Where should Harden be ranked among the greats?

[DC23]

I think it’s safe to say the Rockets would not have achieved much this season without James Harden. As such, it seems like it’d be crazy if he didn’t get MVP for a second time. Regardless, we can expect him to be in the top 2.

That would put him among some seriously iconic players. The list below all were able to be in the top 2 for three seasons in a row:

David Robinson (94-96; won 95)
Michael Jordan (96-98; won 96,98)
Tim Duncan (01-04; won 02, 03)
Steve Nash (05-07; won 05,06)
LeBron James (11-13, won 11, 12)
Kevin Durant (11-13, won 13)

Frankly, based on his performance, Harden should be considered among these greats. What do you all think?

[Rummpd]

Define great? He maybe in top 30 or so? Needs to win some titles - multiple to move maybe top 15

[whitemamba]

He’s the goat OP.

[FrostKing]

Tough to be considered GOAT without leading a Finals campaign.

[Spurtacular]

Where is Manu ranked? Cos I put Harden behind him.

[FrostKing]

Where is Manu ranked? Cos I put Harden behind him.
Middle-Bottom sidekicks

[hater]

He's a great tuna

[Clipper Nation]

Unranked. He's a regular-season fraud who gets exposed in the real games every year once the refs stop inflating his stats for him.

[DMC]

Depends on who ranks them.

DJohn - 2 or 3 all time

CN - Shouldn't be in the NBA

[spurraider21]

He shouldn’t

[whitemamba]

Unranked. He's a regular-season fraud who gets exposed in the real games every year once the refs stop inflating his stats for him.

This

[TDfan2007]

I think it’s safe to say the Rockets would not have achieved much this season without James Harden. As such, it seems like it’d be crazy if he didn’t get MVP for a second time. Regardless, we can expect him to be in the top 2.

That would put him among some seriously iconic players. The list below all were able to be in the top 2 for three seasons in a row:

David Robinson (94-96; won 95)
Michael Jordan (96-98; won 96,98)
Tim Duncan (01-04; won 02, 03)
Steve Nash (05-07; won 05,06)
LeBron James (11-13, won 11, 12)
Kevin Durant (11-13, won 13)

Frankly, based on his performance, Harden should be considered among these greats. What do you all think?

Out of this list, he's closest to Robinson, and he'll likely be remembered similarly. An all time great regular season player whose style of play never quite translated to the playoffs as a number 1.

[Spurtacular]

Out of this list, he's closest to Robinson, and he'll likely be remembered similarly. An all time great regular season player whose style of play never quite translated to the playoffs as a number 1.

Rank these eight: Stockton, Barkley, Malone, Ewing, Miller, Harden, Wilkins, Nash

[Arcadian]

Not that high, tbh

[DMC]

Harden will be remembered as a gimmicky player as will a few more from this era. This is the age of chasing stats. No one will remember Mark McGwire as a HR champion. No one gives 2 shits about Barry Bonds either. Both are gimmicks based on PEDs and doing basically nothing but swinging for the fences at every bat. People will still consider Hank Aaron a better HR hitter than either of them.

You take Harden and Westbrook and consider them fliers, people who didn't get stats organically, but by manufacturing stats for the sake of stats. Maybe KD is guilty of that some as well, but KD is built to play in the Finals (I think KL is built for the post season as well).

KL has better accolades than Harden. That 1 MVP was based on numbers only. He didn't support it with playoff performance. Same with Westbrook. You cannot say that about Lebron or most other MVPs including Steve Nash.

I am not willing to consider "greatness" to be someone who has decided to game the system and who found a coach and team that are complicit.

[DJR210]

Great what? Chokers?

[RC_Drunkford]

behind Manu Ginobili that's for sure

[lefty]

Better than Porker

[lefty]

I thought for a moment that aj3292 started this thread

[FrostKing]

Rank these eight: Stockton, Barkley, Malone, Ewing, Miller, Harden, Wilkins, Nash
1. Malone
2. Barkley
3. Ewing
4a. Stockton
4b. Nash
6a. Wilkins
6b. Miller


If Harden blew his knee out tomorrow he would be in the group with Wlkins/Miller

[Spurtacular]

1. Malone
2. Barkley
3. Ewing
4a. Stockton
4b. Nash
6a. Wilkins
6b. Miller


If Harden blew his knee out tomorrow he would be in the group with Wlkins/Miller

You'd take a Harden with a blown-out knee over Reggie or Nique? That's a little silly, tbh.

I'd take early nineties Barkley and Stockton and then the rest, tbh.

[LkrFan]

Unranked. He's a regular-season fraud who gets exposed in the real games every year once the refs stop inflating his stats for him.

[FrostKing]

You'd take a Harden with a blown-out knee over Reggie or Nique? That's a little silly, tbh.

I'd take early nineties Barkley and Stockton and then the rest, tbh.
I meant if Harden blew his knee out and retired.

With these lists I usually rank based on career accomplishments or the big picture. I.e. Ewing was not aa good as Karl/Chuck on the Dream Team. I might even put Ewing below in with Stockton/Nash

Ranking based on who I would pick for a pick up game is too subjective. Because then a guy like Rose would rank really high when in reality only NBA fanatics are gonna remember him in 25 years