So then you know he's nowhere near a max player. Which is what he's seeking. Beyond the money, he is not the type of vet this team needs. Period. That's not just a narrative, it's a fact.
He's exactly the type of vet the team needs. THe Rockets have the worst halfcourt offense in the NBA. This isn't opinion, it's empirical. They have the worst court vision/passing/offense creation backcourt in the entire league. James Harden - even at his current age, is one of the best human beings on the planet at this type of thing. Creating easy shots. Not just for Joel Embiid, but for Paul Reed. PJ Tucker. Etc. Even if you are a hardcore Harden hater and you read @Asian Sensation posts to help you go to sleep at night - you're just flat wrong when you say "basketball wise it makes no sense" or stuff like that. It's very logical for a team that is very bad at one thing to try fo find somebody who is very very good at one thing. Harden happens to be very very very good at one of many things the current Rockets are very very very bad at.
He is a top 3 PG in the league, how is that not near a max player? Also, not being the type of vet we need is not a fact, that’s an opinion.
Hollinger: Are you on board the James Harden return trade or would you look elsewhere to solve their veteran point guard issues? Generally, signing a 34-year-old to a multiyear max deal isn’t the play when you’re coming off a 22-60 season. By the time the rest of the Rockets develop enough to help, Harden will be a declining force on a huge contract. That said, I hate the Harden idea less than I used to. In the short term, especially, it has benefits. Harden might not be great for player development of the other perimeter players, but having Harden dominate the ball doesn’t seem so bad if the alternative is having Kevin Porter dominate the ball. The Rockets owe a top-four pick from the Westbrook trade and thus have near-zero tanking incentive this season. Harden’s presence would put the other players in real basketball games with a halfway decent chance of winning them, and that makes both evaluation and progression easier. The other reason it’s not so bad in the short term is that realistically, who else are they getting? DeAngelo Russell? Russell Westbrook? I don’t think Fred VanVleet or Kyrie Irving are looking twice at Houston, so unless they can trade into cap space, Harden is by far the best ballhandling alternative. Finally, the rules of the new CBA mean the Rockets have to spend a bunch of money this summer; their cap space creates a “Brewster’s Millions” situation where they need to add $45 million just to reach the floor. The problem is that a four-year max for Harden likely leaves them with a 37-year-old Harden taking up a huge chunk of the cap with limited production. That bill will come due just as their recent draft picks become extension-eligible and get significantly more expensive. Houston has an amazing eight players whose rookie contracts will expire in either 2025 or 2026; if they’re any good, they’ll get a lot more expensive. So, signing him for the four-year max could cause a lot of trouble in the summers of 2025 and 2026; I’m not sure the juice will be worth the squeeze.
Harden ONLY makes sense from a basketball perspective, he's like the perfect veteran for this team on the court. Money and Cap wise is where it stops making a lot of sense if it's a 4 year max
Besides the fact he quit on the Rox. He's clearly not who he was, but believes he is. Still lives the same lifestyle. Still choking when it matters most and has lost the ability to get to the rim and the line. Listened to an interview recently of an ex teammate of his. His quote, "love Harden. He always takes us young guys out to the clubs." But whatever you say. It's your 2.
You still not have given a single on court reason why Harden is not a good veteran for a young team. We are not talking about quitting, or losting the ECF, or going to clubs, we are literally talking about learning to play basketball at the most fundemental level. Harden is going to show these guys how and when to throw a chest pass to the corner, how and when to hit a cutter on a curl, how to throw a basic bounce pass to a rolling big, how to space in a PnR, how to space in a iso. Just basic NBA basketball. In the past 3 seasons, we are a glorified AAU team just freestyling on every play. Who gives a **** Harden quit on the rockets, he can throw actual passes to shooters and roll man in a basic PnR while nobody on this team currently can do.
Agreed. Production vs cost, this season, Harden was a bargain. 18th in total win shares, 20th in win shares per minute, 17th in RAPTORs wins added model. These numbers still point to a very productive player adding wins at the rate of a 2nd best player on a very good team. I think it’s likely he can repeat or come very, very close to that production level again next year and maybe the year after. So 2 years near but not full max money is digestible, but still a risk. Full max for more years becomes too big of a risk for my taste.
Nobody is going to give him 4 years….NOBODY! Philly can not even pay him the MAX. They want him to accept his option on his current contract. if both team offer James same deal, 3 years for 40 million dollars, he would still receive more money from us because of TEXAS’S no income tax. I would sign James Harden, get rid of Tate and KPJ, sign Brook Lopez and Seth Curry. Draft Amen Thompson HAVE A WINNING TEAM, THE VETERAN TEACH THE YOUNG PLAYERS HOW TO WIN AND WAIT AT THE TRADE DEADLINE…
Do they not already know how to dribble out the clock and jack up shots? When has he ever been part of a fluid, ball moving team? When has he ever played any defense at all? Is he not still the same dude that'll travel on the night before a big game to go party and gamble or whatever? And YES... That counts as "on the court" because it affects the outcome on the court.
Strip clubs do not care about age, you could be a grandpa with dollar bills......money is more important. Does he care about his hobo beard? He never cared much about his outer appearance other than his funny fashion sense.
Yet you think anything you say actually means something. I have my opinion based on what I believe to be facts. You don't have to agree. Just know, most people, other than some few here, believe bringing him back would be a mistake.
