"I know exactly what we have to do" -> Forcing CP for Westbrook trade and ****ing up whole teams future in the process -> WELP IT DIDNT work out so I want out because the team sucks, meanwhile I will party in the strip club instead of preparing for the season How any rockets fan can have any sympathy for that rat
Chris Paul ****ed up the Rockets future by taking $40+ million a year to only play 58 games, and not play like a superstar in the playoffs.
If the nets win the title james will be finals MVP. He controls the game and creates offense for the role players. If this game was only kyrie, or KD, the nets get blown out. James elevates the others. He even makes kyrie better by allowing him to focus purely on what hes good at. Harden is lebron on this team.
And constantly chirping in Harden's ear while he was doing nothing for the 40 million. That was the beginning of the end.
Even the media can easily see that harden is the straw that stirs the drink. He is the best facilitator the NBA has ever known because everyone knows he will go off for 40 efficiently if you don't cover him in earnest. He is Magic Johnson that can shoot.
What the hell are you talking about? He isn't admitting he isn't good enough to lead a team to a title at all. What he is doing is helping his team the most possible by being a facilitator. He is scoring 25 points a game, 12 assists a game, almost 9 rebounds a game and is shooting an amazing 51/41/91. He has a career high in 2 point field goal percentage (60%), a career high in 3 point field goal percentage (41%) and free throw percentage (91%)... He also is having a career high in assists (12) a game and a career high in assist to turnover ration at nearly 3 to 1. He is also leading the league in minutes a game and is playing very well defensively. The Nets have scorers, they lack defenders and facilitators and that is what he has focused on. James Harden is the best player on the NETS..... he leads them in WS, he leads them in assists, steals, rebounds, blocks, two point field goal %, VORP, BPM, WS, WS%,....... all while being 3rd on the team in usage.
I love Chris Paul, had he not been old when he joined the Rockets, he and Harden would have likely won multiple titles. Having said that, they didn't "play the way Paul wanted to play".
Good stats and good points, but the poster brings up a worthwhile point, I think: Forget Dwert, but I'll never quite understand why Harden and CP3 couldn't coexist well enough to make another run. Maybe Harden is just smart enough to see that you need at least two stars performing near their peak to hope to win a ring, and 3 would be advisable, particularly if one or two have been dinged up pretty badly. He's made a smart play if he wants a ring, and he's doing exactly what he needs to do to help the Nets have a legit shot.
LOL It is Harden's team He leads the team in assists, steals, blocks, rebounds, 2 point %, VORP, BDM, WS, WS% and minutes a game and he is the best defender they have. It is very much Harden's team. I agree that the Nets need to improve their inside defense..... giving up Allen and Prince really killed them inside. They have the full MLE and I believe a trade exception and they will go hard for the buyout market. Still, they really could use a defensive minded back court guy off the bench, a real center that can defend and a back up big as well.
There is a lot to unpack here. First, Harden wasn't the primary person that had an issue with Chris Paul. The owner had been complaining around the league that he never should have signed Paul and was calling it the worst deal in the league and was upset Paul was missing games. Second, Harden and the GM were trying to get Butler to ADD to Paul. The issue that Harden and some others had in the organization is that Paul was not playing well at all. He could no longer create his own shot, he was missing a lot of games, he was only shooting 41% from the floor and he wasn't shooting well from 3 either. Paul ended up coming to camp with the Thunder in better shape and played better the following year.... but Paul didn't play well at all his last year as a Rocket. That is the reason that Paul was traded. Harden, like others felt Paul had lost a step (he had that season) and didn't realize he would recover the next year. Had Paul been playing better, I doubt he would have been traded. People forget but in that last year with the Rockets in the playoffs, Paul shot 27% from 3, he only got 6 assists a game and had 4 turnovers a game and his advanced stats were ugly..... the Rockets last in 6 games to GS but for the series almost all of the advanced stats between the teams were almost identical. As for your 3 star idea, yes that is something that Harden and Morey both wanted.... that is why they tried so hard to add Butler to Harden and Paul. I am not saying Harden is without blame. In hindsight he should have had more faith in Chris Paul to rebound and play well.... but I can also understand him seeing Paul's mounting injuries, the fall off of his game at 33 and think the Rockets needed to move on. I have asked and spoken to a number of people around the Rockets during that time period, some of them not even with the Rockets anymore and they have all said the same thing..... "Harden and Paul were fine"...... No Harden wasn't going to hang out with Paul or vice versa but they both were cool with each other.
Harden has also taken his level of efficiency to a level of all time great. 24 pt/12 as/9 reb /1 steal/1 block 51 fg/41 3%/ 91 ft Nearly a 3:1 assist to turnover rate He is also play a lot of time at SG and SF
I think Harden got irritated at Paul's nagging because Paul couldn't hold his end of the stick on the court. I dont think Harden particularly enjoyed having to score 50 a night in order to keep us in the playoffs race when Paul, Gordon and Capela took turns getting injured. And for Paul to come back and lay an egg in the playoffs while b****ing and complainkng probably soured that relationship. Thinking back to it now Thibiduea ruined our potential dynasty, he refused to deal Butler to us for Gordon + like 5 picks just so he can "compete" again.
The Nets might have a bench come playoff time. That's a scary proposition. Green Brown Tyler Johnson who has been playing well lately Shamet ( Same as Johnson) They need to seriously trade for McGee
Of course haters want to blame Harden for the Paul departure, but end of the day it was Harden who elevated his game in their 2nd year together while Chris fell all the way off. It took him getting questioned all offseason to get his body right, regain his focus and come back strong in OKC. Year 1 they were spectacular together, probably the single most enjoyable season I've witnessed and then we all know what unfortunately happened at the end of game 5. The problem with Chris is he tries to act like a coach to every player. You could hear him last night with no fans, he's barking at teammates on the court at where they should be and what they should do. That's fine when you're talking to lesser players, but Harden is a greater player than him...at the time obviously and in the annals of basketball history. So I can imagine how grating it be could to have a player who you're better than constantly trying to tell you how you should be playing the game.
that is exactly what happened U can’t tell me u wouldn’t get extremely annoyed if u were in a situation where u were doing all the work, and then the dude who doesn’t even show up half the time, and when he does, does way less work than u, is constantly in your ear b*tching and moaning. It’s pretty much human nature. it was reported that Harden and CP3 had a tense moment during game 6 regarding the offense...well, heading into game 6, Harden was averaging an efficient 35, and CP3 was averaging 14 points on 39% shooting...Harden wasn’t trying to hear CP3’s yapping any longer
