Who was the better player during those 4 year spans, KG or Harden

[Max123]

It is a stretch to give passing, shooting and offensive versatility to KG if we are comparing him to Harden. We are witnessing motivated Harden’s value to a good team, even without KD, and he is not just a one man offense. He could have been MVP favorite were he started with Nets from the beginning of this season with similar output. Probably the most effortless 25/9/11 with 50/40/90 shooting.

Yeah my bad, now that I look at it it seems like I am saying that he is a superior passer and shooter as compared to Harden, which I don't think he is. I was trying to say that his offensive skills for a big guy make him super scalable as there's basically nothing more you'd want from a big guy who's, say, the second option on offense: shooting, passing, pick and roll or pop. And I do think it has been overemphasized by people, including me at times, that Harden's skillset isn't really a huge value add to most teams. But I still think we are comparing a guy, KG, who I basically think of a player who you can plug into pretty much any single good/great team in history and they will instantly become great/contending team.

I think with Harden's offensive playing style and the diminishing returns on defense, while in no way nullifying his value on a good team, at least make it so that he won't necessarily amplify the other possible offensive stars he is playing with that much nor will he be able gain too much off of them. If we for example take the Nets, I think if they got KG in that trade during his peak/prime, they'd be even better now (not saying that this hypothetical scenario is in any way productive to think about regarding the bigger question at hand).

It is definitely scenario dependent. KG is more valuable to the 08 Celtics, but I could not imagine him having a higher impact than Harden on current Nets. The Nets need a primary ball handler as Kyrie should not be the person. In vacuum KG is more transferrable than Harden. But when you look at the current league, I think having Harden would provide more value than KG to more competitive teams like Clippers, Lakers, Utah, Bucks, 76ers, and Heat. KG will be more valuable to teams like Mavs, Suns, GS, Portland. It's going to be a tough choice for Denver.
Harden is in a similar situation as KG pre-08, desperately needing a title to shut up doubters. In case, just in case, Harden wins a FMVP this season or the next few years, he will be remembered as the best COMBO guard ever.

Ooo I don't think I agree with your analysis of which teams Harden would fit better than KG, especially teams like the Nets or the Clippers, but I am willing to entertain this conversation further if you want to.

[dygaction]

Yeah my bad, now that I look at it it seems like I am saying that he is a superior passer and shooter as compared to Harden, which I don't think he is. I was trying to say that his offensive skills for a big guy make him super scalable as there's basically nothing more you'd want from a big guy who's, say, the second option on offense: shooting, passing, pick and roll or pop. And I do think it has been overemphasized by people, including me at times, that Harden's skillset isn't really a huge value add to most teams. But I still think we are comparing a guy, KG, who I basically think of a player who you can plug into pretty much any single good/great team in history and they will instantly become great/contending team.

I think with Harden's offensive playing style and the diminishing returns on defense, while in no way nullifying his value on a good team, at least make it so that he won't necessarily amplify the other possible offensive stars he is playing with that much nor will he be able gain too much off of them. If we for example take the Nets, I think if they got KG in that trade during his peak/prime, they'd be even better now (not saying that this hypothetical scenario is in any way productive to think about regarding the bigger question at hand).

It is definitely scenario dependent. KG is more valuable to the 08 Celtics, but I could not imagine him having a higher impact than Harden on current Nets. The Nets need a primary ball handler as Kyrie should not be the person. In vacuum KG is more transferrable than Harden. But when you look at the current league, I think having Harden would provide more value than KG to more competitive teams like Clippers, Lakers, Utah, Bucks, 76ers, and Heat. KG will be more valuable to teams like Mavs, Suns, GS, Portland. It's going to be a tough choice for Denver.
Harden is in a similar situation as KG pre-08, desperately needing a title to shut up doubters. In case, just in case, Harden wins a FMVP this season or the next few years, he will be remembered as the best COMBO guard ever.

Ooo I don't think I agree with your analysis of which teams Harden would fit better than KG, especially teams like the Nets or the Clippers, but I am willing to entertain this conversation further if you want to.

Before seeing it, I agree the Nets theoretically can benefit more from KG, but the reality is you cannot expect anything better with Harden's current performance.
Clippers' biggest problem is lack of play making or a trusted floor general. They are averaging 114.8ppg (#8), giving up 109.4ppg (#6 lowest), while ranking #18 in team assists. Harden as the primary ball handler can easily give you ~10+ assists per game with their talents. Kawhi, PG13, Beverley, Batum, Morris and Ibaka can more than cover Harden on the defensive end. Harden is at least neutral or slightly positive defensively when motivated, and you might get more from him with lower offensive responsibilities.