There's actually nothing in your post I disagree with. There are fans that are critical of Harden's areas that need improvement, and then there are a few others like the ones I'm describing. Did Harden come into camp out of shape? Allegedly yes, coming from the coach that was fired 11 games into the season. He admitted after logging the most minutes of all NBA players and playing all the way to the WCF that he wanted to take time off to recover. As a fan of a team who saw Yao break his foot 3 times from year-long non-stop basketball grinding, I can understand. Apparently when it was time to prep to be ready for training camp, he injured his ankle which slowed his conditioning training. I also remember McHale saying Harden asked not to be taken out of games because he wanted lots of burn to ramp up his conditioning. Of course the Harden detractors went after him like a cheap partisan politician, attacking his motor and work ethic. Did Harden also come into a training camp where the coaching staff had the entire team unorganized and in a sloppy hot mess? Yes. It was one of the major criticisms of McHale that influenced the early decision to fire him. Did Harden have defensive lapses last season? Sure, as most NBA players do. Once the narrative starts, it's off and running. You could easily make a defensive lapses supercut video of Curry or Thompson but they get no heat. That's just the nature of the beast with entertainment-sports journalism, NBA fans, the whole popularity contest of it all, and social media. Did Harden have video clips taken out of context in these super cuts, like a night when only Harden can score that night and he has 4 fouls early in the 3rd quarter and would rather let that 1 bucket go? Oh absolutely. His defensive woes supercuts are littered with these. Despite the rusty start, despite the Rockets coaching staff mucking up the training camp, despite the nuclear bomb getting dropped up firing McHale early in the season and having JBB as the stopgap coach, despite Ty Lawson giving up on life, despite Howard admittedly sulking and half-stepping it throughout the course of the season cause he wanted more post up attempts when 30% of his attempts were already post up attempts, besides all that Harden joined an elite group with Lebron James, Michael Jordan, and Oscar Robertson as the only players in NBA history to average 29 points, 7 assists, and 6 rebounds. What is even more impressive and hardly talked about is if you look at his actual averages and include steals ( 29p/7.5a/6.1r/1.7s) then the only time someone surpassed that production was once, by Michael Jordan in 1988, the year Doug Collins played Jordan at the 1 spot, arguably Jordan's best year in terms of individual greatness.
They were not unorganized, they had too many players dealing with injuries. McHale told them they wouldn't be ready because Howard not being able to practice on back to back to back. Both Dmo and Jones still dealing with their injures. And Harden showing up to camp nursing an ankle injury along with being out of shape. That is not on the coaches.
Russ is not better PERIOD and point blank. Don't even mention Boogie... He's the most overrated star in the league.
What would that prove. I'm capable of watching games and understanding just how injured the Rockets were from day 1 through the end of the play-offs. Were you not paying attention? How many games did the following players miss in 14/15: D12 TJ DMo Pat How many different starting line-ups did the Rockets have use in 14/15? How many different rotation players and roster turnover did the Rockets go through in 14/15 trying to compensate for injured players? Answer those questions and then we can talk about what teams in the league had an advantage over who based on injuries.
It would prove that your opinion isn't shared by the majority of NBA fans outside Houston. Frankly, who cares what the answers are? You're trying to compare the Rockets losing Dwight/Beverley/Jones (I omitted DMo b/c he missed 11 games, and we're only talking about the regular season) to OKC losing Durant/Ibaka. It's a stupid position to take and you know it. That's why you're against a tip-jar bet.
Those were all starters and DMo missed all of the play-offs so he stays. It was a major loss. And quite honestly I'm not interested in the opinion of spurs fans. I prefer the facts. The facts clearly are not on your side and that's why you prefer to completely disregard them.
Actually, he doesn't. Not if you want an apples to apples comparison. Remember, OKC didn't make the playoffs so the Rockets shouldn't get bonus points for missing players in the playoffs. We both know the facts are on my side. That's why you won't take the tip-jar bet. We both know that the impartial (for the purposes of this exercise) folks at Spurstalk will agree with me.
