Harden: "Dwight and I are the cornerstones of the Rockets. The rest of the guys are role players..."

Note to Chris Parsons:

 

With all the hate directed at Harden for his defense, I'd like to think he cares enough to change that this season. We'll see...

 

^^^

Whoops. Double post.

 

He thinks his brother is a cornerstone piece lol

 

Dwight howard is a cornerstone. You can build around him. Try to minimize his flaws with a good team. Get a nice stretch four. Figure out how to limit hack a dwight.

James Harden is a good sixth man. He is a great offensive spark off the bench. And that is it. I'm just going to say it. Dude is a laughingstock around the league. There are dozens of videos of him standing there while people run around him and score. Or he stands there in a daze while the guy he is supposed to be guarding sneaks away like a ninja, catches the ball right under the hoop and lays it in. When we play teams, they gameplan on how they are going to get some scrub to go off against Harden.

His offensive game consists of driving the lane and trying to run into people so that he can take foul shots. This sucks because 1. It inflates his numbers in the regular season and then fails in the postseason. 2. it looks bad. 3. it feels bad. hard to be proud or excited over another flop.

Ban me or whatever. I'm just sick of Harden's arrogance. Everyone's been giving him a pass saying that he's young. Saying he will 'step it up' on D one day. I don't think so. I don't think he has the stamina to play at an elite level both ways. If he ever does play at the level of defense you need to win a championship, his offense will fall off a cliff.

Meanwhile, he makes all the players around him look worse. He interrupts the flow of offense. He ball hogs. And all of his teammates have to expend MORE energy on defense to cover for him.

Now... he's killing team chemistry with his arrogant public statements. We just sign Trevor Ariza and James Harden has already managed to insult him to the bone. Welcome to the team... 'role b****'.

i would take trevor Ariza, omer asik, patrick beverley, jeremy lin, chandler parsons, DMo, any of those guys over james harden. You know why? Cause basketball is a two way game. And its a team game. Whats the point of having some nut on the court who just stands there on defense and then manipulates your offense so he can pad his stats?

AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

 

lol. Minutes per game played be damned

 

It's so stupid that Chandler is speaking his mind through his brother's twitter account. What a lame POS. OWN UP TO YOUR DAMN COMMENTS

 

This whole offseason has been so damn bizarre. It can't get any worse, right guys?
........
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guys?

 

Youthful indiscretion... hopefully.

I cringed when I read Harden's comments. It is not uncommon for young athletes -- especially standout talents -- to beat their chests while exclaiming their importance to a team's success. Macho. Most, as they grow older, mature; one meaning of mature being the realization that words are not as important as actions. If you're good, you don't have to say you are. Everyone can see it.

I would better use the word "class" when putting this into context, using 2 examples/perspectives:

1) Suppose you have 2 athletes with very equal, and above average capabilities. One is quick to talk about his capabilities and isn't very considerate of teammates feelings, while the other, downplays his own importance, yet, when in action, plays with the confidence that he has those abilities. If he says anything about his teammates, he is supportive and complements their contribution to the team. Which one do most people "like" more? I would suggest the one who is more humble and inclusive of his/her teammates. Which leads to perspective #2.

2) Just to pick 2 players to make an arbitrary and relative scale for "class," let's say the lower end of the scale is someone "like" Kobe Bryant and the upper end of the scale is someone "like" Hakeem Olajuwon. The middle is obviously, the middle and would be less than consummate, but greater than total egoistic. If you asked me where on that scale to place "a" player who made the comments Harden made, I'd put him between the middle and the lower end of the scale, not between the middle and the upper end. Some might argue that it could be a middle scale comment, being a mix of negative and positive connotation. My gut just didn't get a positive feeling from Harden's words. (For Kobe fans, substitute whatever player you think lacks "class" and vice versa for Hakeem. I think the point can be understood regardless of which players you put at the ends of the scale.)

