Stephen A. Smith and Max Kellerman discuss which players are better than Harden

The unfortunate truth is Harden needs a MVP and finals MVP before he gets any respect. He also probably needs a "moment" where he wills his team to some huge clutch victory.

 

Agree 100%

 

I've been watching a lot of basketball recently.
Lebron is not Lebron, he is a step slower and has his foot is out the door. He is playing without heart. I wouldn't put his top 5 right now.
Curry has also not been playing well recently. Kerr recently said the team is mentally fried. KD has been playing well, best player on the Warriors right now. However warriors have lost by 20 to the Clippers and Thunder and 30 to the Jazz recently. How can you say someone on the Warriors is the best player in the NBA when they are only 1/2 game ahead of the Rockets with 4 all stars on their team.
Kawahi has been out all season, why is he in the conversation.

Harden is #1, KD is a close #2 and then there is a big gap.

 

Unfortunately being a clown seems to be what earns ratings now.

 

Harden is clearly a better player than LeBron, but he is not better than Curry or Durant.

The reason:

Warriors have 4 stars to share one ball.

I am always talking about playoffs.

 

All the pro sports media does is either suck up or troll.

 

underrated is better, let the results tells it all..

 

Why do I always feel like I got dumber watching Kellerman talk? I mean he contradicts himself constantly - listen to him. I WOULD PUT ANTHONY DAVIS AHEAD OF HARDEN BUT NOT GIANNIS BECAUSE GIANNIS HASN'T LED HIS TEAM TO BE DOMINANT. Since when has AD? I mean for christ sake man, listen to yourself. Reminds me of this:

 

LOL just like harden won't fit with cp3 amirite

Harden fit well in OKC with KD & WB

harden fit well in Team USA

replace Curry in 2015 or KD in 2017 he still fits

question is can curry in 2015 or kd in 2017 carry the rockets as far as harden did?

 

Giving reasoned and knowledgeable takes on television doesn't make you money.

 

Max Kellerman has herpes. I mean, look at the cover up job on his cold sore. There I said it.

 

Harden is by far the best offensive player on the planet right now and has been for about two seasons now. Curry is the best shooter, but he is no where near Harden's level as a play maker. I'll entertain the argument that Westbrook, James and Durant are better two way players but the difference is less pronounced this season than it has been in the past. I get that it all comes down to him proving it in the playoffs but to say he's the 6th or 7th best is lunacy.

Also the fact that these yutzes list Kawai here and not Paul George is one of those things that makes me wonder how much NBA they actually watch. George has actually produced this season and is every bit the difference maker on the defensive end that Leonard is, and is shooting 42% from the arc.

 

Well said, Mikol. It doesn't hurt to complain about that network's lazy absurdities, either, as it continues the slide into irrelevance. Glad you did.

 

WB winning 8 less games inspite of having Oladipo

should put Harden vs WB debate to rest

 

They each said said Harden was in their top 5-7. But then they both said Harden was the favorite to win MVP.

I mean, whatever. It's just talk. Their opinions shouldn't carry any more weight than any random basketball fan.

 

You act like he's doing lines of coke off stripper's boobs and going to scrip clubs at halftime or instead of practice.

What he (legally) does on HIS time is not the league's fkn business.

 

These are the same guys, that were putting Isaiah Thomas' ass up there with the best just because he was scoring points in the 4th quarter at an insane rate.

Let them make their lists, I'm going to be more than happy when Harden and CP3 prove them wrong in the playoffs this year.

And of course they wouldn't be willing to mention the fact that Harden is top 10 in steals this season, While Steph can't even crack the top 15.

 

Until people are confident he wont randomly fade in a big playoff game, the criticism is fair.

 

Until you stop using random idiots' random confidence samplings as a barometer, you will never find happiness or fairness in life.

 

One more comment about "the system" - int he pace & space era, the Rockets are freaking 9th in pace at 98 a game, which is about 2 < last year.

The span from top to bottom in pace is about 100 (warriors) to 94 (grizz). Contrast this with the early D'Antoni 2005 - 96 (suns) to 87 (pacers).

Literally every single team in the leage, even the slow ones, has adopted the "system"