Role players are always going to have flaws and maybe even some major ones. But that's why they're role players. Generally, your stars need to play at or just about their peak to win big. Harden definitely has got to eliminate some of the glaring holes in his game that show up from time to time if he wants to be a champion.
Harden does not care enough to prioritize winning a championship above everything else. If he did he would have already modified his game to lower his turnover count. But instead he hogs the ball even more, produces gargantuan numbers but his turnovers (which were already too high) have taken off like a rocket to the moon. We will not win a championship playing this way. And Harden is too smart to not know it. But he won't fix it. He won't look at it. He won't accept what needs to be done to make us a championship team. He won't fix it. He's still too immature, too me-first instead of team-first. When Harden finally matures to the point of putting the team and a championship first above himself we will know it; his turnover count will drop and stay at 4 or less a game average. Until then we're just pretenders.
Seems like you know him personally. One question though. Name one star whose team can win a championship with him that isn't on Cleveland or Golden State? Don't bother coming up with an answer. There are none realistically today
Harden's 1-2 extra turnovers per game are more costly to our championship dreamzzz than Eric Gordon and Ryan Anderson being 2 of our 3 best players, apparently.
Soooo, the Rockets would be good enough to win a championship if only Harden would get better? Gotcha. SMFH.
Mike D need to talk to James Harden of going to the late night strip club. That's why he's so fatigue in the 4th quarters.
Until Harden becomes a better player we won't win a championship. You have to understand the game. It's 5 on 5. Lebron, who is better than Harden understands this. Lebron could average 35/14/12/2/2......and Cleveland would lose. Lebron willingly gives up some numbers for those rings. Lebron willingly lets Kyrie run the show when the opponent overcompensates their defense to water down Lebron's efficiency. He doesn't fight it and try to dribble drive through two and three defenders in search of a spectacular play for himself...that he no doubt could make but would have about a 60% fail/turnover rate in the process of making one sensational play. He doesn't demand the ball in those instances. He recognizes the opponent is shutting him off. He willingly goes to the wing or the post or the block, and lets Kyrie run and then he finishes. And then he goes to the other end and wreaks DEFENSIVE HAVOC, making the opponent regret attacking him defensively by ratcheting up his energy and effort on the defensive end since he's basically taking a breather in the offensive end with Kyrie creating. James, on the other hand, demands the basketball, and has continually requested us to dump other playmakers who take the ball out of his hands even a little bit. Harden wants to win a championship. But he wants to do it his way, as the ringleader of Harden and the seven dwarfs. And it's never going to happen. Because it's 2016, not 1977. And because player like Lebron and Steph and Kawhi are going to stop him every time with their smarter team play and willingness to play different roles at points in the game where the combination of style of play, teammates on the floor, and opponent strategy dictates that they play a different role to maximize their teams success. In very simple terms, those guys (LeBron, Kawhi, Steph) have far, far more flexibility in their games than James does. For all his magic, James is a one-trick pony. And he constantly rejects adding flexibility to his game. Unless James recognizes and fixes the inflexibility of his game we are going to get punked year after year in the playoffs by teams with superstars who play smarter, less selfish, and are flexible and willing to play different roles at different points in the game in order to win rings.
1. James Harden (we can win a championship with him if he would accept the help this team needs to win one with him.) 2. Kawhi Leonard (already proven) 3. Chris Paul (only needs health and a free breaks that every championship team gets) 4. Kyle Lowry (if Lebron goes down with injury, he could come out of the east and punk the West. That's a very good team with the assets to flip into another primary piece that could make them very difficult for Cleveland to beat out. 5. Whatever superstar Boston acquires to fit with their core. They have the coach and system. Just need one primo player that fits their system.
So again the assumption by all the nit pickers must be that James Harden is one of the best players EVER, correct? He could be Lebron if he just wanted to do what's necessary? I'm one of the biggest Harden defenders around here and those assumptions are silly. Harden is out of this world but he isn't top 20 all time good. The player I keep seeing people ask for out of Harden is Jordan or better.
