What Plat said about Walton is pretty much end of discussion. I called Walton as the next Lakers coach back in October, it was obvious considering their history and the coaching trajectory of Walton. Now all that is left is for the world to see that Kerr is the genius behind the warriors machine. Walton is very good at following in Kerr's footsteps, but he's not going to turn that Laker team around over night.
He's staying in OKC. Did you see him defend RW against Mark Cuban? He likes playing with Westbrook and considers him family.
Stat padding...Harden is more of a winner than Dame Lillard and he's now a stat padder. This isn't an insult to Dame but it's just the fact. Harden has been on more successful teams. Anyone could get into the league and do what Harden does? I bet you won't find a single NBA player or coach that thinks that. I'm the biased one though right? What Harden does is so easy to do that every player can do it right? Harden's skills on the court are equal to any Joe Schmoe. I guarantee you, you would not find any Rocket fan saying that about Dame or any other player of his caliber. But I'm the biased one. What's funny is defenders have tremendous respect for Harden's ability and will say he's the hardest guy to guard. Coaches teach that you put your hands up on Harden because he drives in awkwardly and holds the ball out in front of him. It works and he gets fouls sometimes and sometimes he turns it over. It's one of the reasons he has so many turnovers because of this technique, his arms are out there to be swiped at. I don't think you got the point I was making and this is a strawman, I never said the Rockets played pretty basketball. I'm actually incredibly fair towards my team. Just because I don't think Harden is a bum and any Joe Schmoe could do what he does doesn't make me a homer. The Warriors brand of basketball is phasing out traditional centers. The heavy reliance on the three point ball as well. Again, I don't think the game was designed to be played this way. Also, you think I'm the only one that thinks this? "I still hate it," Popovich said. "I'll never embrace it. I don't think it's basketball. I think it's kind of like a circus sort of thing. Why don't we have a 5-point shot? A 7-point shot? You know, where does it stop, that sort of thing. But that's just me, that's just old-school. To a certain degree, you better embrace it or you're going to lose. And every time we've won a championship, the 3-point shot was a big part of it. Because it is so powerful and you've gotta be able to do it. And nobody does it better than Golden State, and you know where they're at. So it's important. You can't ignore it." So yeah. Do I agree with Greg Popovich or yuyuza1? Maybe Popovic is just a biased Rocket fan too or something. Damian Lillard is such an amazing defensive player too right? Aesthetically pleasing? That counts for something? Would you take a prime Blake Griffin over Duncan? All Harden does is flop and flail? He does not have a step back, a euro step, handles, play-making ability. All he does is flop? Is that your final analysis on his game? Does anyone have any stats that would prove that most of Harden's trips to the lines aren't actual fouls btw?
Lillard makes the players around him better, Harden makes his teammates long for the game to be over.
Also, if we're gonna compare Lillard and Harden, let's just take a look at how they've matched up in the playoffs. Oh yeah, they played each other in 2014. And Lillard and his team won. Boom.
So how do you explain the the 2014-15 Rockets? Yeah, Harden's been to a few of those too. Your point? So is Michael Conley better than Lillard now too? They beat the Blazers last year in a series so I guess so. Funny, reading this article written by a Blazer fan and reading the comments and it is polar opposite to the things i'm hearing here. http://www.blazersedge.com/2016/1/2...h-lowe-portland-trail-blazers-houston-rockets Yes this is because there was time left on the clock, I think if any fanbase knows that it would be you guys? Dmo is the only guy excited and Harden pushes him out of the way.
