With Harden out and the win today, I decided to look at the games he's missed this season.

Injuries are "just an excuse"? I'm guess you've never seriously sprained an ankle before. I sprained one so bad skating one time that Ihad to use crutches for 3 weeks. Next thing you know you're gonna say derrick rose's torn acl and torn meniscus were "just excuses"

 

The only thing Harden needs to do is take his job seriously. The rest is history.

I want to see him go after players like Paul George, I want to see him b****slap Iggy, I want to see him have pride in himself and what he's doing. I want him to take a giant **** on the NBA. If he can't do it then GTFO.

 

If Dwight Howard has turned the corner, and is back to prime Dwight, we are certainly gonna have to start working through him more. He's been dominant.

Now as for Harden, while it's certainly ridiculous to suggest this team is better without him, it's not ridiculous to say he needs to play differently. The ball still has a bad habit of getting sticky and he takes some ill advised 3's, which is why his % is so bad.

Harden will adjust, honestly until recently I didn't like Howard in the post either, but i sure as hell do now. Harden just needs to let the game come to him which I think he will do in time, he'll still get his numbers.

Rome wasn't built in a day people, true cohesion takes time.

 

If Harden is entering the arena at game night on crutches then why is he playing? Explain.

What do the Rockets have to benefit from playing Harden, our youngest star, while he's hurt? None. Get back to me if you can find any.

Rockets would never play Harden if they thought he could sustain a more serious injury as a result of playing hurt. So, its all excuses.

 

I never made the claim that hardens sprain had him on crutches. I offered an anecdote portraying one of my experiences with bad ankle sprains to put into perspective how they can limit one's mobility.

You have a very black and white view of the situation. Just because he's not risking further injury by playing on it doesn't mean that it isn't affecting the quality of his performance.

 

Exactly. Last season Lin struggled in the beginning and was reportedly not back to 100% post injury.

This guy is being unneccesarily harsh on Harden.

 

The team is not better with out harden. But the team will be better if it adopts a more inside out game and less harden ball domination. You can clearly see tonight and other nights harden has not played the ball is kicked around a lot more and there is less isolation plays which has lead to better looking shots. Harden needs to learn to become a less ball dominant guy and learn to play off the ball more with the focus of a more inside out offense. If he can do this he will get his and the team will get more W's

 

Of course being hurt will limit your mobility, but are we to conclude that James Harden is the only person in the NBA who plays through pain?

He was obviously well enough to a point where our training staff believed he could take the floor and compete as a professional without jeopardizing his future health. Well, most NBA players go through that on a daily basis, a process of health evaluation based on contract money, importance to the team, youth, longevity, etc. IT'S AN EVERY DAY OCCURANCE!!!

If Harden wasn't ready to go against the Pacers, why did he play in that game? Please explain.

 

It really depends how Dwight is played. The Detroit game was a good contrast because they were a team that beat Indiana a week ago. And injuries aside, the 3 games show the contrast in roster.

In our first half against Indiana, they tried running the offense through the perimeter, and between his poor handles, bad clock management, and all round inability to run an offense, George looked worse than an injured Harden, then in the 2nd half, they ran their mismatch pinch post offense, West flat out abused Jones, so they'd isolate whoever was George's man on that side, the moment a help defender leans across, West passes out, and George lets rip (or Hill or ...).

Now this doesn't work against Detroit, and if Detroit could add a decent guard (I'm talking Jeremy Lin calibre here, not James Harden calibre) they'd be Dallas vs Golden State waiting to happen all over again, that's because Detriot can play the entire Indiana front court straight up and they have a physical advantage at all 3 spots, Drummond is just as big as Hibbert but more athletic, Monroe is just as (un)athletic as West but bigger, and J-Smoove is bigger, faster and stronger than George (athletically Smith is a slightly taller Lebron).

Now when we played Detroit, they decided to try single coverage on Dwight, Dwight is not Hibbert, Dwight has much better lateral quickness and without the refs trying to bury him for anything and everything he just destroyed him. But most teams won't do single coverage, he killed Dallas on single coverage, Portland too, and if teams double him, you just can't run that much through him. That's why we always throw the ball in the post early in the game, to see what the opposing coach has decided to do against Dwight, Detroit tried flat single coverage. And unlike many teams (see Indiana 3rd quarter), they never even decided to move towards double coverage, perhaps the coach felt it was a learning experience Drummond needed? I'm not sure.

