151 replies to this topic

[slick shoes]

And so it begins.....

 

http://espn.go.com/d...ts-cornerstones

 

[slick shoes]

I apologize for the machine gun posting, but I cannot edit my posts for some reason. Nevertheless, I'll conclude with this. This ought to make for an interesting Team USA basketball camp.

[Steven]

Being describe a "role player" doesn't mean you aren't a good player. The Spurs just won the championship with 1178930482 role players and 0 or 1(maybe?) stars. Harden wasn't taking a swipe at anyone.

[thenit]

I think what harden said was correct but he didn't need to say it. It's not disrespecting the players, but sometimes comments can alienate players and it seems like harden doesn't have a lot of good friends in the league and therefore he doesn't get the acclaims that he deserves. Unlike other young superstars that recruits players in today's nba, harden doesn't get involved in the process. I think it won't hurt us because it's insignificant and true and parsons is just sensitive. However it can affect vet FAs because it seems like every name we have been linked to has not come and even gone to worse teams than us. So there must be some reason for that and this doesn't help.

[QNoir]

It's not that big of a deal. I am pretty sure 100% of people would agree with him. He didn't put any players down. Role player isn't a derogatory term. Everyone has a role. His and Dwight's are to be the leaders of the team. Other players are there to round out the roster, and complete the team just like he said. It might piss Chandler off because in his mind he is more than that, but it is what it is. I guarantee Beverley, Ariza, Jones, Daniels, Dmo, Canaan and whoever else makes the roster agree with him. They are the stars, and for better or worse have to deal with being the star players. They get the most credit for success, and they get blasted the most when something not so great happens. If Harden wasn't a "cornerstone piece" this article never would've been written. Why should everyone know something, agree with it, and then blast Harden for saying it. 

 

I don't know about "They get blasted the most when something not so great happens," lol. Never heard McHale put pressure on Harden. Dwight, yes. But not Harden. And remember him getting upset when reporters suggest he needs to step it up?

[txtdo1411]

I don't know about "They get blasted the most when something not so great happens," lol. Never heard McHale put pressure on Harden. Dwight, yes. But not Harden. And remember him getting upset when reporters suggest he needs to step it up?

Who gets blamed the most for the series loss against Portland? McHale and Harden. Whose defense does the media bash non stop? Hardens. When we lose a close game, whose fault is it? Hardens because he probably attempted the last shot and missed it. Hell when free agents choose not to come here, apparently it's because of Harden... I'm not saying any of the critique is deserved or not deserved. That being said you can't honestly say Harden isn't judged by the media and fans quite a bit, and he should be. He is a star player and should be critiqued like one. To say he isn't is incorrect in my opinion.

Edited by txtdo1411, 25 July 2014 - 01:25 AM.

[bboley24]

Do you think he has seen the youtube video?

Do you think he heeds the criticism?

I think that's the first step to his maturity.  

Maturity through Humility because I don't think a zero count in the rings column will save James Harden.  (See Allen Iverson)

[datruth]

Sometimes the best thing to do is say nothing and the real leader of this team is D-12.

[QNoir]

Who gets blamed the most for the series loss against Portland? McHale and Harden. Whose defense does the media bash non stop? Hardens. When we lose a close game, whose fault is it? Hardens because he probably attempted the last shot and missed it. Hell when free agents choose not to come here, apparently it's because of Harden... I'm not saying any of the critique is deserved or not deserved. That being said you can't honestly say Harden isn't judged by the media and fans quite a bit, and he should be. He is a star player and should be critiqued like one. To say he isn't is incorrect in my opinion.

 

That's fair. I guess I agree from a 'media attention' standpoint. I just don't see it as it relates to tangible accountability (for Harden). He doesn't go out of his way to accept personal responsibility for poor team performances. But he's right. It is on him. The coaches don't respond to losses by limiting the situations the media may criticize. He remains in the game on late and crucial defensive plays, and we've had a problem losing games late in the 4th with the game is his hands. Saying "it's on us" is like a promise which is only made genuine when you commit to making the necessary adjustments or improvements. So I guess Harden has his work cut out for him to prove those statements. But he has time.

Edited by QNoir, 25 July 2014 - 10:55 AM.

