James Harden to the Cavs Is Genius
After an eventful NBA trade deadline, it’s safe to say that the biggest move of the year was James Harden to the Cavs. But, what does this mean for them?
► Podcast: https://youtube.com/@UCWgmbxQAwa93RxnxaeWJCHw
► Website: https://www.hoopvenue.com/
► Twitter: https://twitter.com/hoopvenue_
► Instagram: https://instagram.com/hoopvenue_
► Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PSsJBUt7g6
48 Comments
Do you think the Cavs could make it out of the East? 🤔
When talking about the offensive rating of that 2025 Cavs team, it’s extremely important to mention Ty Jerome, he pretty much carried that offense when Donovan Mitchell wasn’t playing, and if you look at per 36 minutes stats, Jerome was matching Garland’s scoring on less shot attempts while passing as efficiently. If you look at the tracking data, he was scoring 2’s from all distances extremely efficiently while being super effective while taking contested shots. And he was also more efficient from 3 than Garland while shooting on similar volume.
As a Clipper fan I’m excited to see a Garland + Mathurin backcourt. Should be a high-energy offense which is a big culture shift. AND a possible top 10 rookie. Moving on from Harden and Zubac is bittersweet but it had to happen at some point. Might as well rip the bandaid off now.
Look man I appreciate you but I think this is kind of like DeRozan to Sacramento. I hear you. I get the logic. But it ain't happening
“The Cavs probably got a good bit better on defense” Never thought anyone would ever say that when a team acquires James Harden
I think they should’ve gotten another big in the deadline as insurance. I fear either Mobley or Allen will get hurt coming playoff time just like what happened last season.
still hate Harden
Great breakdown brother
Garland wasn’t nearly as good this year as he was last year as well as always being hurt this year. I think it’s an unfair comparison tbh
Cavs fan here – I understand, but it hurts. DG was the heart of the Cavs. Just hoping the bad parts of Harden don't destroy us from within – lazy defense, playoff choking, bad attitude
great vid!
Harden has landed in the ideal situation. The East is wide open, with no team a clear cut favorite. He's joined a deep, talented squad that can give him defensive cover, surround him with shooters and lob catching big men, and there are multiple ball handlers that can spot him if he sits.
That also means no more excuses. He's got to get them to the Finals, at least. Anything less is not going to cut it.
as a Cleveland fan, i was initially upset because of course i never want to see a guy like DG get traded, and especially for a 36 year old player of any caliber. but the more i've sat with it, the more i realized a lot of what you touched on in this video.
the cavs essentially gave up a great offensive player, who gets hunted on defense and can't stay healthy, for a great offensive player, who can at least hold their own on defense and is pretty much always available to play. i also think that even though playoffs have been a rough story for Harden, i think just the fact that he doesn't HAVE to be THE GUY is going to do wonders for him. so idk, i have to see it first, but i think i'm starting to come around on this trade
No nightlife in Cleveland maybe harden can lock in for the playoffs
He only got traded there because LeBron is gonna finish his career there and he’s building a super
Harden is the perfect small forward for the Cavs. They got the guards and the bigs.
Harden is great until it matters. He's a Loser! The opposite of Micheal Jordan. When it gets Hard, Harden Fails, aka Loser.
Ball knower
Harden and Mitchell > Luka and Kyrie
I'm sorry young man, you have a lot to learn about the in & outs about NBA basketball, and even more important at the moment, James Hardhead. Ive not only been following him his entire career, but organized, completive and NBA basketball have been my life for almost 50 years💯
Let's just get back to Hardhead, he is one of the worst defensive players I have ever seen this side of Lebron James! Not because he is the slowest or weakest or has no hand eye coordination. It's 90% effort, and 10% fitness! Very few players hustle less than he does. He is a huge liability on defense, refuses to box out, and rarely runs back for transition defense. There are famous clips of just how lazy and bad Hardhead is on the court, and most of them were in his prime and on Houston!
He will have around a 2 to 1 assist to TO ratio, which is awful for a team wilanting to contend! His 26 points on .419 & .347 splits are not good at all. He will hover between 40%-43% FG and 33%-38% 3pt shooting. Just ask Dime Dropper from Locked on Clippers how much Hardhead will help improve the Cavs!
I'm a Kawhi Leonard fan (although not as big a fan as I used to be), so I root for the teams he goes to. When Hardhead was traded to Clippers, I was devastated. Even before he put on a Clippers uniform or played a single minute there, he told the reporters "I am the system!" This won't change anywhere he goes. People are claiming he left because of a contract dispute…that is a load of HORSESHIT!!! The reason he left is Kawhi was the focal point of the offense when he played. Hardhead 's ego cannot handle that.
You are going to suffer through watching him dribble out the clock and Jack and ill-advised 3pt shot, make a dumb pass and turn the ball over, or pass to a teammate, leaving them in a bad position with the shot clock winding down.
First Houston thought he was the answer (in his absolute prime) and they learned just how much of a cancer this bum truly is. Unfortunately, he gets much worse when the lights are brightest
The players who can help teams win the title are the ones who's numbers all go up in the playoffs!
Then Brooklyn & Philadelphia had to learn the "hard" way (pun intended) just how awful a team player Hardhead truly is!
Finally, the Clippers thought he was the answer. Well, he demanded a trade after Kawhi got healthy and started carrying the team to big wins. Hardhead didn't like that, and he became a huge problem and was gone in less than a week!
