I'm guessing he may end up dropping out last minute. Harden needs to slim down and properly rehab for next season.
True Playing hurt has never been a problem for James But even Ironmen like Kobe & LeBron couldn't avoid injuries in their 30s Welcome to middle age Harden ... enjoy!! Playing OFF when off-ball is a concern Playing DEF anywhere but low-post is a major issue Playing well in Elimination games is a Nets fan's pipedream
Christ, man! Some of these people remember a couple of games in which Harden had one or two bad possessions after he carried the team the whole season. And specifically against Golden States, you had all these great defenders -Green, iguodala, Klay, Livingstone - all focused pretty much exclusively on him for the whole game leaving everybody else pretty much open and he got them the ball and nobody else could even make a three, and then at the end he barely comes short with a team that either has injuries to a key player like CP3 or a liability in Russ, and yet to some it's always Harden's fault. Just like this year when he plays on one leg with Kyrie hurt and KD going all hero ball, and of course it's his fault. Some people...
Rehab, hang out with Durant, and also come into the season in good shape. Last two seasons have been limited and COVID has made it difficult…why not head over and see if he can get in better shape playing with the best in the world. Makes sense to me. Of course…he does open himself up to a ton of criticism if he struggles next year and the Nets don’t win again. Then again, at that point, he Kyrie, and KD can just move on out of town and find somewhere else to set up shop and try and win one…probably not in the best interests of Nets fans to go in too hard on the three of them.
it's the face nest, too heavy causing all those unnecessary injuries. his selfish branding has cost the nets a potential ring.
I And they never played on those injuries. Off ball has never been why we never won. Another false narrative. See last playoffs. Lol there would be no elimination games if he was healthy.
Harden to himself: Hmm, I got a grade 2 hammy in the regular season. I came back in the playoffs and injured it again. I rested a bit and decided to play hurt against the Bucks but didn't have the leg to shoot well. I am going to be 32 soon. SO, I SHOULD PLAY FOR THE USA THIS SUMMER!
I didnt think it was a smart decision. I dont agree. Though @RayRay10 has made a good point about it.
One of the things I love about Harden: If you give him a chance to ball, he will ball. Injuries be damned. Same in Brooklyn as was in Houston. He doesnt care what others say. That being said its not always the smartest of decisions. His body is not that young anymore and he needs rest to fully heal.
Why are people acting like the Olympics start next week or that it’s gonna be some grueling task? his hamstring is an issue now, but will have healed by the time the Olympics start…if Kyrie never gets injured, I doubt Harden would’ve played at all this series and wouldn’t have returned until like midway through the ECF or even start of the finals, but the Nets had no chance of beating Milwaukee with just KD and role players, so he had to rush back the Olympics will literally just be traveling to Tokyo for some light practices, and then playing 20 minutes or so a game against overmatched teams
and this is why stats dont tell the full story, you have to also watch the games. By the way, im not saying Giannis is not a great player, but he has serious limitations that puts his team in lots of trouble. He was still great through 3 quarters, but when it matters, he cant have the ball in his hands because he is not reliable at the line, while KD carried the whole offense on his shoulders, especially when it matters. KD played like the best player in the league.
24.2 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 5.4 APG, 2.5 SPG, 0.6 BPG on .423/.314/.800 splits with 4.5 TOV/g That is Harden's AVG elimination stat line Arguably the most efficient scoring machine in NBA history turns into Russ WestBRICK when it matters most ... but without the boards, dimes and hustle Barely break even in AST-to-TO ratio? That's a LOT more than a couple bad possessions 80% from the line? Best DEF teams in the world have nothing to stop dude from hitting freebies, yet a 7% drop Barely comes short? May I present The People's exhibit A: Spurs Game 6 Despite Kawhi being out, we got this gem: 2 for 11, and only took 2 shots inside 3pt line 7 AST to 6 TO -28 while he's on the court Lose by 39 A player of his caliber isn't barely falling short when he has yet to start a single Finals game That is chronic underachievement We've seen the heart of a champion here before Dream cemented his legend in closeout games The Stros are full of badasses whose nuts swang low and free when the pressure cranks up Don't have to look too closely to see James shriveling up once the stakes are highest
as much as i dislike Harden, i don't think you can blame him for this series. He was brave. He was injured and still tried to ball. He was awful , but for once, i don't think this is a choke job, he just couldn't move.
Brave? Soldiers and Test Pilots are brave James showed up for work when his knee was sore ... Let's not glorify him for being tougher than Kyrie
