James Harden at 80mil over 5 years

NYKBaller · Post #121 » by **NYKBaller** » Sat Nov 3, 2012 2:53 am

forget about Lin coming back to the Garden we gotta make sure Harden doesnt go off on us that game

ctorres · Post #122 » by **ctorres** » Sat Nov 3, 2012 3:12 am

Rated [R] Superstar wrote:OKC dun goofed

Harden is playing like he's worth every dollar of that $80 million contract. Considering that OKC could have signed him for $20 million less, they definitely dun goofed.

R-DAWG · Post #123 » by **R-DAWG** » Sat Nov 3, 2012 3:31 am

DocZaius wrote:45 points on 19 shots

nothing else needs to be said that is HOF level

Melo had 30 points on 28 shots tonight

Brownsville's Finest · Post #124 » by **Brownsville's Finest** » Sat Nov 3, 2012 3:31 am

R-DAWG wrote:Wow, what a start for Harden. Great game for Lin but I still think Lowry is the better player. Harden/Lowry could've been one of the best backcourts in the game.

Houston is one piece away from being very, very good

MaseInYourFace · Post #125 » by **MaseInYourFace** » Sat Nov 3, 2012 3:39 am

Very nice backcourt combo.im happy for Lin. Its looking like things are going to end up well for both knicks and Lin. Btw I like Lin more than lowry. I think he has more upside.

Grinditout · Post #126 » by **Grinditout** » Sat Nov 3, 2012 3:49 am

R-DAWG wrote:
DocZaius wrote:45 points on 19 shots

nothing else needs to be said that is HOF level

Melo had 30 points on 28 shots tonight

Grinditout · Post #127 » by **Grinditout** » Sat Nov 3, 2012 3:53 am

MaseInYourFace wrote:Very nice backcourt combo.im happy for Lin. Its looking like things are going to end up well for both knicks and Lin. Btw I like Lin more than lowry. I think he has more upside.

Yeah, Lin really got himself into a good situation with his contract plus playing alongside Harden. Although I still think the Rockets are no where near contention and probably a first round exit at this point.

Woodsanity · Post #128 » by **Woodsanity** » Sat Nov 3, 2012 4:02 am

Grinditout wrote:
MaseInYourFace wrote:Very nice backcourt combo.im happy for Lin. Its looking like things are going to end up well for both knicks and Lin. Btw I like Lin more than lowry. I think he has more upside.

Yeah, Lin really got himself into a good situation with his contract plus playing alongside Harden. Although I still think the Rockets are no where near contention and probably a first round exit at this point.

But man are they a fun team to watch....

StutterStep · Post #129 » by **StutterStep** » Sat Nov 3, 2012 4:11 am

Harden did his thing tonight. I didn't see most of this game because Knicks were on.

The spots I saw, I noticed that he was smooth, and just how bad the Hawks are.

NYK Mentality · Post #130 » by **NYK Mentality** » Sat Nov 3, 2012 4:30 am

I knew Harden had greatness in him. Played for our U.S.A National team for a reason. Was a key piece to OKC's trio with Durant and Westbrook but damnit man, never knew he was this speical of a player. He's always been a leader, but being surrounded by both Durant and Westbrook? I guess it's safe to say he wasn't given the respect that he's deserved over the years. I'm guilty of that myself.

Houston just got a steal of a star in order to rebuild their franchise in James Harden. This kid is only 23 years of age, championship and olympic experience etc, etc. A true franchise player. A player in which Houston can now build their franchse around. They did give up some talents in order to land Harden (and rightfully so), but Houston just walked away with a franchise LEADER. Which can never be underestimated.

Dropping 37 and 45 during consecutive games? Strong steal for Houston.

DocZaius · Post #131 » by **DocZaius** » Sat Nov 3, 2012 4:36 am

The scary thing about Harden is that he can fit in with any team in the league.

You can put anyone around him and he will still succeed because his best strength is flexibility. He can literally do anything on the court, kinda like a mini Lebron.

I am shocked at how good he really is as I did not expect this at all and I am dead wrong for saying Houston gave up too much.

DocZaius · Post #132 » by **DocZaius** » Sat Nov 3, 2012 4:39 am

Grinditout wrote:
MaseInYourFace wrote:Very nice backcourt combo.im happy for Lin. Its looking like things are going to end up well for both knicks and Lin. Btw I like Lin more than lowry. I think he has more upside.

Yeah, Lin really got himself into a good situation with his contract plus playing alongside Harden. Although I still think the Rockets are no where near contention and probably a first round exit at this point.

They are missing one big piece IMO and of course they can seal up some cracks and they will be a championship contender

R-DAWG · Post #133 » by **R-DAWG** » Sat Nov 3, 2012 4:43 am

DocZaius wrote:The scary thing about Harden is that he can fit in with any team in the league.

You can put anyone around him and he will still succeed because his best strength is flexibility. He can literally do anything on the court, kinda like a mini Lebron.

