Amazing how how so many people buy into the Dwight Howard con job. Don't worrry TMac, he'll be getting the ball more with whoever loser team he and Fegan takes to the cleaners - and even then he'll still be putting up the same stats
I think TMac's words speak more about the type of player he was than what's really going on in the Rockets lockerroom. "I think there's some jealousy between the players"... riveting analysis.
1. Harden can catch and step into a 3 as good as anybody. We've seen him do it too often to be told he can't catch-and-shoot. 2. Since when does playing off the ball mean you can't dribble? Harden, catching, faking as the defense flies by, then taking it to the hole off the dribble after a great playmaker has already broke down the defense would be total devastation to every defense. And the huge ugly glob of turnovers he commits would dissipate to an efficient few. The idea that Harden can't play off the ball or play in a passing/cutting offense is total crap.
I posted a Durant/Horford Union in Houston around that same day as well on another site. I used the estimated salary cap+luxury tax+apron. 1st team) Pachulia/Horford/Durant/Harden/Llull. 2nd team) Bev/Korver(Trade)/Ariza/Harrell/Capela Small ball unit) Durant/Ariza/Korver/Harden/(??? cont next line)(Llull/Bev/Horford/Dekker/FA...??re-sign Thornton??). Capela and or Bev could be with 1st team. Dude or stud it's time to see what Llull can do. LeBron joining Durant is plan A if Cavs don't win the crown this year. 2 yrs to NBA finals with 2 losses.......half way there to being the Buffalo Bills. Trade Irving and Love for Paul and Blake probably gives the Cavs the same result. If no Horford then maybe Ryan Anderson as plan C w/Durant.
The Rockets need two more stars at least. Howard and Harden are maybe half a star each. That equals one. We need two more complete star players.
Can we put Harden & Howard in the same body and and make the salary $18 million (difference between $15 mil and $22 mil). Will that get us under the luxury tax?
If everyone had stayed healthy, today we could be rolling out a lineup of: 5 - Yao Ming 4 - Dwight Howard 3 - Tracy Mcgrady 2 - Jim Harden 1 - Michael Dickerson Injuries suck.
Same here. There's no reason James can't play off the ball and do so extremely well. The man is a brilliant talent. Give him some structure, a system that allows him to play off the ball a significant amount of time. That might require a creative coach who demands and gets the attention of his players, and if he doesn't get it, parks their butts on the bench.
What baffles Me is that Tracy McGrady possibly can figure this out, but the coaching staff, who is paid to figure stuff like this out by possibly being around the team a lot of the time, might not be able to figure this out and solve the problem on the court. It seems like what Morey and this organization might take for granted are the mental aspects of the game.
I also don't see how everyone's assessment seems to be that Harden doesn't want to play off the ball when we see there has actually been no clear plan executed well for him to do so.
Man I swear... a healthy/motivated Howard has the most potential in the nba still ... its sad to know this
Even in that video you see Dwight not setting proper picks for Kobe. That's why he doesn't get the ball more. With the proper pick it either gets him open or it get Kobe open. Dwight only sets fake picks so that he can get back to the basket and post up. The only time you don't see him do this is in the playoffs for some unknown reason he won't set a proper pick int he regular season.
Did more????? Facts are: Kobe played 78 regular season games, Dwight 76 Kobe: 38.6 MPG, Dwight: 35.8 MPG Kobe: 27.3 PPG, Dwight: 17.1 PPG Kobe: 5.6 RPG, Dwight: 12.4 RPG Do I even need to mention FT% or Assists, or the fact that Kobe ruptured his Achilles because he was burdened with the task of carrying that sorry ass Laker team to the playoffs playing over 40 minutes in the final 7 straight games of his season (including the game vs GS when the Achilles did tear). So, all in all, the numbers are clear...that Dwight DID NOT do "more than kobe that entire year", proving "the popular opinion" correct.
