Wait a minute, I know Harden has had some really underwhelming performances in the playoffs, but lets not get **** twisted here. When Harden was here, those were ****ing good times. Harden, despite having some issues on his driving game, he was still dominant in the regular season up till he started dealing with the achilles injury. Harden is not being brought here to make us championship contenders. He is being brought here because he is going to fill a position of need for this team while also helping elevate our young players. Harden always has made those around him better and it will be no different with our young talent. He isn't coming to be our savior, he is coming here to make this team competitive again and hopefully a contender for a play-in spot which will hopefully help our young players grow. It's cool if you don't think Harden is the right fit for this team whether due to being sour on his playoff performances (@DreamShook), or you think he is a loser in general (@Asian Sensation), or you think he is too old (@AroundTheWorld). The fact of the matter is that Harden will still help our team and we will be competitive. Yes, he likes to have a good time (@Jontro), but lets not pretend that he is not a great regular season player. Harden will help the Rockets.
the more I think about it the more I dont want Harden at all. I just dont want to go through it again. Harden is going to take over this franchise if he comes here. He will not be the "he's just here to fill a need" guy you think he is going to be. Harden wants the MAX and MAX control over this franchise again. he has never taken a back seat to anyone ever for very long. He will pout because Ime will tell him to do something else when he passes the ball then he blow this sh*t up again. Bro, Harden has showed us who he is time and time again! Do we want all that annoying baggage for a chance at the play-in just for harden to nut up and play weird in game 2 of the winner take all play-in tournament? Just let the children Rock, get a real PG not playmaker harden.
Yeah you do bc if they actually are in the play in conversation it means harden is doing his job. That’s called taking the next step in a full rebuild and kids are playing in games that matter. Theyre experiencing winning at the level they’ve never sniffed close to. Green and sengun have been in the league for 2 years and have played in exactly 0 games that matter. look at other guys. Scottie Barnes has been in the playoffs or play-in both seasons, Evan Mobley was in the playoffs this season, Josh Giddey was in the play-in this year, Jonathan Kuminga has played in the playoffs. Davion. Trey murph. Jalen Johnson. Grimes. These experiences and meaningful games matter so much in development Most of the no to harden logic steps from failures in games in playoff scenarios which has 0 to do with this current state of the rockets franchise. What he does is elevate teams to get to that point which is what these kids need to experience in order to move forward and eventually on their own once harden is gone in this tenure this also doesn’t even address the fact that okc controls the rockets draft for the foreseeable future. He also knocks off this chance significantly while adding the potential of the above. It really isn’t that difficult and how it just aligns
We had 3 years of bad ball and now you want to go back to the futility of James Harden? Just to be a little relevant (mind you relevancy means the media having a HATE boner for the Rockets). James Harden will ALWAYS disappoint you. James Harden has made me (a fan) a Never James Harden guy. Teams have toiled for years to build a team that can compete and people are gassed after 3 years? be a patient. Rockets will be back there and they dont need James Harden to do it.
Listen Harden may get the kids in games that Matter, but Harden is not going to defer to the children in those games that matter. Or he will do the most off the wall **** like pass the ball and stand at half court not helping. That's who James Harden is. guys we have seen this! Scottie had Fred and pascal, Evan had Kevin Love, Giddey has Shai who was mentored by CP3, Kuminga had a whole dynasty (didnt really help kuminga IMO). HARDEN DONT TEACH. he just doesn't. stop it. Harden wants to cook. he wants sous-chefs. he dont want to teach other chefs. look at the talent Harden has played with; legit HOFer. Each time harden has had a problem. What do you think is going to happen when he has to play with Children who dont know half the game of his other teammates? Harden will burn this b**** down again and people going to wonder what happened.
It has nothing to do with being patient, its skipping the inevitable couple of 30 win seasons rebuilding teams have to go through. Most teams can tolerate those few dead building years, like the Magic or the Pacers, because they can ateast get a couple late lottery picks as compensation. We have no such luxury. We add Harden, we add some vets, the kids get to play in some meaningful / competitive games. Amen Thompson can sit in the wings for two years and learn the game. After two or so years, Amen can step in as the guy, Harden can move to a more limited role, and you can look to move his expiring money plus the Nets picks (Or whomever from the pile of guys we have) for the next available star. If all the kids get "corrupted" just by Harden's presence, then they were never going to pan out anyway. Greatness breaks through all that. All this other nonsense about Harden not teaching or whatever is just made up bunk. Its "I don't like the guy, I will make up whatever I want". In exactly zero of Harden's stops did the teams want him to leave, he always left on his own terms.
