Nice Article on James Harden

by Laughing Stock on Dec 13, 2008 4:16 PM CST Comment 19 comments

For a while now I've sensed, or maybe just hoped, that the decades-old hoops nomenclature that features musty terms like "point guard" and "shooting guard" is at long last about to collapse Blagojevich-style, riven by its own internal contradictions. James Harden could be the player who finally demonstrates just how inadequate these terms really are. What do you call a "shooting guard" who actually dishes assists, crashes the glass, and is equally comfortable scoring with a three, a free throw or a dunk?

As I said in the comments section earlier Harden is not a pure two, and in fact is far from it. I don't really see another player with the same overall skill and set and playing ability in this years draft (let alone at the top of the draft) than James Harden, and it would be very foolish for the Wolves to pass on him considering that he fits a position of such extreme need. I know both Curry and Thabeet have their supporters here, but Harden is a day one player with a total package of skills and athleticism. Let's make the right pick this year and not trade it away by choosing Harden with our first pick.

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Good catch...

…I agree: he’s their top pick right now.

The World's Leading Exporter of Small Area Quickness
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by Stop-n-Pop on Dec 14, 2008 8:56 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

The beauty part...

…is Harden’s a very, very young sophomore (born in August 1989). Amazingly, he’ll still be just 19 when the draft arrives with two college seasons under his belt. Youth=Upside.

I think hands down he’s the guy they need to target.

by jianfu on Dec 15, 2008 12:07 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

My question is where the “dishing out assists” comes from. His ass/to ratio isn’t that terrific. Yes he has 3-4 assists per game, but combined with the turnovers it just means the offense flows through him, imo, not that he’s fantastic at creating opportunies for others, which is what we’ve lacking (I think we have too much self-created shots instead of assisted ones … anyone wanna pull out a stat sheet on that one)?

ESPN’s TOP100 has this as one of his negatives, I feel it’s absolutely imperative we got someone who has this things as strengths, not weaknesses:

Not particularly gifted as a ball handler or defender

Haven’t been able to watch him so I’m just asking and going from what I’m reading, like the rebounding though… even though rebounding is hardly a problem for us.

Beater of the early Thabeet drum

by Wim (Belgium) on Dec 15, 2008 5:16 AM CST reply actions 0 recs

This is why I love the draft...

…you get a bunch of people writing about a guy who come to massively different conclusions. It’s pretty funny.

The World's Leading Exporter of Small Area Quickness
www.canishoopus.com

by Stop-n-Pop on Dec 15, 2008 6:51 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

exactly ^^

Beater of the early Thabeet drum

by Wim (Belgium) on Dec 15, 2008 3:30 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I have seen him play

and he is this year’s latest t-wolves blunder if we either choose not to pick him, or we pick him and trade him for a couple of big macs or something. He’s reminds me of a young michael redd. So silky smooth, never looks flustered. My guess is he’d start at the 2, but a small lineup of Harden, Foye, and maybe a Ty Lawson or Darren Collison (with late 1st/early 2nd pick), now that would be fun to watch. Also DeRozen seems to be dropping on NBAdraft.net. My ultimate draft? Somehow nab Harden, DeRozen and one of the 2 said PG’s, then you’ve got some weapons. I don’t think Thabeet would fall far enough for him to be picked with our 2nd pick in round 1. If DeRozen fell I’d do cartwheels.

by wolfen on Dec 15, 2008 4:00 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

I am seriosly telling everyone here

It would be a mistake to take Derozan. He is at least two years from being able to contribute on an NBA level. I am sure Floyd will have him playing good college ball by the end of the year, but he is super unpolished. He has awesome athleticism, but he needs a lot of work.

by Laughing Stock on Dec 15, 2008 7:04 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Point taken

But his athleticism is off the charts. If we have to wait a couple years for him to get it, so be it. It’s going to be at least a couple years until this team improves at all. Taking a flyer on a guy like DeRozan isn’t a bad thing. At this point I just want an entirely different roster!

by wolfen on Dec 16, 2008 8:36 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

so, as a usc fan, what do you think of demar derozan?

by oblivionspocket on Dec 30, 2008 5:38 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

point of question

what are our draft pick currently looking like for this year and next? I know we have ours, and we get one from Boston (2 if you count the one we get bak=ck?) and our second, plus 2 seconds from miami. but we still owe one to the clippers at some point. what draft picks exactly can we expect this year and next?

Will the Real Thor Please Stand Up ... ?

by the Real Thor on Dec 17, 2008 5:34 PM CST reply actions 0 recs

never mind,

I found it.

Looks like we will have, at least at this point, 3 first round picks and 3 second round picks, unless philly heats up.

Will the Real Thor Please Stand Up ... ?

by the Real Thor on Dec 17, 2008 5:59 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

1) The Wolves’ own pick is Top 10 protected from the Clippers (out to 2012 or 2013, I believe).
2) The Boston pick acquired in the KG deal is Top 3 protected.
3) The Miami pick is Top 10 Protected.
4) The the pick received from the 76ers in the Carney deal is actually Utah’s (which Philly acquired in the Korver deal, I believe). So you need to watch the Jazz. That’s Top 22 protected.

So the Wolves are almost guaranteed 2 first-round picks: their own and Boston’s. That’s one good-to-decent pick and one scratch ticket. Given the other two picks are riding on Miami and Utah, two teams with some injury potential/history/issues, we’ll have to see how things play out. Given the way this draft is shaping up early, I really wouldn’t mind if those other two picks got pushed back another year.

by jianfu on Dec 17, 2008 6:39 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Don't forget to check our our Draft Info page:

http://www.canishoopus.com/pages/draft-info

The World's Leading Exporter of Small Area Quickness
www.canishoopus.com

by Stop-n-Pop on Dec 17, 2008 6:42 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Just checked...

The Wolves pick is protected until 2011. At the rate of speed this rebuilding project is currently running, that could very well hurt. That’s only 3 drafts away.

by jianfu on Dec 17, 2008 6:43 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Yes...

…it could really, really hurt.

The World's Leading Exporter of Small Area Quickness
www.canishoopus.com

by Stop-n-Pop on Dec 17, 2008 6:49 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs

Exactly, that’s why we were rooting for breaking just out of the top 10 this year .. alas.

Isn’t our pick owed to detroit for the dupree trade? So by my count we only got 2 2nd rounders.

Beater of the early Thabeet drum

by Wim (Belgium) on Dec 18, 2008 2:58 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

yep

http://www.canishoopus.com/pages/draft-info

The World's Leading Exporter of Small Area Quickness
www.canishoopus.com

by Stop-n-Pop on Dec 18, 2008 7:09 AM CST up reply actions 0 recs

That would really stick it to the clippers

If we’re the 11th worst team in the last week of the season, we can only give Madsen the green light to shoot it from three in our last game if he’s really hot.

by oblivionspocket on Jan 9, 2009 5:41 PM CST up reply actions 0 recs