I really just sit back and laugh at all these takes of "Harden would be so much better off the ball". You have the most devestating offensive players of all time in an isolation and PNR set, and you choose to neuter him or "have him sacrafice" Its just flat out stupid.
I agree that Harden’s talent hasn’t been maximized so far. Why it hasn’t been maximized is the question. Does Silas truly wish to neuter Harden THIS much? Or is Harden being super passive because he wants out? We probably never find out honestly.
I'm in the middle on this debate. We know Harden is at his best when he is the entire offense. The problem, is that it doesn't win in the playoffs. Maybe it's like being a righty and finally starting to use your left hand to finish on driving left. You know for the first few months or years that you would make more if you just shot with your right, but if you can master the left, your ceiling as a player will be higher.
Late response, but wanted to clarify. James Harden is obviously not a role player. But he’s basically being asked to be one in this system. Watching the games, he seems like the third option at times deferring to Wall and Wood. If the ball was moving and we were playing team ball, I was fine with Harden’s production dipping. But I didn’t know it would dip THIS much — to where he *feels* like a role player on this team. Hence why I created the thread, to point out that this could be something to watch. And after tonight’s Laker game, that continues to be true. Lastly. 17/11 IS role player production. Like really? Dude won’t make the all-star team in the West averaging that low in points, regardless of the assists.
As we all did at that point. How do you think Silas should utilize Harden to make the team most successful.
While this is a very good point, Harden would still be the one leading the team while Wall would play 1B to Harden's 1A similar to Paul did in the 2017-2018 season and playoffs until he got hurt, FML. I am worried that Wall could have a similar wearing down to Paul, Westbrook, Dragic, etc. but I am hoping Silas can get to a point where he only plays Wall 32-34 minutes a night somehow. Still Wall's play style gives out and takes a lot of contact so it remains to be seen if he can keep it together all season. If we do somehow make it to the playoffs and are a respectable seed AND John Wall is healthy in the playoffs, he has had some amazing games as a college player and a pro when the lights were brightest. He does not shy away from the big games and has easily out produced his regular season stats in the playoffs, historically. Granted, his playoff career is a fairly small sample size but it does show you that he is a very capable playoff player. There are certain guys that just elevate their game in the playoffs and hope Wall is still one of those players. Still remains to be see since the league has changed quite a bit since then and he was the 1A on his team but I think that is a good sign that Wall will produce and produce well in the playoffs, assuming we can make it?
Definitely hope this is true. We all know what Harden is capable of and I do agree to an extent that our best chance of winning is a combination of isolation, pick and roll w/ Harden/Wood or Wall/Wood. Need to find the right balance of isolation vs. team ball and have more ball movement than in the past but role players have to be able to knock down shots and be positives on offense for that to work. I expect a much better performance from Harden on Tuesday. Had some rough TO's that I think will be corrected. Lakers defense was playing very well and we also weren't able to get out in transition since everything was falling for them. Gordon playing like garbage was a killer (4 TO's?). He has been playing pretty well overall making the right play except his shooting has been terrible obviously. Not sure if Nwaba is really making that much of a difference on defense right now to warrant minutes? If his defense isn't affecting games enough, then I think we should play Brown, Bmac and Gordon more instead of Nwaba. I love his 2-way potential but we aren't really getting enough stops anyways with Nwaba on the court to offset his lack of shooting so far. Still think he is capable of being respectable but if we are not getting out in transition while Nwaba is on the court then he becomes a liability. Need Cousins to play 20-25 minutes a night somehow. I really think he is what we need in that 2nd unit just has to figure out how to stay on the floor. Still would like to see Cousins and Wood on the court together for stretches of the game.
This board is filled with an all-or-nothing mentality. Regardless, no team is going to win it all with a predictable offense. Deep down everyone knows this. So they resort to the next best thing; Claim your team is a contender, let your star player throw up ridiculous stats, claim ref bias when your team loses and bemoan when the star player doesnt win MVP.
It really seems like he mentally checked out. Not getting to the free throw line is a pretty obvious tell.
