This title shows that the Harden show can work if..

If...we get Lebron to sign here

 

... Harden could definitely play the Kyrie role.

 

Durant couldn't even help the Thunder and they have Westbrook. What's makes you think that he would do better here with Harden?

 

that's because LeBron is the cornerstone of the Cavs. The rest of the guys are role players or pieces that complete the team. You lose some pieces and add some other pieces. The Harden show can work. I think the Rockets will be fine next season. We'll turn a corner.

 

The cavs won that ring with defense. Harden is no LeBron.

 

The Cavs drafted Kyrie, LBJ, and Tristan Thompson with high draft picks. Used their FA money on role players and traded for Love, using another high draft pick. They beat the Warriors whose core is also high draft picks, not FA star chasing. The Warriors beat the Thunder, whose core is their own high draft picks. There is a theme going on. Draft and develop, dont always buy (star chase)

 

1. When was the only time okc went to the finals? Who was kd playing with?
2. Who was kds number two when okc went to the wcf this year
3. Who is hardens number two when the rox was in the wcfs last year

 

This thread quickly turned into a bash Harden thread. Do you people not understand that if you put another efficient 25+ point scorer next to Harden and a defensive minded team next to the two scorers then the team would be able to compete with everyone else? I mean this season our 5th leading scorer was Marcus Thornton with 10 points a game. Last season? Our 8th leading scorer was Patrick Beverley with 10 points.

In the playoffs? Our 3rd leading scorer was Michael Beasley with 10 points. Last season in the play offs? Terrence Jones was out 6th leading scorer with 10 points. Do you notice the thing? Harden's defensive effort is not the problem. Harden not chasing down blocks like Lebron is not the problem. We have Trevor Ariza and even Corey Brewer to chase down blocks. What we don't have are players who can step up and have big games. Last season we did.

Still, even if we do obtain this secondary star a championship isn't guaranteed and we aren't entitled of a WCF appearance. Some of you guys sound entitled.

 

Then who is?

 

the okc series already showed that they were capable to putting GS on the brink of elimination with two guys like KD/WB that need the ball in their hands. they just didn't close it out.

 

Lebron, Igoudala, Aldridge all signed as free agents.

J.R., Kawhi, Love, Bogut all traded for and re-signed

Kyrie, Duncan, Westbrook, Durant, Thompson all were top 5 picks in the draft

Green, Ibaka were all late draft picks that 4/5th of the league passed on




It's a mixture. You can get your superstar anyway and you can build your team anyway. We traded for Harden who was a top 5 pick, we signed Howard who was a #1 pick, we drafted Motiejunas and Parsons who were late picks. We signed Ariza, Asik, Lin who were all solid role players. We picked up Smith for the cheap. We traded for Brewer by using a guy we signed from the d-league as a piece.

We build our team right without every picking lower than 12 in the draft. The problem is though that Dwight peaked before we signed him unexpectedly, Parsons left us for an over priced contract, Lin and Asik both felt alienated and couldn't be professional about their roles on the team, Ariza, Brewer, and Smith all regressed the following years, and Motiejunas suffered a severe injury.

**** happens, but we've been building a solid team and the two biggest exampled of that are 2014 and 2015. 54 wins and 56 wins. A trip to the WCF.

Did the Spurs build their team wrong because they went out in the first round in 2011 and 2014?

 

Harden doesn't need to chase down anyone or even get blocks. He just needs to stay in front of his man. End of story.

 

He is out Kyrie on defense and offense, now we need to find our other James.

 

Lol exactly what I was going to post.

DD

 

Count Down until the Harden Gang attacks this thread...

T_Man

 

LMAO, do people here seriously think Lebron is still some kind of great defender? His D has been not up to par for years now. Just because he occasionally showcases chase down blocks doesn't make him a great defensive player.

The fact is Cavs won the championship with their three core players playing weak defense. Best offense beats best defense every single time in basketball, and this time it was no different.

 

The takeaway from these Finals, for the Rockets, should still be more about the Warriors, then the Thunder.

I mean the Warriors won a ring already, and were so close this year.

The takeaway is be supreme offensively, but bigger. The Warriors should have lost to the Thunder, and lost to the Cavs, because they just weren't big enough. Especially with Bogut out. Thomson went to work. Ibaka, Adams and Kanter did damage the last series where they should have lost.

Harden will NEVER be Lebron. If we want to have a take away from the Cavs, it should be pair Harden up with someone like Kwahi, not that he can be our Lebron.

Since we aren't getting Kwahi (or Lebron), then we need another dynamic offensive creator/scorer/playmaker, and big, versatile athletic bigs.

Lol, it isn't what it was, but if you watched every game of this Finals, you know Lebron put on a defensive masterpiece of a performance. Not just the blocks, of which there were many. But the Warriors didn't just get tight. They had Lebron switching. Lebron was put on Green, and Green typically was the Warriors key pick guy. Because the Curry/Green pnr is so so good. But with Lebron on Green, that went out the window. Then Lebron played Green pretty well generally anyway.... last night they basically purposefully let him go off. In hindsight, pretty good idea. All of which ignores the defensive rebounding, steals, etc.

 

The Cavs had two of the all-time greatest performances in Finals history, and had a top 3 best player ever. Harden won't be able to come close to what LeBron did in the Finals and the Rockets don't have an Irving.

 

LeBron is still a great defender, he just can't bring it every night after 13 years in the league. He's a great defender when he needs to be.

 

Realistically Harden can play the Irving role for a better star on a championship team, but he isn't Lebron and not likely to ever be.