[SouthAustinDTH]

He doesn't go out of his way to accept personal responsibility for poor team performances. But he's right. It is on him. The coaches don't respond to losses by limiting the situations the media may criticize. He remains in the game on late and crucial defensive plays, and we've had a problem losing games late in the 4th with the game is his hands. Saying "it's on us" is like a promise which is only made genuine when you commit to making the necessary adjustments or improvements. So I guess Harden has his work cut out for him to prove those statements. 

 

I think that's what Harden's stumble and crash personality was trying to establish with this wacky comment.  Honestly, I think he realizes all of this and you have well encapsulated the reality of his situation here . . . I think the point is that he is not naturally comfortable with leadership and "spotlight responsibility" and is still on the fence over whether to take it or not.  I think the deference to Parsons windowed what was likely a personality dynamic from the locker room . . . I imagine that (unfortunately, like Dwight) he likes to be revered for his positional greatness, but thrives more when a KD or Jameer/JJ (players who can garner focal attention) shares the floor with them.  Harden never trusted J.Lin (likely due to his whirling dervish routines) because for all his Harvard education, Lin never seemed to have a plan whereas Harden never seems to be less than 4 moves ahead on offense all the time.

I think Harden was probably the MOST excited about the FA possibilities this summer, because Dwight DIDN'T step up and visibly take ownership of the team this past year and I think Harden hoped whoever this summer's splash was going to be WOULD, relegating him to wing hitter, or off-ball P-n-R nightmare.

 

I am really a fan of the concept of having Harden guard the '3' and putting Ariza on '2's this season to see what that could yield.  I think largely this Ariza re-acquisition takes some of the sheen and glitz off the face of the franchise (Parsons has consistently been my favorite Rocket since his signing -- but his "looks" aspect of his career was not helping a team with little to no grounding) and could lend to a solidification of 'on-court' cohesion.

 

Here's to '14-'15 and riding our cornerstones to the WCF!!!

[thejohnnygold]

 

James is shocked to hear all this public backlash.  Nobody could have seen this coming.

 

Criticism of James Harden has been trumpeted so loudly by so many that 10,000 years from now the echoes will still be heard across the universe.

 

I'm glad we have a forum where people can freely express their opinions and thoughts.  I want to thank those who are able and willing to write something, anything, with an original thought, idea, or sentence in it.  Sometimes it just feels like a bad trip where a moment gets stuck repeating over and over and over and over and you're not sure it will ever end.  

[Matt Maloney's Ghost]

Will Harden Ever Mature?

 

Are we seriously asking this question at the age of 24? He may look 35 but he is still a young guy.

 

Can you imagine in any situation where Parsons makes as much money as Harden? No, Parsons is an excellent player but he is a little high on himself right now.

 

What Harden said was honest. This is really about likability and we are finding out, that people outside of Houston do not like him but who cares.

 

Maybe he would play defense if our system wasn't about layups and 3's and pushing the pace. 

[thejohnnygold]

Shots fired!  Parsons' brother uses Twitter to let James know how he feels.  LINK   NSFW - naughty words

 

Also on Twitter, Jeremy Lin agrees with James' statement.  Lin fans still find way to take a stab at Rockets.  LINK

 

Is it safe to say Houston is now the most hated team in the NBA?  Not the Lakers.  Not the Cavs.  Not the Knicks.  Our beloved Rockets....

[rockets best fan]

will Harden mature?

 

every time I see one of these statements I think to myself............these are fans who have forgotten what it's like to have 0 stars. every player in the NBA has warts. Lebron is as good as it gets and yet he still has warts. would I like to see Harden play better defense? YES. however looking at his warts without also realizing what he bring to the table is only telling half the story. I guess you guys who want to get rid of Harden feel we should have kept Lowry, Dragic and C-Lee. Harden is a star without doubt. I get upset with him from time to time, but realize what he brings to the table far outweighs his defensive lapses. I think our real leader (D-12) will help the maturing process alone with Harden. so I'm not worried on that front. he will mature with time and help.......we have both of those at our disposal so why panic

 

as for the comments Harden made...........while probably best left unsaid.....what he said is fact. he and D-12 are the foundation of this team. being called a roll player isn't and insult. the media is making a mountain out of a mole hill. I understand it's the off season and good NBA news is hard to come by, but this is minor. yeah I suppose when we play Dallas next year there will be a little dirt kicked up over this, but I find it hard to stay interested in garbage  

[slick shoes]

Shots fired!  Parsons' brother uses Twitter to let James know how he feels.  LINK   NSFW - naughty words

 

Also on Twitter, Jeremy Lin agrees with James' statement.  Lin fans still find way to take a stab at Rockets.  LINK

 

Is it safe to say Houston is now the most hated team in the NBA?  Not the Lakers.  Not the Cavs.  Not the Knicks.  Our beloved Rockets....

