How do you feel about Harden as the current franchise player and the Rockets building around him?

Morey's tried and tried with Bosh (twice!), Melo, Aldridge, and Love. So far no luck.

A star center that can shoot would be nice too like Cousins. DMo could've been good enough but let's face we can't rely on a guy with a screwed up back

 

I don't understand the whole "we're stuck with him until something better comes along" mindset. If there were something better, I might agree, but seriously, what could you get in equal talent if you traded James?

I can't name anyone that would actually be available in a trade.

Plus, James is a pretty damn good player, even though this is considered a "bad" year for him. Our season has been abysmal, but James is still SECOND in the league in scoring and his rebounding and assist numbers have improved. If you truly watch him during games, James is constantly looking to make the pass to an open teammate. He may be the most unselfish superstar we've had in awhile. The weakest part of his game is his defense, but he's working on his rebounding, which ultimately, helps a team defensively.

I'm not even James' biggest fan, but a talent like this doesn't come around often. You hang on to James until he doesn't work anymore. Build around him effectively and you can have championship ambitions for the next 8 years.

 

hypothetically, just if we give up on james doesnt mean other teams have and are willing to take a chance on him, who is still the best sg in the league.

teams like the hawks, with a buncha super role players/all stars but no first options, would be wise to gut their team for harden.
you saw what a 1/3 big 3 cavs did to a healthy hawks squad last playoffs. that season was the best that roster could be. this season they got horford declining hard, and teague splitting minutes with shroeder and father time finally catching up to korver.
they went from having a historical 60win season to a mediocre team in just one year. if they had a star player there wouldnt be such a big drop off if any.

and as i said, if we cant get equal value for him we shouldn trade him. elite talent on a bargain contract is too much to give up on w/o getting equal value in return.

he's 2nd in the league by default since the rockets are too stupid to use dwight and everyone after those two are more like 4th or 5th options.

 

Nothing matters untill we get a reliable third player... Ariza just isn't that and no matter what James does most nights he is doing it by himself. I really don't think James or Dwight are problems... It's the rest of the roster and their inconsistencies

 

I don't think you're fairly analyzing what James is capable of as a player. Even on another team, James' numbers would be near the top of the league. It's not a coincidence that he's been the second leading scorer for two years in a row. I'm too tired to get into James' ability as a shooting guard, but he's one of the more "complete" players in the league. He's able to do things that his peers cannot on the offensive end. You just don't find talent like that until 5-7 years down the line.

There would be absolutely no reason for the Rockets to trade James unless they were offered someone like KD...You're just not going to find a guy who can score in the variety of ways James can, and when he's in shape, he may be the most unguardable player in the league outside of Steph. And, IMO, James is more of a complete player than Steph, but is not nearly the shooter, nor is he having the crazy, historical year that Steph is having.

I'm not James' biggest fan either. I just recognize that we have a talent that is like no other in the league, and he hasn't even reached his prime/ceiling yet.

Weak response from me, but radiation wears me out. We'll hash it out later. G'nite brotha!

 

We got two Thorobreds, one built for speed, the other built for his show jumping & then surrounded them with donkeys, put them in mud with blinders on, gave them a rookie trainer with no idea & asked them to perform at the highest standards...

That's all.

 

And it makes you wonder why there are so many front office slurpers round' these parts.

 

First option is too vague.... right guy for what?

1) WC exit
2) Finals loss
3) Championship
4) Mediocrity - 7 to 9th place or worse

 

I no longer vote in non-public polls, crossover, unless Clutch starts them, but I can answer here. Hell yes. Harden is a superstar, a superstar with flaws, but they all have flaws. For years, Hakeem didn't trust his teammates as much as he should have. RudyT took care of that - Rudy, and renewed faith in his religion. Jordan left for baseball. Leaving for baseball cured him of that desire. He simply wasn't good enough, but his curiosity cost him a chance at a title or two. He still wouldn't have had them, we would have made sure of that, but it cost him the chance. Wrong sport for the cat. Yeah, James has flaws, but they are nothing that can't be improved upon with a better roster, a better coach, fewer minutes, and some maturity, in my humble opinion. He can play very good defense. We've seen him do it. Harden needs better direction. Of course you build around him.

