if Cousins can get it on a team that never makes the Playoffs, then Harden should be in as a certainty
I just looked it up. The points/rebounds/assists that Harden is averaging has been done twice since the 1960's with Oscar Robertson. Once with Jordan, and once with Lebron. http://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/psl_finder.cgi?request=1&match=single&type=per_game&per_minute_base=36&per_poss_base=100&lg_id=NBA&is_playoffs=N&year_min=1971&year_max=2016&franch_id=&season_start=1&season_end=-1&age_min=0&age_max=99&height_min=0&height_max=99&shoot_hand=&birth_country_is=Y&birth_country=&birth_state=&college_id=&draft_year=&is_active=&debut_yr_nba_start=&debut_yr_nba_end=&debut_yr_aba_start=&debut_yr_aba_end=&is_hof=&is_as=&as_comp=gt&as_val=&award=&pos_is_g=Y&pos_is_gf=Y&pos_is_f=Y&pos_is_fg=Y&pos_is_fc=Y&pos_is_c=Y&pos_is_cf=Y&qual=&c1stat=trb_per_g&c1comp=gt&c1val=6.1&c2stat=ast_per_g&c2comp=gt&c2val=7.5&c3stat=pts_per_g&c3comp=gt&c3val=28.9&c4stat=&c4comp=gt&c4val=&c5stat=&c5comp=gt&c6mult=1.0&c6stat=&order_by=ws
Harden is iffy for 2nd team, but definitely will get at least 3rd. CP3 will almost certainly get 2nd team. He's averaging essentially 20/10 and keeping the Clippers competitive when Blake has been MIA. I've seen projections of CP3 even getting 1st over Westbrook. Then it will be a battle between Lowry, Lilliard, Thompson, and Harden. In that order... Pts/Assists/Rbs/TOs 21.2/6.5/4.7/2.9 25.1/6.9/4.0/3.2 22.2/2.1/3.8/1.7 28.9/7.5/6.1/4.6 Harden has a clear cut lead in stats over all those guys but the one thing hurting him is his team's record. It will come down to how much record really matters for All-NBA. Cousins was the ONLY player who didn't make the playoffs and made an All-NBA team last year. In the past, we've seen guys like Kevin Love make it in Minny and I believe Goran Dragic barely missing the playoffs still got him on 3rd team.
Yes, he's the second leading scorer in the league. This is one reason why people do not like the media, being All-NBA is an individual honor but people will chastise him because the team didn't have the most success despite Harden carrying this team night in and out. Klay Thompson, the one people are trying to force into that spot is one of the most inconsistent players in the league. He's more Trevor Ariza than James Harden. James deserves to be NBA first team because he's the best shooting guard in the league and putting anyone else in that guard spot would be an insult to the real basketball fans. And if Cousins can be all nba without making the playoffs, certainly James can get it when being an eigth seed
I would accept second team if they are going with the two guard format, which I think is stupid, and go with Westbrook as the second guard on first team
I'm not too interested in awarding any great individual performances that come at the expense of team chemistry. Whoopy-doo at his great stats. He's squeeking into the playoffs on the last game, has quit on defense, and heads a dysfunctional team that has been shown in the past to be capable of greatness when the players work together. Cousins you can say is a great player on a team that doesn't have enough talent to make the playoffs, though that's debatable. There is no debate about the potential of the Rockets team that went to the WCF last year. Harden is not a good player on a bad team. He's a good player on a dysfunctional team. No awards for that.
Lowry is definitely better, and he's the best player on a playoff team. Lillard is meh, not a good defender. Klay I could see either way. None of those guys came into camp out of shape though, so there's that.
Sad that the team disappointed so much. Harden's individual accomplishments are being pulled down by that fact. His season is actually up there with some of the all time greats. Lebron and Jordanesque numbers.
This will be a summer of reflection for Harden...... reflection off the chrome stripper poles at Dreams.
People are holding his start of the season against him too much. Obviously has been one of the 10 best players in the league for the last couple months. Still think he should get 3rd Team at least, but if he misses out entirely, hell...maybe it'll be good for him this offseason. We shall see.
I was wondering this as well. Not sure the answer, but the closest scenario I can recall is Monta Ellis scoring 25 a game and not even making the All Star team.
Hey guys, pick from this list of players you would want on your team. I'd pick Kyle Lowry and Damian Lillard over James Harden because their teams have better players and have won more games. That makes sense Bill Simmons: I can't pick James Harden because I believe he got McHale fired. How many 5-man teams would there have to be before Dwight Howard is selected? Ariza? That's the '15-'16 Rockets for you.
looks liek Jerry Stachouse in 2001; he probably should have made it, although he really didn't do much other than score.
Only 10 people in the history of the NBA have ever averaged at least 28 points and 7 assists in a season. If you add his 6 rebounds, then that number drops to only 6 (Jordan, Oscar, Bird, LeBron, Havlicek, and Westbrook). If you take Harden's actual stats (28.9 ppg, 7.5 assists, and 6.1 rebounds), the number of players in NBA history who have averaged that is: 3. Michael Jordan did it once. LeBron James did it once. Oscar Robertson did it 6 times.
10 years ago he would based on qtys... but in a league that is placing an increasingly heavy emphasis on efficiency - no.... add to that all time turnover record.... fringe playoff team after wcf.... and - no. I hope he gets snubbed and learns from it... maybe next year he will let somebody else play pg and he will be happy to be the sg.... and hopefully next year DM let's somebody else coach and he will be happy being the gm...
