Dash Posted October 28, 2012 Report Share Posted October 28, 2012 David Aldridge @daldridgetnt Also: Rockets "only" put $25M apiece into Lin and Asik. Even after Harden max, they'll still be in good $ shape & can be players next summer Get Harden signed to max + maintain flexibility. Daryl has had himself quite the offseason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChosenOne Posted October 28, 2012 Report Share Posted October 28, 2012 PG-Jeremy LinSG-James HardenSF-Chandler ParsonsPF-Patrick PattersonC-Omer Asik Damn this is a freaking steal. Slaven? WTF?! and yes i am loving this mother [expletive]ing starting five right now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Make It Naaaashty Posted October 28, 2012 Report Share Posted October 28, 2012 Bill Simmons @sportsguy33 15mI fully support Harden refusing to take 4 yrs 52-54m from OKC. Could get 5 years 75-80m from Houston (no state tax). It's no contest.View details · Harden could make bank, don't blame him, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChosenOne Posted October 28, 2012 Report Share Posted October 28, 2012 Bill Simmons @sportsguy33 15mI fully support Harden refusing to take 4 yrs 52-54m from OKC. Could get 5 years 75-80m from Houston (no state tax). It's no contest.View details · Harden could make bank, don't blame him, Who's blaming him? Everyone knows he did the right thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dash Posted October 28, 2012 Report Share Posted October 28, 2012 Power forward is up for grabs, could easily see Terrence Jones ending up a starter by mid-season and Donatas Motiejunas has a ton of potential so you can't really rule him out either. I do love the sound of a lineup consisting of Parsons/Patterson/Asik defensively though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Make It Naaaashty Posted October 28, 2012 Report Share Posted October 28, 2012 Who's blaming him? Everyone knows he did the right thing. Not everyone. OKC had a foundation going there, if I'm Durant, Westbrook, or Ibaka... I would be pretty mad. They know what type of player left them for more money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChosenOne Posted October 28, 2012 Report Share Posted October 28, 2012 Not everyone. OKC had a foundation going there, if I'm Durant, Westbrook, or Ibaka... I would be pretty mad. They know what type of player left them for more money. Yeah but it is a business and Harden did the right thing. With that being said its not like they are getting a scrub in return i can see Martin putting up same type of numbers or at least close to for them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
htownborn Posted October 28, 2012 Report Share Posted October 28, 2012 (edited) http://i49.tinypic.com/2wqzd35.png That damn Morey just when you think he can't pull any trade off he does. Edited October 28, 2012 by htownborn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Make It Naaaashty Posted October 28, 2012 Report Share Posted October 28, 2012 Yeah but it is a business and Harden did the right thing. With that being said its not like they are getting a scrub in return i can see Martin putting up same type of numbers or at least close to for them. It really depends on the player actually. Some players want the extra money while others would rather be on a contending team. But as I said, I also think he made the right choice. The difference in the money was pretty substantial and now he'll finally get an opportunity to become the #1 guy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blazed49 Posted October 28, 2012 Report Share Posted October 28, 2012 I'm just glad I can root for him again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JYD Posted October 28, 2012 Report Share Posted October 28, 2012 is Harden really a max deal player?absolutely not. okc should have kept him til the end of the year and tried to win this thing this season Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRV Posted October 28, 2012 Report Share Posted October 28, 2012 I think he is worth it. He was coming off the bench and had to share the ball with Durant and Westbrook, who alone scored like 60-70 points on the Heat in the playoffs consistently. That could have happened because Harden sucked, or he did not have as big a role in crucial games. There was one game where he lit us up in one half, and then never saw the ball again. I think he will average about 20 ppg in his new role and probably improve more as the seasons go on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Regime Posted October 28, 2012 Report Share Posted October 28, 2012 (edited) A couple things: 1) A little premature to say but I just cant see Lin and Harden coexisting. Neither guy can play off the ball. I've never liked Harden and I think he's really going to get exposed as a the teams go to guy. 2) Thank you OKC for paving a easier path to the Finals. Where are the Thunder going to look for offense when Harden/Durant rest, get injured, or get into foul trouble? OKC should have kept Harden till next season. Edited October 28, 2012 by Simba Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owner Real Deal Posted October 28, 2012 Owner Report Share Posted October 28, 2012 My girl was pissed when she heard the news, haha. I'm not going to say this is a huge step down for OKC, though. Kevin Martin could be more efficient in a limited role. When was the last time you saw Martin deferring to a couple of all-stars (one being a superstar)? It could help him focus on the defensive end as well, but you're not going to see THAT big of an improvement on that end of the court (by him). Still, his poor shooting may not carry over, and both Durant and Westbrook will help him get easy buckets. Meanwhile, Lamb's game may fit in perfectly. We all know what he can do, at least in college, so whether he's out there scoring on his own, or feeding off of Durant and Westbrook...it could still work out well, doesn't matter if he's a starter OR playing behind Martin. Thing is, you're putting everyone on the table in hopes that Martin will accept such a role AND Lamb will pan out to be the player we all expect him to be...and this is coming from a team that was in the NBA Finals just months ago, with a very young core. Presti knew Harden was gone, though...and if you're going to trade him by February, you do it now. The later you keep him, the bigger risk of injury AND the lower the value. Teams would rather bring him in now and play him 82 games. Otherwise, you let him walk in July...and go into the playoffs with the same team that, actually, may not have a chance against the Heat OR Lakers to begin with (don't think they did anything to show they can beat the Heat one year later). It would be nice to see Durant reach into his skillset and pull out improved passing abilities. That will benefit both Lamb and Martin greatly, and will help make up for what is lost with Harden, who was HUGE coming off the bench and facilitating for that second unit. ---------- For Houston, it makes sense. You get rid of Martin's $13 million, even if it's an expiring deal, and in the process, you deal a rookie for a proven borderline all-star in Harden. Now, whether or not Harden deserves that max deal...or if he's a primary option...that's not the point. Right now, you know that Harden is more qualified for it than Jeremy Lamb, and Martin just isn't going to get it done in that large role (never really has). So, with all things considered, the trade was good for both teams...for the Rockets right now, and for the Thunder in the near future (and, possibly, right now...you never know). