Ex-Coach Luke Walton Discussion

I disagree.

One less ft for Houston, we win the game without overtime.

Getting ejected is never a great idea.

Players should know that the coach has their back. It doesn't need a rejection on national TV to prove the point and certainly not multiple times a season. I also personally think that it gives everyone an excuse... It was the ref. Point is refs are what they are imo. You have to win, like other teams do to.... with the same refs and same officiating.

 

I think every head coach in the NBA needs to complain enough to the refs to get T’d up when they play the Rockets. The fouls that team gets is excessive and the NBA refs needs to reign in the free throw monster they created.

 

Exactly this. How can you allow the refs to get away with the way they call Rockets games? It’s insanity that the only way to protest this year after year is to get T’d up.

 

That seems a little extreme to me. I don’t like the calls Harden gets, but he’s not a dirty player where I hope he gets punched in the mouth either.

Remember back when the league changed the rules for fouls because of that Kobe swing through where he’d bring the ball up through players arms of the reached? They need to do something like that for Harden’s more moves too.

 

I don’t know why guys don’t try and get their money’s worth more often. If they’re gonna call a foul if you are standing too close to Harden you might as well really foul him as soon as you hear a whistle, AND make sure to grab his arms so he can’t go for the and 1.

 

I just don’t think he deserves to have players try to hurt him. Hard fouls? Sure. Make him think twice before coming into the paint, but he’s not doing things like trying to step under a jump shooter to hurt them, so I don’t think we should take things to that level.

I honestly think the problem is with the refs more than him. Any and every player is going to try to use fouls to get points. Harden is just better at gaming the system than anyone else in the league today. The NBA head office needs to look into what the problem is when so many coaches get T’s against Houston, and why Harden is shooting waaaaay more free throws than anyone else.

 

I'm not disputing any of that. I am in no way defending Harden's play.

I understand hating all the BS calls Harden gets. I hate them too of course. But I feel yall are going way over the top wishing Harden gets physically hurt, and treating him like he's doing something different than what Kobe did with his swing through and what LeBron did with his "LeBroning" flops for all those years. It's gaming the system. Trying to get foul calls. That's the NBA. There have been many that made their career off of drawing calls from the ref. Harden is just the current champ at that tactic and maybe the best ever at it. It's a punk move, because it's looking for a way to manipulate the rules and exploit the perception of who's really initiating the contact, and making the foul, but I don't wish anyone gets hurt because of it.

In no way do I think there is some big conspiracy coming down from the league office to give Harden a ton of calls. The refs give him calls in games, because drawing whistles is 90% of his game. Every move he makes, he tries to initiate contact in a way where he draws a whistle. I remember the last time we played the Rockets, and Harden would have Capella set a screen above the 3pt line, and if his defender tried to fight over the screen, Harden would move forward to trap their arm and body between himself and Capella's back, to get a foul while shooting a 3, and it worked almost every time. If the defender went under the screen, Harden would just shoot the open 3. Harden's become a master at that s***. That's his game. I hate it, but have to admit, he's become a master at putting himself in a position to sell a foul to the refs.

 

So, essentially what you’re saying is that Harden is a chronic master baiter and anyone near him needs to watch out.