I was just about to post. This Timmy as of current is playing like the 3rd best player in the league.
For the record I do consider Melo a top 7 player, but as of now Harden has been playing much better than him which is my point. I'll be the first one to eat crow when it comes to Harden, look up my posts earlier from when we got him. I thought he was fluky, but James is a smart high b-ball IQ player which matters a lot in this game.
I agree with what you said now. But considering his age and the repsective points in the careers of the above players, I would only take durant and lebron over harden
KD does not play great D. It's a myth propagated by Lebron haters when they were trying to mount a Durant MVP case at the beginning of the season. However Durant definitely gives a lot of effort on D and is the second best offensive talent after Lebron, hence his 2# position in power rankings. Both Harden and Melo do not belong in the top five but Harden is still 23 years old and can improve defensively and offensively while Melo is already pretty much at his peak, hence Harden being a more valuable player than Melo right now.
Are we now going down the road of the Kobetards? Harden does not has help while playing in the 3# ranked offense? Anyway, this is purely a measure of individual talent (both on O and D) and not about team records.
Harden is undoubtedly a top 5 NBA player and the landscape of the NBA confirms that he is. In the Western Conference every team have at least two-three better starters than what the Rockets have either at the power forward, small forward, point guard, and or center position. Some teams even have better players on their bench at multiple positions than the Rockets have in the starting lineup. Both Kobe and Durant have shown they couldn't get a team like this into the playoffs and Harden is showing he can. Getting the Rockets to the playoffs in the west with a team full of average players is enough in itself to solidify Harden as a top 5 arguably top 3 player in the NBA. Harden is top 5 in scoring. Top 5 in scoring efficiency. Top 5 in assist amongst none point guards. Top 5 in rebounding amongst guards. Top 5 in steals. Top 5 in free throw attempts. Can't find three other players in the NBA ranked higher than Harden and as many categories.
Nice of you to completely ignore the fact that Harden is the more efficient scorer and also the better playmaker by far.
Pretty sure the Lakers would've taken Harden ahead of Kobe in last years playoffs? Harden (unsurprisingly) got to the line at will against them as they went out 4-1. Then he torched the Lakers nemesis (Spurs) to put OKC in the finals. I understand Kobe is old, and has done a lot in the league, but that doesn't make him currently one of the best players in the league.
I don't see how Harden is a better overall offensive player vs Melo. They both shoot the long ball at about the same % as well as FT. Both get to the line, with Harden having a slight advantage in that area. Difference is Melo has a much more diverse game. He can shoot the 3 and drive, play bully ball on the inside. He also has one of the best post games in the NBA with a huge variety of moves. I'm not even a Melo fan but the guy is more talented offensively.
You attribute having a bigger arsenal of offensive moves to being the better scorer. As Bruce Lee once said, he fears not the man who practices 10000 kicks but the man who practices one kick 10000 times.
I think he is right there with Chris Paul battling for the third best spot in the game. The problem with Paul is he can completely dissapear in games and isn't the dominating scorer that Harden is. Same thing with Howard, he can dominate a game with rebounding and defense, but can also be a liability on offense when the game is on the line. Also, all those other players have second fiddles (Griffin, Wade, Westbrook, Howard) and Harden has Parsons.... I would go: Lebron Durant Harden Paul Melo Kobe Howard Wade
How can Kobe be definite? Very similar statistics, and Rockets are ahead of the Lakers despite what most view as an inferior cast.
Nobody asked about history, Durant is an average to good defender not great, Melo is average to bad defensively and I definitely wouldn't say he's a better defender than Harden. At least will force a turnover or two.