Harden is a supertalented driver and a fantasic shooter as well. The problem is that we live in this curious time where flailing your arms and yanking your head back in an attempt to deceive the officials is not only not technical foul, but it is actually rewarded. It's embarrassing for him, for the Rockets, and the league. It works, but it's kind of a sell your soul to win sort of thing (e.g. Chris Paul), and the Rockets aren't even winning any more. A second problem is that even though he has demonstrated the ability to play defense when he wants to, the truth is that he never does - it's ridiculously bad. Presumably, it's because he puts in so much effort on the offensive end, but it's definitely another embarrassing aspect to his play. Finally, he doesn't seem to be able to integrate himself into offensive schemes. It's him 1-1 or he's not helping much. Dwight was up front about this when Parsons left: "James and I will handle the offense (we don't need Parsons or the rest of the team)". Players who don't play defense, don't integrate into the offense, and incessantly flail are not great leaders, either. It would be interesting to see him play for a team in which he wasn't the 1st and maybe only banana. He's not joining the blazers or the celtics, but if he did, I'd like to think he'd be cured of many of these deficiencies, and he'd be recognized for the great player he is. Until then, I and many NBA fans reflectively give a bitter beer fan when thinking about Harden. ------------- That all being said (and OT btw), I think you're right!!! The zillion GS illegal picks, the headcaseness of Draymon, the disrespect and even disdain shown by Klay, the I-won-COY-when-coaching<half-season-even-though-no-player-would-win-MVP-for-playing-half-a-season Kerr, and the media suckling their jock straps will definitely have basically everyone here boiling mad by the end of the second game.
Kerr inherited a talented squad. Of course, he waited for the right coaching vacancy to come along while preparing for coaching success. I believe the following link was posted, but I will post it again. Steve Kerr spent 2 years building a manifesto on how to coach before turning the Warriors into the best team in the NBA
The NBA youtube page is full of comment about how the Blazers play dirty because they injured Paul and Griffin LOL
I know how to settle this, lets see who scores more points in the next round of the playoffs, my money is on Lillard.
I already addressed this. Harden has been on more successful teams because he's been in the league longer and had better teammates. Please stop repeating this non-point. It's been addressed by multiple people multiple times. At least Lillard puts forth effort on the defensive end, and he's improving. Harden actually tried to play a little defense last year and it helped his team tremendously. This year he was back to his indifferent self on the defensive end and the results speak for themselves. When Harden puts in a enough effort to be below average on defense, it helps his team a LOT. When he doesn't even try, it hurts his team and it hurts team morale. When your best player doesn't even try to play defense it's contagious. When he gives up, everybody else gives up, too. That's why he's a shitty teammate and a piss poor leader. In spite of Lillard's shortcomings on defense, he never gives up. He pays hard on every possession at both ends of the court. That inspires his teammates. He is the anti-Harden in this respect. Aesthetically pleasing is a subjective term. What you find aesthetically pleasing and what I find aesthetically pleasing may be totally different, and from your question it appears they are. Based on your question, you seem to think aesthetically pleasing means flashy and style over substance. Not to me. To me, Tim Duncan has one of the most aesthetically pleasing games in the entire history of the NBA. His game is pure. It relies on skill, effort and intelligence, not freakish athletic ability. That's why he's had such a long successful career. His game didn't abandon him when he got older and he STILL plays some of the best defense in the league. You'll see Blake Griffin and his high flying dunks a lot more on Sports Center than Tim Duncan hitting a turnaround and playing good position defense, but there are reasons why Duncan has 5 rings and Griffin 0. Even this year, at 40 years old. Tim Duncan led the entire NBA in Defensive Box Plus/Minus. That may not be a sexy, flashy stat, but I find it, and the results, aesthetically sublime. Feel free to disagree, but anyone who finds James Harden's game pleasing to watch in any any way probably finds Tim Duncan as boring as dirt. Tim Duncan will play more defense in the first two minutes of today's game than James Harden did in the entire GSW series. That's why I love Tim Duncan's game and hate James Harden's. It's also a very big reason why Tim Duncan is still playing and James Harden has the summer off. Time to hit the strip clubs and keep up with the Kardashians. BNM
Pretty sure you are agreeing with him here. He's not saying he would rather take Blake Griffin over Duncan, he's just saying that being aesthetically pleasing doesn't count for anything. (Prime BG being way more aesthetically pleasing than TD, but no one in their right mind would choose BG over TD)