 

first let me say I wouldn't want any SG in the NBA on my team besides harden before anyone comes at me wrong.

now unless you don't know anything about basketball you would know harden playing off the ball more will benefit the team more. For one thing he is a SG that's what their suppose to do he is not a "young" Kobe or MJ.

When you have someone dominate the ball it can tend to have other players ball watch on offense, this can get players out of their rhythm & can translate to the defensive side and have them less motivated & ball watch on that side too.

Harden was a 6th man before he came to the rockets and I feel like he still plays like one just plays 10 more mins now. Which is fine he's a SG he should look to score he doesn't have to change his game, he's one of the best in the business at scoring. So he's always going to look to shoot first that's his game and that's how a SG should play ! But that's not someone you want handling the ball full time for 40mins of a game.

When harden played great we usually win, when we lose you will hear players & mchale saying the ball got too sticky. I actually think mchale is a good coach & has a good offense since Howard came along, but harden can make it look bad and people blame mchale not harden. Mchale offense is all about ball movement

Harden is a great player can attack, shoot the 3, good in fast breaks etc. he just should play off the ball a little more and also move around on offense don't stand around watching when he doesn't have the ball. He will still average 20-24 points his numbers will stay the same but he will be more efficient and other teammates will play better on both sides of the ball

Now last year when harden had the ball a lil less he was more efficient compared to his year. Even in preseason he looked so good, we all talked about how he was averaging 20 points and not even taking that many shots.

 

1) harden didn't want to miss playing on national tv
2) the trainers concluded that he wouldn't risk further injury (still doesn't mean he's fully healed or gonna move well.)
3) it isn't just playing through pain, its playing with less talent
4) maybe it felt better then but stiffened up after (very common with joint sprains)
5) get a moderate ankle sprain and try to run 2 miles 3 days later. You might have a little more empathy then
6) of course harden isn't the only player to play through injury..... he's also not the only player to see a drop off in performance while playing through injury.

 

1. So, Harden cares more about national TV than he does about his own health or future of the team? Speaks volumes of the mans character.

2. Either trainers clear you to play or they don't. There is no in between here. If they clear you to play then go play. If you can't handle the pain or pressure then sit out and STFU.

3. Every NBA player plays through pain, not one of them is immune to this.

4. Harden is fragile.

5. I have blown out both of my knees before in wrestling and in football. So, I know what it feels like to play through pain. I also know that if I felt like I couldn't go, I didn't go. Usually, the only times I ever doubted myself was because doctors told me specifically not to keep playing or it could cause permanent disabilities.

6. If Harden has seen a significant dropoff in his ability because of playing hurt then why is he still trying to play? He needs to heal up or else he will end his career very soon.

 

What's wrong with trying to play on national tv then taking the detroit game off to heal? I don't really see the big deal in that.
His career won't end soon. He'll be here a while. Mad respect on the wrestling and football, that's pretty cool. But other than that I don't really agree with much of what you said. Especially number 4, that's just kinda funny

There's no reason to crucify harden or stress out and over react to what's goin on right now.

 

Being fragile isn't just about the state of your health. Its about how well you can withstand pain and continue to play at a high level. This is just like with Tmac, I think certain players just don't have the capacity or the willpower to play through pain while playing at a high level.

I see Harden as the same mold. A guy who will continually use injuries as an excuse for his bad habits and lack of will to win.

If you have injuries then that's ok, nobody will scorn you for that. But don't use the injury excuse as a backdrop everytime you get exposed and play lazy, uninspired basketball.

The only person Harden is fooling is himself.

 

I'm sorry Harden ran over your puppy, Chef.

 

...so you are a Rockets Fan Only Hater? A RFOH!!
No, but seriously, if you so hate it so much here why keep posting?

 

No Lin, his main backup and the main playmaker when he's out. He thought that he could help the team in a huge game and probably didn't realize how bad of a shape he was in. Players like to gut it out, that's what he tried to do.

 

They seem to be more team oriented when Harden is out. More cohesive.

Harden is our best player, but he is not done growing as a player, once he trusts his teamates more it will get easier for him.

DD

 

This weekend is a good example of why I can't figure the Rockets yet. Embarrassed at Indiana, then just drill Detroit on the road next day. - zach Lowe

 

it could be harden is one of those players that stops the ball, that you win the title with like a carmela or tmac. but he could also be one that refines his game as he ages.