The phrase "role player" has meaning mostly in a context. Describing any player as a role player probably isn't taken negatively by itself. But when said by a person who describes himself as a "cornerstone" in contrast, the connotation is more derogatory. The accuracy of the comment becomes less important than the effect it can have on relationships. Again, it is relative. If the word peon, for instance, is used instead of role player, (and I'm not saying that is what Harden meant by role-player) it would be quite counter-productive for relationships and team chemistry, I think. But even the meaning of "lesser" is a possible eggshell. Connotation is important. Role-players win games, too -- just ask Troy Daniels. (And, of course, some would say his potential is more than a role-player.)

The word Prima Donna is often used for someone being too self-aware, or self-absorbed. That is the danger of comments like this. Acting as if you are more important than those around you. Who likes a Priima Donna? I don't think Harden is a Prima Donna, but comments like this make one eligible for scrutiny for that quality.

No one would argue Harden's talent. But I think it is accurate to say ball movement isn't as good with him on the court as it is when he isn't. I seem to recall that being commented on by "some players" [when asked about the style of play] when he was injured and out for a period.

Some here say this is being overblown. But the length of the thread demonstrates it elicits much commentary back and forth. So, by demonstration, it is important enough to have caused so many comments.

Harden and Howard are cornerstone players for the Rockets. And it can be constructive for them to say (or better, act as if) they are. It just depends on how it is said. I think it was mostly in answer to whether the team will miss Parsons. The way he answered it, was to let it spill over onto his teammates in such a way as to be, likely, counter-productive. In my opinion, an older and wiser player would have answered it more like Howard did. Example is better than precept.

 

Need your mailing address to send you the "I'm an idiot" t-shirt you deserve.

 

Chandler Parsons shouldn't have shot his mouth off. Now Howard and Harden are firing back. Parsons is officially the enemy, so hopefully many of the Rockets fans will stop dreaming of the days he was here and feeling sad he is gone. He's just a role player. lol

 

You and carl herrera would make a good couple .

Oh &

 

Parsons' will get his numbers due to higher volume usage, and then there will be a firestorm of debate about whether the Rockets did right/wrong.

But in the end, the Mavs won't win.

 

So you make a really $h**ty post and hint that you should probably be banned? Why post it?

I disagree 100 percent, Harden was 5th in MVP voting last year. Stupid fans are stupid.

 

Parsons - 13.3 FGA
Harden - 10.1 FGA

OKC also made the finals with Harden as their 3rd option. Parsons couldn't even prove he was better than Batum.

 

No he wouldn't have gotten the same deal. Morey was looking at $8M-$12M for CP25. That's where he had him slotted. Cuban & Nelson knew his and deliberately made the offer unpalapable for the Rockets to match. Also, after now hearing Morey's & Harden's take on the relative value on this team of anyone not named Harden or Howard, Parsons would have been an absolute fool to pass on that offer sheet. I find it silly for you or anyone to be angry with a guy for going for the most money he can get.

 

Since when have Lin, Parsons or Motiejunas played noteworthy defense? This is just asinine. Yeah, Harden's bad defensively, but it's not as if he's never played defense. Using the 'juggernaut' video to justify that line of thinking is analogous to watching mixtapes of his offense and assuming he has never missed a shot - in other words, bad reasoning.

 

You don't make comparisons between a player that has proven himself as the cornerstone of the team, and a player that HAS NOT. Oh and if you are so good at analytics, you should at least look at minutes per game.

 

Parsons was my favorite Rocket player of the last couple of years. I have no ill will for him leaving us to go play for an instate rival, but good lord just shut the f**k up and quit whining about how the Rockets offended you. You should be kissing Morey's feet for letting you get your money a year earlier.

And also that Royce Young tweet just made me laugh. With the big three gone in Miami, there is no question we are the most hated team in the league. And I'm going every minute of that hatred!

 

Also, MPG. Details. LOL.