We played with great balance last night with Harden playing 35+ minutes. So can shut this thread down. Lol
Harden assists on 24.3% of teammates FG's, Lin (23.2%) Has the same assist rate basically of Lin per 36 minutes (5.1 to 5.2) I wouldn't say Lin is a selfish player so I wouldn't say that Harden is either He isolates because he's the best on our team at doing it, and frankly I'd rather see Harden go one vs one (ideally after the 1/2 switch on the PnR) than Parsons masquerading as a ball-handler
You are the one who accused him of constantly playing selfishly, so the burden of proof is on you. Maybe you should post evidence of him playing selfishly, after all no one knows what your criteria of "selfish" is.
Selfish is subjective. Is knowing you can score more easily than most of your teammates selfish? Is playing to your strengths selfish? Is having the fortitude to take that last second shot knowing that if you miss you'll be under a microscope selfish? Or is it just that he scores a lot of points, doesn't pass and plays no defense that defines selfish to you? Do you think James puts his needs ahead of the needs of the team? I'm honestly curious. People called MJ selfish. And in a way he was. He wanted to win so badly it would put him in a frenzy. He took personal offense to people who said they could guard him. He would call out teammates for making mistakes. Sometimes he wouldn't pass when the game was on the line. But he also made players around him better. He also lead mediocre teams to the playoffs early in his career. He had to learn those things. Just like any young star growing into his role. Call that selfish if you like but lead to winning.
You may be onto something here - the MJ comparison made it clearer to me why people give Harden more crap than most for being 'selfish' - when I think about MJ being selfish, it was more like I'm gonna carry you guys on my back right now because I'm the man - then if he screwed up, his intensity on D after a turnover/blocked shot etc. was un-freaking-believable. With Harden A) he doesn't have that same alpha, authoritative persona and B) when he screws up, it can look really bush-league at times and often it looks like he just gives up on the play - whereas MJ would be sprinting down the court making sure he blocks the shot, steals the ball back or at least prevents a score. I would love to see more of that from Harden.
Parsons is the captain right? So he made an honest observation and small "Hint Hint" to the beard. I for one welcome it, better ball movement is key to the rockets success.
Bingo, the difference between MJ and Harden is that MJ would play relentless defense while Harden plays very lost when he gets "distracted". http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIyiEc1741s
Agreed about the intensity difference. Harden whines a little too much after no calls on drives and doesn't get back enough. MJ didn't come into the league as a great defender. He worked his tail off when he realized it was that important. And while I'd like to see more of that assassin mentality from Harden on both ends of the court, I can't hold him to too high of a standard. I've never seen a competitor like MJ and may never again. It bordered on psychosis with him (and not in a healthy way).
No one expects Harden to be the DPOY. We just want to see more effort. To be fair though, he was probably fighting through that ankle injury.
This is still going on? Harden is an extremely talented shooting guard. He should be a little selfish as he scores at a very efficient rate. Balance is not always the optimum choice. Just have Harden initiate the offense less in the first quarter - get other guys involved and moving more. Then Lin comes in with the backups. We are going to need those Harden-isos at times. There is definitely a place for that.
We lose tons of other games if Harden is not a BEAST. Or Parsons. Or Lin. The Heat probably don't win as much unless Lebron is a BEAST. The Thunder probably lose a lot of games if Westbrook is not a BEAST.
MJ had rare athleticism right. If he were playing today in his prime he would be considered the best athlete in the league. This and his amazing conditioning and stamina allowed him to dominate both ends of the floor.
Harden is way no selfish player. It's his style of play. He should be a finisher not the way he played for Rockets.Thunders know how to use him.
LOL at these delusional LOFs calling Harden selfish you want Durant to defer? Lin is no Wade or Bosh...
