James Harden, will Monte even try?

[KingsCitizen]

Harden for Buddy/Jabari/Cojo

I don't know if Monte has any ties with Harden, but few sites have popped that Harden still wants out. Brooklyn is the target. BUT will Monte even try? Considering Houston got Wall, Fox should be out of this.

 

[KingsFanSince85]

No.
No.
And no again.

One last “no” for good measure.

That is all.

 

[Joshoua]

It has to be Bagley and to match salaries either Barnes or Buddy and I’d chose buddy cause we’d need Barnes to go small ball.

No.
No.
And no again.

One last “no” for good measure.

That is all.

why are you against it especially that Mitch?

We’d be getting a 30/7/7 guy whose a top 5 player in the league for what Bagley/Buddy/Joseph and a 1st With Harden were instantly a playoff team with him alone that’s how good he is. If Fox can take another step and be a 20/5 second option we get even better and vets like Bjlecia/Barnes/Whiteside/Holmes and PJ Tucker. We’d have two years to convince him to stay which could be enough depending on Fox development and off-season pick ups.

Or we can keep this treadmill going that heading nowhere unless we land a top 3 pick this year

 

[mac]

It has to be Bagley and to match salaries either Barnes or Buddy and I’d chose buddy cause we’d need Barnes to go small ball.




why are you against it especially that Mitch?

We’d be getting a 30/7/7 guy whose a top 5 player in the league for what Bagley/Buddy/Joseph and a 1st With Harden were instantly a playoff team with him alone that’s how good he is. If Fox can take another step and be a 20/5 second option we get even better and vets like Bjlecia/Barnes/Whiteside/Holmes and PJ Tucker. We’d have two years to convince him to stay which could be enough depending on Fox development and off-season pick ups.

Or we can keep this treadmill going that heading nowhere unless we land a top 3 pick this year

Or Harden can just not turn up for practice

 

[Tetsujin]

Harden for Buddy/Jabari/Cojo

I don't know if Monte has any ties with Harden, but few sites have popped that Harden still wants out. Brooklyn is the target. BUT will Monte even try? Considering Houston got Wall, Fox should be out of this.

Considering the Rockets balked at Dinwiddie/Allen/LeVert, why the hell would they even take this call?

 

[Joshoua]

Or Harden can just not turn up for practice

that’s not even realistic although the nba and silver are giving these guys more power by the second

 

[King Baller]

I don't see it happening. Harden has listed the teams he is willing to play for, the Kings are not one of them. IMO Buddy, Bagley and a single FRP is not going to entice Houston to move Harden. IMO the Kings should not give up FRP's or young talent at all unless for a young special player.

 

[Tetsujin]

that’s not even realistic although the nba and silver are giving these guys more power by the second

The owner of the Bulls once signed Michael Jordan to a baseball contract despite him sucking just to not pee him off in case he ever wanted to play again.
Let’s not pretend that player empowerment is some newfangled concept -or, for that matter, a particularly bad thing.

 

[funkykingston]

Again - if Westbrook/Harden didn't work (and it didn't) why would Fox/Harden?

You'd be looking at a deal for Buddy, Bagley, and filler along with 3 FRPs (that was reportedly what Houston asked Philly for in addition to Ben Simmons) which might leave enough for the Kings to be a playoff team but not a contender.

So why wouldn't Harden pout his way out or just leave as a FA in two years?

 

[Joshoua]

The owner of the Bulls once signed Michael Jordan to a baseball contract despite him sucking just to not pee him off in case he ever wanted to play again.
Let’s not pretend that player empowerment is some newfangled concept -or, for that matter, a particularly bad thing.

It is a bad thing these fools sign max deals and demand trades a year later can’t have your cake and eat it too. No other sport is like this

 

[Tetsujin]

It is a bad thing these fools sign max deals and demand trades a year later can’t have your cake and eat it too. No other sport is like this

John Elway, Eli Manning, Messi, Antonio Brown, Tom Brady, Jamal Adams, Kris Bryant, LeVeon Bell, all just off the top of my head. In some of these cases, this happened before guys even got drafted.

