It's not about him crying or not able to handle it. Harden is tough. But you want your guys rested and mentally ready for the playoffs. This is about winning a championship not about proving he is tougher than anyone.
thats 36.7 minutes with him as the only ballhandler and scorer on the team. He might have played more minutes last year, but with CP in the lineup, and knowing there was a competent offensive option off the bench, I'm sure it was less stressful. People who ride him and say oh he shoudn't be tired are just ridiculous. He is the focal point each and every night because of how poorly the roster is constructed and the inability of the head coach to formulate any sort of coherent gameplan that does not require Harden to dribble the ball up, initiate the offense, move without the ball, and then finish as well.
Well, I created a thread of playing time and got bashed by d*heads. I repeat what I said in there: - We are a young team, but this is the F**nkg NBA and we are only using a rotation of 9 players in close games (exception of games with garbage time, of course). Now that we are in a good position, there is no need to keep forcing like this! - To me, playing time for your key players should follow a curve throughout the season, to be ready for the playoffs. (Spurs, anyone?) I am too lazy to draw it now, but it should be similar to this average costs curve. Fortunately, Harden is made of steel and probably 3 to 4 games or 30 min playing time is enough. Fortunately, Dwight got injured and has adequate time to be 100% ready for the playoffs.
Yep. It's one thing for the Spurs to manage minutes on their 35+ year old players. Harden has to handle the workload. It's his job. I don't see Westbrook or Curry shrinking due to playing 35 minutes a night.
Both Westbrook and Curry have had rest. As a matter of fact Kerr rested several of players already and got flack for it just like Popp did.
I honestly believe if Harden improved his cardiovascular endurance and reduced his body fat % he will have a chance to win multiple MVPs in his career. Several players have done this in the middle of their careers and have extended them as a result.
agreed. 34-36mpg is normal for a star. he should be in good enough shape to handle it. i think the up tempo pace might have more to do with being tired than the minutes. more possessions means more running, even in equal minutes. however there is a legit argument about minutes and longevity. keeping his minutes in the 30-32 range would be great long term. but we would need a second star capable of carrying the entire offense in order to be able to afford such rest for james.
No it is not. Just illustrates a few examples on who played heavy-duty minutes. Mega Superstars and first tier Superstars played 35 and above minutes, especially at the age of 25. Dude has even reached his peak yet and people are complain about he's tired.
Exactly though i believe he is carrying a big load, i see other superstars like Lebron or Durant playing heavy minutes all season long and this argument is never mentioned
Someone made a post in one of the threads that harden runs the least distance each game. Can anyone post it?
Lebron and Durant have always had help, lol How hard is that to understand. And I just posted a quote of Lebron saying he wants to get more rest and get ready for the playoffs.
"I would love to get some more rest, especially going into the playoffs and knowing how important those games are, and how physically taxing those games can be, mentally as well, so we’ll see what happens." -Lebron James http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com
Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson has been joking about ''getting my Pop on'' every time he sits a key player. http://www.foxsports.com This was last year when they didn't have as good a standing and were even younger.
13 March 2015 "Bogut, Iguodala, Curry and Thompson will rest tonight" http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports....-andrew-bogut-andre-iguodala-against-nuggets/
Yeah, I mean Lebron James had Mo Williams in Cleveland, for crying out loud. You can't get much more help than that.
Need to give him more rest to get ready for playoff. He hasn't shown up in playoff since becoming a rocket, I think a lot of it had to do with fatigue. McHale! Do your thing!
http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/04/05/mark-jackson-says-warriors-cant-afford-to-rest-players-to-finish-the-regular-season/ Mark Jackson April 6, 2014