I am shocked at how good he really is as I did not expect this at all and I am dead wrong for saying Houston gave up too much.

he really reminds me of Joe Johnson. He's probably a better version of Joe Johnson. Forget the point totals look at the shooting percentage. The assists, the steals, the rebounds. Johnson might be a better defender but it's not hard to imagine Harden being the top SG in the league in 2 years when Kobe retires and Wade turns into Amare.

NYK Mentality · Post #134 » by **NYK Mentality** » Sat Nov 3, 2012 4:45 am

DocZaius wrote:
Grinditout wrote:
MaseInYourFace wrote:Very nice backcourt combo.im happy for Lin. Its looking like things are going to end up well for both knicks and Lin. Btw I like Lin more than lowry. I think he has more upside.

Yeah, Lin really got himself into a good situation with his contract plus playing alongside Harden. Although I still think the Rockets are no where near contention and probably a first round exit at this point.

They are missing one big piece IMO and of course they can seal up some cracks and they will be a championship contender

If they could add an elite PF over Patrick Patterson? They then become players at the poker table. But actual Championship contenders? Not yet. Houston is pretty far from competing for an actual NBA Championship out there in the Western Conference.

Toney Douglas (PG).
Daequan Cook (2G).
Carlos Delfino (SF).
Terrence Jones (PF).
Donatas Motiejunas (C).
Cole Aldrich (C).
Marcus Morris (PF).

I'm sorry, maybe it's because I've recently been spoiled by our N.Y bench, but damn, this is a very bad bench (to say the least). They are a lot of pieces away from a true contender.

Nono · Post #135 » by **Nono** » Sat Nov 3, 2012 4:56 am

Yeah that bench is terrible. You have to actually watch their games to see how terrible it is. When you wake up every morning please thank God for getting Tony Douglas out of this team. He has yet to score a point on 10 shots for the Rockets. Every time either Lin and Harden sit their lead just starts to evaporate. Tonight both played 40 minutes and they have to play another game tomorrow. Recipe for an injury.

GettinitDone · Post #136 » by **GettinitDone** » Sat Nov 3, 2012 5:18 am

DocZaius wrote:The scary thing about Harden is that he can fit in with any team in the league.

You can put anyone around him and he will still succeed because his best strength is flexibility. He can literally do anything on the court, kinda like a mini Lebron.

I am shocked at how good he really is as I did not expect this at all and I am dead wrong for saying Houston gave up too much.

I never doubted his ability to make plays for others, and himself. He has vision and can really pass, no question... and he can score too. But I didn't know he has "the fuel" to score 30-40s regularly (e.g. Nene can flat out score but he has never scored more than 29 pts in a game which is a shocker), I thought he'd be too unselfish to score 30-40 a game, but it looks like he actually might have it and the hunger now.

His game is elite because he has all the fundamentals down. You see a lot of guys who can dribble/ flash but cannot shoot. Or can shoot but cannot dribble (e.g. Eddie House/ Toney Douglas lol)... or can shoot/ dribble but cannot pass. Harden can dribble, shoot, pass at a very high level, which is rare... going to LeBron-sphere, even LeBron can't say he can shoot like him. You mould a high level scorer and a high level passer, and you get this guy. Houston got a franchise player.

Orange Mamba · Post #137 » by **Orange Mamba** » Sat Nov 3, 2012 5:48 am

DocZaius wrote:The scary thing about Harden is that he can fit in with any team in the league.

You can put anyone around him and he will still succeed because his best strength is flexibility. He can literally do anything on the court, kinda like a mini Lebron.

I am shocked at how good he really is as I did not expect this at all and I am dead wrong for saying Houston gave up too much.

He's the definition of efficient

MelosSoreWrist · Post #138 » by **MelosSoreWrist** » Sat Nov 3, 2012 6:06 am

This thread has taken a turn after the first couple of pages... interested to see how it unfolds by seasons end.

kent335 · Post #139 » by **kent335** » Sat Nov 3, 2012 6:09 am

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-lie/jeremy-lin-james-harden-nba-best-backcourt-not-050738344--nba.html

Great article on Harding and Lin after their second game.

BBAL · Post #140 » by **BBAL** » Sat Nov 3, 2012 7:03 am

Nono wrote:Yeah that bench is terrible. You have to actually watch their games to see how terrible it is. When you wake up every morning please thank God for getting Tony Douglas out of this team. He has yet to score a point on 10 shots for the Rockets. Every time either Lin and Harden sit their lead just starts to evaporate. Tonight both played 40 minutes and they have to play another game tomorrow. Recipe for an injury.

Unfortunately this is very true. It happened two nights in a row, and it's not easy to miss. Literally as soon as they sat down 10 point leads vanished....twice in two games. But who knows. I wouldn't count Morey out as far as being done trading for the season. If Lin and Harden leads this team to more W's, hey may make some more moves by the trade deadline.

I also want to say, that as I repeated many times on this board Lin and Melo being split up is the best thing that could have happened for both of them. So far the evidence backs that up for both teams. Looking at Houston's offense, it's clear to me this is the style Lin excels in. It's just so freaking fast. I was flipping over between that game and the Knicks game and the difference was obvious.

Having said that, I still don't think the Knicks have what they need either. I just don't see Melo + Amare getting a championship. Melo needed someone like Dwight.