Harden - and how to build a championship team around him

But isn't that the position every team is in?

KD and Russ face the same delima

Cp3 and the clips do too

As do clev and lebron.

And those teams are a lot more top heavy than Houston is and we've had more recent succes than all Of them outside of the cavs who play in the east so it's a little differnt.

I think you have to stay with harden and try and steal one or two like we did in 94 and 95. No shame in that the Warriors are great but they won't last for ever. Shaq and kobe could have won for years and they didn't we all thought lebron and Wade wnd bosh would be the best team ever, they wernt.

Who knows what happens with GS in a year or two.

It's there time they prob got atleast one more year after this one of hit being completely ahead of the competition but I think teams will catch up to them faster than a lot of ppl think.

They are great but I'm not betting on them winning 4 or 5 chips in a row just don't see that happening it's to hard and take to much focus.

 

This is why you build through the draft.

We're never going to get the right players around Harden via free agency. Even just one of those type of versatile players is going to cost you a max contract.

We need to tank to get the right players.

 

No shame but Harden and Hakeem do not belong in one sentence.

 

Harden surrounded by four 3pt shooters is ideal. Morey has failed to give Harden a stretch 4 or 5 his entire time here in Houston. He's tried of course with Bosh, Love, and LMA, but he should be willing to get even role players who can do that like Ryan Anderson.

DMo's evolving into a stretch 5 but he never plays

 

So.... we are going for the Philly plan? Hope to be bad long enough to hit on the perfect draft pick?

 

Hey, look, I am not a guru or a prophet

and I started doubting Morey a couple of years ago

Well, everyone in the NBA started from Draft day 1.

The best way is not to stay irrelevant like the 6ers but build through the draft

like the Utah Jazz (I hate to say the Jazzholes' name) or younger days OKC
I'd still go with KD, WB and Reg Jax than with Harden any day, every day

Then rise after a couples year rather than suck every year

 

No mention of needing Harden to improve on defense.

Just building around him wouldn't work unless he improves.

I think for this idea to have a chance.

Harden has to focus more on defense and work on becoming a two-way player.

Expanding his play-book would help as well.

 

You wanna build a championship team around Harden? You're going to need to find two players that are better than him so he can be the third wheel. At the very least, you're going to need to acquire one elite talent, because Harden is a Robin not a Batman.

 

And my point is that there's quite a bit of luck and timing involved in what a young OKC team did. I'm sorry but the Jazz aren't on the same trajectory as OKC, without a big leap in player development and major trade.

You not only have to identify the talent, but have to be in a position to either have the number 1 pick (how many times has Philly missed out on that despite being absolute crap) or have teams pass up on the guy you want. It's really not that easy, which is why Cousins (despite his personality issues) hasn't been traded.

Which other team in the last 15 years has been as successful with multiple high lottery picks like the Thunder and even GS?

Everyone in the NBA started from the draft day 1, but one just needs to look at who has won championships and you'll find the NBA is a tough place to win without a superstar(s).

 

Bingo! He is very bad at being Batman..... Val Kilmer or George Clooney bad

Jury is out on Affleck

 

The Jazz are doing ok right now but they could be better of course.

Well, team concept is key.

You could argue that Morey's intention were good but his setbacks only

allowed him to build a borderline contender for a couple of years.

GSW showed you can have a rookie coach (Kerr) without much experience and still win big

Every little piece fits in this clock.... it is working perfectly in an uptempo system

I think teams like Houston forgot how to build a championship team but

because they won it 20 years ago, they are still hungry without having a

proper way to go about it.

The major piece in Harden does not look too good

 

Omg lol wtf. Harden wouldnt thrive in currys role and that team would have much more than 10 losses and probably no championship to speak of. It would be a different team
The fact that you only bring up usage as some kind of proof is...hillarious. Do you understand that Harden has had more Iso possesions this year than the whole warriors team has had? THE WHOLE TEAM!
LMAO.