Who is he going to elevate by walking the ball up, dribbling the damn air out the ball for 20 seconds before finally making a predictable move (turnover, off balance 1 legged step back fadeaway 30 footer, drive to the rim and get rim checked on a layup or pass it to one of his “corner 3pt specialists” with 2 seconds left on the clock). Who exactly has he made better in his career? His fanbois act as if Embiid wasn’t already playing at an MVP level before Harden came or as if Maxey wasn’t already an emerging young star who was doing just fine without Harden. Who else on that Philly team did he make better? Who did he make better when he was here? What exactly is he going to show our young players? How to play iso ball and be a 6 time turnover champion? The art of spamming 8 three pointers a game while being a 36% shooter from 3? How to catch the first flight out of town with your boyfriend after getting Eliminated in the playoffs? How to take 2+ years to recover from a hammy by being a fat lazy worthless sac? How to enjoy a party after embarrassing blowout loss after blowout loss? Or maybe it’s how to go on a bender and skip practices cause “Rappers is in town yo!” The dude has zero leadership skills, accountability, is lazy AF and full of excuses just like his wack ass cult following which is actually dwindling by the day mind you. Thank god some of the former worshippers finally saw the light and got the Fck out. It’s been 4 years since he’s been gone. Good riddance. Let’s keep it that way.
You have this preconceived notion on what exactly harden will do. Nobody has any clue but based on how he has adjusted his play what you’re assuming isnt actually likely. They fact that he has a relationship with these guys also says the opposite of what you assume. He has games where he barely even shoots the ball and racks up the playmaking and folks still want to assume he’s here to just score. Folks provide examples of guys harden played with and had no problem elevating or playing well but that gets glossed over. Why? Bc it’s just the tunnel vision instead of stubbornness of holding those same games I referenced as the issue. This is the same guy who has literally made the playoffs every single year of his career. Another point just glossed over. Dudes saying be patient and want to hopefully one day see the kids turn mid 20s to finally see some kind of meaningful game? That makes no sense.
This is a myth. IMO. Not all stars are Lebron or Kobe. Some stars just need to be given the chance and management confidence not put through a gauntlet. Denver believed in Jokic and traded Nurkic. Jaylen Brown and Tatum looked like they were about to run the league then Ime was fired and they look like a shell in the playoffs Talent doesn't always have to rise above the bullshit - this is probably why everyone thinks Jalen, Sengun and Bari are not franchise players now, You guys expect their talent to rise above ass coaching. Talent can be cultivated. i think Ime can make Jalen, Sengun and Bari into stars without Harden.
Clearly you haven’t watched him recently if you think it’s the exact same way. Or you don’t know the difference
Believing in your guys and signing Harden is not mutually exclusive. This will rob them of zero chances, and I am not sure what this gauntlet is you speak of. They are going to get some open shots? They are not going to have as much defensive pressure on them? This isn't a vice. This path IS believing in your guys. Its putting them in position to win.
Ok, I pretty much lay low in the GARM these days, but I have to say something here. This isn't exactly a personal attack on you, but more this idiotic comparison I keep seeing where wanting Harden back equates to wanting some toxic ex-girlfriend back, or in your case.....A ******* DRUG ADDICT ex-girlfriend. That **** HAS to ****ing stop. I see this **** all over the ****ing internet, and it's moronic at its best, and incredibly demeaning at its worst. I honestly believe anybody comparing this situation with a freaking basketball player to someone who they shared their whole ass entire life with either A) has never experienced a real, honest-to-God relationship EVER or B) is a 12 year old trying to be a pseudo-intellectual edgelord. It's such a mind-numbingly STUPID comparison that I had to say something. James Harden is NOT an ex-girlfriend. He's NOT someone that you know personally. And frankly, he's NOT someone that should be taking up any actual emotional space in your life to where you would willingly compare him to a family member or an intimate person that you shared memories with. If you can't come up with a better life situation that more accurately describes what this is, then stop trying to compare it to anything!
I feel like this should be the obvious take on the situation, but so many people are straw-manning a Harden return as us abandoning the youth for some miserable attempt at a championship run with Harden again.... obviously it's not that? We have the young players, we have #4, we have the BKN picks, we don't have our own... this is a fine route?
roosh just saying what im saying here on twitter. Harden not doing anything to help these kids for real. he is not about to run around without the ball.
we all watched. we kept up. Harden is not doing non Harden things for long. Before Doc was fired, he said Harden TRIED to play differently then he has before. Doc was pleading with this ninja. and Harden couldn't do it.
