I've said this a lot but it's still shocking seeing him so slow and unable to have those elite scoring bursts. He's still elite and I mean ELITE at playmaking and making reads/decisions with his passes, but anyone complaining that he isn't scoring the ball enough just doesn't understand that he's not that guy anymore, his years of averaging 30 in the playoffs are over.
Agree with everything you said here. He can help you win. However I don't think he is a max player anymore, and it would be a mistake to pay him that much. Of course I thought that was a mistake for Chris Paul also and was wrong.
I see Paul as the exact comp, he is not the same player he was and can't really get by anybody and small, but I don't see Paul as a better playmaker than Harden and Harden can score better since he is bigger and taller. In a vacuum Paul is not a max player, but on that team he is, so I can't say Harden is that different. The difference between the Suns and the Sixers, is that they have a lot more young talent, imagine that team with Harden.
On the telecast last night, the PBP announcer kept hyping up how awesome Harden is. It was weird how neither he nor Greg Anthony pointed out what should have been obvious. Harden cannot beat his man off the dribble anymore.
As someone pointed out. . . . . He seems to be similar to CP3 his last year in Houston After the Hamstring Maybe it takes more time to heal from a hamstring than we thought esp mentally Rocket River
That's right, I forgot how the hamstring preceded his last year in Houston and everybody was saying the same thing about Paul. We all know Harden does not get that benefit even though he has won more in the playoffs than Paul, can you imagine if harden put up the numbers Paul did, and they lost last year? Phoenix had a 2/0 lead and never won another game.
I think there is a different narrative with Paul. You never see Paul out of shape. He just got hurt. How much did being out of shape contribute to Harden's injuries? How much did the all night partying? I believe Harden would get a lot less grief if he showed up in shape and got hurt than looking like prime Harden in a fat suit.
So the 1st game after Paul went out.. . the year after his hamstring he was "in game shape"???? He did not "LOOK" out of shape .. but he an Harden have different body types Even at his most in shape people were calling Harden fat Rocket River
For all the talk of his inability to get by anyone, which I’m not saying I disagree with, I see the instances where it’s painfully obvious that he can’t do what he used to do, BUT He was 11th in drives per game this season and is 8th in drives per game in the playoffs so far. And his overall efficiency on his driving plays(scoring and assisting combined) is still very high.
That's also a narrative the out of shape ****, how the hell do lead the leauge in minutes played for several years and not be in shape? The entire narrative about Paul in OKC was that he got into better shape and changed his diet. Harden got hurt in the playoff after carrying a team without 2 of his best teammates how does him supposedly showing up out of shape have anything to do with that injury? Thank you very much for providing the evidence that people will create a negative narrative out of thin air. So now his hamstring injury was because he was out of shape and partying? Why does harden being out of shape overshadow how Paul has come up small over and over again in the playoffs?
CP3 entered the league as an all-world defender with zero athletic advantages over other NBA PGs ... save lightning quick handles which have certainly slowed a bit In no way will Harden age so gracefully He's never had to play the way CP3 always has since his rookie year (going against bigger/stronger/faster every night) Harden's decline will more closely resemble the fall of Russ without his elite burst/explosion Rapid and merciless
Harden is now an explosive athletic beast that is losing his burst? D*mn that's a new narrative. Cause for years it was about his lack of athleticism. Rocket River
Harden is already half the athlete that Russ CURRENTLY is and is STILL 10 times more effective than he is.
Chris Paul is a good comp since both suffered hamstring injuries and looked a step slower the next year. CP3 would then change his diet, training regiment and has performed incredibly well since. The problem for Philly next season is that Harden will expect to be PAID the MAX (5/270+ million). CP3 on other hand took a massive paycut in his new contract with PHX. CP3 is no longer max player as he signed a 4/130 million dollar contract this past season with only 75 million fully guaranteed. He opted out of the last year of his contract which would've paid him 47 million to do so. For reference Kyle Lowry signed a 3/90 million contract with the Heat this past season. I don't see Harden taking anything less than his max (50+ avg) let alone what CP3 signed for, barring injury or other extenuating circumstances this off-season. Of course Harden is also 4-5 years younger than CP3 so theroetically he should have more of his prime left.
