James Harden

Yeah you are too harsh. Just like everyone else thats commented on him lately. I don’t think people realize just how difficult and tiring it is to be the number one option on offense and put all your effort into defense as well. Especially when you are playing 40+ minutes a night in the playoffs.

For someone who scores as often as he does he is a great distributor, he is a really good rebounder for his position, and for every shot that "takes his team out of it" he makes two that keeps his team in it. For having such a mediocre shooting performance, playing "the worst defense ever" as some have said recently, being an "ok" passer, and only being able to score in one way supposedly, getting 37,9, and 6 in the OT win is pretty solid and I would still take him over pretty much any other shooting guard in the league. 

Yeah you are too harsh. Just like everyone else thats commented on him lately. I don’t think people realize just how difficult and tiring it is to be the number one option on offense and put all your effort into defense as well. Especially when you are playing 40+ minutes a night in the playoffs.

For someone who scores as often as he does he is a great distributor, he is a really good rebounder for his position, and for every shot that "takes his team out of it" he makes two that keeps his team in it. For having such a mediocre shooting performance, playing "the worst defense ever" as some have said recently, being an "ok" passer, and only being able to score in one way supposedly, getting 37,9, and 6 in the OT win is pretty solid and I would still take him over pretty much any other shooting guard in the league. 

 His defense is disterbinly bad

 His defense is disterbinly bad

Harden is a really good scorer, but his shot selection has been downright awful at times. He’s pretty predictable right now, hes going to shake and bake, probe his way around and either take a step back j or euro step floater.

He’s not a great iso scorer. He needs a screen to get by the Blazer’s defenders because Wes Matthews and Batum are both solid defenders. I don’t know why Houston went away from ball screen action because they were getting whatever they wanted every time. Portland kept doing it and it spread everything out. I get that Houston doesn’t have the shooters Portland does, but get some sort of movement. I hate iso basketball

Harden is a really good scorer, but his shot selection has been downright awful at times. He’s pretty predictable right now, hes going to shake and bake, probe his way around and either take a step back j or euro step floater.

He’s not a great iso scorer. He needs a screen to get by the Blazer’s defenders because Wes Matthews and Batum are both solid defenders. I don’t know why Houston went away from ball screen action because they were getting whatever they wanted every time. Portland kept doing it and it spread everything out. I get that Houston doesn’t have the shooters Portland does, but get some sort of movement. I hate iso basketball

 Dipo, you are right that it is very tiring to be a #1 option, but a lot  of#1 guys are just better at it than Harden is. He seems to have gotten lazy in his new superstar status.

I remember him at OKC being impossible to predict and mixing his offensive game up very well. Now it’s either a 3 pointer or a desperate flailing attempt to draw a foul.

As far as true #1 options go he is way below Bron, Melo, Durant, Westbrook, Aldridge, even CP3.

 Dipo, you are right that it is very tiring to be a #1 option, but a lot  of#1 guys are just better at it than Harden is. He seems to have gotten lazy in his new superstar status.

I remember him at OKC being impossible to predict and mixing his offensive game up very well. Now it’s either a 3 pointer or a desperate flailing attempt to draw a foul.

As far as true #1 options go he is way below Bron, Melo, Durant, Westbrook, Aldridge, even CP3.

My list of FIVE STAR SUPERSTARS are LeBron and Durant.  That’s it.

FOUR STAR SUPERSTARS: Chris Paul.  Probably Westbrook.

Regular Four star guys: Love, Carmelo, Dirk, Tony Parker, Harden, Curry, Wade, Blake Griffin (he might be a FOUR STAR SUPERSTAR now…), and that is about it.

So, Harden isn’t in the LeBron/Durant category, and probably not in the Westbrook/CP3 category, but I have him in the next group with Carmelo, Kevin Love, and Tony Parker.  The top 10-15 guys in the league depending on your exact ranking methodology.  You can call those Four star guys, superstars, stars, or all-stars or whatever you want, but they are way up there.  But, you are not going to get a title with a Four Star guy putting his team on his back (a prime Dirk was a different guy). 

A four star guy like Harden is a notch above the basic all-star but not quite one of the TOP guys. 

Right now, the NBA’s Mt. Rushmore has LeBron, Durant, Chris Paul, and you could argue Russell Westbrook.  If not Westbrook then Blake Griffin or Kevin Love. 

Harden probably needs to take the next step in order to get his Rockets out of the West.  He could do that by recommitting to defense and by having a better shot selection.

My list of FIVE STAR SUPERSTARS are LeBron and Durant.  That’s it.

FOUR STAR SUPERSTARS: Chris Paul.  Probably Westbrook.

Regular Four star guys: Love, Carmelo, Dirk, Tony Parker, Harden, Curry, Wade, Blake Griffin (he might be a FOUR STAR SUPERSTAR now…), and that is about it.

So, Harden isn’t in the LeBron/Durant category, and probably not in the Westbrook/CP3 category, but I have him in the next group with Carmelo, Kevin Love, and Tony Parker.  The top 10-15 guys in the league depending on your exact ranking methodology.  You can call those Four star guys, superstars, stars, or all-stars or whatever you want, but they are way up there.  But, you are not going to get a title with a Four Star guy putting his team on his back (a prime Dirk was a different guy). 

A four star guy like Harden is a notch above the basic all-star but not quite one of the TOP guys. 

Right now, the NBA’s Mt. Rushmore has LeBron, Durant, Chris Paul, and you could argue Russell Westbrook.  If not Westbrook then Blake Griffin or Kevin Love. 

Harden probably needs to take the next step in order to get his Rockets out of the West.  He could do that by recommitting to defense and by having a better shot selection.

its the same for Durant and ESPECIALLY Westbrook.

People think it’s ok whenever Durant shot ANY shot because he’s Durant, but a lot of the times, he plays his offense expecting to get fouled, just like Harden and his team team is suffering bcause he too shoots up bad shots expecting to get fouled. Westbrook does this just as much as Durant, but he does it from the 3 point line.

its the same for Durant and ESPECIALLY Westbrook.

People think it’s ok whenever Durant shot ANY shot because he’s Durant, but a lot of the times, he plays his offense expecting to get fouled, just like Harden and his team team is suffering bcause he too shoots up bad shots expecting to get fouled. Westbrook does this just as much as Durant, but he does it from the 3 point line.

 A lot of it is he went from a third option, 31 minute a game player in his last year at OKC to a second option 38 minute a game player at HOU. He’s also averaging 46 minutes a game in this series. That has to be a tough transition. I know, suck it up and earn your money, but it’s still tough.

 A lot of it is he went from a third option, 31 minute a game player in his last year at OKC to a second option 38 minute a game player at HOU. He’s also averaging 46 minutes a game in this series. That has to be a tough transition. I know, suck it up and earn your money, but it’s still tough.