The only reason it doesn't happen in baseball is because MLB has an incredibly archaic system that automatically gives teams like a decade worth of team control.

It's the 21st century, players are finally getting the agency to fight for themselves as players/products after half a century of sports being an entirely imbalanced enterprise.

 

[Joshoua]

John Elway, Eli Manning, Messi, Antonio Brown, Tom Brady, Jamal Adams, Kris Bryant, LeVeon Bell, all just off the top of my head. In some of these cases, this happened before guys even got drafted.

The only reason it doesn't happen in baseball is because MLB has an incredibly archaic system that automatically gives teams like a decade worth of team control.

It's the 21st century, players are finally getting the agency to fight for themselves as players/products after half a century of sports being an entirely imbalanced enterprise.

The Elway/Manning are different it would be like Cunningham this year telling us he’ll go back to college if we took him. Totally different than signing contracts and demanding trades right after and tampering to team up with stars. I’ve never seen Brady demand a trade or anything dude was begging for a 2 year deal and they never gave it to him

 

[funkykingston]

I mentioned this before but IF the Kings were to trade for Harden (something I'm very against) they'd be better off trading Fox and keeping Hield. Harden is ball dominant and needs shooters around him. De'Aaron is a poor compliment and would also likely be the main target for the Rockets anyway.

The deal would likely be Fox, Haliburton, Bagley, filler and at least 2 FRPs.

That's not a deal I'd do for (maybe) two years of Harden.

 

[hrdboild]

I mentioned this before but IF the Kings were to trade for Harden (something I'm very against) they'd be better off trading Fox and keeping Hield. Harden is ball dominant and needs shooters around him. De'Aaron is a poor compliment and would also likely be the main target for the Rockets anyway.

The deal would likely be Fox, Haliburton, Bagley, filler and at least 2 FRPs.

That's not a deal I'd do for (maybe) two years of Harden.

This is a fair point. And I think it's also the biggest reason Harden is still on the Rockets. He's a high-usage primary ballhandler who's used to being the offensive focus of his team and it's not easy to see how well he would integrate with other primary ballhandlers. So if you're going to make a competitive offer for the league's leading scorer you also have to have a plan for how you're going to win with him running your offense and that means you need a second star who doesn't need the ball in their hands. Looking around the league right now, how many players actually fit that criteria? Not a lot.

I would argue that Fox could still be dangerous as a push the pace guard who settles in as the secondary ballhandler if the fast break isn't there but I don't really like that argument unless Fox can prove that his 2018-2019 shooting numbers aren't an aberration. I also have to admit that I'm more intrigued by the possibility of building around a Fox/Haliburton backcourt with a young playmaking SF (of which the 2021 draft offers several) to give us a longer window of contention and a potentially game-breaking combination of skilled passers all over the floor.

 

[King Baller]

Who wants to watch that kind of basketball Harden plays? Not me. Ball dominant shooter who the Refs bail out often.

I would love to see a team that shares the ball make a run into the Playoffs for a few years.

 

[hrdboild]

Who wants to watch that kind of basketball Harden plays? Not me. Ball dominant shooter who the Refs bail out often.

I would love to see a team that shares the ball make a run into the Playoffs for a few years.

While my preference is also for a team that shares the ball, I could get used to just about anything if it means deep playoff runs every year.

 

[pdxKingsFan]

The owner of the Bulls once signed Michael Jordan to a baseball contract despite him sucking just to not pee him off in case he ever wanted to play again.
Let’s not pretend that player empowerment is some newfangled concept -or, for that matter, a particularly bad thing.

Interesting theory but I had the internet in 1993 so I know he was secretly serving a gambling suspension.

 

[King Baller]

While my preference is also for a team that shares the ball, I could get used to just about anything if it means deep playoff runs every year.

I get it But Harden is 31 years old with two years left on his contract. So it would be short lived IMO.

