James Harden got into an argument with a reporter after his media session

LOL at anyone who wouldn't trade Harden for Love. Love is a threat to leave Minnesota. Harden is in a contract for the next 4 years. It's an obvious trade possibility.

Howard, Love, Parson, Bev, Lin. Let's go Rockets 2015 NBA champs.

 

Harden is not a leader. He runs away from media when he has a bad game. If he is a true superstar and true leader, he needs to come out and take responsibility.

However, he is still young so I hope he learns it fast.

 

Harden for Melo straight up. I think knicks would do it.

 

when posters crap on Lin when he sucks, its fair game (rightly so), when posters exaggerate the criticisms of Lin to spite LOFs, its fair game (rightly so?) because they've ruined cfans (source: Tinman, he said so)

but when our franchise cornerstone, when our 80m man goes absolute walkabout, is ineffectual, apathetic, when he cops heat for his performances or lackthereof in the playoffs, suddenly everyone becomes a pathetic rockets fan?

This team lives and dies by Harden and Howard. And so far in the playoffs, when it's time to cement your standing as a superstar, to really earn that max money, Harden has yet to hold up his end of the bargain.

He HAS to perform better, or this seasons a wrap

 

he took responsibility after game 1 and still came out playing like **** in game 2

 

I understand that sometimes shots don't fall and a player’s offensive game can get out of sync. Big picture, we're talking about two games. Two VERY big and important games, but still two games nonetheless. I expect him to turn it around in a major way. He’s just too good of a player not to.

But what’s killing me and is just absolutely unacceptable is having to watch him have ZERO positive effect on the game. No playmaking for others, no free throws, no steals, no hustle, no leadership. That’s one thing that you cannot afford to have from your franchise player. No excuse for that.

At some point, pride will have to step in with this kid. I'm only four years older than Harden, but I'm 100% secure in my right to label him as a kid. He’s doing a great job at showing the world that that's exactly what he is. Temper tantrums with the media, deflecting the entire fault to the team, sulking out on the court. James has learned to be a great basketball player, a GREAT basketball player. It’s just the pride, character, accountability, and attention to detail that’s lacking.

 

Couldn't stand Fran Blinebury when he was at the Chronicle, still can't stand him. He is a smug little wierdo, fack him!!!

 

Hey, if you really want to get him going...go post something anti-McHale in the "Official Fire McHale" thread.

He might even leave a jerky anonymous comment in your "rep" section, although, to be fair, I haven't decided if it's him or jtr.

At least larsv8's coddling doesn't rest with McHale alone.

Poor, misunderstood Harden.

I gotta wonder if STEPHEN A. SMITH!!! is abso-lute-ly cor-RECT on this one. Harden is far too sensitive to criticism. His game goes south when he gets called out on stuff. Last weekend the "James Harden Defensive Juggernaut" or whatever it was called goes viral....and now this inexplicable collapse. I think he had a rough patch earlier in the year after something-or-another, wish I could remember it now.

But, yeah, James is also gonna have to actually dedicate himself to the game mentally. He's young and he's chasing Hennessey and hookers. Add on top of that how McHale plays him the entire game, whether Harden is playing well or not, whether Harden is injured or not.

I posted it yesterday: Harden constantly needs a boot in his ass. I think Sampson might have been providing it. McHale and Harden don't mix well.

 

A lot of derp in this thread.

Can we trade 85% of Rockets fans too? We can just trade them along with Harden

 

We need to play the young guys. If anything, just for their hustle and to wear Portland down a bit. Our rotations have been trash. Small ball is not going to work against these guys, neither is TT. We need HUSTLE!!!

 

If this thread is good for anything it's solidified some of the gray area on my ignore list.

Seriously. There is no defending Harden's play the last two games. He's been awful compared to what we expect from him. But some of the hate filled posts here are past even LOH level. It reads like people that have been saving up the hate all season, just looking for an excuse to unleash after two horrific performances.

Does this sound familiar? It should. It's the same old rhetoric applied to another player.

My biggest beef is that I expect more from James. The past two nights he doesn't even look like the same player we've seen the past two seasons. I pray that it's just a poorly timed slump. I still believe he's that guy we expected to see. Call me an optimist if you like. If he (and the team) play to their ability and still lose the series, so be it. But if we go out like punks and quitters it's going to hurt that much more.

And for the folks that have just been biding their time waiting for Harden to fail, congratulations. Enjoy your moment.

 

use Try Daniels

 

I could not possibly like this post more. Really sad to see a couple of people who were once quality posters (I define "quality" by mature, articulate, intelligent discourse, even if/when I frequently disagree with that person) devolve into exactly what you have described here.

Oddly, I'm not as upset as I was last night -- or even as upset as I was after Game 1. I'm actually not even as pissed @ Harden's comments as I was last night. I hope he does realize his offense is a HUGE effing problem... but he is right in that the Rockets are a team who thrive in getting out in transition after misses. And frankly, there haven't been a lot of stops/misses to trigger those breaks thus far. That will have to change going forward if they want to have a prayer of winning in Portland.

 

------
A few minutes later, the questions stopped coming, but not before Harden, evidently still aggravated, circled back and spun the questioning to the aforementioned reporter, taking issue with his basketball credibility.

"You've never seen someone shoot 29 percent in two games? You must not watch basketball."

The longtime reporter responded that he'd watching basketball longer than Harden had been alive. And that Harden should be held to a higher standard because he is All-NBA.

"Weirdo," Harden said, before walking out of the room once Houston's PR staff stepped in.
-----
http://espn.go.com/nba/dailydime/_/page/dime-140423/lamarcus-aldridge-scorches-rockets-again

 

Also... as abysmal as Harden has been, I still have faith in him.

 

Haren is a very good player with the right teammates to cover his defense(at least in regular season), but he's not a superstar and there's a reason Presti traded him out. He's the perfect sixth man on a championship team, where he can forget about defense and attack all the way.

Dwight needs some serious help to have players built around him.

 

The art of a fan-base root for your team when they are rolling and abandon them when they are in a hole.

I still think the Rockets will win the series because I still have faith and it gives me something to cheer about. I will stay loyal to this team even if they get swept and i hope most of you do too. But most of you guys are already jumping of the bandwagon.

I love Harden and two bad playoff games in his young career aren't going to change my opinion about him at all. It's all a learning process for the young Rockets.

 

You are one of the made up 85% unfortunately.

 

You're wrong, nobody here wants to see Harden fail in the playoffs. Everybody here wants the same thing, more rockets basketball, whether you're (insert player name) only fan, or old school rockets fan. We're (as you should be) extremely frustrated that harden decided to go full r****d at the most important time of year. Worse yet, he's not even trying on d or faciliating for his teammates or at least show positive body language.