When you're that rich and a star, I highly doubt he ever would. No way the girls getting handed bills are ever going to stop treating him like a king. Just saying.
No doubt, he would just be a OG sugar daddy type status for those strippers, and for non strippers if he is tricking his dollars away
I never assume any of my opinions actually mean anything given the fact that none of us have any impact on the decision making of the FO. I am simply amused that you think the "majority" sharing your opinion actually lends any sort of additional value.
he did get his janky teeth fixed... i think the beard is just a marketing tool he leaned into... dude is always gonna be that fat asthmatic kid in his head... no matter how many ass kissing yes men he surrounds himself with and regardless of how many women he needs to pay to favor their attention... really dude is sad... obviously his money, basketball ability and status are enviable... ...but i'll pass on the rest of the insecure narcissistic package... lol!
What does this even mean? Additional value? I'm glad you're amused but you're not making sense. You have your opinion, I got mine. This is a forum to speak and express them. Doesn't matter whether you sound wrong or not. Nor I. Although I'm right. Obviously we're never gonna agree on this so...
It was a remark based on you saying multiple times that others agree with you like it somehow makes your point more relevant, hence my reaction of "Why would other people sharing your opinion matter?"
Look. Across the league with not only media, but ex players, ex coaches even J Green himself doesn't believe it's a good fit. Not only that, but the fact that he's lost a step or two or three, is a real thing. The fact that he's more about himself than the team is a real thing. People that actually know in the league state it all the damn time. My opinion doesn't matter, but I'll trust those that actually do.
Regardless I would like the new coach to be able to coach the team with near impunity. If we are cursed with a Harden return he has to be coachable, not this let me do what I want crap.
I’ve come around to not wanting Harden back, even on a value deal. I think he is still very good at basketball, in terms of impact to a team’s net rating over the course of a season. I say this as a longtime and current Harden fan - he might be the least “coachable” star ever, in terms of doing things the coach asks him to do that he disagrees with. I don’t see how Ime can be effective as a coach with Harden doing Harden things. Harden is an all time great and Rockets legend. But he has zero dog in him. Zero grit. Zero real competitiveness. Those things are real and matter more to this group than +4 to our offensive rating next season. If you can’t see that you’re too deep in the homer weeds. Harden’s vision of basketball is not what this team wants or needs right now,
Luka, Steph, Dame, SGA, Kyrie, Trae, Ja, Jamal Murray, DeAaron Fox, LaMelo, Haliburton are all better - and with the exception of Steph are all younger. None have showed the steep decline in athleticism like Harden who will continue to age poorly. At this point it's not clear he's any better than Jrue or FVV. That's not a max player - particularly from age 34 thru 37...
Cool story. How many of them are available to us and beyond that, how many of the ones who are available do we actually want?
Fair enough. To me, the most depressing time in my Rockets experience was not the pre-Ralph time but the post-TMac/Yao time when we had Kevin Martin as our franchise player, and later Jeremy Lin. Those aren't bottom feeding teams but they had no hope whatsoever to be anything competitive for a title and no apparent hope to get better. I am obviously more optimistic about Green, Sengun, Smith, Eason, and other young guys than you. I think all of them turn out to be no better than Kevin Martin level guy is unlikely. I believe the likelihood of having at least one of them getting to top 20 level is fairly good. Even top 10 is not out of the question kind of impossibility. That is our hope. Much better than K-Mart and poison pills Lin and Asik. And even though the K-Mart era was depressingly hopeless, some good luck could happen out of the blue. You never know. The bigger problem is of course not the current players but ownership/management. But again, you never know what is going to happen. The recent rise of Phoenix (pun intended), the earlier turn around of the Clippers, and the stark improvement of the Kings, give me hope. Even a terrible ownership can suddenly get turned around.
If not Harden who do you think is going to Houston? If we keep LOSING Green might leave. Honestly, nobody wants to come here…wake up
Small chance Scoot falls, then he’s our starting PG. Otherwise FVV, Gabe Vincent, Tre Jones are starter level, fit Ime’s desired traits, fit around our young core, fit into a team concept, and are gettable if we pay for them. Also could trade for Brogdon or Delon Wright pretty cheaply. Then you can get Bruce Brown for some secondary playmaking at the 3, or off the bench. Look, I love Harden. Been my favorite player for 10 years. Still think he helps teams win lots of basketball games. Top 40 player ever. If he gets lucky and is carried to a title in Philly or elsewhere, I’ll be celebrating almost like it’s a Rockets title. But on all the other Harden stuff, we need to collectively take the L. He plays basketball the wrong way. He doesn’t compete. His game is aesthetically unenjoyable to watch. Basketball is not his priority. Wants to do it his way or not at all. Pouts. Not respected by his peers. Finds a way to come up small in the big moments. Loser mentality. I fought it for years, but everything they say is true. Let’s take the L and move into our next era.
