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Some thoughts on the Harden piñata

Richard Li wrote on Saturday that when James Harden is on the floor, the Rockets pass less, move less, and play slower.  In contrast with the Spurs and Warriors, “[i]s there any player who is [better] because he is on the Rockets?” Li inquires.  I’ve written about this matter throughout the year now, once we reached the point of existential reflection.  Li is right entirely: no one on the team is better by virtue of being on the team, and the team itself, and its structure, is an anachronistic relic from a previous era.  But what really is the solution?  I’ve argued recently that being second or third best, or even just good enough, is a practical approach.  We have evidence, in the form of last season, that a James Harden led team can make the Final Four.  Building upon that formula might have higher odds to success than tearing it all down in pursuit of the ideal.  Much of the Spurs’ and Warriors’ success can be linked to the unselfish tendencies of basketball’s current revolution, yes.  But there are otherwise inimitable factors at play.  For one, Tim Duncan’s 20-year presence serves as the infrastructure which allows the Spurs to implement whatever team culture they choose.  And Steph Curry is the greatest shooter in basketball history, creating space with his mere presence alone.  James Harden is deeply flawed, yes.  But if they traded him off for players more in line with the tendencies of today, where would it get them?  They couldn’t dictate with an iron fist like Poppovich, because they have no set culture.  And they’d be at a talent deficit because it’s improbable they’d get back a player even as good as Harden for quite some time.  So does a team with altruistic role players have a higher ceiling than one with Harden?  While Li’s point is completely valid, I pick the latter, with hope of maturation.  As I’ve said, the goal right now for the Rockets organization is to simply try to be good again, not to be the best.  It’s defeatist perhaps, but it is more practical than an idealistic paradigm shift.

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About the author: Rahat Huq is a lawyer in real life and the founder and editor-in-chief of www.Red94.net.

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