It doesn't help that McHale was stroking his ego at every opportunity. During the season, it just felt like most praise would go to Harden while everyone else was dismissed.
How anyone cannot see that Harden is an enormous cancer is strange. Harden is by far Morey's biggest blunder.
Umm, NY finished second in the East with Melo winning the scoring title and are looking pretty good in the playoffs... but, point taken.
I think the person who wrote that article might be making a big deal out of nothing. That's what I hope. McHale always talk about ball movement and Harden's ISOs and players not moving has always been something that has happened this entire season. Harden isn't really the type who enjoys talking with the media anyways. He doesn't really express himself to the media. He seems like the type of player who would just say something short when being questioned anyways. Maybe he just said those were good shots because he wasn't double teamed and at one ISO he even shook the defender off, but still couldn't make the shot. lol He probably just feels like as the current star of the team he should have at least been able to make one basket from those ISOs near the end. Just think that person was reading too much into it, but who knows. lol Until you see something really happen, you can't read their minds.
The issue is not so black and white as "Just follow the coach's orders." Many of the elite players improvise. Sometimes it's useful, sometimes not. Even Jeff Van Gundy said it benefits a great player to have a degree of stubbornness (he said it was one thing that he hoped Yao Ming had more of). It's kind of a delicate balance, particularly for a young guy like Harden but also for veterans (and it's an issue not only for the notorious gunners like Kobe or Melo). For example, in Jack McCallum's book about the 1990-91 Celtics "Unfinished Business," he noted that coaches and teammates were unhappy about Larry Bird's free-lancing/ball-domination during the 1989-90 season. One or more guys on the team talked to the press anonymously about Bird playing selfish and Bird told the press that he was disappointed that whoever said it didn't have the guts put his name or their names on it. McCallum confirmed that one of these guys to whom Bird referred was Jim Paxson (current Bulls GM) and said that McHale may or may not have been the other guy (Bird's words were kind of cryptic). McCallum also noted that when Brian Shaw was a rookie PG on the Celtics, he often felt trapped between executing the coach's order and giving the ball to Bird, McHale or Parish when they call for it to freelance. Shaw ended up following the coach's order part of the time and following the teammate's demand the other part of the time, which pleased no one. The fact that McHale and Harden disagree about this right now isn't necessarily indicative of a dysfunctional relationship between the two or that Harden is somehow a fatally defective player. Stuff like this happens and gets worked out all the time. If it escalates into something more significant (like D'Antoni and Melo last season), I'm sure we'll hear about it at some point.
I didn't like the fact that he didn't drive to the basket on the last three possessions because it had been working the entire second half, but honestly Harden is right... he got three pretty good looks. And if they fall, we're not even having this discussion.
That's an intriguing question. I always assumed McHale called plays because he was so unhappy with the way Harden held the ball, but the interview doesn't actually say, it just says the players have to follow the plan and move the ball and drive to the basket.
Seriously? You are comparing Harden to Bird? Larry Bird can take any shot, anytime, anywhere he wants. James Harden is no Larry Bird. And you, Carl Herrera, is an idiot.
i do not have data to support my opinion but i somehow have an impression that he has missed more jump shots in iso plays than made them since the season started. can anyone find the data?
But Harden himself admitted he was cold off the bench. Why force shots in such a crucial game Also, hasn't he learned to move the ball after his crucial turnover in game 3? I am really starting to hate Harden
the more time you take up in a late game situation like that, the less likely your team will make a mistake, the less time the other team will have to come back. It is a smart strategy, and Harden uses that kind of strategy in games (him driving in the lane to get fouls is one example) it is logical. The shots just didn't go in. Also the article is a huge reach, taking words out of context to fulfill the reporter rhetoric.
Ehhh, Mchale's done a great job thus far. No way we make the postseason if the team didn't respect him. Harden's the most selfish player in the league behind Westbrook. If you clearly see another player has the hot hand then why would you call off the coach's place play? Stop blaming McHale for Harden's stupidity because you hate McHale
It's quite simple: if you want to play heroball at the end of games, hold the ball for 20 seconds and shoot a step back three, then you better have the skill to make them. Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Lebron James, Kevin Durant can play heroball all day long if they want. James Harden, on the other hand, needs to shut up and move the ****ing ball.
THIS. Mchale's dumba-- doesn't realize what the source of the problem is: he is constantly kissing harden's a--. Then again, none of the players respect him anyway.
