You’re The GM: Marc Gasol Or James Harden
By Luke Duffy
We took a break over the course of the first month of the season here at You’re The GM, to give players and teams time to settle a little bit before pitting them against one another. Now that the standings have started to take shape and the elite players have emerged, we’re going to go with two complete opposites on this occasion to kick things off.
In Marc Gasol, the Memphis Grizzlies have arguably the best center in the league and a player who encapsulates what they’re about perfectly. With James Harden, the Houston Rockets have an offensive juggernaut who fills it up every night. Given the chance though, who would you rather have on your team?
Marc Gasol
For years it felt like Marc Gasol never truly got the credit he deserved, even when the Grizzlies made it to the Western Conference Finals back in 2013. Then when he was out injury to start the season last year and the team really struggled, going 14-18 without him, even the casual fans began to realize just how big he was for this team.
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This season, Gasol has been a huge factor in this team’s amazing start (15-2 at time of writing) while posting career highs in points (20.1) and Player Efficiency Rating (An insane 23.5). He is active on both ends of the court, and at 30 years of age seems to really be in the prime of his career.
Something else Gasol has going for him, which a lot of the great players have, is the fact he truly seems to be in the perfect scenario for him in Memphis. With the hard working Mike Conley, Tony Allen and Zach Randolph, plus sneaky good additions like Vince Carter, Gasol gets to play the game his way with a tough crew around him.
This team has had a strong identity for years, and right now is a legit title contender. Gasol has fed off of all of this and added hugely to it, making him a top five player in this league so far this season. He’s the reigning defensive player of the year for a reason, and causes opponents to alter so many shots when they get into Memphis’ painted area.
When you add that to back-to-back 30-point outings against the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Clippers a few games back, it’s clear he’s arguably the best two-way player in the league. Who wouldn’t want to have a guy like that on their team?
James Harden
James Harden does things with a basketball most can only dream of, and is the main man for the Houston Rockets these days. It’s crazy to think how much he’s evolved since being a sixth man for the Oklahoma City Thunder, and he’s done it without missing a beat. It feels like he’s been around forever terrorizing defences, but Harden is only 25 years old if you can believe that.
So, despite the fact he’s in early MVP conversation and is leading a playoff bound team, it’s a pretty safe bet that the best is still to come from this guy. A season average of 25.2 points puts him second in the league in scoring, behind a Kobe Bryant who has license to take as many shots as he wants each night. Not bad at all.
Here’s where it gets interesting though. Harden had a bit of a shooting slump a little while ago, although he still found ways to score the basketball. When it wasn’t falling for him though, he was teeing up his teammates to ensure the team pulled out some key wins.
Now, I would often think of Harden as somewhat selfish, but not in a bad way. He has the talent to score often so why not do it. But Harden’s 6.8 assists a game is easily a career high, and has him sitting tenth in the league in that category. For a guy with the me first reputation he possesses, that’s extremely impressive.
Add in his 6.2 rebounds a game, also a career high, which is second among all shooting guards in the league, and suddenly Harden is influencing the game in more ways than we give him credit for. Even worse for the rest of the league, these numbers don’t look like changing anytime soon. It’s like Harden has turned a corner and figured out how to get his while also making the team better. A certainty to be an All-Star again this season.
Verdict
Initially I was going easily to go with Gasol, he’s been on an absolute tear to start the year, and is the focal point of a contending team that know what they’re about. Then I looked at Harden’s numbers away from just his scoring, and they are more than impressive. He’s literally doing it all for this team, helping out in any way he can. His PER of 25 even beats out Gasol, and when you take into consideration the league average is 15, it just goes to show you how important he is for this team.
He can’t defend though, and although that may come in time, I’m still going to go with Marc Gasol, but it was so much harder to pick than I thought it would be. He’s the big man anchor who dominates on both ends of the court and is in the prime of his career. Pitting these two together again even next year might yield different results, but right now, I’m taking the big Spaniard. What about you though? Answers in the comment box below and as usual the player with the most votes wins.