I'm fine bringing back Harden and overpaying to do it, even if it only makes us a .500 ball club, as opposed to giving a couple of lottery picks to OKC.
https://bleacherreport.com/articles...-james-harden-think-about-the-houston-rockets … The timing and order of operations would need to be precise, but in July, the Rockets could sign Harden to the max, acquire Green on an extend-and-trade from Golden State and land both Anunoby and Trent from the Raptors. The bounty from Houston would be divided between the Warriors and Toronto. Perhaps it's No. 4 and one of the Rockets' top three prospects (Green, Smith or Sengun) to Toronto, with Martin and Porter to the Warriors. Golden State gets a well-regarded young role player in Martin at $1.9 million for 2023-24, a $9.8 million trade exception and an incredible $153.5 million tax savings with Green gone and Porter stretched. The Warriors may not be ready to break up with Green, but it has to be tempting. The Raptors get a high pick in a strong draft class, one of Green, Smith or Sengun, plus players like Christopher, Washington and Nix from Houston. Harden returns with the Rockets to play with Green, Anunoby and Trent, plus remaining pieces like Eason, Garuba, Tate and the team's top two remaining prospects. Trent would need to opt in, but an extend-and-trade may appeal to him as well (starting as high as $19.8 million)—if that were the holdup, a deal could easily be forged without him. It's a foundation built on many "ifs," but it's certainly arguable to all sides. If Toronto is out, the Rockets and Warriors may be able to get something simpler done with Green. But say the Warriors decide to keep Green long-term, and/or the Raptors hold onto Anunoby—where could the Rockets turn to get Harden the help he needs to commit? The Timberwolves had high expectations when it acquired Rudy Gobert from the Utah Jazz (for significant draft capital) that it would be a strong playoff contender. Instead, they had to fight through the play-in to lose to the Denver Nuggets in the first round. The new rules don't favor Minnesota, with Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels extension eligible this summer. Edwards is believed to be seeking a max deal (and many around the league believe he'll get it), and McDaniels is likely seeking closer to a $25-30 million starting salary. The team won't be able to afford that, with Karl-Anthony Towns and Gobert combining for over $90 million in 2024-25. Dealing Gobert will not return anything close to what the Timberwolves paid to Utah. Other competing executives think Karl-Anthony Towns will be long gone ahead of the 2024-25 campaign. Some even believe Minnesota would jump at an opportunity in the next few weeks. The team's most significant need is a point guard to replace Mike Conley, who was very good for the team after a deadline deal (also with the Jazz) but will be 36 before the start of next season. If Scoot Henderson isn't there at No. 4 (he's projected at No. 3 by B/R's Jonathan Wasserman), then the Timberwolves may need Houston to rope in another franchise if it's giving up Towns. The Hawks are facing a more immediate problem under the new CBA, with a payroll projected to be $172 million and $16.4 million in luxury taxes (more if players hit various incentives). The team is believed to be looking for a home for John Collins, but some whispers abound that Dejounte Murray could be had in the right deal. Murray is due $18.2 million this season but may not be open to an extension limited to a $25.4 million starting salary. Unless Atlanta can shed significant salary elsewhere, they may not be able to afford Murray at his current price, let alone on a new deal in his likely asking range above $30 million. That's where Porter, with his long-term stretch, could help the Hawks under the luxury tax entirely. It would probably take the No. 4 pick, along with other considerations. The Rockets get Towns to pair with Harden, a very different look than Green in the Warriors scenario. If Udoka expects a defensive roster, the front office would add two high-powered scorers who aren't nearly as impactful on the other end. Once again, Houston gives up one of its top three prospects, No. 4 and other considerations. Would the Timberwolves say no to Murray and Smith for Towns? Do the Hawks turn down No. 4 and other player/draft pieces from Houston for Murray? And there's enough flexibility to configure it in different ways, with Murray to the Wolves, Smith to the Hawks, throw in No. 20 or a Brooklyn future first—Collins could be added to the equation from Atlanta. There would be fertile ground for conversation if the three franchises were so motivated. Or maybe Minnesota and Houston just leave the Hawks out, and Minnesota goes for younger pieces in volume from Houston and figures out a point guard later. The Rockets have the cap room, young players, draft picks and Porter's magic bullet contract. The starting point is a "yes" from Harden, but Houston may not get that without lining up the trade possibilities first. The good news is that the logic has been laid out above. The teams just need to get on the phone together and hash out the deals.
