Fools gold. 6'10" jumpshooter who can get hot but doesnt get to the line and shoots in the low 40s. Rich mans rudy gay, poor mans tmac. Hes a hell of a defender though--to me thats where his value lies. But you trade for this dude to be the cornerstone of your offense, youre not going very far.
agree with you on that he should not be a main offensive threat, but he would be incredible if paired with someone to be a 2/3rd option (depending on who is hot on a specific night). On a side note, how would you guys think PG will look in Htown with Lin and Harden drawing most of the defence with him slashing or spotting up for the shot? would he be a artest type of player whose main purpose to be the defensive stopper and be the main offensive threat on certain nights?
George is better and more talented on both ends, as well as more physically gifted. He's also younger. It wouldn't make sense for Indiana to trade him for anyone on this team, other than Harden.
Well obviously this board will say Harden but it may be closer than you think. I think it's really a tossup. Harden is much more cerebral in his attack and a better natural scorer and playmaker but George's defensive ability and natural athleticism make up for it. Right now there's now doubt Harden's stock is much higher since he's basically playing at an MVP level and playing about as well as he can but remember George has a year less experience than Harden and he's still figuring the game out and finally getting his opportunity at his natural position. George is showing the same flashes this year as Harden did last year in terms of elevating his game and showing he could be a star/superstar. For us I think there's no doubt James Harden is the better fit because we already have a good defensive minded SF in place who's also improving and on a bargain contract, chemistry with the pg, and a space eater in Asik who needs a good playmaker like Harden to feed him easy buckets.
I don't agree that George is showing the same flashes that Harden did last year. Look at their efficiency numbers to see why: George's TS% is .499. Harden's last year was .660. That's the difference between "below average" and "best in the league". I think Paul George likely tops out as the next Paul Pierce-type player. All star caliber, but not a tier 1 superstar like Harden is becoming. He can be one of a big three but he can't put a team on his back and carry it all by himself.
And to say it's a toss-up right now is by the way laughable. George is younger and probably farther from his peak, but he's not playing anywhere CLOSE to Harden's level this season.
I'm not talking just efficiency. I'm speaking in terms of improving your overall game and getting better. Topping out as a Paul Pierce-type of player would be high accolades for either Harden or George. They both have a LONG way to go for me to mention them in the same breath as Paul Pierce. If you think Harden is becoming a tier 1 superstar then Paul Pierce WAS a tier 1 superstar by all means. Are you implying James Harden is going to put a team on his back and carry it all by himself? I hope not because he's not going to. Sure Harden is playing out of his mind right now but Pierce did that for many seasons not just 35 or so games. Also, Harden has a lot of help right now because our team is pretty well balanced and other players are playing at a very high level too right now. Oh and Paul Pierce in 2001-2002 put up 26/7/3/2 and carried the Celtics to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2001-2002 season with Antoine "the original chucker" Walker as his second best player and a bunch of scrubs. And when I say scrubs I mean scrubs like a washed up Rodney Rodgers and Kenny Anderson as your best teammates. Yet, He took them to the semis the year after and the playoffs on a consistent basis. You make it sound like Pierce didn't accomplish anything until KG and Ray Allen walked through the door. Harden hasn't even led us to the playoffs yet and you want to say he's becoming a tier 1 superstar? You're easily impressed.
His TS is at 52.5%. And it's as #1 or #1.5 option in every game. It's not bad. It also took him some time to adjust from being 5th option to a go-to option, so it's not really representative of his current level of play. And then of course there's defense. George is close to a stopper already. He still lacks focus / experience on switching sometimes, and he has to add strengh to be able to defend guys like LeBron, Pierce or Melo. But he's very good. Harden's better right now, but PG career path seems eerily similar to Harden's, though they are very different players in different roles. I don't know that PG can get to Paul Pierce level, but that would be a pretty good achievement for both PG and Harden..
After winning a matchup with Lebron, vs. the Knicks he goes for 24 points, 11 rebounds, 6 steals, 5 assists, with lockdown defense