What is your tip jar bet? That the opinions of a bunch of spurs fans is relevant? Why exactly would anyone at Spurstalk be relevant. Oh wait, they wouldn't be relevant. They are just a bunch of spurs fans with opinions. Opinions prove absolutely nothing. Give me facts or don't. Here is a fact for you, the Rockets had 18 different starting line ups in 2014/2015 do to injuries. Despite that, James Harden drug the Rockets to a division championship and a trip to the WCF. D12 (starter) missed 41 games DMo (starter) missed 11 games & all of play-offs Pat Bev (Starter) missed 27 games & all of play-offs TJones (Starter) missed 49 games Thats 128 games missed by starters. Regardless what you think of the Rockets starters thats a lot of turnover on the team for James Harden to try and deal with. So when another team cries about their injuries or when some ignorant fan that pays more attention to "Spurstalk" then actually taking time to look at the facts cries about injuries, I don't have a bit of sympathy. Guess what happens when Russell Westbrook has to carry the Thunder because because they have 18 different starting line-ups due to injury? They miss the play-offs. So until Westbrook is able to step up to the challenge (he failed in his first try), Harden is better. Case closed.
So I guess I can post a picture of guys with championship trophies and make an argument that they are better than harden...??
Nope, you're totally wrong. You're equating the impact of games missed by Durant to games missed by Terrence Jones. How do you not feel dirty making such a comparison? The number of different starting lineups is meaningless. The total number of games missed by starters (which is incorrect b/c both Jones and DMo can't be starters) is meaningless. What matters is the caliber of the player who is missing the games. Furthermore, it's laughable that you're so quick to dismiss the opinion of Spurs fans yet act like you're an authority of OKC. Spurstalk members would be knowledgeable enough to make an informed opinion, and they'd most likely be impartial. The tip jar wager would be phrased something like "Which group of injuries had a greater impact on their teams during the regular season: Durant (55), Ibaka (18) or Dwight (41), Beverley (27), Jones (49)." DMo wouldn't be included since he only missed 11 games in the regular season. We both know that impartial fans would overwhelmingly pick OKC, and that's why you won't make the tip jar wager.
No, I'm not equating Durant to Jones. Dwight was Houstons other superstar. Harden played most of the season with DMo as the 2nd best player on the team. He had to play many games with guys like Joey Dorsey, Tariq Black, Isaiah Canaan and Jason Terey in the starting line up. He still made the Rockets 2nd best team in the conference. Okc had Ibalka as the 2nd best player most of the season. I don't know anyone that thinks DMo is better than Ibalka. He also had guys like Reggie Jackson, Dion Watters, Steve Adams Enis Kanter. Are you trying to convince me that those guys were not as good as guys like Joey Dorsey? Face it, Westbrook failed with a better supporting cast than what harden had. Even if you are delusions enough to think the loss of 4 starters & 18 different starting line ups is insignificant in Houstons case, not even the blindest man would think Hardens supporting cast was better then Westbrooks.
This is some poor ball IQ.... No he's equating that combined with all the other players that missed games as well... Not just TJones.... Yes the 18 different lineups matter... Do you even basketball? Chemistry and continuity son play a factor. Jones was the initial starter before going down, then DMo became the starter and then he went down.... Yes they also count tf kinda logic is that?.. 11 games or not.... They count... Especially since DMo was the second best player on the team that year prior to the injury. And obviously Bev and Dwight's injuries also count.... Look at the dudes that had to play significant minutes when those dudes were out.
Actually, based on how you've phrased your arguments thus far, you are. Even if you want to equate Dwight against Durant, Dwight still comes up far short. Technically incorrect. Dwight played half the season. Harden also played with Ariza. You conveniently excluded him from that list of players. He also played with Beverley. Jackson was traded after 50 games. Waiters played 47 games. Adams averaged 8 pts and 8 rbs. While that's respectable, that's certainly not noteworthy. Kanter played 26 games for OKC. In the 2015 season, how many of those guys were better than Ariza? Maybe only Jackson. If you honestly believe that, you'll accept the tipjar bet.
They pale in comparison to talent, especially a top-3 talent. It's the logic that says a basketball team has 5 starters, not 6. Do you even basketball? 11 games don't count. Playing 70+ games is considered a healthy season. In fact, that season, Westbrook only played 67 games. I'll make you the same offer I made crash5179. Tipjar wager?
What's rockets record when Dwight sat and hardens played? What's thunders record when kd sat and WB played?
He is actually the best non athletic player. The player that gets the most out of the game without much athleticism.
haha, "the best non-athletic player" in a sport where many consider the world's best athletes to reside. And Harden is really athletic. He's quicker than he looks, he's one of the strongest guards in the league, he can jump pretty damn high. Yes, he's not a freak like Durant, Lebron or WB, but to say he's anything close to non-athletic is ridiculous. A non-athletic player wouldn't even be in the convo for top 10.