Also now averaging 20/10 on just 39% FG through the 5 games he’s played with John Wall. As a guard in the Western conference, he doesn’t make the all-star team with those splits. You still don’t think he’s been reduced to a role player in this system?
I think the Harden Era is over and the sooner everyone accepts it the better. It’s not about contending right now. Tillman has quit by Hiring a newbie HC and a first year GM to save $$$ ( his first priority). Everyone of the old guard (Morey, MDA & Westbrook) was already shown the door. Pretty obvious he wants out and he’s not going to fight Silas & Wall for more touches. He’s just hooping biding his time until he’s traded. I don’t feel sorry for him, he’s getting paid a king’s ransom to do it.
Double Curry at half court and he still had Klay or Durant.....side kicks of Harrison Barnes, Dray, Livingston, Iggy. Double team LeBron at half court and he still had KLove or Kyrie who could score at a high rate. Recently AD surrounded by my model to win.......bunch of 6’7”-ish players (so you can switch everything defensively). Rockets can’t really compete with these Lakers until they match those 6’8” players of LeBron, Kuzma, Morris, Harrell, that’s the heart of their team......throw in AD the mismatch as PF who can dominate as small ball center. Our heart of Wall, Eric Gordon, McLemore, Nwaba, S Brown are still a little small to contain them. Harden can still be doubled at half court or allowed to begin a set and be doubled......next Star up needs to be able to deliver from 10 feet out or at the rim with authority. Wood can be that but can it be sustained? He is still a little frail imo. Cousins helped last night but got himself taken out. House being out last playoffs vs the Lakers hurt a great deal and being out last night hurt as well. Tucker lacks any vertical hops to contesting any shots. Tucker has to lock down opponents when they have the ball near their waist level. Wall, Nwaba, S Brown, Eric Gordon, McLemore, Tucker need to do their damage shooting predominantly, because taking it to the rack plays right into the Lakers hands of getting blocked by AD or Kuzma, or Harrell or LeBron or Markieff. The only one I have confidence in shooting right now is McLemore, as far as high quantity or volume. Eric Gordon is shooting something like 29% from 3 right now........I know always on the cusp of a 45% streak. Fact of the matter is Harden always gets double-triple teamed in the playoffs and lacks another star to help carry the burden. At least one that can stay healthy through the playoffs. If I’m the Lakers or any other team I’m just going to pack the paint in the playoffs with a zone to beat the Rockets. Kinda hard to perform all the ball movement well when teams have the paint packed. The Rockets 3-point shooting is too iffy. Box and one. The one defender shadowing McLemore. That defense stopped the Heat when LeBron linked up with Bosh and DWade. Zone with Mike Miller shadowed. ______________________ So in summary: 1) multiple stars win a championship nowadays. 2) decent to good 3-point shooters of high volume. (Sub 36% shooters will be asked to beat them by knocking down high volume of 3’s......prove they can beat you vs the star player......over a series of games) 3) many 6’6” to 6’9” mobile players to switch everything defensively. 4) SF/PF that can move to “Small-Ball” center. Bucks are going to play Giannis at center in the playoffs, Nets are already saying they will move Durant over to Center like the Hampton 5 GSW’s did, in the playoffs. Rockets have Wood for that. Instead of being pushed under the rim, Wood can front AD; Popovich liked fronting a bigger player with a long armed player like Kawhi......but have another 6’7-ish player come along the back side to hamper the lob over the fronting player. That’s how we counter AD. Cousins may be too slow to guard AD out on the perimeter. Possibly play a zone in order to keep Cousins on the floor.
I don't thinks it's a good use of time debate around the fit of a player that does not want to be here. Blaming the coach who is the only one looking to win right now is the last stand of the Harden homerism on this forum. Respect yourself and the team, that man does not want to wear red.
And yet the results are the results..... Some of yall just lack imagination and/or convinced yourself whatever is the best for Harden's stats are also the best for the Rockets team. The greatest offensive player of a generation can't take his team to the finals once (talking about Rockets, not OKC)? Can't get us a bucket when the team is going 0 for whatever from behind the 3 point line?
