2012-13 MINUTES LEADERS :  Minutes Per Game  - All Teams
PLAYER NAME, TEAM NAME		GP	MIN	MPG
1	Luol Deng , CHI	75	2,902	38.7
2	Kobe Bryant , LAL	78	3,012	38.6
3	* Damian Lillard , POR	82	3,166	38.6
4	Kevin Durant , OKC	81	3,118	38.5
5	Nicolas Batum , POR	73	2,806	38.4
6	James Harden , HOU	78	2,984	38.3
7	Stephen Curry , GSW	78	2,982	38.2
8	LeBron James , MIA	76	2,877	37.9
9	LaMarcus Aldridge , POR	74	2,790	37.7
10	Paul George , IND	79	2,971	37.6

Harden's MPG ranked 6th in the league.  His sky high minutes, usage rate and a long burden of carrying a newly-restructured young team have worn him down.  As I mentioned in my previous post -  Harden, Lin, Asik are all in their first full year as starters,  the Rockets are very young with lots of room for improvement.  Realism will set in at some point.

The Rockets have made significant progress so far, although it is unfortunate that some fans have such negative impressions on Harden's BB IQ.  Lin had a slow start early in the season; it was Harden who stabilized Houston, leading the team to win many of the season games.   Had Harden passed up the opportunities for those offensive games, Houston would likely have already packed it in to enjoy an extended vacation.  It was a joyful moment to see such a young team made it to the playoffs - Kudos to Harden, Lin, Asik, Chandler and the rest of the crew for turning it up a notch this season.

A pass-first PG, to some extent, is a supporting role.  When all hands are cold and the PG can't shoot, then the team is toast. Harden was the 3rd overall pick in 2009 coming into the NBA with natural basketball talent.  In Houston, he shares almost the same assist numbers with Lin.  Being the #1 offensive option, by default, he is the one to take more shots on any given night.

Lin is now rolling into better form as a PG, and will be on the stage to shine during the playoffs. Cheers to all Houston fans.