I think it's fine to say that Harden needs to lower his turnovers. He averages a high number of those and it'd be ideal if those could be lowered. It's a nitpick given the season he is currently having, but it's still very reasonable to say, nonetheless. However...it is beyond laughable to say that THAT is the reason we won't win a championship. It's utterly dense to think such a thing and ignores any semblance of reality. But then again...look at the guy who's spouting that...
The funny thing to me is that in every thread about a player, said player is being defended. So the trail of logic would leave one believing we are fine as is. Capela, he's young and greatly improving. Must keep Ryno, spacing. Ariza. Best wing defender by far, improved shooting. Beverly - best fit with Harden. Brings the attitude Harden - obvious. There's even some Brewer apologist talking about he's a must have because of how hard he plays and how he increases the pace. So, yeah...I guess just keep doing what they're doing and they'll have a realistic shot at a championship in the end.
Dude, You obviously have an agenda regarding Harden. If you don't like the guy just say so, but don't tell me that he's keeping this team from a title. Steph plays on a MUCH better team than Harden has EVER had in Houston. THE WARRIORS HAVE BEEN STACKED! Kawhi is the most pampered freakin star in the league. The Spurs lost in the 1st round the Clippers a few years back and nobody criticized him. They lost in the 2nd round last year and NOBODY criticized him. Both of those teams that Kawhi was on are better than any team that Harden has ever had in Houston. Kawhi NEVER gets criticism for anything! Hell Roberson was giving him fits in the playoffs last year! Yet no criticism. Lebron is just flat a better basketball player than Harden and there's zero shame in admitting that. The best player that Harden has had in HTown is a 6'11 mental midget he has been in the league since 2004 and can't make FTs, doesn't have a go-to post move and still can't play facing the basket. You seem to know ALOT about what Harden thinks and what he wants. Either you know Harden or you're pulling crap out of you rear to dump on the guy. Either way give the guy a break.
Chris Paul HAS NEVER BEEN TO A WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS and he's been in the league since 2005. Kyle Lowry - PULEEEEZE! That's laughable and you should be embarrassed to post that. Boston- !@#$%^^??????? ..... Harden is better than all of these options.
BBholic likes to theorize about things he knows absolutely nothing about, he's fancies himself as a guy who knows stuff, but mostly he's just a guy who throws darts at a dart board. He also likes to play the contrarian role even when its not necessary, he's sort of like the Skip Baseless of Clutchfans. Anyway, Harden is currently at the same phase of his career that Lebron was at before he left Cleveland, and Kobe was at before Gasol and Bynum came along. The rosters Lebron and Kobe had back then are comparable in terms of talent and depth to what Harden has right now. Neither Lebron or Kobe were able to win with those rosters. Hell, Kobe couldn't even make it out of the first round after Shaq left the team, but when Gasol and Bynum came along he became a champion again. Lebron needed to go to Miami to join Wade/Bosh in order to get the monkey off his back. What Harden is doing here with Houston is admirable, because he's not the cry baby that Kobe was nor is he the coward that Lebron was. But, Harden still needs a solid 2nd guy if the Rockets are going to win. We're hoping Gordon becomes that guy but so far I'm not convinced he will be. Gordon is a nice player off the bench but he's not an all-star level talent at the moment. Even if BBholic's expectations of Harden were realistic, which they aren't. The Rockets would still need a legit second option in order to become the contending team that many here are expecting us to be. The other thing people aren't talking about much is how this Rockets team is a completely new squad, new coaches, new players, our young guys are still growing, team chemistry will only get better as the season progresses. I do expect Hardens turnovers to come down a bit as he adjusts.
I'm on my phone and with family, but I don't think I've ever read a post that has sync'd with my own feelings so perfectly. Bravo, well said, and please sticky this or bold it or SOMETHING. This might be one of the most ridiculous threads I've ever seen created on this site. It's insulting and embarrassing.
Harden's turnovers increased by 0.9/game from last year to this year. His assists increased by 4.4. If the premise is that his TO's were too high to begin with - that's fair. But as long as he's in the 2:1 range, he's fine (currently slightly better). Lebron James, Kyrie Irving, and Steph Curry are all in that range and are all considered excellent scorers and distributors. It would do everyone a lot of good to stop looking at TO's alone. If you don't include assists with them, you're not telling the entire story.