I know you are trying to be positive and going through all these advanced stats and explaining how he will give Cleveland a legitimate shot to make the finals. I promise you he is the 1 player who is going to guarantee an early playoff exit! Just like Lebron & Luka, that type of "system" will not work unless they are getting a ton of help from the refs and have multiple all-stars to help, especially on defense!
Don't say I didn't warn you!
P.S. I know a ton about Darius Garland on a nightly basis. I do know he is not a top tier player, otherwise Cavs wouldn't of traded him for a 37 year old, defensive liability. All I hope is that Garland's toe issues can be managed and as long as he doesn't TO the ball at an alarming rate and shot jack, he will be an upgrade for sure!
Bro was NEVER automatic. He was hit or miss, he missed more than he made
As a Cavs fan I’m happy we finally got rid of garland. This is definitely a win now move. I’m hoping Tatum stays out and I think we got a legit chance at a title
Garland was soft, always hurt, this toe, now that toe, good riddance, we got a tough guy back, who will play. Dudes averaging 25 a game he rebounds he's elite,
Good take based on real evidence unlike most NBA media coverage these days.
It's too bad the guardians didn't have the mentality of Dan gilbert, the dolans are the cheapest owners, hay Dan buy the indians, invest some money 8n them,
Y’all do know this mf NEVER shows up in the playoffs, right? So what does it really change.
Harden and Spider are going to clash – he'll want out of Cleveland by the end of 2026. I don't see this going well for them at all.
When you strictly look at from a ball standpoint; like literally nothing other than court production; it’s a great fucking move. You can tell who really knows ball when the first thing you see in the comments is how someone feels about Harden.
Harden also good at baiting fouls.
10:10 Yes, from James Harden, we can rely on playoff choking, trade demands and eating his way off the team.
"What nobody says about the James Harden trade" That this was a Lebron team up move for next season. Harden is chasing his last chance at a ring, and Lebron was in Hardens ear playing GM…..again.
When the ball is in Garlands, he's a gun..😅
Harden and mitchell should mesh fine, hes basically a slightly less skilled but higher volume kyrie and he dominated with Harden, you can also use norm and maxey as an example, its perfect, you have that second ball handler and guy who can score the most in mitchell, lob threats with rim running centers, and role players who can hit 3s. That is THE perfect team to build around Harden, like probably the best fitting and deepest team hes ever been on.
Hahahahauauauuaa😂
James Harden's beard makes his lips look gay And by that I mean you know sucks on certain things
Dude is an all-time choker and quits on EVERY team he has been on. He's cancer.
I love your videos. It's glaring how little detailed analysis the traditional media outlets do. They "reason" emotionally on the most anecdotal of data, reacting to their personal aesthetic preferences more than what the numbers and film say. They talk in terms of intangible qualities like toughness and "winning mentality", but these are often predicated on subjective judgments of small samples, and are dwarfed in importance by talent and health. It's clear how much attention you pay to the nuances and details of basketball, both in statistics and in film.
For all of the reasons you've already enumerated, the Cavs were one of the most devastating teams in basketball last year, derailed by untimely injuries, most notably to their All-NBA quality point guard. Darius was and has been the engine of their offense. The scoring heroics of Mitchell are impressive, but this year excepted, the Cavs have always been a superior offense with the Darius at the controls during the era of the core 4. His canny passing, off-ball movement, spot up and pull up shooting (both from 3 point and floater range), and down hill ability have been essential in unlocking the most effective version of this team.
The concerns about Darius's defense have been dramatically overstated by the numbers – isolation attempts against Garland last year did not generally yield high quality shots. But what is true is that the trends of the game towards power and physicality have definitely disadvantaged small guards. This is on both offense and defense; on defense, the leeway given to players to push with their off arm to generate separation disproportionately affects weaker, smaller defenders. On offense, defenders have been empowered to go for more aggressive contact at the rim, especially if they can make contact with the ball first.
This year, the rubber has met the road with Darius's injuries. He hasn't been the same player, because his game relies so much on his quickness and burst on his toes. He hasn't been able to generate the same separation, or get the same lift on his shots, or slide his feet on defense. And it showed in the statistics, where the Cavs have had a dramatically worse offensive and defensive rating with Darius on the floor.
I am a huge Darius optimist (if it isn't clear from the wall of text above), and I was devastated to trade him for Harden, who is so much older and has not comported himself with the same class and dignity that Garland has. I was hopeful that he could come back from his toe injuries and be more like the player he was in prior years. But I wonder what the Cavs front office knows that fans like me don't about his future health, and I acknowledge that it's possible that Darius may never be the same player again. I certainly hope to be wrong, and will be rooting for him in Los Angeles.
Your video beautifully articulated the ways that the Cavs may improve with the addition of Harden. I hope that having the best supporting talent around him since his days as a Rocket will ameliorate some of the ways in which he's historically dwindled in effectiveness in the playoffs.
james harden and donovan mitchell have no excuses to not make this work. deep team, high powered offence and defensive versatility. pistons and knicks arent as complete as his team. if there’s no finals run we’re gonna know both of these players dont have what it takes
Have the exact same title as bballbreakdown released an hour apart lol
Cavs are gonna regret this. Big desperation move.
Stupidity.
From the idiot who said Lonzo Ball is exactly what the Cavs need.
Yall got tacko fall??
Can we talk about the trade that sent Ayo to the Timberwolves? I think it was an undervalued move at trade deadline. love the videos bro💯
W video!
Sorry clippers won this trade have u forgotten James harden chokes in every game 7 he plays
Fuck that asshole I have to stop watching the cavs.
As a die hard Cavs fan, you know ball sir. Great video.