Norman Powell: Losing Paul George is addition by subtraction. Update: Norm: Everybody now is coachable

[OkcSinceSGA]

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Chubby Harden a thing of the past? He’s gonna have a nice bounce back. He’s been leading the guys in mini training camps and Rico runs for almost 2 months. Much better leader than Kawhi or PG

[clippertown]

He did say if Luka can make the finals, so can he basically.

Clippers were 2-2 with Dallas in round 1 without a healthy Kawhi. If we had a full squad, there was a very real chance the Clips would have advanced. The team is basically the same now (with the loss of PG) and the additions of KPJ, Dunn, Batum, Kai and DJJ (who was responsible for shutting down PG13 in all of the 1st round games).

I get that the Clips took a step back, but I still think they can be competitive if Kawhi is healthy. Harden will be critical.

Harden is going to have to be a completely different player than he was with the Sixers. He looked like he hadn't just lost a step but lost two here.

What was really apparent was his ability to finish and get to the rim was limited. He basically turned into a perimeter player. When his shot was falling particularly his 3PT shot he was still capable of having a big night but he wasn't consistent enough where you felt you could advance that way.

Sixers sort of had the benefit of seeing what that looks like without Embiid. I have no reason to believe that has changed if anything Harden should have declined more of course there is always the possibility at some point he takes his nutrition seriously gets himself into great shape to start the year and maybe regains some of what he lost but I mean he was a FA twice in the last two years and didn't do it. So like Bens jumpshot hope springs eternal I guess.

Harden looks ripped and pretty trim right now in training camp. He will be ready to lead the team.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GY-oclOXMAEEr3E?format=png&name=small

[clippertown]

Okay, will Kawhi stay healthy all season long and not crumble in the playoffs?

I think Kawhi's playoff career might be over. Don't think he makes it pass a game or two in the post-season.

Clippers hopefully won't need Kawhi all regular season. The team is very deep and if Harden can be the go-to guy (as he thinks he can be), then Kawhi can rest as needed and try to stay healthy for the playoffs.

The past few years have been a struggle where Lue wanted home court advantage so the Clips pushed too hard at the end. This year, we are expecting the play-in so Kawhi can get his load management back.

If Kawhi is healthy and the Clips make the playoffs, he can still be the #1 playoff performer in the league.

[Bornstellar]

As a Spurs fan who has probably made similar comments about other fans being surprised about how I think the team will perform relative to expectations, I feel for Clips fans. Without Kawhi the team is Harden + scrubs. This isn't 2019 Harden either. Clippers will be extremely lucky to make the playoffs this season.

I truly hope that OP is correct though. The last thing we need is for LAC to gift OKC a top 10 pick this summer

[OkcSinceSGA]

Clippers were 2-2 with Dallas in round 1 without a healthy Kawhi. If we had a full squad, there was a very real chance the Clips would have advanced. The team is basically the same now (with the loss of PG) and the additions of KPJ, Dunn, Batum, Kai and DJJ (who was responsible for shutting down PG13 in all of the 1st round games).

I get that the Clips took a step back, but I still think they can be competitive if Kawhi is healthy. Harden will be critical.

Harden is going to have to be a completely different player than he was with the Sixers. He looked like he hadn't just lost a step but lost two here.

What was really apparent was his ability to finish and get to the rim was limited. He basically turned into a perimeter player. When his shot was falling particularly his 3PT shot he was still capable of having a big night but he wasn't consistent enough where you felt you could advance that way.

Sixers sort of had the benefit of seeing what that looks like without Embiid. I have no reason to believe that has changed if anything Harden should have declined more of course there is always the possibility at some point he takes his nutrition seriously gets himself into great shape to start the year and maybe regains some of what he lost but I mean he was a FA twice in the last two years and didn't do it. So like Bens jumpshot hope springs eternal I guess.

Harden looks ripped and pretty trim right now in training camp. He will be ready to lead the team.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GY-oclOXMAEEr3E?format=png&name=small

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[clippertown]

Harden is going to have to be a completely different player than he was with the Sixers. He looked like he hadn't just lost a step but lost two here.

What was really apparent was his ability to finish and get to the rim was limited. He basically turned into a perimeter player. When his shot was falling particularly his 3PT shot he was still capable of having a big night but he wasn't consistent enough where you felt you could advance that way.

Sixers sort of had the benefit of seeing what that looks like without Embiid. I have no reason to believe that has changed if anything Harden should have declined more of course there is always the possibility at some point he takes his nutrition seriously gets himself into great shape to start the year and maybe regains some of what he lost but I mean he was a FA twice in the last two years and didn't do it. So like Bens jumpshot hope springs eternal I guess.

Harden looks ripped and pretty trim right now in training camp. He will be ready to lead the team.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GY-oclOXMAEEr3E?format=png&name=small

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A truly motivated Harden who is in the best shape of the past five years is a scary thought.

I actually am hoping Kawhi misses the first few games of the season so that James can establish himself as the go-to scorer on the team. Kawhi can then add to this when he is fully healthy. Harden wants redemption and the league needs to take notice.