 

Harden is an alpha dog and one of the best players in the game. The problem continues to be that there isn't strong leadership on this team. Harden doesn't provide that and neither does Howard. That's why there were softer markets around those players allowing Morey to strike in the first place. You solve a lot of the team's troubles by putting someone out there who holds everyone accountable. That's why the team always looks so much better out there with old ass Jason Terry. Solve the roster around Harden to maximize what he does best, and you won't have a problem. We need vet leaders - preferably someone who is a top 2 or 3 guy on the team.

..and we also need guys who are either all world defenders or have some ability to generate their own offense. We have too many extremely limited offensive players out there making it easier for teams to load up on stopping Harden knowing that if he passes out to a shooter, they will have limited abilities to put the ball on the floor for a score or make a good pass to get an easy bucket. Teams close out on us on the 3pt line hard knowing that it's a win if a guy like Ariza has to put the ball on the floor since the chances are 50/50 if he will either dribble it off his leg or take a pull up shot he isn't very good at hitting.

 

He just need the right coach.

JB is his homies and doesn't force Harden to put in any effort.

Harden is the #1 offensive player in the NBA.

JB just needs him to play Defense instead of telling everyone Harden is an elite defender and he guards 2 to 3 players so it appears he's not guarding anyone.

WE AIN'T DUMB

 

He look OK.

You just have to surround him with dudes who can defend and shoot. For whatever reason the guys who fit that description perfectly last year stopped defending. Defense is the root of our problems, not Harden, except insofar as Harden contributes to the bad defense.

Maybe a better coach is the answer, or maybe we just need new role players who can defend. At any rate Harden is still a good offensive centerpiece, and it takes a lot to convince me that trading a superstar for a package of lesser players is a good move, based on the track record of teams trading superstars in their prime.

 

Harden needs more players around him. When he gets in a turnover funk he needs other players to step up and ease the burden. To almost take over from him and not give a damn about stepping on toes. Like look bro, you are f'ing up...I'm taking this over. Step aside for a second.

 

He is good enough. This team just does not have enough good players with a good coach to support him. Just you went to WCF last year, it does not mean that you are great. Both Les and Morey overrated the team at the beginning of this year. Next year Morey need get a good coach first, then find some good role players too. This team just does not have enough good players right now, no body can do any thing further.

 

I second that emotion.

Harden needs an alpha to pair with such as Durant, but definitely someone who can take the burden of scoring off his shoulders and be a consistent threat night in and night out.

 

When you look at the elite teams, they all have 2-3 superstars, or role players whose impact reaches star levels

Lebron
Love
Irving

Paul
Griffin
Jordan

Westbrook
Durant
Ibaka

Leonard
Aldridge
Aging big 3

Curry
Thompson
Green

Harden can be as good as anyone on that list, but Dwight comes up short as a second option, he is more in line with the lesser guys. We will never get back to that level without a bigtime free agent, which is why it absolutely makes sense to go after Durant / Horford.

 

*cough cough*

 

What ppl dont get is, no matter what they think or complain of Harden, Les will never let Harden go unless he walks. Les said himself he thinks Harden has been the best player on Rockets since Olajuwon.

 

Good post. I don't know if I'd put Horford in the same echelon as the other guys, but I agree with your assertion about Dwight. He's still capable of big numbers, and I think he could still be a 20/10 guy, but in order to get those numbers, we need a 4 who can stretch the floor and fix our spacing. Horford is certainly able to shoot from a decent range, but a guy like Kevin Love would be ideal, too.

Actually, along with a ton of fans, my first choice of a player to team with James is Boogie Cousins. He needs to get out of Sacramento. In my opinion, Boogie is the most underrated player in the NBA. People expect 23/10 from him, but he's capable of so much more. Once he's on a team with a coach who knows how to play bigs, he'll be right up there with the other MVP candidates. His career is wasting away in California, where the talent on that team is CRAZY, but the utilization of it is inexcusable.

That roster is stacked and should be a playoff team.

 

I see no avenues to obtain Cousins or Love.

We have to focus on what is available.