I participated in last weekend's Emmitt Smith Charity Golf event and was seated next to Michael Finley and begin to ask him some questions related to Chandler, James, and D12. Michael stated that he played some pick up ball with James, Durant, and some other guys and when it came time to choose who's guarding who, James said I will check Durant. Finley stated that James can play some really good one on one defense when he wants to, however, the scoring load he carries on the Rockets forces him to choose how much energy he expends on D. However, those in the league know that James has the capability and tools to play good D and needs help on the offensive end with better quality shooting. The top teams Cleveland and GSW have very good shooters surrounding their best player allowing them to stay in the game when their stars are resting. On Chandler, he stated the Dirk is still their best player at 37 and that shouldn't be the case and they expected more from Chandler realizing that injuries have held him back. However, he needs to take a significant leap next year for them to be successful. Last but least, no interest in D12 whatsoever.
Always have liked Michael Finley other than the times he wore a Mavs/Spurs uniform covered in the blood of the Rockets teams that he regularly killed.
We all know that Harden CAN play above average D, especially in the post. The problem has always been effort. Whether it's because he is tired, lazy, tuned out, whatever, it all comes down to effort. That's why his D is so frustrating. We know he doesn't really suck at it, he just doesn't try.
Finley's opinion pretty much concurs with what I always thought about Harden's D. Predicated on energy and locking in. He conserves it for offense. Surround Harden with better complimentary players. Get a better team offensive system. Get a better coaching staff to preach D more consistently and hold everyone accountable. We will see better results from Harden.
Mike Finley makes some good points, but his late game, out-of-bounds defense is his lasting legacy for me.
I figured this was already common knowledge. Of course James has the ability to play D... but yes, it will cause him to expel more energy and then could affect his performance at the offensive end. This is why guys like Klay Thompson, Kawahi Leonard... and prior to that, Hakeem/Jordan were so special. They could give max effort on the defensive end, but still have enough in reserve to be elite offensive players. I also don't think Harden's off-season training/stamina regimen leaves a lot to be desired.
how the f do you not see that out of bounds play. had to snitch on big yao and what today would be called great screens for quick shooters. F' dallas.
I think we all saw Curry last night turn and run the other direction on a fast break. That was terrible defense. His team is good enough to get to the WCF without him. If Harden had a better team, he wouldn't get noticed as much. That is all it comes down too. Lebron James has been awful defensively the last two years, but his team wins and you hear nothing. Winning is what matters and James put together a great season that was masked by a poor team performance.
Jason Terry on James Harden's defense. <iframe id="cbsembed" width="560" height="315" src="http://cbsloc.al/1T1m7RI" frameborder="0" /></iframe>
Curry proves one thing, you don't have to play defense to be MVP. If your team is good enough to cover up your issues, then all is well. James needs to throw the other guys under the bus to get Morey to bring in enough talent to cover up his issues, or take some of the load so he can play both ends of the court. I'm half joking here.
finley knows. half of clutchfans and most nba fans dont know. he needs help on offense. morye better get him some real help
the other night i saw kawhi ballwatch and let KD backdoor him for an alleyoop dunk. i immediately thought of harden and how this particular play will never make it to sportscenter or shaqtin
Curry does not play defense. This is a joke. Klay plays defense superbly. Green plays defense superbly. Bogut isn't a bad rim protector either. Curry, he gets sliced and diced. Sure, like James he gets an occasional steal from being in the right place at the right time, but let's not put him in an elite or even good defensive category. You put Harden next to Klay and you would have a similar result.
Problem with James has never been potential to play D...it's that he has plays where he totally checks out mentally and there's no excuse for that...all players, especially stars, get tired and coast at times...but you still have to maintain decent defensive positioning and not just create open lanes to the rim.