 

[Tetsujin]

Interesting theory but I had the internet in 1993 so I know he was secretly serving a gambling suspension.

Really though it’s a good thing social media wasn’t around when MJ and Sir Charles were galavanting around in the offseason gambling exorbitant amounts of money.

 

[pdxKingsFan]

Really though it’s a good thing social media wasn’t around when MJ and Sir Charles were galavanting around in the offseason gambling exorbitant amounts of money.

I've always believed that MJ would never be anywhere near the beloved figure he was if the internet was widespread. When I moved to Santa Barbara after leaving Boston his antics in the offseason were pretty legendary there as well.

 

[Chupacabra]

I've always believed that MJ would never be anywhere near the beloved figure he was if the internet was widespread. When I moved to Santa Barbara after leaving Boston his antics in the offseason were pretty legendary there as well.

It makes the image Dennis Rodman was able to build that much more impressive.

 

[pdxKingsFan]

It makes the image Dennis Rodman was able to build that much more impressive.

It's hard to imagine that within 15 years most of the things that made him stand out in 1996 are pretty much commonplace.

 

[Chupacabra]

It's hard to imagine that within 15 years most of the things that made him stand out in 1996 are pretty much commonplace.

Right?! Players wearing wedding dresses and makeup at their book signing. Disappearing for weeks on end to party in Vegas during the regular season....wait...

 

[pdxKingsFan]

Right?! Players wearing wedding dresses and makeup at their book signing. Disappearing for weeks on end to party in Vegas during the regular season....wait...

The tattoos and piercings and hair though are really nothing and that is largely what freaked everyone out and I think the drag outing would probably celebrated today. The partying would be problematic agreed.

 

[km23]

The tattoos and piercings and hair though are really nothing and that is largely what freaked everyone out and I think the drag outing would probably celebrated today. The partying would be problematic agreed.

I know this is a harden thread, but I wonder if there is any coach in the league currently that could coach Rodman through all the outside noise like Phil did?

 

[pdxKingsFan]

I know this is a harden thread, but I wonder if there is any coach in the league currently that could coach Rodman through all the outside noise like Phil did?

On one hand players get away with more BS than they ever did in that era - going back to Harden - Chris Paul just called him out for not even crossing half court on offense when the ball wasn't in his hands - the trade demands, "LeGm", Kawhi, players orchestrating moves to teams as a group that none of them currently play for, etc. The stuff coaches deal with is a whole new realm, but the ones with the most success seem to allow the players to be themselves so long as the team can win and run a semblance of an offense and defense. So that actually bodes well, Dennis was just ahead of his time (same for AI).

On the other hand, if you plopped Dennis into 2020 and decided whatever mental health issues he dealt with would be amplified by a desire to stand out - if his skillset was still primarily just a defense and rebounding specialist, I don't think he'd stick. "WHY CAN'T HE SHOOT THE THREE!"

 

[SLAB]

A zillion times no.

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id...n-houston-rockets-breaking-point?platform=amp

 

[Joshoua]

A zillion times no.

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id...n-houston-rockets-breaking-point?platform=amp

would you take kawhi? He’s ten times the diva harden is and we won’t make the playoffs as he sit 40% of the time. Atleast harden shows up to work everyday

 

[SLAB]

would you take kawhi? He’s ten times the diva harden is and we won’t make the playoffs as he sit 40% of the time. Atleast harden shows up to work everyday

If I was forced to choose between the two? Leonard 100 times out of 100 over Harden.

That said, I’m firmly anti-Leonard as well. Ever since his team hid him in a broom closet to keep the Spurs from finding him for a meeting during his injury fiasco.

 

[pdxKingsFan]

A zillion times no.

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id...n-houston-rockets-breaking-point?platform=amp

Not sure what it says about whoever called the shots to let James jerk the team around like that. What's the farthest he has brought them in the playoffs? Second round ok a few WCFs? If he didn't get the kind of calls that only he and a few other players get he'd be a nobody. Seems like someone could have just made a call to the league office and reigned him in a bit.