The Clippers are now 4-7 since trading for Harden, or 0-1 in his “ready” state.

Memes aside, he was okay this game, but okay isn’t good enough when you’re with a fully healthy Clippers vs a Reggie Jackson-led Nuggets.

Harden isn’t exactly playing terribly as a Clippers, but at this point in his career, it’s hard to justify an offence-first player on a team as offensively stacked as the Clippers when they’re in desperate need of some more off-ball movement.

Harden is looking to secure a max extension, we’ll have to see what kind of contract he can muster as he gets more into game shape as the season progresses.

  • collapse1122@alien.topB
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    1 year ago

    clippers were good, had an identity and a defined roles. now its a mess and they probably win 38 games if they keep this team. blow it up and get some assets for pg and kawhi before they opt out in offseason and u get nothing

  • tiggs@alien.topB
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    1 year ago

    I feel like the Clippers have gotten the current version of the James Harden experience. He will make some very poor plays and have bad numbers some nights, he’ll be kind of ok most of the time, then he’ll have a game or two every so often when he reminds of us that he’s still James Harden.

    The issue is that 99% of the world realizes that the first two scenarios are what we get about 90% of the time now. James Harden is not in that 99%, which causes issues, because he could still be a GREAT pass-first PG if he just adapted his game to accommodate his physical limitations.

  • stayfrosty@alien.topB
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    1 year ago

    This was all entirely predictable before the trade. I expect that at the end of the season there will be only one team that wants his services, the Clippers bc they are too embarrassed to admit they made a mistake. Ironically he will be Westbrook mark 2. Those two players seem tied at the hip

  • Doctorbigdick287@alien.topB
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    1 year ago

    Philly fan;

    I do think he will adjust, and 11 games is still within a reasonable grace period in my mind.

    The biggest detractors for him are

    1. that he clearly didn’t condition or do enough prep on his own time to come in and make an impact. It’s fine if you don’t want to practice with the sixers (probably should have for both optics and conditioning) but either way he should have been working out hard to start the season, even if that means scrimmaging with g-leaguers or college guys/ out of the league guys. Fringe players do this all the time, just hoping for a call and knowing they will be ready if it comes. No excuse for a former mvp on the back none of his career coming off a meh playoffs run to just take the off-season and camps off. If his name didn’t carry as much weight he would be in jeopardy of being out of the league.

    2. the clippers clearly need a playmaker like him, but most of their guys are ball dominant, and they have lost a good portion of offball shooter role players, who can also play good defense. Those kind of guys have always been important to hardens game, because the open up passing lanes, but now more than ever because he can’t get to the cup at will anymore. It’s also tough because I do think that one of kawhi or PG will need to take a back seat, like bosh with the heat for harden to be most effective, and with where everyone is in their careers, I’m not sure that makes sense. It’s also a factor that LAC doesn’t really have any secondary playmakers, so if you run an offense through harden bench lineups or partial bench lineups will look way different. Usually the only time that works is when the offensive scheme is well formed, like the warriors with Sean Livingston as opposed to Steph curry.

  • The_Aught@alien.topB
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    1 year ago

    i liked when he shit the ball away and just gave it to the nuggets while sitting on his ass

    • Importagjhk@alien.topB
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      1 year ago

      Pretty normal for the sub, you ain’t getting any serious discussions in a typical thread anyways. Harden stans just be quiet rn cause any other opinion than treating Harden like Hitler is going to be downvoted.

      • The_Aught@alien.topB
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        1 year ago

        yeah he is pretty garbage, and has been so for a while. the fact that the league keeps humoring him and paying him is wild.

    • Frankalicious47@alien.topB
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      1 year ago

      Which time? He did that twice, once while trying to walk the dog then kicking it to Watson and falling down then again at the end of the 4th

      • RogerTreebert6299@alien.topB
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        1 year ago

        Dude I think it’s most of the league at this point besides rocket fans and fans of whichever team he’s most recently forced his way on to. Pre-2017 I was pretty neutral about Harden, then after about a game and a half into the spurs-rockets playoff series he’d already flopped his way onto my 5 or so most hated players of all time.

        • dearmet@alien.topB
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          1 year ago

          Then that’s a pretty good way to say you’re simply projecting and/or being a sheep. James is fine, but the jerk is obviously gonna go whenever he has a bad game.

  • GuessTraining@alien.topB
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    1 year ago

    He isn’t terribly playing but the amount of attention and money he wants it’s looking terrible. If he’s looking for a $20mil per year extension sure, but a max? Again, terrible.

  • Public-Product-1503@alien.topB
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    1 year ago

    I wonder where the people hating on morey for not maxing harden are. That contract would look worse then russ last contract