TRIGGER WARNING: Fans of the mid-range jumper should move along. I found an interesting blog post on how Harden and MDA fit into Morey's concepts: Early returns on Moreyball Basically, the author looks at two stats -- FTA rate (FT attempts per FG attempt) and 3PA rate (3PT attempts per FG attempt) -- that he sees as key to Moreyball. It turns out that there are only five players in the league who shoot lots of threes AND draw lots of fouls. In that short list, the only stars are Harden and Kevin Love. (The other three are Jonathan Gibson, Norm Powell and PJ Tucker). MDA's successful Phoenix teams always ranked near the top in 3PA, but were mediocre in FTA because Nash wasn't as adept at drawing fouls as Harden is. Anyway, it's an interesting read (with charts!). Here's a sample: "However, ultimately given the meld of FTA rate, 3PA rate, and usage, it’s clear that James Harden is incomparable. No other player in the league can match the patterns of the singular physical embodiment of Moreyball."
The fact that Morey chose Harden as his franchise's cornerstone player is not a coincidence. They are a match made in heaven.
Actually it is kind of a coincidence. Presti I believe had two other offers on the table before moving on to Houston's offer. DM, as we know, is a star-hunter. He wants stars, regardless of fit to an extent. He might have changed his tune there a bit in the last 12 months. But that's certainly what he was building towards. Remember, DM chased Carmelo Anthony hard at one point. Not exactly a Moreyball player. It so happened to work out that this was the perfect match in philosophy. Let's see if that philosophy can get us a ring.
