I actually think Harden will be the scapegoat. He hasn't defended well, so he is only valuable if hes scoring. Since he cant do that so far, i suspect the media and fans will turn on him quickly, especially since hes a max player and superstar. Go Blazers!
Howard and Harden just don't work that well together. Harden needs space to bull rush to the basket. Howard should try to get low position, but he doesn't do that very often. ISO basketball with no defense is not a great recipe for success.
Houston should trade Howard to Portland for Lopez and a 1st-rounder. I like Lopez, but I think if you're Portland, you have to consider this.
Clearly, Houston would be crazy not to make this move. Dwight doesn't quite fit in there. Lopez would fit in very nicely.
They've already started drilling him and turning on him. He's just not a playoff basketball player. He tries too hard to create the contact... did you see that one play in the 4th where he was sideways and just trying to create contact and Matthews didn't bite. Then, bam, 24 second violation. I felt justice was served right there.
