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

I think it's still pretty close. I would say Thunder without Durant would be right there with us. That team has been together now for a good 3 years and has championship game experience. They have learned how to win games. Westbrook is not a guy I would build around, but is a lot like Francis where when he is good, he is impossible to stop. But when he is off, the whole team suffers.

Ibaka and Thabo are elite defenders and KMart is a top scorer in the league.

Fortunately for them, Durant does not miss many games AT ALL (which is AMAZING considering his frame)

Even comparing where we are in the is a hard fact to use. We have had one of the hardest - if not the hardest schedules in the NBA and only projected to do better from here.

 

Are you serious Westbrook over CP3..... HAHAHAHAHA.

1. Lebron
2. Durant
3. Harden
4. CP3
5. Rose (We all know he will be back 100%) (Look at Adrian Peterson)
6. Irving
7. Melo
8. Westbrook

Westbrook is extremely overrated I wouldn't even put him Top 6 players to build around. I can't believe some people here believe he is that good.

 

in the West*

 

If Irving becomes a better playmaker then maybe he'll be a better player to build around, but right now to me he's just Melo in PG form.

 

Putting Kyrie Irving in the conversation with these great players doesnt make sense. Look at his teams record. He has not proven anything in the nba

 

Why do people think Kyrie is super athletic or even a good athlete? He's agile, but he has average speed and below average power. He's got great handles and a great shot and that's about it. It also seems like he's made of glass, the guy is not durable at all.

Picking Irving over Harden to build a franchise around is ridiculous.

 

Russel Westbrook infront of James Harden? No way.. I am not dissing Westbrook ability, he is amazing and prolly more athletic then Harden but his mental side and coart IQ is no where near James Harden and that's what makes James Harden way better to build around.

 

In the middle somewhere.

 

I feel like Pierce was a strong all star but he never quite got over into superstar territory.

PER isn't the be all and end all so please don't act like I'm saying it is. But I think it provides a nice starting point for comparison.

So if your quintessential superstars are guys like Jordan (27.9 career PER), Hakeem (23.6), Shaq (26.4), Duncan (24.7)... that starts to give you a baseline to compare.

Paul Pierce's career PER is 20.5 and that's only going to drop more as he moves through his twilight seasons toward retirement. To me, that's an all star, but not a superstar. Obviously a great player, a future HoFer, but building your entire franchise around him? No. That's why Boston never won a title with him until they assembled the Big Three.

Pierce and Allen wound up being the supporting pieces on a team built around their true superstar, Kevin Garnett (career 23.2 PER).

Anyway, that's the level of player I see Paul George becoming in a best case scenario. He's not even to that level yet, of course, but he's young, so he has a good shot at getting somewhere close.

 

after Lebron, Durant, CP3, Rose and Melo. Same level with Irving

 

No Melo.

 

I'd put him #4 behind LBJ, Durant and Paul.

I would also take Irving off of this list (he doesn't belong just yet imho) and add D-Wade (a guy who has lead a team to a title.)

1-LBJ
2-Durant
3-Paul
4-The Beard
5-Flash

 

Westbrook and Irving shouldn't even be on the list. Irving isn't helping his team win. Great offensive scorer but the numbers are hollow without the W's. Westbrook is simply riding Durant's coattails. Great individual talent, tremendous athlete but a knucklebrain that has no business at the point guard position and will prevent OKC from ever winning a championship unless they are able to trade him or move him to a more complementary role.

The best player in bball right now is Lebron. The next best 3 players are Durant, Paul, and Harden. Everyone else is on a level below both of those levels.

 

Wade is a PG? Lol come on mane

 

1. Lebron James
2. Kevin Durant
3. Chris Paul
4. James Harden

5. Kyrie Irving
6. WB

 

Irving is the darkhorse, this guy will be top 3 in a couple years, hes that good. No PG in the game has his skillset. Hes a combination of the best AND effecient, his ceiling is scary.

Lebron
Durant
CP3
Harden
Irving
Rose

Westbrook is blessed to play with players that overcome his erratic play. Great talent, great athleticism but wild and inconsistent. Put Westbrick on this Rockets team and I garaunttee we would be worse off.

 

But look at the other top players team, and then look at Kyries team.. Lol see the comical disparity? Swap Kyrie on any of those teams with great PG's and they wouldnt miss a beat. Hell, OKC.would be better if they had Kyrie, fact. More effecient and better shooter, and more importantly, he knows how to run a team and would know he's Robin to Durants Batman. Westbrook is not very smart IMO, his ego is killing the Thunder.

 

You get to see any team that has CP3 on it without him a LOT, thats why he is #4.

 

If Westbrook's ego was killing the Rockets alongside Harden we would be #1 in the west.

Westbrook is good, he may be the best pullup jumpshooter in the league. Not to mention he is supremely competitive and durable on a level equal to Wolverine. I would take Westbrook over CP3 or Irving without blinking an eye. Westbrook makes his money on the court not in the training room.

Durability is so underrated.

 

If CP3 didn't have one of his right knee meniscus removed I would take him over Harden.

But he did:
1) LBJ, 2) Durant, 3) Harden.