James Harden worth max contract?

[jpro611]

It's going to be beautiful when Harden's career takes a huge flop in Houston.

It's not gonna happen, he's gonna be a star

[dnewguy]

Nice math fail... And thread fail... And life fail...

I am Mitt Romney, and I approve this message!

[Corey]

It's not gonna happen, he's gonna be a star

I hope so, but I'm not sold yet. I think he greatly benefitted from the team he played on.

I hope I'm wrong, I love his personality.

[jpro611]

It's not gonna happen, he's gonna be a star

I hope so, but I'm not sold yet. I think he greatly benefitted from the team he played on.

I hope I'm wrong, I love his personality.

Sure he did, but you have to remember he played a lot with the 2nd unit and his efficiency was still insane... His efficiency will take a bit of a dip this year but I think he will be the best SG in the NBA for years to come

[dnewguy]

Sure he did, but you have to remember he played a lot with the 2nd unit and his efficiency was still insane... His efficiency will take a bit of a dip this year but I think he will be the best SG in the NBA for years to come

If Harden is the best SG, the league is in trouble.

[jpro611]

Sure he did, but you have to remember he played a lot with the 2nd unit and his efficiency was still insane... His efficiency will take a bit of a dip this year but I think he will be the best SG in the NBA for years to come

If Harden is the best SG, the league is in trouble.

He was the 3rd best last year, it's well documented that the shooting guard position in the NBA is pretty weak right now

[torocan]

He was the 3rd best last year, it's well documented that the shooting guard position in the NBA is pretty weak right now

Let's also not forget that Harden is only 23.

There are ROOKIES in the league right now who are 23, and we all Assume they'll get better with development.

Harden will improve as well I think. And assuming he follows the normal player development curve (prime starting around 25-27), watch out.

[dnewguy]

Something about the guy tells me he'll be more like Rick Ross in his prime...maybe it's the beard. I still believe he's a Eddy Curry type player, lots of potential but overly reliant on his current skills...he does not occur to me like the type of player that will develop on his game, he seems more like the kind that thinks he is already good enough as he is.

[Corey]

Sure he did, but you have to remember he played a lot with the 2nd unit and his efficiency was still insane... His efficiency will take a bit of a dip this year but I think he will be the best SG in the NBA for years to come

Sure, but when Durant and Westbrook are off the floor, the opposing team's starters are usually off the floor too.

Harden played about 25% of his minutes with Durant on the bench, and 37% of his minutes with Westbrook on the bench. When Durant/Westbrook are out of the game, the opposing team is usually bringing in their second string of wing players.

Dunno if Harden can sustain the high level of efficiency when 100% of his minutes are played against the other team's best defender when he is the top option.

It's a ''we'll see'' for me.

The dude still struggles driving right. for a max player and #1 option, that's a little worrisome to me. I need to see more diversity out of his game. He either jacks a 3, drives to within 5 feet, or gets fouled. There's not much of an in-between game yet.

[jpro611]

Something about the guy tells me he'll be more like Rick Ross in his prime...maybe it's the beard. I still believe he's a Eddy Curry type player, lots of potential but overly reliant on his current skills...he does not occur to me like the type of player that will develop on his game, he seems more like the kind that like to party during the off-season.

Are you serious

He's a very hard worker and has improved each and every year in the league... He's also 23 years old and will continue to get better

[jpro611]

Yeah I get the we'll see approach, I am just confident in the kid to be the main man, I'm happy we actually get to see it now

[ChiSox219]

He either jacks a 3, drives to within 5 feet, or gets fouled. There's not much of an in-between game yet.

You say that as if it's a bad thing or his shot selection isnt the best in the NBA. The reason Harden's efficiency could drop is he'll be forced into more mid range shots where he cant possibly match the efficiency of his threes, free throws, and basket attacks even if he was the best mid range shooter.

[Chronz]

Sure, but when Durant and Westbrook are off the floor, the opposing team's starters are usually off the floor too.
Harden played about 25% of his minutes with Durant on the bench, and 37% of his minutes with Westbrook on the bench. When Durant/Westbrook are out of the game, the opposing team is usually bringing in their second string of wing players.

Well historically, coming off the bench has hurt the efficiency of players so spending more time against bench players comes at the expense of finding an early rhythm and it means playing alongside inferior teammates to keep defenses honest. The tradeoff benefits Harden because hes capable of handling a higher usage, this is the 2nd year (playoffs included) where hes at his best without those other stars. That along with his efficiency overall about as encouraging as you can get.

Dunno if Harden can sustain the high level of efficiency when 100% of his minutes are played against the other team's best defender when he is the top option.

It's a ''we'll see'' for me.

The dude still struggles driving right. for a max player and #1 option, that's a little worrisome to me. I need to see more diversity out of his game. He either jacks a 3, drives to within 5 feet, or gets fouled. There's not much of an in-between game yet.

I dont understand what the complaint is when people say this, for his usage I dont think there has ever been a scorer that efficient, to expect him to sustain his efficiency with a likely 25-30 usage rate is something no one on the world should expect so I really dont see the point of mentioning it.

The player you just described sounds alot like Manu to me. Hitting 3's or getting to the line is a pretty diversified attack considering its a rare combination.


PS What do you think of a Paul Pierce comparison, hes another guy who combine 3's and FT's, he usually has a strong midrange game but it was awful this year.

You say that as if it's a bad thing or his shot selection isnt the best in the NBA. The reason Harden's efficiency could drop is he'll be forced into more mid range shots where he cant possibly match the efficiency of his threes, free throws, and basket attacks even if he was the best mid range shooter.

Sounds like hes describing Manu to me

[Chronz]

Something about the guy tells me he'll be more like Rick Ross in his prime...maybe it's the beard. I still believe he's a Eddy Curry type player, lots of potential but overly reliant on his current skills...he does not occur to me like the type of player that will develop on his game, he seems more like the kind that thinks he is already good enough as he is.

I cant make sense of this comparison or why your so down on his work ethic. Ive literally never read a post that I couldnt at least get a sense of where your coming from. Even the AI dickriders have more common sense than this. Can you plz explain it for me.

[Chronz]

PLEASE...you guys were all about Lin when he was with the Knicks.

Another post that makes no sense, something is off with you right now.