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http://nba.si.com/2013/11/11/james-h...uston-rockets/
It is troubling that the core issue here seems to be a lack of effort. He seems to float around lazily to conserve energy for the offensive end (though keeping in mind that he is currently injured to some degree) and does not seem to mind at all when he blows defensive assignments. What is possibly even more worrisome is that McHale and the coaching staff are unable to get through to James to get him to buy in defensively. I am nearly positive this is not due to a lack of effort on their part.
Ultimately, this will be part of Harden's maturation and realization that this team needs to improve on defense before it can be considered even a remote contender. As mentioned in other threads, there is no doubt he has the physical tools to be an average to above-average defender. What we need from him now is a sense of urgency, ownership, and the desire to improve a sorely lacking portion of his game to take this team to the next level.
Tell us something we don't know
I think Harden has the skills and instincts to be at least a decent defender but he doesn't even try. Now that he's under the spotlight, people are finally noticing. I'll never consider him the best SG in the league until he's not a complete liability on one side of the ball.
you know it better than nothing that Rin is the real scrub that has been holding the team back, but no one dares to tell it even though everyone knows it tacitly. Kinda remind me of the old rockets where T-Mac was always made the scapegoat while the 7'6 could always get away free of criticism no matter how ty he played.Tell us something we don't know
i don't understand this bull we hear about players "conserving energy for offense" on stacked teams. he can just defer to Dwight for a few possessions if he really needed to conserve energy
Harden is good offensively when he is on, everyone knows he's a defender though
Defense is overrated imo. The NBA elite players list is rife with "stars" that are poor defenders, or just don't defend at all. You can only think of a few people who are good on both ends of the court. That means the bulk of the NBA's "elite" are only interested in offensive stats, and the fans are ok with it. Ergo defense is overrated on here.
, there are full blown systems from full blown teams that openly advertise no defense. Sure they might get in 30 minutes in practice as soon as you get a girlfriend, but they believe, as do their fans, that offense wins championships. After all, it wasn't the stop that won the ring last season, but the shot. Right?
Last edited by DMC; 11-11-2013 at 09:23 PM.
Which is why many of those "stars" have zero rings, tbh... Two way players are the way to go
Pfff... rings. Carmelo has enough rings at the end of his salary that look like this 20,000,000. That's 7 ing rings a year.
True, true... offense gets you money.
For a reason. What's the goal of the NBA? To win rings? No. To make money. If fans are content paying absorbent prices to see a dude make 8 figures to lose games, but hey watch him dunk... that's what the NBA is about.
Lin has been balling this season. He has a PER of 19.
offense alone gets you paid. w/e. if that's what you root for as a fan, then thats your thing. if you want to win championships, you either gotta be a 2-way star or need to coattail somebody greater than you. MJ was a defensive menace. Shaq dominated the paint, though he could get lazy at times, he would bring it during big games. Duncan is a 2 way beast. LeBron has turned into an elite defensive player.
DMC with the professional take again. The way how little the NBA cares about defense and tactics have become annoying tbh. There's a reason why NBA and WWE are associated.
that cost him 5k
Harden obviously needs to give more effort and at least play average defense, tbh..
However, the only reason this is receiving so much attention is because the rest of Houston's perimeter players don't play defense, either..they don't have a stopper that can mask Harden's deficiencies and allow him to coast, which has been done many times on contending teams with perimeter stars that had minimal defensive responsibility, tbh..
If the Rockets had 2007-2011 Dwight Howard, it wouldn't be an issue, either, obviously..
son the only reason it's an issue this year is because Howard. The press don't want to blame him for
Howard gets roasted every day, tbh, not sure what you're talking about, my..
The Lakers and Rockets built their defenses around peak Howard, not current Howard..Howard of the past 2 years is a top 5-7 overall defender that can still anchor a defense with a good defensive cast/foundation, while peak Howard was arguably one of the 5 best all-around defenders in NBA history and could cover the flaws of every defensive player around him..
DMC on fire ...but did someone spit in your cornflakes?!
Howard gets roasted every day, tbh, not sure what you're talking about, my
The Lakers and Rockets built their defenses around peak Howard, not current Howard..Howard of the past 2 years is a top 5-7 overall defender that can still anchor a defense with a good defensive cast/foundation, while peak Howard was arguably one of the 5 best all-around defenders in NBA history and could cover the flaws of every defensive player around him..
Great points. Now that Lakers are ty and Lebron no longer needs to be defended, glad you back to bringing solid takes. Good Harlem. Only dmc and rogue bringing goods consistently ...there are a few more but y'all at top. But dmc seems like he is mad at the basketball world ...Howard gets roasted every day, tbh, not sure what you're talking about, my
The Lakers and Rockets built their defenses around peak Howard, not current Howard..Howard of the past 2 years is a top 5-7 overall defender that can still anchor a defense with a good defensive cast/foundation, while peak Howard was arguably one of the 5 best all-around defenders in NBA history and could cover the flaws of every defensive player around him..
Lin doesn't give a what people think. He'll let his play on the court do the talking. If he sucks, so be it. So far his PER of 19 is pretty good. But as shooting guards go, I'll take a two way player over a one dimensional chucker any day.
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