Umm Harden has surpassed Tyreke by a mile. To say he's similar is ludicrous. What's with this about Harden just being a player who has shown potential? He has proven enough.
Sorry, but I have to disagree. Melo makes bad decisions because he's selfish and only thinks of himself. In his mind, he must shoot to feel like he's contributing, even if it subtracts from others. When his shot isn't going in, instead of diversifying and morphing to a part-time setup guy, he just keeps shooting and missing. Shooting is the only way he knows how to be effective. The guy has been the biggest black hole in the NBA for years. IMO, that qualifies for having a bad head on his shoulders. He should know by now there is more than one way to skin a cat. Comparing Harden to Tyreke Evans is just moronic. They are so dissimilar it ain't funny. Let's not get loopy and stay sensible.
and? That "selfishness" has got him to the wcf and guided his knick team to the 2nd best record in the east. why wouldn't he feel this way?
1) I never said anything about Harden vs. Tyreke, so I am definitely staying sensible. 2) I disagree, but I suppose I can see at least where you're coming from. Melo is a scorer, not a playmaker. As somebody said earlier, sometimes that's just not part of your game. Could he maybe focus on it more? Probably. But I won't hold it against the best/2nd best scorer in the NBA for feeling the need to score. Having said that, the dude needs more winning in his career, but it looks like that could be happening very shortly if he can beat Boston and maybe get to the ECF.
You didn't make any comment on Reke. Someone else brought him up. I don't accept justifying Melo as a one-trick pony. I do hold it against him. The lack of evolution and maturity of his game is a reflection of the grey matter between his ears. Look at how KD's grown up. He actually enjoys setting up other guys. (IMO, he's learned from watching LeBron). If a player truly cares about winning, he will do learn to do whatever it takes to win. It isn't about do what he prefers doing, it's about helping his team. This isn't about a big man with limited dexterity learning to shoot FTs. This is voluntary stuff.
Fair enough. Like I said...Melo needs more winning. Dude has one of the worst postseason records of all time. No matter how he plays his game...that shouldn't be the case.
no, your point is that Melo cares too much about the offensive end and not enough about anything else. and the golden child is a share: kevin durant. I know you are ignoring me, but I'll just throw this stat out there that in Kevin Durant's 6 years as a pro, he's over 3 assists per game exactly twice. In melo's 11 years, you want to know how many times he's done it? 6 times. Furthermore, Durant's career assist average: 3.1. Melo's? 3.1. Melo takes 19.5 shots a game, the golden child: 18.9. Give me a break.
Yeah I just clicked on this page and want to know the same thing. Did someone say they were similar or near the same level?
can you read? nobody said he hasn't proven anything. just does he have the mindset to improve his game drastically or continue with the way he plays now. /facepalm
let's stop with the historical revisionism. after tyreke evans rookie season averaging 20/5/5 many thought he would add on to that and turn into a type 5 player but he didn't add to his game and regressed. not saying harden IS evans but just does harden have the mentality of someone who will consistently get better and better or be content with the way he plays now,
Kidd was huge today, and Melo is all focused. Chiming into the conversation about KD, that guy shot 20 times in the all-star game! What else evidence you need? In OKC, Westbrook takes all the blame, and KD takes all the praise.
If you look at Harden's career so far, it's been a significant upward trajectory each year. There is no reason to think he will level off and not get better. Why would you even question his "mentality" about improving? This year, Harden's FGA increased from 10 to 17 and his mpg went from 31 to 38. Not surprisingly, his FG% dropped from 49% to 44%. What killed him was going 39% in March and April. IMO, mental and physical fatigued kicked in. Simple as that. Next season, we'll learn a lot about if Harden can go to the next level. I doubt his mentality is an issue.
i'm talking about adding more to his offensive game other than chucking 3's, layups, and flopping to get to the line. moving without the ball, mid-range game, etc. he still has a alot of flaws in his offense game. the way he is now he can continue to score around -25 ppg and make all-star teams but its about making that next jump to becoming a true top 5 player. you nor i know his mentality on improving. i never said he doesn't have it, i'm just entertaining the idea of it.
At OKC, he moved a lot without the ball. Maynor and Collison hit him as a cutter and off screens on a regular basis. He and Collison ran deadly back-door plays that were a staple of their 2nd team offense. Harden also has a solid mid-range game. IMO, his biggest flaw is his weak right hand. The Rockets need to be less reliant on run-and-gun and develop solid half-court sets they can fall back on in crunch time instead of just giving the ball to Harden and letting him isolate. When he's on and the matchup is good, the isolation is great. Near the end of the season, those late-game isos killed the Rockets. Lastly, not meaning to be negative, but Harden may never be a top 5 player in the NBA no matter how hard he works. If that's your success/failure line, be prepared for failure.
