James Harden wasn't allowed to play the way he usually plays when Silas took over the Rockets. He had a huge game against the Blazers and then was scolded by Silas and asked to play differently. He also took a back seat to Westbrook the second half of the season when Westbrook was here. He was scoring 38 points a game when Westbrook complained and Harden changed his game. With the Nets he took a secondary scoring role and became a facilitator and did well. He got hurt in the playoffs and was unable to workout or practice the off season going into next year, and was dealing with the Kyrie Irving situation. He played, but he also made it clear his hamstring wasn't great and he was out of shape. Everyone forgets that. He looks like he is in pretty good shape and this year will tell us if he is the same player still or has gotten old. The only thing I would really blame Harden for would be coming into camp with the Rockets his last year out of shape after they failed to trade him. He has been in shape the prior 6-7 seasons and played a mind game with the Rockets to try to force a trade. I don't have any criticism of him with the Nets or the Sixers. Kyrie Irving sabotaged that team, and Durant has asked to be traded too.
Harden is by his own admission in better shape than last season. He was injured in the playoffs and didn't get to play until close to training camp. His hamstring even bothered him going into the season, so the reality is that he was heavier last season than this season. Harden's weight and body has allowed him to play an extremely physical style of basketball, but it also gains weight easily.
"I'm good kitty kat. I slowed down the lard IV and the Sixers replaced my bacon fat smoothie with a fist of twizzlers." - James Fatden
'I need him to be James Harden too.' ______ Doc you're going to have to be much more specific with James than that.
The league is better when Harden is at his best. I hope he and the Sixers do well. Now the Nets, I hope they implode and we get great picks.
I don't understand all the hate Harden gets here. Yes, he will never be Hakeem level great but he was never touted as such and the expectations of him when he was traded here were very low, yet he surpassed them and then some. He put the Rockets franchise back on the map and turned us into competitors when we were stuck in NBA purgatory with no high draft picks and no real playoff expectations. I wish he had that extra level that many of the greats have but he just doesn't have the extra gear in his game. Despite that, he's still the second greatest Rocket of all time and there are 29 other NBA teams who would have gladly taken that in exchange for Kevin Martin.
Agree with all of this. How he left is definitely a factor in his perception. He doesn't help things by coming up small in the big moments
History is not favorable to CP3 yet he is still considered the point god. I agree but I just think he will never get a fair shake when it comes to the playoffs, there have been "stars" who have done much less but Harden gets defined by all of his bad moments or team losses.
I feel like James has gotten less acclaim and accolades for players he is on another level from. I’ve seen Reggie Miller, John Stockton, and Tony Parker/Manu Ginobili ranked ahead of him in different rankings. Even with Curry, I’d agree, his better but the margin is incremental.
Unfortunately, he is going to have to get a ring to validate his success in many people's eyes. Ring or not James had an amazing career with the rockets and gave me some amazing memories as well as painful lows.
Individually, "James Harden is better than Steph Curry" is a hill I'll die on, trying to defend. But Curry has just been in the spotlight more and has more accolades to his name. All Harden has, as far as "memorable," is his beard and 3-5 seasons' worth of stats for an "legitimately the best player in the NBA?" argument. And it seems like he's fallen off now. Curry has unlimited range, a unanimous MVP, played on a dynasty, moments where he's unstoppable in postseason games and, of course, titles. And it seems like he's playing as well as ever. Optics matter. And it doesn't help that, on-court Harden is forever seen as a foul-baiter and plays no defense, while off the court, he goes to clubs and strip bars and gets fat in the offseason. Curry, meanwhile, is a family man and his offense makes up for his defense, a treatment that Harden doesn't get.
