Pascals has it right but will Morey wait till 2014?

[This message has been edited by Ags #1 (edited 4/28/2013 12:10a).]

Pascals is a fool for thinking that. Harden is a number 1 guy. They need a second inside player.

Who would that be? This is the best we are gonna get not being NY, LA, or Miami. Harden is gonna be our #1option for the next 10 years unless he decides on a bigger market in 5 years

First team to come back from 0-3

I have no idea who that will be, but there will be a boatload of players who are good to great post scorers on the open market in the next 2 years. They'll be able to throw the money at someone

Lineup I would like next year

Beverley/Nate Robinson cp3(not likely at all)
Harden
Parsons
??? Whoever pulls through over the offseason
Dwight

If we can't get Dwight, then I'm a big fan of Josh smith and I think he would be a lot better when he doesn't have to be the #1 option

Token my lightbulb post was to the poster saying harden wasn't a #1 option

[This message has been edited by mAgnoliAg (edited 4/27/2013 11:44p).]

Harden a number one guy... He is a strong #2, if he was a number one the rockets would have sqeaked into the 8 hole and be down 0-3.

You have to draft the francise changing player. You very rarely get a chance to sign such a player, especially in Houston.

Until the owners/GM/management decide to start tanking seasons for the chance at high lottery picks the Rockets are going to be stuck in purgatory HELL.

Eeking out that 6-8 seeds in playoffs, and just missing the lottery round.

It'll be interesting to see if Morey can lure another top guy, and if Harden is another Joe Johnson clone.

As far as tonights game, I was watching it with my Spurs fan cousin, and we both agreed it was just ugly basketball all around. Maybe I would have rather watched a 90-69 ATL/IND game...nah, who am I kidding.

Just got home...damn, what a frustrating game. Being soaked from the legs down from the blowing rain doesn't help, either. Killer turnovers late, along with your superstar clanking 4-5 FTs = bad things happening.

Garcia was fantastic tonight...hope he can bring that again Monday. Hopefully the Rox will come out and play with some fire and not go out quietly.

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I'm obsessed with fairness. The second half was let em play and called consistently. The first half was an abortion.

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It'll be interesting to see if Morey can lure another top guy, and if Harden is another Joe Johnson clone.

As far as tonights game, I was watching it with my Spurs fan cousin, and we both agreed it was just ugly basketball all around. Maybe I would have rather watched a 90-69 ATL/IND game...nah, who am I kidding.

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Pfff harden ****s on joe Johnson

Was gonna add to this series of intelligent posts but that pretty much sums up my night Bonfired.

Nothing like being soaked from the drenching rain after experiencing a heartbreaking loss first-hand. I will refrain from posting my thoughts about certain players and how the game went except for one guy, Kevin Durant....There had to be at least 3-4 times where Durant drew ticky tack fouls and I started to realize what direction the NBA was going and I don't like it. However, he had one hell of a game and carried his team so kudos to him. I hope the Rox can steal a game or two to avoid the sweep. Great effort tonight. Just came up short when we needed it the most.

[This message has been edited by CFTXAG10 (edited 4/28/2013 12:51a).]

First team to come back from 3-0. Ill be there Monday we''ll make it happen.

He did not carry his team. When his team needed him, he wasn't even trying. It was all Ibaka and Kevin martin actually trying to win the game. Durant does not want the responsibility.

[This message has been edited by mazag08 (edited 4/28/2013 7:42a).]

[This message has been edited by mazag08 (edited 4/28/2013 8:08a).]

If the Rockets get Howard to go with Hardin, they still won't have a #1 guy.

How the hell are people arguing Harden isn't a #1 in this first solo playoff series?

The dude is 23 and its his first year playing the type of minutes he has and the #1 role.

Lets pump the breaks a bit before we expect him to be LBJ or Jordan out there.

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He did not carry his team. When his team needed him, he wasn't even trying. It was all Ibaka and Kevin martin actually trying to win the game. Durant does not want the responsibility.

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I'd be pretty happy with a guy who could put up 41 points, 14 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals on a night when he wasn't really trying to win the game.

While I don't post here often anymore (mostly given that I've only watched about 10 Rockets games this season vs. 50 or more any other year given CSN issue), I've posted on this board for a pretty long time.

