The official James Harden is not a legitimate #1 option thread

Say obtaining another all-star is out of the question for the next 3 years. How about a number #1 scoring option with multiple #2 options?
Could two 2nd tier players be just as effective as 1 all star, and still put us in future contention (without having to trade Lin/Harden/Asik)?

among the more realistic 2013 FA options..

Z-Bo $15.2 M
Jefferson $14 M
J Smith $12.4 M
Milsap $8.5 M
Gortat $6.8 M
-----------------
Delfino $3 M
Pat $3 M
Aldrich $2.5 M
TD $2 M
Morris $2 M
White $1.7 M
Parsons/TJones/DMo are untouchable, cuz I say so

Max cap is at $58 M. $45.8 M on the books for 2013-14.

So... moving Aldrich, TD, Pat, Morris, and Delfino, clears ~$22 M...enough room for

Iggy/Milsap,
JSmith/Milsap,
Z-bo/Gortat,
Jefferson/Gortat

or move another ~$4M for JSmith/Jefferson
or move another ~$5M for JSmith/ZBo

If we keep Delfino, we can still afford

Jsmith/Gortat

(Or something similar to that)..... Does a lineup of Lin/Harden/Asik/+ 2 of any above even compete for a ring in a couple of years?

 

I noticed about 6 times this season so far, but James Harden doesn't have that good of a Handle on the ball. How many times have we seen him lose control of the ball at the last shot of the quarter for a game winner or just the last shot of a quarter.

Once he works on the Turnovers and his Handle, this guy will the Legitimate #1 SG. Right now I put him at #3 Behind Kobe and Wade.

Lately he's been missing a lot. Thank god for his godly ability to draw the foul or the guy would average 12-15 points a game.

21 Free Throw attempts today, Insane!

 

Can we please try to remember that Harden turned 23 years old just this August?

 

You can count on Harden having an iffy moment with the ball nearly every game. I think it is because he isn't a major palmer of the ball and because of the way he fully extends his arms when making a move.

I am hoping he will work on this in the offseason as well as work on a post game like Wade.

 

Harden is a legit no. 1 scorer. He is leading the league in FTA per game. His ability to get to the line is what makes him special. He is also an excellent passer at his position. Those two qualities make him a legit go-to guy in the 4th quarters of close games.

Right now Harden is a slump, and the main reason for that is because he is burned out. This guy has never played this many minutes in his career. Sometimes because Harden is so good already people forget taht this is the first year that he gets to start and he is just 23 years old.

 

I hope Hakeem helps Harden develop a post game during the off season, he will be a more complete player.

Also, I've noticed he has struggle alot in isolation plays. He really needs to work on that. All great SG's are great isolation scores, he needs to works on making shots with a hand on his face.

 

I think we as a whole know this, OP is getting roasted for the most part.(rightfully so)

 

True, but number one options can impact the game even when they have an off shooting night, which Harden did today. 29/7/7 is a pretty damn good stat line, for being so off from the field.

 

Adding the TOs and Ft . He shot the ball more than 30 times. thus is not good

 

I must be misunderstanding you. Are you ripping Harden for taking free throws? Bad shots?

 

?? He had 20 FGA. And he had like 3 TO's, which isn't that bad for someone who handles the ball as much as him.

 

Harden has been given the green light to shoot at will, and he is doing just that.

The coaches don't believe in democratic distribution; everything goes through and rides on harden.

 

yeah, if the refs call it like the mavericks game, we lost for sure

 

His FT's were needed today though I know that ...

 

basketball isn't a democracy bud.

 

Harden is definitely a legit #1 SCORING option.

However, in my opinion his playmaking abilities are far overrated. He gets tunnel vision A LOT on drives and often times puts up questionable shots when there are teammates open (much like Kobe). I've also seen him miss open cutters quite often and on the break he rarely makes good outlet passes or plays.

 

Harden is a surefire top 10 player in the league. We traded Kevin Martin for him. Calm your nerves.