Well, if you can say that about Howard, then the same is about LMA. He didn't work with Dame, Roy, Oden, etc. So that point is a wash. Dame has done more this year with nothing than Harden did with nothing, that much is true.
That much is true, yes. For this year at least. I guess time will tell, again I'm not dissing Dame and really I understand this is a Blazer forum and no one is going to roll out the red carpet and anoint Harden or give him any respect at all. Guess I'm just saying that Harden is a player to be reckoned with and I seriously doubt the rest of his career will be like this year. He says he'll get better and I think he has a lot more passion and fire then people realize. I've seen him D up against the Likes of Durant and Lebron and win. I've seen him accept that challenge time and time again. Not sure what happened this year, but I really don't think that it is a coincidence that every contract year for Dwight Howard this happens
The start of the 2018/19 season will mean that the "New" Charlotte Hornets will have existed in Charlotte longer than the "Original" Charlotte Hornets did.
Not really. The "new" Hornets have only existed for two years. For the previous 10 years, they were the Bobcats. BNM
The "new" hornets and the Bobcats are the same franchise. That is obviously what I meant. Are you channeling King?
Yes this is a Blazer forum, but we respect the shit out of TONS of non-Blazers. You have to understand why we - and nearly every other non-Rocket fan - think that Beard is a disgrace to the game of basketball, right? You're obviously an intelligent person, and it's often hard to be objective about your own team's (best) players. So I'm not asking you to agree that Beard is a disgrace to the game, but you have to know why everyone else thinks he is. To try to argue he's not is futile.
You have four players on the roster who are three point shooters. Beverly who shot a career high 40% from deep this year. Ariza who shot 37%, Terry who shot 35%, and Harden who shot 35%. Thorton & Lawson didn't finish the year on Houston but they are below league average from deep. Brewer - 224, Jones - 79, DMo - 57, Smith 85. Four players who are career sub 30% from deep.. Brewer almost had as many attempts as Terry... Real question, did Brewer ever make one after March 24th? I said that because I don't believe it has to do with coaching at all. Morey hasn't brought in the right players to run a 3 or dunk system. Half of the roster can't shoot. That's not on Howard, nor is it on Harden... Nor is it on Mchale or JB. It's on the GM, and possibly the owner if he's agrees to bring in shit shooters and force them to play in that system. It's just like when Phil went to the Knicks and he had players that couldn't play the triangle. It's on the people/person who bring in the players and force them to run a system that doesn't fit those players.
On the Harden conversation, I wish we could go to some alternate reality where he was given the Blazers roster from when LA left to today and see what would happen. Honestly we probably would be ~30 win team. Dame made everyone better this year, like leaders do.
Yeah most non-rocket fans don't like Harden or the Rockets I'm fine with that. I don't think it's correct (That he's a disgrace) or the coaches wouldn't have voted him into the All-star game, he wouldn't have made Team USA (and then named leader of the team) or wouldn't have been voted players MVP either. I know it sort of comes with the territory. When the Rockets had Yao and Tmac other fanbases just pitied ours "Poor Rockets, they always get hurt..." and during the Lowry years it was much of the same. "Poor Rockets, they try so hard though!" I mean I get it. It comes with the territory when your GM is trying to create a super team. Draymond Green is probably top 5 most hated players in the NBA among fans. He fouls on pretty much every play and curses out refs and does a ton of despicable things. You guys have fun with that during a series though lol. You'll probably find someone you hate more than Harden. I think everyone is to blame for this and yes Coaching definitely. You'd just have to watch every night to understand. There was one game where the Rockets were blowing a team out and then JBB just randomly subs out 4 of the players who were playing so well and of course the other team came back. Game one Josh Smith hits three 3s and then doesn't see the floor again. You'd think he'd learn that if Josh Smith is going to do his Dirk Nowitzki impression then just let him do it and see how long it can last. I don't even want to get started with McHale. I'm just glad his tenure here is done.
I hate floppers. Harden is THE WORST flopper in the history of the league. There have been many Draymond Green's. Nothing new or special about him.
It's true that we generally hate the current opponent most. Should we make it to the 2nd round we're all gonna hate GSW's moving screens and new-found cockiness. But hate doesn't even begin to describe how most everyone feels about Beard. I hated Jordan! But he was anything but a disgrace to the game. Ditto Kobe (although the past year was disgraceful in an entirely different way). Chris Paul comes closest to matching Beard in disgracing the game, but even he is only a whisper of a shadow when compared to Beard.
I won't even get into that. Just that Harden sees the FT line just like most guys who attack the paint do. Crossing over your opponent and attacking a lane isn't flopping. Parker, Durant, Lebron, Wade, Kobe, Westbrook, pretty much every player does this. I consider flopping to be more like hitting a screen and imitating a helicopter...but we'll see. I imagine many Blazer fans will lose a lot of respect for the Warriors once you've been in a series with them. You'll soon be wishing your player flops hitting a screen because that's the only way it's going to get called.
We'll see though. Lots of fans respect the Warriors until you are in a series with them. The celebrating after every shot. How Green will literally curse out the refs and is immune to techs (or throwing down players. Using two hands playing post defense) and Curry if he returns. He drives less than Harden but every time he drives it'll be a foul called....and then Bogut who is nothing but a goon. I don't think the Warriors are this great representation of Basketball either. They've turned the game into something I'm not sure it was ever supposed to be and thanks to them the Center position or tradition center may be extinct sooner than later. The "Screens" they set are insane though and it sucks doubly because Klay and Curry need all of about one centimeter and 0.4 seconds to drain a shot and here you have half of the team setting screens that offensive linemen would be proud of.