[og15]

Harden looks ripped and pretty trim right now in training camp. He will be ready to lead the team.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/GY-oclOXMAEEr3E?format=png&name=small

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A truly motivated Harden who is in the best shape of the past five years is a scary thought.

I actually am hoping Kawhi misses the first few games of the season so that James can establish himself as the go-to scorer on the team. Kawhi can then add to this when he is fully healthy. Harden wants redemption and the league needs to take notice.

Would have been nice to have more of that motivation to be in shape last season though

[Snotbubbles]

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Chubby Harden a thing of the past? He’s gonna have a nice bounce back. He’s been leading the guys in mini training camps and Rico runs for almost 2 months. Much better leader than Kawhi or PG

Harden was good for Maxey's development. He seems like a guy his teammates like. He's lost the ability to consistently get buckets at the rim because he's not able to get by his defender at the same rate and he doesn't get the foul calls he used to but I can see him putting up numbers similar to his last season in Philly.

[manlisten]

The delusion in this thread is powerful.

[CobraCommander]

He's not wrong. Last year in LA he took 11.4 fga per game and that was the fewest he'd taken since his 3rd year when he was coming off the bench in OKC. It was also his second lowest usg% of his career (also when he was in OKC coming off the bench). Career low free throw rate too and career high 3pt rate.

His TS% was just the same as it's always been, so it's reasonable to imagine that with a different shot diet, where he's getting into the paint and drawing more fouls, with a higher usage%, that he should be putting up much better numbers than he was last year. Weather that means more wins for the Clippers is a different thing, I think the West is much stronger, and the Clippers just lack some of the talent that the rest of the team has.

The RealGM Survivor Poll has them as the consensus 13th seed, and thats where I view them. Harden may put up some great numbers doing it, but I don't see it leading to success unless Kawhi plays 65+ games.

I agree with this post 100%
26-8 -5 for harden - at WORSE-

[clippertown]

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A truly motivated Harden who is in the best shape of the past five years is a scary thought.

I actually am hoping Kawhi misses the first few games of the season so that James can establish himself as the go-to scorer on the team. Kawhi can then add to this when he is fully healthy. Harden wants redemption and the league needs to take notice.

Would have been nice to have more of that motivation to be in shape last season though

Last season, James had a crisis of confidence. He believes he is a top 5 player and Philly treated him like he was a top 100 player. When Embiid went down (the previous season), Harden stepped up. He felt disrespected and it hurt his motivation.

Once he was traded to the Clippers, that lack of motivation continued. He got traded for the corpses of Batum, Morris Sr and Covington so that must have been a blow to his ego. He then decided to defer to PG13 and Kawhi and that was unfamiliar territory for the former scoring champ. This year, he is back to being the #1 option and he is seeking redemption. Gonna be a fun ride.

[og15]

A truly motivated Harden who is in the best shape of the past five years is a scary thought.

I actually am hoping Kawhi misses the first few games of the season so that James can establish himself as the go-to scorer on the team. Kawhi can then add to this when he is fully healthy. Harden wants redemption and the league needs to take notice.

Would have been nice to have more of that motivation to be in shape last season though

Last season, James had a crisis of confidence. He believes he is a top 5 player and Philly treated him like he was a top 100 player. When Embiid went down (the previous season), Harden stepped up. He felt disrespected and it hurt his motivation.

Once he was traded to the Clippers, that lack of motivation continued. He got traded for the corpses of Batum, Morris Sr and Covington so that must have been a blow to his ego. He then decided to defer to PG13 and Kawhi and that was unfamiliar territory for the former scoring champ. This year, he is back to being the #1 option and he is seeking redemption. Gonna be a fun ride.

I'm not really sure your explanation is actually helping him in any way lol

I mean that's speculation unless he directly said this, but let's just assume the speculation is correct, a player of his stature having his confidence shaken and not performing as well as he could because, "wah, people don't think I'm as good as I think I am" is not helping the players case.

[clippertown]

Would have been nice to have more of that motivation to be in shape last season though

Last season, James had a crisis of confidence. He believes he is a top 5 player and Philly treated him like he was a top 100 player. When Embiid went down (the previous season), Harden stepped up. He felt disrespected and it hurt his motivation.

Once he was traded to the Clippers, that lack of motivation continued. He got traded for the corpses of Batum, Morris Sr and Covington so that must have been a blow to his ego. He then decided to defer to PG13 and Kawhi and that was unfamiliar territory for the former scoring champ. This year, he is back to being the #1 option and he is seeking redemption. Gonna be a fun ride.

I'm not really sure your explanation is actually helping him in any way lol

I mean that's speculation unless he directly said this, but let's just assume the speculation is correct, a player of his stature having his confidence shaken and not performing as well as he could because, "wah, people don't think I'm as good as I think I am" is not helping the players case.

All I am suggesting is that Harden was passive with the Clippers last year and that he will be much more aggressive this year.

