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Take it this way, the rubber is gonna deflect the same amount anyway, so it's better have one easy to flex. Less energy will be spent flexing the softer compound than the harder one.
Connclark, your ball bearing on rubber sheet analogy would be the equivalent to solid rubber casters on a concrete floor, in which case you would be right to say a harder compound will have less RR, because on solid wheels that rubber would be holding the load. On car tires though, the air pressure is holding the load and afaik the rubber compound hardness does not change the deflection of the tire much (contact patch size at same pressure/load).
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