This team is awful because every single one of the players is having a bad year. The coaching staff didn't improve in the least bit. I'm not buying this agenda crap or players have their own cliques during games ( Harden not passing to Dwight ) it's stupid. These are full grown men who just are not trying to play a basketball game for its entirety night in and out. This harden is a cancer or Dwight is a cancer is just silly.
Great read. It is silly, but when a team goes to the WCF and is underachieving this year. People (fans) will get frustrated, irrational. Some even irrelevant. Melo gets the nickname of the black hole, why? He has been on some pretty awesome teams. Better than LeBrons. Why he hasnt won a ring, take your guess. They say Harden is cancer because he has vocally said he is the best player in the game, best SG, etc.. yet he has failed to lead his team. Failed to lead by example. No work ethic, too young and party hungry, etc.. Again people will look for who to burn. My 2 cents
Not for me last season , or this season. Please read my post, and I mean that in a nice way. I wrote, when a team goes to the WCF, that means Western Conference Finals. Then starts (because the season isn't over or half way yet) underachieving, fans will look for who to blame. It can be any player, or none at all.
I feel bad for Howard.... I know how bad this guy wants to win and the situation hes in must be very disappointing ..
I'm team howard. I don't care what you do off court as long as you give 100% on court. He always give 100% on the court. What he gives is what we signed him for. The fact that he has stopped demanding post up iso's is a SERIOUSLY underrated sacrifice on this board. People making that kind of money don't make that kind of sacrifice. The Pistons had to cut Josh Smith because he wouldn't give up stupid shots and focus on his strengths. We knew we were getting a turnover prone, poor FT shooting Dwight who would never ever improve in those areas. You were seriously delusional to think that it would change or to think that it's a matter of working on it in practice. Dwight is a poor FT shooter and turnover player who rebounds like a monster, protects the rim like a giant and scores ultra efficiently around the basket. In an 82 game season, he clearly wins the matchup 70+ times and his productivity is directly linked to team success. That's EASILY worth the max in today's NBA financial climate. It will easily be worth $20m next season, especially if he plays around 70 games. I know the oldies like to see an obedient, old school star on the team but that's not a prerequisite for getting a ring anymore it's just about them being old. That NBA is gone. Players think differently, get motivated differently, act differently and score differently. The oldies need to get with the program or they can follow McHale out of relevance. Harden can play better defense. He can move off the ball. This is not the best Harden can do. Dwight Howard is doing the best Dwight Howard can do. I'll take that kind of effort and commitment on my team, just like I did with Ryan Bowen. Harden on the other hand, I'm giving him this season to decide whether he wants to be a franchise player or a bouquet of flowers for Kevin Durant.
The trade Harden cries won't be going anywhere, but like I have said repeatedly now, he would do well to sit a game or three. Just to make him realize how much talent the rest of the roster has, how much they will trust each other and have each others' backs on defense while moving the ball on offense without him there. Right now, the mentality of Harden has cast a pall upon the entire team's morale. If he sees the team succeeding without him, maybe he'll start to point the finger at himself and rectify what has been a season full of wasted possessions on offense (turnovers, dribbling the clock down while taking a long contested jumper vs passing it to a teammate with 3 seconds left on the shot clock) and continual brainfarts on defense (backdoor cuts and easy lay-ups galore). After that, you'll know what you have in Harden. He will either apologize to his teammates and get back to work on the basketball court, or he will b**** and pout and sink the ship. Either way, there's no chance in hell that we do him a favor by trading him to a team in a "desirable" city. He is this franchise for the forseeable future, and sometimes tough love is the best course of action when a 25yo is doing stupid things and running with the wrong crowd.
Unfortunately, just like last year when the team made the comeback against the Clippers it did not change Harden and although your scenario is a good one.... It still want change Harden... Harden is who he is and Houston has in Harden the player they will have. T_Man
I've said this countless times but we've got 2 superstars that don't have the mentality of a superstar. Their talent and sheer skill make them great players but their intangibles are sorely lacking
What has Dwight done wrong? He cant carry a team anymore, that's not a revelation. He's still a top tier center and an asset. Morey didn't acquire him to score 22 a game. Lots of problems. Dwight isn't one of them.
