James Harden is talented but . . .

by George Templeton on Mar 15, 2009 9:40 AM EDT

I know James Harden is an excellent player, but what Herb Sendek (who I have some respect for) did with him at the end of Pac-10 final was the most atrocious piece of coaching I've seen this weekend (and there has been a lot of bad coaching this weekend).

What the hell Sendek was doing twice running an NBA-esque 1-4 set with Harden on an iso in the final minute of Arizona State's stunning (and damaging for bubble teams) loss to Southern California mystified me to no end. Your team runs the Princeton offense for heavens sake! You know, passing, cutting, all five guys moving? You know the things that make your team so difficult to defend. How could you do this to me (and all the other Terrapin fans you #@#$)

What is it with coaching and the last two minutes of games because while I may not know jack about recruiting or dealing with teenagers, I swear I could sit on the bench and do a better job of coaching the final two minutes of a college game than most of these people.

This is an open thread with a bunch of purposes. Who do you want to see get into the NCAA tournament that is on the bubble? Where do you think American will go and who might they face. Other than James Harden and Blake Griffin who are you looking forward to watching in the NCAA tournament, whatever the reason maybe? And whatever other college basketball issues might be on your mind.

I will answer the last question. I want to see Saint Mary's make it so I can watch Patty Mills. And in this year of craziness, I think a healthy Mills could help Saint Mary's emulate the legendary George Mason Patriots. The similarities are there. Like GMU, Saint Mary's lost in its conference tournament. Like GMU they will be a (somewhat) controversial choice if they get picked. The one major difference is that if Mills hadn't got hurt, Saint Mary's would be easily in the field and a lot of folks would look at them as a sleeper for a Final 4 berth. Well Mills played a game Saturday night against Eastern Washington and all reports say he is now 100 percent. Get on Saint Mary's if they make it to the Big Dance.

This represents the view of the user who wrote the FanPost, and not the entire Bullets Forever community. We're a place of many opinions, not just one.

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Watched this one too...

ASU ran the same Harden play 3 times to no effect. Bad for ASU, bad for bubble teams, and especially bad for Harden’s draft stock. He looked slow, uncreative, and indecisive. Imagine Deshawn Stevenson as a team’s go-to option. Pendergraph, on the other hand, looked like a gem.

by jvflail on Mar 15, 2009 12:00 PM EDT reply actions

Wasn't one of the knocks on Rip Hamilton that he couldn't create his own shot?

I wouldn’t mind if the Wiz pick Harden. He seems like he scores, rebounds, passes and plays defense. Which of our other guards does all those things well? And Gil thrives playing with combo guards like Larry Hughes.

by antawnjameson on Mar 15, 2009 12:11 PM EDT reply actions

I want to see

Arizona … I want to see Jordan Hill show me something.. Also, everyone here should pay attention to Chase Buddinger – he’s a very good player. He plays SF for Arizona, but projects as a SG in the NBA. Big and athletic, he might be a good fit for the Wizards as a high 2nd round pick (if we have the roster room for another player)…

Also, Washington – keep an eye on Jon Brockman. Undersized for a PF at 6’7", and too slow to play SF; nonetheless he keeps getting it done at the College level. An intense and tenatious rebounder; he’s a double-double machine. The kind of guy that you root for because he’s not the most gifted athlete, but he works so hard…

Bullets Forever - where "Dagger ! " happens......

by Rook6980 on Mar 15, 2009 12:52 PM EDT reply actions

So Brockman is one of the reasons Washington came out of nowhere

I will take a look since you mentioned him. I imagine we will have to watch the NIT to see Budinger and Hill. My problem with Budinger is that when he hears defence he thinks he needs to paint it,

"Would you like to shoot me now or wait till you get home." --- Daffy Duck

by George Templeton on Mar 15, 2009 2:10 PM EDT up reply actions

Last year you may have been correct with that statement...

But this year, Buddinger has made a more concerted effort on the defensive end…. He’s definately putting in a lot more effort.

He’ll never be a stellar defender, because he lacks lateral quickness…. but even right now, he’s a better defender than Nick Young, Gilbert Arenas, or Mike James.

Bullets Forever - where "Dagger ! " happens......

by Rook6980 on Mar 15, 2009 2:38 PM EDT up reply actions

And it turns out you were a sage

Arizona made it in (they shouldn’t have) and Saint Mary’s didn’t. And the shame of it is, Arizona will probably win their first round game.

