The guy is definitely making a case for an MVP, the guy's numbers is just unbelievable and to think he is only 25 is crazy
He has to keep it up all year. Not only that the whole team will have to keep playing out of their minds. Tough to do as we are not a deep bench. Harden though has more than stepped his game up and is deserving of this premature MVP talk.
He's not playing PG. He's playing combo and main playmaker. In our system we don't need a PG at all. The ball tactic discussion on this forum still can't catch up with MOREY's blueprint.SMH.
So you didn't expect a 23 year old who became a first time starter and got his own team to improve? So you didn't think a guy who went 1st Team All NBA and 5th in MVP voting at age 24 essentially without playing defense could improve? Ummm..that is pretty narrow minded. I spent the whole off-season defending Harden as someone who would get much better. The guy is a basketball junkie. He just needed to mature. Why guys like you are willing to write the book on a 25 year old with that much talent who loves basketball is beyond me. He told you he was gonna do just what he has done. Nothing he has done has surprised me this. He has been telling everybody this is coming with the Team USA interviews. Sit back and enjoy the ride
Canaan and D mo are part of the bench and will be back there soon. If D mo would show a pulse with Canaan, JET, and Kostas the bench will be ok. A playoff rotation is only 7-8 deep anyway. If the bench keeps playing D like they are and moving the ball like they are, they will be fine. There are some knockdown shooters there and guys with no fear (JET, Canaan, Kostas, and Daniels).
How many super talented 23 year olds come along that never get it and become the transformational players they thought they should be? MANY. I thought Harden was just going to be another Ray Allen. I never thought he'd be the guy you build around. I thought he'd be one cog and if you had 3 or more superstars it could work. Talk is cheap. This guy - if he sustains what he has started doing - is showing he is can be the kind of star that can lead role players deep into the playoffs - on the level of a Bryant or Rose. There's a difference between guys like that and a Curry/Allen/Westbrooke The difference isn't just hard work or commitment, it's an understanding of the game and how all the pieces work together. Harden is showing two things I haven't really seen from him before. Total Commitment on both ends of the floor, and an uncanny ability to set-up his teammates for ridiculously easy shots. He's evolving by leaps and bounds in front of our eyes. He was not this player in the Portland series. Something really changed this summer and even in the 6 games he's showing improvements. His passing isn't just more spectacular, it's smarter. He's driving with the INTENTION of getting his TEAM to score. It's no longer about getting to the line. He still does that but his passing out of double teams has improved a lot. His court vision has improved. His off the ball movement has improved. I guess I am more of a wait and see type of person - impress me than I will say ok, I'm impressed. Harden has impressed me. It's very exciting. Despite Harden shooting under 40%, he's a big reason why the team is shooting around 50%.
I like this part the most. I think he accepted the responsibility that it's on him and Howard now. With Chandler etc gone, the team is full of either new guys or young guys. He did not pout or complain. He just got working. That FIBA World Cup experience might have been the best therapy for him, gave him a new start, and encouragement from veteran coaches that he respected. Basketball became fun again. He always had that uncanny ability to whip a pinpoint pass from one side of the court to the other since his OKC days. He did it with Lin and Parsons too. This time with Ariza, Bev and Terry, they've been dead-eye. I think part of his maturity is he's buying in to the game plan of the coaches. McHale insisted after that Philly game where they bottled up Dwight, that the weak side was open all night long. Then next game vs MIA, that's where James would send his long passes. Vs Spurs, we suddenly whip out the pick and roll by design. And with the Spurs staying home on shooters, Harden keeps lobbing it to Dwight.
the only reason harden brings the ball up so much, is because we don't have a PG with great handles, they're all combo guards. If we did, harden would start his playmaking in the half-court more, so we would cut down on those dang turnovers, which lead to easy buckets for the other team, a 4 point turnaround. TMAC didn't even bring the ball up all the time, rafer did because he had better handles. and tmac had better handles that james. so saying he aint a PG is not an insult to him, its just not going to cut it against teams with good transition Ds, good perimeter Ds...
I think Bev and Canaan can bring up the ball just fine. I just think this early, we're still installing the offense, so by default everyone gives it to Harden to run. So far, so good. if Harden gets really tired, he will give up the ball and ask one of the guys to facilitate. Good defenses can deny James from getting the ball with a double-team. When that happens, you give the ball to Harden from the rebound to avoid this. I don't know, but maybe Canaan can be Harden's understudy when it comes to 3s and drives, and Papa can study the way he passes. Sooner or later, we will have to rely on the bench (maybe foul trouble). At this time, it's still discombobulated. Hopefully a leader (like Terry) comes up, and everyone else gets organized behind him.
What I'm liking about Harden is his defense. I watched the Utah, Miami and TNT broadcasts this season and each time the broadcasters started out talking about Harden being a liability on defense and each time there opinions changed by the end of the game. Harden has stopped a number of fast brakes this season by himself. On top of playing solid man defense he is being a disrupter on defense with almost a steal and a half a game and almost a block and a half a game.
It's only been 6 games but I think just 'Running' it doesn't give him enough credit. This is the best the team has played in the past 3 years.
It's simple - addition by subtraction Lin and Parsons took a lot of possessions off Harden. Lin because he had to run the 2nd unit and was paid big money to be a PG and Parsons because he was playing for that contract. And we all know that those 2 are nowhere near as effective or as efficient as Harden when it comes to the team scoring off each possession. Harden starts off each possession knowing exactly what he is going to do. It's really beautiful to watch. If he cuts down on his TO's, and increases his A/TO ratio to > 2 (currently 1.65), no reason why he can't be the MVP.
Haven't been able to catch any games this year. It sounds like his defense is really stepping up by all accounts. I'm curious what specifically is he doing better on D? Is it effort? Not ball watching? Moving his feet? Rotating well?
A very very reasonable take. Isn't watching beautiful Rockets basketball a wonderful thing? The reason I watched so many Spurs games over the years was that the ball was never sticky in anyone's hands but Parker's.
A little bit of all that. The biggest difference is that he is obviously taking pride in his defense early this season. It's apparent that he really took all the "No D" ribbing to heart and he didn't like it.
