The “give me Harden over FVV” takes are embarrassing

Harden haters would sprout the stupidest sht to prop up fvv.

I dont give a fk if u dont want harden bc of past trauma but trying to defend the fvv overpayment is just stupid. Man is getting paid 40+ mil to just handle the ball and be a role model.

If u think harden is a choker I cant wait for u guys to defend fvv performances. If regular season performances aren't alarming enough just wait.
Getting 40+ mil to average: 14.1 Pts, 4.0 Reb, 5.7 Ast, 38.2 FG%

 

There is just so much misinformation here lol, its not really worth responding, but will say that obviously how much a player gets paid relative to his performance matters, no one but you will argue against that, that goes for every job, this is common sense. Maxey is not on a rookie contract, he is making $35M this year, you don't make $35M a year on a rookie contract.

 

One issue I noticed with FVV is he doesn't seem to connect on lob passes that well.

For comparison, the below are the total number of alley-oop finishes the Rockets have had (both layup and dunk finishes via alley-oop).

2021-2022 season: 50
2022-2023 season: 52
2023-2024 season: 8
2024-2025 season: 29

The Rockets might have changed their style of play, because Ime Udoka onboarded at the same time as FVV, but the drop in alley-oop conversion is quite staggering. The increase this season is largely due to Amen Thompson playing the dunker spot, but the Rocket's athletic abilities seem somewhat underutilised.

To Harden's credit though, no one is better at throwing lob passes than he is.

 

I wouldn't pick up the option, he's been terrible most of the season. It's time to move on from FVV.

Maybe pick up someone in FA for ~MLE money, maybe Tyus Jones? He's shot better than 42% from distance this year, has a 4.4:1 assist to turnover ratio and plays decent defense .... Getting him as a FA has the added benefit of hurting PHX - they'll really struggle to replace him as all they have is a minimum unless they get below the 2A when they trade Durant - They don't have bird or early bird rights on him so they'd have to use their MLE to sign him to anything above the minimum and they'd have to stay below the 2A for the entire season if they do. That could be problematic for them.

I'd also be looking to draft one of the handful of 6'5"+ point guards in the coming draft.

I really like Russian 6'9" point guard Egor Demin .... he's really crafty in the pick and roll and is a better shooter than the numbers suggest @ BYU. He also finishes really well at the rim & in the paint.

He should be on the board when the Rockets pick (assuming it's around 12).

 

reminded me of what Harden did to Enes Kanter

 

There isn’t “so much misinformation”. I read Maxey’s contract wrong. He got a max extension. This does not change my assessment and certainly does not change your ignorance on how contracts work. Your response shows You’re a petty idiot. The point is a contract has nothing to do with you as a fan evaluating a player. How much a player makes does not answer the question what mediocre is or what good is in a player. You simply provided no analysis but kept focusing on contracts. Stick to the topic here. seems like you can’t tell me what I asked you. It’s ok to listen to others assessment and humble yourself without a trash response. Btw Luka still makes more than Fred.

 

Harden is back to his elite self. I’m still a huge fan of his style of play. Even though going to LA was the right move. He has most definitely earned the respect of the clippers, and he had to earn it.

if he’d of come back to Houston, it would have been different situation. He maneuvered his way out of Houston. And there was an irreparable break in trust between the two parties.

it has taken Harden about 4 years to rediscover his basketball mojo…. But he’s playing exceptionally well right now.

 

but most of all he does not fit with what we are trying to do.

 

Curry and Durant are no slouches either......the peers are all doing pretty well......good for basketball overall.

 

I mean not many stars fit with a team trying to be one of the worst half court offenses in the NBA.

 

FVV and Jalen Green have the same win shares for the season so far.

I don’t think we should pick up his option but there’s a lot more to basketball than shooting.

 

Sure, there's more to the game than simply shooting but it is one of, if not the most important skills and FVV has shot poorly for most of the season.

Add to that his complete inability to finish at / near the rim. He has No Gravity as a result and that cripples the offense .... it's no wonder why this offense struggles so much - essentially 3 non shooters among the starting 5.

Guard play has been lacking and the majority of that is FVV along with the lack of a competent backup at either guard spot. Jalen has been pretty decent outside of the start of the season.

 

Context matters.

FVV is getting paid 40+ mil because:
1. The Rockets were below salary cap and had to give that money to somebody.
2. They needed an experienced PG to help develop a young team
3. They wanted a flexible contract that didn't lock them in long term.

Enter: FVV

Stop comparing Harden to FVV. Instead, compare the results. At the end of the day, that's all that matters.

The formula, as constructed, seems to be working. Go with it.

 

Agree to disagree. I feel you and other are exaggerating a bit. As @krosfyah just echoed above, FVV did his job for where the Rockets were. I'm not against resigning him, but would he needs to be a bench player for us to raise our floor and ceiling.

 

That’s not at all what I was referring to and not at all logical, factual, or rational as the topic is about fit due to style of play, culture, and mentality.

 

Also @BallSoHarden using salary to analyze player performance or abilities is just stupid

 

Well, that's why we need a lob-threat starting center. Sengun ain't it.

 

You never know. A lot of stuff can play in our favor if everything goes well this season.

 

I wouldn't say he's been terrible. He's been adequate, but if we're going to compete for titles, this is the most obvious position we need to upgrade.