"Would you like to shoot me now or wait till you get home." --- Daffy Duck

by George Templeton on Mar 15, 2009 8:40 PM EDT up reply actions

No patty mills

unfortunately

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laydODN6xVk

by hibachi on Mar 15, 2009 11:06 PM EDT up reply actions

I'd rather have D-Song over Brockman any day of the week.

He’s an undersized Aaron Gray…the NBDL can keep him.

Representing DC with Wizards & Stuff - Truth About It.net and Bullets Forever.

by Kyle Weidie on Mar 23, 2009 10:41 AM EDT up reply actions

I'm looking forward to watching Derozan

He seemed like he would be the next in a relatively long line of exciting, talented USC guards, but seemed to drop off at the beginning of the season. Lately, though, he seems to be playing out of his mind, and I think that he could turn himself into a top ten, maybe even top five pick if USC can make the Sweet Sixteen behind him.

Also, I’d like to see how Hansborough does against athletic big men. He always has problems with them, but you can tell he’s just giving his all, and I kind of like the idea of a player of the year on a top-ranked team as an underdog.

Harden will be interesting to watch. The inability to create his own shot at the college level is really scary. It was mentioned that this was a knock against Richard Hamilton and he turned out ok, but Rip’s also 6"7. I’d read that Harden was almost Brandon Roy-like in his ability to dominate without being physically dominant, but I’m starting to think that he could be closer to JJ Reddick as an NBA player, which would obviously be horrible for us if we draft him. I also didn’t know that ASU ran the Princeton; don’t a lot of players from “system” offenses turn out to be busts in the NBA? I’m thinking of almost every player who starred at Duke, then wound up a bench player in the NBA.

by pantslessyoda1 on Mar 15, 2009 5:08 PM EDT reply actions

im looking for...

Da’Mare Carroll from Missouri. I have caught a lot of thier games this year and he could be a nice 2nd round pick for someone. Might not be a great fit with Taser and Butler. However he seems to be the heart of a club that plays with an energy and passion every night that i have not seem in some time. Harden seems like a great player, dominant and smooth. Could be a steal in the draft. I think he would be great with Gil, if we get the 2nd or 3rd pick overall. Chase is going to be a good NBA player. I would love to have him on our roster.

by stlballa on Mar 16, 2009 1:41 AM EDT reply actions

I was at this one

Covering it, so I got to sit in the press box. The unmitigated stupidity of Arizona State’s offense has never ceased to amaze me. It’s just amazing to watch in person. It’s that much more of a credit to Harden that he’s able to pull off the stats he does in their system. Guys are literally just standing around waiting for Harden to make something happen.

That said, I’ve seen a lot of him out here on the west coast and he’s a spectacular player. He creates contact and gets to the free throw line like no other player in college basketball. Those are skills that should transition to the pros. He also has a lot of moves and can create for himself, he just does it in a really unorthodox way. I’m not so sure how well that part will translate to the NBA.

You should also know that he was being guarded by Taj Gibson, who is one of the best defenders in the Pac-10 if not college basketball. He didn’t fare well in the last minute, but it was at least somewhat understandable. All in all, I wouldn’t hold that one against him too much.

by MikeMid on Mar 18, 2009 8:29 PM EDT reply actions

Don't pick up harden

James Harden is like a Mitch Richmond, only more like ‘the Rock’ in the twilight of his career

by rzawrecktah on Mar 22, 2009 11:53 AM EDT reply actions

Harden is clearly not a good decision maker...

Wiz don’t need him.

Representing DC with Wizards & Stuff - Truth About It.net and Bullets Forever.

by Kyle Weidie on Mar 23, 2009 10:41 AM EDT reply actions

You hit the nail on the head with that one

But in addition -- He entire AZ State offense is Harden pounding the ball, while everyone else stands around, until he sees an opening to make a move….

Don’t the Wizards have enough high usage, high turn over, low efficiency guards already?

Bullets Forever - where "Dagger ! " happens......

by Rook6980 on Mar 23, 2009 3:07 PM EDT up reply actions

Plus he was acting like the type who wants to do too much

Instead of getting it to the big man before he fouled out.

Representing DC with Wizards & Stuff - Truth About It.net and Bullets Forever.

by Kyle Weidie on Mar 23, 2009 5:03 PM EDT up reply actions

Yeah, this tournament has really shed light on him

Based on the scouting reports, I thought he might be a little bit like a poor man’s Brandon Roy. Not so much anymore. Trading down is starting to look a lot better if we can’t snag Griffin or Rubio.

by pantslessyoda1 on Mar 23, 2009 9:58 PM EDT up reply actions