Can everyone who has posted here for 4 years or more agree that the most tired, ridiculous and overdone declaration around here and everywhere is '<insert all star player> isn't a true #1 option!' or 'he's not clutch!' after every bad playoff game a star player has ever? I've done it too. And it is a ridiculous argument that usually turns out making folks look stupid in the end.

Word of advice to those snapping judgement on a 23 year-old superstar after 1 game... while nobody has done it, all it really takes is a TTT of a ton of Lebron threads from 09 until around the end of May to early June last season to expose probably 80% of the basketball 'experts' around here as dumbasses.

It is inevitable... barring injuries, players as talented as Harden are destined to eventually lead a contending team for multiple seasons. Hopefully that happens in Houston. Players who score at his rate and are able to drive to and slash a defense as quickly and with the ease that he does are really rare and eventually rise to the top. Same goes for Durant. Declare him unclutch etc, but he's just too talented. Him winning is really just a matter of time.

[This message has been edited by ATM9000 (edited 4/28/2013 10:33a).]

Seems like I've greatly underrated Harden all year. I'll eat crow and take back what I said earlier.

I was going to make long argument about how every champion in the lottery era had at least 1 player among the top 10 players in the league (measured by win shares) and 75% of the champions had a player in the top 5.

What I was surprised to find, however, was that Harden finished last season 6th and this season FOURTH in win shares.

So I'm convinced, that's he a CLEAR number one option ALREADY. I'm an idiot for suggesting otherwise; and I don't believe in "clutch" so his unclutchness was never part of my argument.

Look for yourself:

http://www.basketball-reference.com/leaders/ws_top_10.html

ATM9000

He's a clear cut number 1. I don't know how any of you say differently. What about Carmelo missing those 2 clutch free throws just now?

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He did not carry his team. When his team needed him, he wasn't even trying. It was all Ibaka and Kevin martin actually trying to win the game. Durant does not want the responsibility.

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lol

Surprised this wasn't posted yet.
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-ball-dont-lie/kevin-durant-tries-steal-ball-jeremy-lin-calls-025537587.html

^^^^^
we saw it for ourselves. Didn't have to see an article about it

Ah ok. I missed it last night.

The people saying Harden isn't a #1 option for a championship team haven't been watching all season. As someone who has I can tell you that all harden needs to do is learn how to handle closing out wins in big playoff games before he is ready to be that guy. This is his first year of playoffs to be #1. It's not going to happen that fast. Once experience takes over he will be ready.

DP

[This message has been edited by Texaggie7nine (edited 4/28/2013 7:07p).]

Harden is the kind of lead player around whom a really good team can be built. He obviously needs more help. Hopefully this off-season will address our dearth of low-post scoring punch.

I'll also add this: If Beverley can control his aggression just a bit more and stay out of foul trouble, I think he'd be a better fit at PG than Lin. He is a willing defender and, more importantly, is better at it than Jeremy. Harden and Lin is a very poor defensive backcourt...you need a stout defensive back line to counteract that and we don't have that other than Asik. This team will not take steps forward until they get better defensively, period, full stop.

This series is frustrating because the Rockets have been right there at the end of the last two games and couldn't make the game-winning plays...but I am optimistic about the near future.

Keep in mind that Harden didn't go through an off-season or training camp with Houston, so those two things will help with the guys learning how to play together, too.

Dwight Howard just had a couple words and a pat on the back for mitch kupchek, so I don't know what that meant nor can I see any implications from it.

I'm liking the Josh smith option more and more because I'm thinking about what he would be like when he doesn't have to be the number 1 option

If Josh Smith can be convinced to

1. Stop shooting so many 3's (he's a career 28% 3-point shooter and he's shot nearly 1000 of them) and work in the lane

2. believe that he's not the 1st option, but the primary option underneath

then I'd be pretty much on board. He fills a gaping need, he's still only 27 (9 years in the league, but not too much mileage at this point), but I've seen enough knucklehead brain-dead stuff from him on the court in the past to make me wary. Maybe a change of scenery would do him some good.

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I'm liking the Josh smith option more and more because I'm thinking about what he would be like when he doesn't have to be the number 1 option

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for much of his career, josh smith has been the #2 option, as "Average Joe" Johnson was the #1 option on the hawks for the duration of his hawks tenure

Rooting for the rockets tonight. Leggggooo.