 

The first comment says it all:

 

 

 

“If you've got haters, that means you're doing something right.”

Edited by slick shoes, 25 July 2014 - 05:38 PM.

[bob schmidt]

The growth and maturity of a player only occurs over a period of time, and at varying rates with each individual. In my opinion, Harden is on track with his maturation process. A better question might be if fans are mature enough to rattle off accurate opinions  about individual players like Harden.

 

For example, would a reasonable, unbiased fan rip Harden for our playoff exit? Did he seriously underperform? In reality, Harden averaged 43.5 minutes per game, highest minutes per game in the western playoff 1st round series. He averaged more than 26 points per game, 3rd highest. His game performance stats per basketball-reference.com were higher than any San Antonio player for the first round series, and compared favorably with Blake Griffin and many other elite players. In short, he did not fail to show up....

 

If we demand more effort from Harden in the defensive area, how many fouls are we willing to dedicate to his defensive activity? Do we want to risk having him foul out by the fourth quarter in an important game? Since he receives so many foul calls with his offensive style, referees are quick to call ticky-tack fouls on him. Plus, additional defensive effort will obviously reduce his offensive productivity. So, can we afford to cut back his minutes to keep him efficient towards the ends of games?

 

Harden and the coaching staff will have to figure out how much defense from Harden has to be extracted for our team's ultimate success. I don't have the answer to that, excepting to suggest that more defensive effort and a stronger defensive mentality will be needed for the entire team. It is not realistic to think that all defensive lapses on the Rockets are the fault of one player.

 

As to maturity and James Harden, this past season spoke well to Harden having been pretty mature about not making waves over Parson's "breakout" year. I don't recall any untoward comments during the season originating from Harden. Yes, he is a quiet man not prone to talking out of turn. Sure, he is capable of making a remark that might be misunderstood, but aren't we all? I have no doubts that Harden will mature in a normal manner for a guy his age. With a little bit of luck, the rest of the team will also continue maturing into a championship caliber team. 

[slick shoes]

Harden and the coaching staff will have to figure out how much defense from Harden has to be extracted for our team's ultimate success. I don't have the answer to that, excepting to suggest that more defensive effort and a stronger defensive mentality will be needed for the entire team. It is not realistic to think that all defensive lapses on the Rockets are the fault of one player.

 

I have to believe that is the reasoning behind the defensive mindset of this offseason/free agency for the Rockets.

[rockets best fan]

@slick shoes

I agree

[thenit]

@ Bob Schmidt

 

Yes he scored a lot of points but he shot poorly in majority of the games and my issue is that with other players you can have an off night but the D isn't terrible especially in the playoffs where Matthews could bully harden. Also when Dwight was hot and we went with him, Harden zoned out so how matured is that ? He just takes his ball home and walks away. Its effort and things like that make me hesitant if he can lead us to the promise land.

 

Examples in interviews after games where he won, a lot of the times he would say, I had to score, be aggressive, take over the game etc.

 

However when we loses its a team needs to be better, move the ball, play harder D (while he is the biggest culprit).

 

While I'm negative there isn't many players I trade straight up for Harden because of his mindblowing Off. But its just me as a fan of the rockets that judge him and Dwight at a higher expectations than the other players.

[slick shoes]

This quote has stuck with me since it was first uttered by the player in quesiton:

 

"I'm not worried about my offense, I'm worried about our defense -- our defense as a team,"

 

I am of the opinion that as one of the highest players in the league as well as your team, you take ownership no matter what. If you are a cornerstone as he presents himself to be. I am not down on him the way most are. I think he is still young, developing, and growing. It is just statements like that that add fuel to the fire of his leadership capabilites and maturity level at this point.