The Brooklyn Beard - Official James Harden thread

[Stone]

Not sure if it is an overreaction or not. But, we did Harden say to some kids at a camp that they should be working harder and going at it 110%. And then said he couldn't go hard because he is still recovering. This was about a month ago.

Going back to the playoffs and seeing how much he was hobbled, my guess would be that he is not 100%.

[Sharcm1]

It’s takes a while for them all to get back into playing shape. No worries here

[HardenGoat]

He’s rusty. He probably spent 90 percent of the off-season purely on strength and conditioning and rest.

[Ksny13]

Don’t be alarmed if Harden isn’t his usual self in the beginning of the year. He is typically a slow starter even when healthy. Fully expect him to put up another MVP caliber season though.

[HardenGoat]

He was still rusty today. I think he is tentative too. That hamstring strain made him realize he is human. With Irving out he is going to have to carry a bigger offensive load as well. Mills had a terrible game with no points scored. This ordeal with Kyrie is affecting the team and at some point there needs to be some closure so players can assume defined roles. On a positive note Cam had another solid game but Mills is going to have to assume a bigger scoring role as the veteran going forward.

[MrDollarBills]

He was still rusty today. I think he is tentative too. That hamstring strain made him realize he is human. With Irving out he is going to have to carry a bigger offensive load as well. Mills had a terrible game with no points scored. This ordeal with Kyrie is affecting the team and at some point there needs to be some closure so players can assume defined roles. On a positive note Cam had another solid game but Mills is going to have to assume a bigger scoring role as the veteran going forward.

The team look unfocused and unprepared. The offense looked sloppy and the defense even worse. Guys are not focused. Kyrie is not helping this team and needs to be isolated from the team

[ecuhus1981]

^
From your fingertips to God's ear, MDB. Marks has barred Kyrie from practicing or playing until he can be a full participant, i.e. get the vaccine. This is a front office response that I support from both a public health perspective, and for our team.

I think that we should see some resolution soon.

[MrDollarBills]

^
From your fingertips to God's ear, MDB. Marks has barred Kyrie from practicing or playing until he can be a full participant, i.e. get the vaccine. This is a front office response that I support from both a public health perspective, and for our team.

I think that we should see some resolution soon.

Thank goodness we got Harden when we did.

[Prokorov]

the idea the team is sloppy because of kyrie is kind of absurd.

There were just as many if not more distractions last year, including ones around kyrie not playing. we look sloppy because its preseason, guys like harden missed a ton of time, and there are like 7 new players. that and well, we are a sloppy team. we were one of the top teams in turnovers last season, and #1 post harden trade.

[gigantes]

I must confess a bit of nervousness about how the new anti-gamesmanship rules are going to affect Beard.

It's probably unwarranted due to how high his BBIQ is, but still, I can't help wonder if his iso-game loses some effectiveness this season. Obviously that's not going to affect BRK Harden as more of a PG nearly as much as it would have HOU Harden as more of a lead scorer, but still.

It kinda reminds me of what an utter savant he is in terms of footwork and technique, especially given his DraftExpress report:

Matt Williams @ DraftExpressApr 27, 2009:

James Harden's situational statistics should ease many of the concerns teams have about his game. It appears that he's one of those players who "finds a way to get by" despite his shortcomings.

A lot of Harden’s efficiency comes from an area that most probably wouldn't expect it to. In spite of his perceived athletic limitations, Harden was a terrific finisher around the basket this season.

Jonathan Givony @ DraftExpress Feb 17, 2009:

The first thing that stands out about Harden is the fact that he is likely to be considered a below average athlete for the NBA level. His first step and pure explosiveness are nothing to write home about, meaning he has to find other ways to make his presence felt.

Obviously this stuff means little after all these years, just that I was kind of shocked to read it the other day. I always thought he was at least an above-average NBA athlete.