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dash Posted October 28, 2012 Report Share Posted October 28, 2012 Mark Berman @MarkBermanFox26James Harden just told the Houston media he will sign a long-term extension with the Rockets by Wednesday deadline. FYI Houston plans to award Harden with the 5 years $80 million deal reserved for one player per team (OKC used it on Westbrook). Not saying he's going to be on point but it just says a lot about how high the Rockets are on Harden on top of the fact Daryl called him a 'foundation franchise player" last night. Presti knew Harden was gone, though...and if you're going to trade him by February, you do it now. The later you keep him, the bigger risk of injury AND the lower the value. His trade value dipped quite a bit too in just one day. The original deal included Chandler Parsons and Houston's 2013 first before Harden rejected OKC's final offer. For Houston, it makes sense. You get rid of Martin's $13 million, even if it's an expiring deal, and in the process, you deal a rookie for a proven borderline all-star in Harden. Now, whether or not Harden deserves that max deal...or if he's a primary option...that's not the point. Right now, you know that Harden is more qualified for it than Jeremy Lamb, and Martin just isn't going to get it done in that large role (never really has). Not to mention Houston opens up some cap room for next offseason by "dumping" Jeremy Lamb's contract and assuming the Thunder haven't already done so, Houston will likely decline the options for Cole Aldrich and Lazar Hayward so they could be in position to offer a max deal. Too bad the only realistic option right now is Josh Smith but then again Houston is still loaded with assets and can make another move for an all-star type if free agency is a flop. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Built Ford Tough Posted October 28, 2012 Report Share Posted October 28, 2012 One thing that I'd like to add that I feel a lot of people are overlooking is that the Thunder are going to have Eric Maynor back this year. He is one of the best backup point guards in the elague and it seems like a lot of people are completely forgetting about him. Of course the Thunder are going to miss Harden's playmaking ability since he was their best passer last year, but that was because Maynor was hurt. Maynor is the best playmaker on the team, even if Harden was still there. Having him back running the second unit or pushing Westbrook to the 2 and playing with the starters is going to help compensate for losing Harden's playmaking. As for scoring, I don't think that OKC is going to lose that much. Martin as a 3rd option could be potentially lethal, especially if last season's struggles were more due to the lockout and him struggling to adjust to new rules as opposed to him losing some of his game. I didn't watch enough Rocket games to say one way or the other, but it is worth noting that just 2 seasons ago Martin averaged 23.5 ppg with a TS% of 60%, a 21.4 PER and he led the league in free throws made. Martin has been one of the more efficient scorers in the NBA over the past 5 years (22.4 ppg with a TS% of 60%) from 2006-2011. Last year was really the only exception (17.1 ppg with a TS% of 55.4%) and even then, that isn't terrible. It just wasn't what we were used to seeing from him. Make him a 3rd option behind Durant and Westbrook and he could become very dangerous since those two demand so much defensive attention. One thing that would really worry me is Brooks. I seriously question whether or not he has the offensive creativity to completely take advantage of Martin's game. We all know how great Martin was playing under Adelman who is one of the best coaches in the league at utilizing off the ball movement, which Martin thrives at. If Brooks insists on using Martin in a similar way as he used Harden, then I agree it will be a big loss for OKC because Martin is simply not that player. Brooks' offensive struggles as a coach would make me really nervous if I was a Thunder fan because we've all seen how limited he is as a coach on that end of the floor. As for the rest of the trade, I'm a big Lamb fan and think him falling to 12 was a joke. He was, in my opinion, easily the 2nd best shooting guard in this draft and from a talent perspective, there is literally no reason why Austin Rivers or Terrence Ross were drafted ahead of him. If he can put it all together, I think he is going to be a very good player. Then the picks. The Thunder are basically guaranteed a lottery pick from the Raptors due to the protection on that pick. The Charlotte 2nd rounder is going to be, at worst, the 33rd pick in the draft and that is more valuable than a late 1st as far as I'm concerned. Then there is the Mavs pick (top 20 protected until 2017) which isn't as good of an asset but lets not forget what Presti has done with picks in that range. He managed to get Ibaka, PJ3 and Reggie Jackson with the 24th, 28th and 24th picks. He has a great track record in the draft so even if the pick itself isn't appealing, I trust Presti in the draft more than almost any other gm in the league. At the end of the day, OKC couldn't afford Harden. They aren't the Lakers or Knicks or some other big market team. It was clear that ownership drew a line in the sand and told Presti that he can't cross that line. So he did the most logical move possible and that was trade Harden for a very good package that allows them to remain competitive this year, retain some flexibility and get some very nice future assets. Are they are better team this upcoming season? No, they aren't but really, did anybody truly believe that they would be able to beat the Lakers and the Heat in order to win a championship this season anyway? I know I didn't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Force Posted October 28, 2012 Report Share Posted October 28, 2012 Didn't believe it when my friend told me today. Trade came outta nowhere but I can understand it from both sides. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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