Yes. Exactly. I posted the same in the kawhi- harden thread.
Due to hardens linimtations and flaws is extremely hard to construct a good team ,because he requires specialists and those specialists are often not elite players- and extremely hard to acquire.

Lol at DDs post about wanting a c who rim protects moves off the ball but doesnt clog the paint . lmao.


Anyway this is a championship team around harden

G.Hill. ( unavailable except for a player teagues caliber)
Harden
Durant
Ibaka (unavailable)
M. Gasol ( unavailable)

In this team everyone is a good defender except ofc from the obvious, everyone can shoot and everyone is a capable passer except ibaka.
That team is also impossible to make.

 

I can replicate it.

Conley (FA)
Harden
Durant(FA)
Horford(FA)
Capela

All of these players outside of Harden are capable defender, all of the three players outside of Capela can pass and shoot.


How would it work under the cap? Simple, trade anybody and everything outside of Harden and Capela for one of Conley or Horford. That's all we have to do. Conley has a 14 mill cap hold, Horford 18 million.

Let's lay we can only trade for Horford, who has a larger cap hold but is on the trade block. We do so in a team deal sending Howard, Ariza, Bev + picks out, whatever it takes.

This is how the cap would look, Durant 25 mill max, Conley 25 mill max, Horford 18 mill cap hold, Harden 17 mill contract, Capela 1.3 mill contract, 3.5 mill in roster cap holds. Equals 89.8 mill, the cap for next season is 89-90 mill. Boom.

But in all seriousness, as unlikely as that is, that type of scenario, as well as many others are possible this summer.

If we put together every asset we have outside of Harden and Capela, we should be able to find a quality player at the PG position on a cheaper contract instead of maxing Conley, players like (Holiday 10 mill, Teague 8 mill, Hill 8 mill, Oladipo 6 mill, Schroder 2 mill) that can all defend, shoot, pass well.

If we can acquire one of those PG's, as well as a couple of rotation worthy players on dirty cheap rookie contracts to pair with Harden, Capela, Harrell, we could go into free agency comfortably offering Durant and Horford max contracts to form a super team centered around Durant, Harden, Horford, quality PG, Capela, Harrell, some rookie contract and vet min players etc.

Morey has been planning for Durant for years now I hope he has something huge like that planned lol. But in reality Durant probably isn't coming anyways, but perhaps we could have a shot if we offer him a crazy super team with his choosing of a coaching staff (Brooks, Thibs, JVG)

 

Oh no. Conley is quite different from Hill. Conley wont fit well with Harden because he needs the ball in his hands. There will be again problems.

Anyway if Harden doesnt decide or remember or whatever to play again off the ball it will be very hard. But out of all the options in the league the best fit is G.Hill.

 

I would rather not build around Harden. He simply doesn't have the franchise player mentality that MJ, Dream, Duncan, and Garnett had.

In the context of a franchise, Harden is in the mould of Kobe, but slightly less talented, and there is no way a Shaq-like player would be willing to play alongside Harden after seeing what happened to Dwight.

 

I think in 15 years there will not be no Shaq or Hakeem like player.

They are that rare

 

Whilst this is true it's also not taking into account the quality of coach, the personnel on the roster and varying skill sets.

 

My point was we can build a roster similar to the one you listed, which you said was impossible.

Hill isn't unattainable. If we make the decision to clear house for two max players in free agency like Durant and Horford, the Rockets will have (Howard, Dmo, Ariza. Beverley, KJ, Jones etc + picks) all available in trades, I find it hard to believe we couldn't find a trade for G.Hill, even if we have to buy Teague off the Hawks to get him in a 3 way.

 

Howard will be available in trade now not in the summer. And most probably DMO as well (because if he takes his QO which he will be wise to do since with his injury no team is going to offer him a contract he deserves, he will be untradeable).

So if you want to get Hill better get him now.
I proposed a trade to send Dwight to Indy and get back Hill+ a first + Mahinmi + filler but noone liked it.

 

DD what about the most important side of the ball (defense). Not one mention.