best player from 09 draft: Harden, Curry or Griffin?

Curry lovers are under the impression that Curry actually plays good defense, for reasons I cannot explain.

 

All 3 are offense only no defense guys. Harden is the best but it's close.

 

BTW, Curry is 4-14 so far tonight.

 

Harden and it isn't that close.

Curry is an amazing shooter, but is physically limited. He has size issues, is not a real point guard and will always be a poor defender as a result of his physical limitations. I would love Curry next to Harden on the Rockets.

Blake Griffin physically is the best in the class and the only one physically capable of being a perennial top 3 player. Unfortunately the mental side and competitive side of Griffin is sad. He has become a glorified garbage player scoring all based on his athleticism. His rebounding isn't better because it takes too much effort and concentration. Defensively he is just bad.

James Harden is not the athlete that LBJ, Wade or Durant is. Athletically he is above average and at particular athletic feats exceptional. Still he cannot just athletically break triple teams and get 30 points off effort. What is his greatest strength, is also his greatest weakness; stubbornness. Harden has a very high basketball IQ and desire to compete. However it also leads to him forcing things.
Defensively the metrics show a slightly below average starting shooting guard. What seperates him defensively from Curry is that Harden's flaw are easily fixed defensively and are not based on physical limitations like Curry.

Thus, overall Harden, he is the only one that has and can carry a team.. Even with his flaws.

 

Griffin. Guards not named Michael Jordan or kobe Bryant are replaceable. Big men are hard to find.

 

How good were the Clippers his rookie season? Why do you think he no longer scores like that?

 

Power forwards that do not defend, block shots or rebound are replacable.

 

People forget that harden usually is being guarded by the other teams best perimeter defender. Teams constantly double and even triple James. Curry plays on a team with other options that are very good shooters/playmakers. He doesn't often get doubled because teams are afraid of leaving Kay Thompson or David lee open.

Even in the Denver series curry is being guarded by ANDRE MILLER. I mean if harden was guarded by Andre he would eat the mans lunch in every possession. Now don't get me wrong curry is a good shooter and scorer but he strikes me as a player that can be shut down with some physical defense. You put Chris Paul on curry or any good point guard defender and curry will have a hard time as he doesn't get to the line often.

Harden on the other hand can get you 30 points even if he is shooting bad. This to me separates him from curry and is what makes James special. He CREATES contact because defenders have to foul him.

And besides there are several point guards I would put over curry, Westbrook, Paul, rose, rondo, and to an extent deron Williams. But for James the only player I'd put above him is Kobe.

Just my thoughts.

 

wade is not much better athletically than Harden. He has elite first step and speed, but hardens first step is not much slower and what he lacks in speed he makes up in size and strength compared to wade.

The main difference between harden and prime wade is bbiq. Wade is much smarter and knows when to takeover and when not to. He's also one of the more clutch players.

the only guys on another level athletically in the nba is Lebron, Dwight, Griffin, and Westbrook. Durant is freaky because he is so long and tall.

 

LOL Machado 1 second of game time

 

Sergio Llull anyone? Jokes aside.

It all comes down to personal preference.
The dunks vs the 3 point shot vs the euro step.

All 3 are equally bad in defense.
However looking the personal/team results of the past 4 years, Harden will be my pick.

 

Cavs were garbage in Lebron's first season. Lebron is a glorified Patrick Beverley.

He's still capable of those high scoring games but he's playing alongside a Top 3 player in CP3, on a stacked team which means he'll get less shot attempts and in a system where he's pretty much the third option.

No idea why people are claiming his defense is poor by the way. That almost as big of a myth of Curry being a great defender.

 

Harden is healthier.

 

It's between Harden and Curry, and it's really hard to pick one.

Harden was deffinently the better player in the regular season, but Curru has been better in the playoffs...

 

1. Harden
2. Curry
3. Griffin

Harden beats out Curry just because of the health factor. Curry missed 2/3 of one season with an injury.

 

Playing with Chris Paul should increase Blake's scoring, Paul gives Blake easy looks and doesn't even shoot that much in the first 3 qtrs. Eric Gordan probably shot more than CP does..

Blake Griffin would be trash without Chris Paul!

 

Wade was an athletic freak when he came into the NBA, and it was his game for his first few seasons. His turnovers were high and his BBIQ was questioned. He learned to rely on the rest of his game.

LeBron, Dwight, Griffin and Westbrook are not the only players athletically on another level. John Wall athletically is off the charts, as was a young Dwayne Wade and a healthy Derrick Rose.

Durant is athletic freak, a level above Harden, a man that size shouldn't be able to move like that.

 

Corn said the Clippers would be awful with Griffin as their #1 option. Well Griffin was a #1 option in the past and the Clippers were awful.

Second Griffin is a bad defender, he has even been benched in the past on defensive possessions.

Last Paul only helps Griffins scoring.

 

Harden's defense is Kobe like (good man to man, but prone to miss rotations and won't foul if beaten), curry's defense is Nash like (take one step left or right and you're past me).