The super Harden to Portland thread + The Big Blockbuster

Harden is basically CJ on steroids. Like if you took CJ and moved all the sliders to 99, you have Harden.

Teams would no longer be able to trap Dame, but would Dame do well with Harden? I'm skeptical.

 

I would definitely take the chance because of what I have been saying. Neil has known him since he was just out of high school, Terry will never piss him off and Dame is the best star teammate in the game. There is no more conducive environment for Harden to play and act right. Also, if he doesn't we move him on for a package like the Nets were offering or a young superstar like Simmons and Neil isn't dumb enough to ask for picks on top of those really solid offers and I think Neil is smart enough to put together an offer that's a little worse than those in talent and throw in the picks that Houston seems obsessed with.

 

I think Dame would be the same on the 50% or a little less possessions that he was the main ball handler and he would be so so good off the ball. The guy could honestly take his defender 35 feet out, so completely out of the play so there is no help defense against Harden which would be easy money. Then when our opponents start to collapse on Harden, Dame would kill them with open threes. If the defender was able to close out, Dame would either make them pay for over committing by driving or if they didn't he would (unlike some guards who will remain nameless) rotate the damn ball to the open shooter or slasher. I think the offense those two would generate would be something better than the league may have ever seen from a back court. Then there's the fact that even though Harden isn't an elite defender, he's a lot better than CJ.

 

Not gonna happen!!!

 

Shit. Sorry that slipped.

 

Of course it won't happen but most of what is posted on this board doesn't either. It's fun.

 

Nice reverse jinx there.

 

It was until you cancelled it.

 

No way a acknowledged reverse reverse jinx could affect the inevitable.

 

Good job reinstating the reverse jinx there. Oh wait... what did I just do.

 

Okay sounds like this is a problem for the kingjinxspeed effect!!!

 

Harden purposely scored 44 and pushed the game to OT to raise his value and then purposely passed the ball to lose in OT so the team he is going to doesn't lose a game!

 

and Trent pouted on the bench like a malcontent to take himself out of a trade.

 

If i were hardon id be pissed at pj tucker too though. He would have had a wide open three for the win if he would have stuck to his role.

so i haven't read the game thread but did anyone else feel like cj must have heard the trade rumors and was on a mission to prove himself against Hardon?

 

On Instgram there is a couple posts about it so yeah i'm sure he read it. He is on there all the time. Now how he responded to it i don't know? Brooke asked a couple questions that seemed to spark a response he had planned. He wasn't having it. I got the impression he wanted out of that interview at the end of the game.

Oh and don't bother reading the game thread. I'll paraphrase it for you. CJ is a chucker and if he scores well is just an anomaly. Stotts sucks because he should have played trent for the 5 extra minutes Ant got. Melo still sucks. The Blazers should have beat the Rockets better. A win is a win but..... From there you can figure it out.

 

hahahaha

well i think Ant needs the minutes. And i thought he played well overall.
Trent has not been making shots like in the bubble and doesn't pass the ball.
Melo did suck. But he just needs to stay positive and remind himself he isn't here for these games. He's here for the playoffs when the game slows down snd becomes more half court.

Game threads are all about emotions, rarely about reason. But hey par for the times right? Lol

 

From Quick’s article in The Athletic this morning:

 

Quick also asked CJ about possible trade rumors. He said something about, 'going home to his wife and calling his mom.'

 

This is all well and good, but these games from CJ are rare, but with Harden they happen every game. CJ isn’t a great player. He could be an all star on another team, but he isn’t top 5 in the NBA talent.

I think Ant getting minutes last night was interesting. I think it’s possible he was being showcased OR we were trying to see if he could fill in for Trent if he was traded.

 

No doubt that Harden is the superior basketball talent. There’s also little doubt that CJ is the superior human being or that there’s value in the stability that his friendship with Dame provides. That said, I would still make the trade, but you have to live with the associated risk that it could lead to a chemistry implosion.