's not change the narrative. Yes they lost 1 game without durant, Toronto played entire series without durant AND eventually minus klay. Those are 2 very diff situations

 

If harden has 1 ring the entire narrative on him completely changes

 

I honestly think Tatum is top 5 valuable players in the league right now.

I think
Doncic Antekoumpo Jokic are the only 3 players who would definitely get a better package than Tatum atm.

Leonard probably.

Beyond that I'm not sure.

Durant isn't into his 30s and returning from injury.
James end of his career, no way.
Davis not a playmaker.
Harden, already seen how disappointing the offers have been.
Curry Lillard not even sure they're better than Tatum now. But are 10 years older than him.

Only guys I can say are definetely better than Tatum now.

 

100%
Get 1 FMVP and everything changes
Legacy secured.

 

No, as the first guy. He would be the best player on that Spurs or Warriors team.

Frankly Harden was by far the best player on the court in 2018 in the entire league.

You are entitled to your opinion, but long term the way players are viewed and valued is changing and championships do not matter as much when they evaluate individual players. It happened in baseball and it is happening in the NBA. In 20 years Harden will be remembered as the most dominant player for a span of time and the second best player of his generation. Durant jumping to a 70 win team to grab a title isn’t going to mean much from a historical viewpoint.

 

That's fair. And a good argument.
But Harden had Paul.
Kawhi had Lowry.

That's a dropoff.

And Kawhi beat the guys put in front of him.
That's the end result.

 

Tatum is one of the 5 most valuable players in the league because of his age and development. I don’t think he is one of the 5 best players in the league yet though.

Jokic isn’t worth anything remotely close to Tatum or a handful of other young players. Harden at 31 has more trade value than Jokic.

Tatum because of his age and contract certainly has more trade value than Harden.

 

The Warriors were without Klay and KD... that is an enormous difference.

 

doncic giannis Zion morant Tatum are the 5 guys I’d say off the top of my head who really have the most value in terms of young superstars and giannis is older than all of them