[og15]

Last season, James had a crisis of confidence. He believes he is a top 5 player and Philly treated him like he was a top 100 player. When Embiid went down (the previous season), Harden stepped up. He felt disrespected and it hurt his motivation.

Once he was traded to the Clippers, that lack of motivation continued. He got traded for the corpses of Batum, Morris Sr and Covington so that must have been a blow to his ego. He then decided to defer to PG13 and Kawhi and that was unfamiliar territory for the former scoring champ. This year, he is back to being the #1 option and he is seeking redemption. Gonna be a fun ride.

I'm not really sure your explanation is actually helping him in any way lol

I mean that's speculation unless he directly said this, but let's just assume the speculation is correct, a player of his stature having his confidence shaken and not performing as well as he could because, "wah, people don't think I'm as good as I think I am" is not helping the players case.

All I am suggesting is that Harden was passive with the Clippers last year and that he will be much more aggressive this year.

That's reasonable, and I think being in better shape will help a lot too. Harden hasn't taken over 15 FGA/G since Brooklyn, but there will be opportunity/ need for him to shoot more.

[Laimbeer]

I'd like to see the full context

Sent from my Pixel 6 using RealGM mobile app

[Pointgod]

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Chubby Harden a thing of the past? He’s gonna have a nice bounce back. He’s been leading the guys in mini training camps and Rico runs for almost 2 months. Much better leader than Kawhi or PG

James HarSlim

[OkcSinceSGA]

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A truly motivated Harden who is in the best shape of the past five years is a scary thought.

I actually am hoping Kawhi misses the first few games of the season so that James can establish himself as the go-to scorer on the team. Kawhi can then add to this when he is fully healthy. Harden wants redemption and the league needs to take notice.

Would have been nice to have more of that motivation to be in shape last season though

Not apples to apples. Last season he was basically in a self sabotage, contract dispute mode. He wasn’t participating in preseason stuff. He also clearly was passive and was trying not to step on the other 3 stars (ex star Westbrook) toes.

He needs to be at 15-18 shots at least this year. 25 ppg isn’t out of the question, especially if Kawhi misses a good amount of games. He’s looking in phenomenal shape.

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[og15]

A truly motivated Harden who is in the best shape of the past five years is a scary thought.

I actually am hoping Kawhi misses the first few games of the season so that James can establish himself as the go-to scorer on the team. Kawhi can then add to this when he is fully healthy. Harden wants redemption and the league needs to take notice.

Would have been nice to have more of that motivation to be in shape last season though

Not apples to apples. Last season he was basically in a self sabotage, contract dispute mode. He wasn’t participating in preseason stuff. He also clearly was passive and was trying not to step on the other 3 stars (ex star Westbrook) toes.

He needs to be at 15-18 shots at least this year. 25 ppg isn’t out of the question, especially if Kawhi misses a good amount of games. He’s looking in phenomenal shape.

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I'm not really concerned what he was in. If you want to always maximize your success, you stay ready. He should have come into last season in phenomenal shape with Philly regardless of contract dispute. Like I said, I'm not really giving some pass or some credit for sulking and not maximizing your season.

[OkcSinceSGA]

Would have been nice to have more of that motivation to be in shape last season though

Not apples to apples. Last season he was basically in a self sabotage, contract dispute mode. He wasn’t participating in preseason stuff. He also clearly was passive and was trying not to step on the other 3 stars (ex star Westbrook) toes.

He needs to be at 15-18 shots at least this year. 25 ppg isn’t out of the question, especially if Kawhi misses a good amount of games. He’s looking in phenomenal shape.

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I'm not really concerned what he was in. If you want to always maximize your success, you stay ready. He should have come into last season in phenomenal shape with Philly regardless of contract dispute. Like I said, I'm not really giving some pass or some credit for sulking and not maximizing your season.

I kind of understand it though. NFL players do it all the time. Hold out of camp etc. He wasn’t professional, but he was lied to.

[og15]

Not apples to apples. Last season he was basically in a self sabotage, contract dispute mode. He wasn’t participating in preseason stuff. He also clearly was passive and was trying not to step on the other 3 stars (ex star Westbrook) toes.

He needs to be at 15-18 shots at least this year. 25 ppg isn’t out of the question, especially if Kawhi misses a good amount of games. He’s looking in phenomenal shape.

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I'm not really concerned what he was in. If you want to always maximize your success, you stay ready. He should have come into last season in phenomenal shape with Philly regardless of contract dispute. Like I said, I'm not really giving some pass or some credit for sulking and not maximizing your season.

I kind of understand it though. NFL players do it all the time. Hold out of camp etc. He wasn’t professional, but he was lied to.

But in the end him and whatever team he ends up on are really the one that gets hurt if he's trying to maximize his winning, that's the problem. Of course one can justify their actions and all that, but he's didn't help himself or the Clippers by not being in optimal shape last season.

It's great now, but he's in his mid 30's, not everyone can be Lebron, etc, you never know, just not a time in a career to have less than steller readiness for a season.