James Harden: One of the top 6 players to build around

list lost credibility at the mention of "shoot my shots westbrook".

Lebron, Durant, Harden ..in that order.

 

Nice addition. I would put him way up there as well. I didn't because I forgot.

 

3rd or 4th

 

Paul George, no. Good athlete, good shooter, good defender, but to be a superstar as a perimeter player you MUST be able to create for yourself and/or others at an elite level. Guys like Harden, Kyrie, CP3, and of course LBJ and Durant can do that. Paul George doesn't show that ability. If you want to take about guys topping out at a Paul Pierce level, he's the guy to look at. All star. Not superstar.

Better than Paul Pierce, yes, that's Harden. Better than Paul Pierce = superstar, #1 option, franchise player. Same level as Paul Pierce, that's a likely future outcome for a guy like Paul George, and is not a franchise player #1 scoring option.

 

Royce White is the easiest player to build around because he is flying nowhere.

 

By the way, sorry that I was so harsh, BleedRed. Just gets under my skin when people who profess to be Rocket fans say that Harden is not a superstar when 90% of NBA fans (of other teams) I talk to already agree that he is.

 

Wow, I can't believe I am saying this but he might be the third best franchise player in the league. There's an argument for cp3 but Harden has youth on his side and Kyrie Irving is definitely a rising star who is actually younger so if someone put those two in front of him I wouldn't argue much. But not Westbrook. Harden is more of a winner and team player and he is more of an all around player. So absolutely top five and maybe #3.

 

Well I am wrong too, after looking at the list and completely agree with oldmanrock, I am shocked too but he is the third best to build around in the NBA right now. I just have a more clearer difference in my head on who are Franchise players vs Superstars. You can win championship two different ways, build your team around one guy's game ala Jordan, Hakeem, Duncan or you win by getting few superstars in the team, ala Miami, Boston Celtics, although Lebron could very well win championships alone with the right pieces around him. That said, I see Harden in the latter camp of players than the former. Nothing wrong with that.

 

Boy, a lot of talk about Kyrie's failures without a lot of backing. Irving's "inefficient"? How? He has a higher effective field goal percentage than Harden, so not a chucker. He has a lower turnover rate than Harden, so not a sloppy caretaker. Higher assist rate than Harden, though that's a given for a point guard.

I still understand why you would take Harden - gets to the line much more, grabs rebounds, mildly stronger defender. I think he's a slightly better player now than Irving. But to act like it's such a vast gulf that 8 years of prime Harden clearly beats 12 years of prime Irving is a bit weird to me.

For me,
James
Durant
Irving
Harden
Paul

And mind you, I LOVE Chris Paul. But obviously he's got some wear and tear on those knees already.

But yeah, GTFO with that Westbrook stuff.

 

This thread makes me realize how much of a farkin' beast Kyrie is.. and only 22 :O

 

Exactly. Harden's game isn't contingent on his athleticism, despite his being very athletic. He has an old man game, which will only get better as he eases into his peak years. Putting an old man game on a young athletic player is what separates Harden from the other young guards and wings out there. It will only get better. Irving, Westbrook, and Rose all have games that rely primarily on athleticism, which will fade. Plus, I like Harden's old man game to keep him out of the same problem that Rose has faced this year.

 

The scary thing is that he probably hasn't reached his peak yet!

Being only 23, he has plenty of things to work on to further improve his game... This is only the beginning!

 

Kyrie irving is a scorer like Iverson and eveb Iverson averaged more assists than Kyrie. Score first PG just dont win championships. So no, Harden over Irving. Agreed about Westbrook (not score first again), if not for Durant, Thunder would be in the dumps right now.

 

So, Ibaka, Westbrook, KMart, Thabo would be in the dumps?

Players like Perkins, Collison, Fisher, Brewer also help give leadership.

Define dumps. Because, that is still a team that can play defense and score well enough to compete for a playoff spot. They have a good coach in Brooks as well.

 

I would pick Harden 3rd.

No disrespect to Paul, who is an outstanding player and very capable of hauling any franchise in the league to the playoffs BUT PGs don't tend to be the dominant player on championship teams.
So if choosing someone to build around, it would be a wing who can get their own shot first.
1. Lebron James
2. Kevin Durant
3. James Harden

 

I will pick our current Rockets roster anyday over that team. And guess where are we in the playoff standings?

 

I think you forgot how good Paul Pierce was. Go back and look at his numbers and accomplishments. He was THE MAN in Boston for a long time and by all means a franchise player. If George accomplishes the same thing in addition to the better defense George has ... He will be a true superstar like I mentioned. George is starting to create for himself and others and it's totally noticeable this year. Again he's only 22. Sky's the limit.

 

I can't believe how much Kyrie Irving is overrated on this board. He plays no defense and he's an average passer. He also dominates the ball. He's essentially a SG playing PG. How often has that worked out in building a winning team?

 

For me, Franchise players are very different, definitely #1 option but much more than superstars.