Trade for James Harden

[Spurs da champs]

You said he played poorly in the Olympics. He hit half of his shots. Of course he didn't play much. Shall we go through the Team USA roster and determine who the swing players were?

So Dirk was tall and franchise level talent and it should be obvious that people saying shit like you are saying were wrong when he played poorly against the Heat in the Finals. Harden is only extremely talented as and has been since he came out of ASU but he is just going to fold because you say so. He played poorly in London because he only shot well in limited minutes right?

Like i said. You deserve nothing more than a :rolleyes

Yes continue to ride Harden & say he performed well based off 9 minutes a game & at the beginning if I recall he wasn't playing well which is why he was restricted to garbage time. Harden isn't extremely talented, he's a 2nd or 3rd tier talent nothing more, nothing less, your implying that he's on Dirk's level shows me how stupid you are & you have no idea what you're talking about.

[Kai]

Spurs da champs, stop spewing your idiocy. He was 22 freaking years old, playing in his first finals against LBJ and Wade. LeBron shat the bed in the finals the year before and look what happened. Players have bad series, it happens. You sound like a blind hater.

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Yes continue to ride Harden & say he performed well based off 9 minutes a game & at the beginning if I recall he wasn't playing well which is why he was restricted to garbage time. Harden isn't extremely talented, he's a 2nd or 3rd tier talent nothing more, nothing less, your implying that he's on Dirk's level shows me how stupid you are & you have no idea what you're talking about.

I never said that Harden was at Dirk's level. If you are going to call me stupid you really shouldn't fail at reading comprehension. If we need to we can break down grammatically what I said. Lacking 7th grade reading skills is what it is, smart guy. It does appear we have to look at the Team USA roster since you are apparently oblivious to the other players on the team.

Kobe Bryant. Have you heard of him?
Kevin Durant? How about him?

With Chris Paul, Deron Williams and Russell Westbrook all at the point and eating up time at the two as well. Kevin Durant also saw time there because Carmelo and Lebron James were eating up all the minutes at the 3. It's obvious you didn't watch them play because he performed well in the opportunities he was given. Oh well, he isn't as good as Kobe and Durant.

By your 'logic' Tyson Chandler, Russell Westbrook and Andre Igoudala aren't 'extremely talented' as well because they only got 12 minutes.

In the playoffs Harden had a PER of over 20. He shot 49/40/85 overall. You can call him 'second tier' all you like but that is just an baseless assertion as is most of your shit. You've been wrong about his performance in the Olympics and are basing him being 'broken' on the preseason.

You really should be ashamed. While you may think that belaboring the point somehow satisfies your ego, your ego is only based on yourself. 6 other people have come in here including some names that could be dropped saying that your take is wrong. But by all means keep repeating it and hope that someone other than yourself finds merit in it. Even your ego is baseless.

[purplengold]

Spurs da champs, stop spewing your idiocy. He was 22 freaking years old, playing in his first finals against LBJ and Wade. LeBron shat the bed in the finals the year before and look what happened. Players have bad series, it happens. You sound like a blind hater.

first n last fo a long long time

[Spurs da champs]

lol the whole team is relatively young & all played better then him so your point is shit.

Morons comparing this dude to LBJ & Dirk.

[FuzzyLumpkins]

lol the whole team is relatively young & all played better then him so your point is shit.

Morons comparing this dude to LBJ & Dirk.

Do you know what compare means?

I'll give you a hint: it does not mean equate.

if you are going to be calling people morons then you should not lack a vocabulary behind the 7th grade. That's when they start teaching you the idea of compare and contrast. It is a foundation of writing. In the comparison I clearly said that he wasn't as good as Kobe and Durant. That was argument: he didn't play because he was behind the very best players in the world.

I don't know if you are a troll, 13 years old or just dumb but whatever your approach it is full of fail. Say something worthwhile and I will respond otherwise i will leave it at yet another foolish assertion by yourself.

[mavs>spurs]

Spurstalk is fucking retarded when it comes to basketball discussion. I understand that nobody likes Harden, but acting like he isn't a good player is just stupid. I don't know what will happen with the draft picks OKC got in the future but their championship hopes for this season are done.

thank you, finally somebody else says it

[Spurs da champs]

I never said he wasn't a good player, he's just not worth the money or even the draft picks IMO, but when you're desperate like the Rockets to escape mediocrity I guess you'll try anything. Everyone one has a blueprint on how to play him based off the finals & unless he improves, he wont do much.

[Chinook]

Honestly, I think the Rockets can scrape together some more assets if they are smart about moving their extra big men. If they can get more picks, I think they could eventually parlay them into a player like Cousins if the situation in Sacramento deteriorates any more. If they could get someone like that, then they'd have at least a chance of being like Detroit in 2004. I think that is what they have to hope for, as their moves so far have torpedoed their chances of getting franchise players the old-fashioned way.

[djohn2oo8]

Honestly, I think the Rockets can scrape together some more assets if they are smart about moving their extra big men. If they can get more picks, I think they could eventually parlay them into a player like Cousins if the situation in Sacramento deteriorates any more. If they could get someone like that, then they'd have at least a chance of being like Detroit in 2004. I think that is what they have to hope for, as their moves so far have torpedoed their chances of getting franchise players the old-fashioned way.
Situations they'll be paying attention to:

Cousins
CP3
Bynum
Josh Smith

[Venti Quattro]

Cousins
CP3
Bynum
Josh Smith

Could CP3 and Harden co-exist in one team? Mentoring each other on flopping aside.

[djohn2oo8]

Could CP3 and Harden co-exist in one team? Mentoring each other on flopping aside.

CP3 and Blake do it well :lol

[Kai]

If the Clips' season is underwhelming and they suffer a prototypical Del Negro playoff exit, I could possibly see CP3 entertaining the idea of wanting out. We're talking a very, very tiny chance though. It's a lot of dough.

[InRareForm]

should of waited til next year... bonehead kneejerk reaction. Sure it's great to be set long term, but when you can win a title NOW with a good % chance, you go for it.

[djohn2oo8]

If the Clips' season is underwhelming and they suffer a prototypical Del Negro playoff exit, I could possibly see CP3 entertaining the idea of wanting out. We're talking a very, very tiny chance though. It's a lot of dough.

You forgot the high probability of Griffin fucking up his knee since all he is is a dunk machine.

[Chinook]

Situations they'll be paying attention to:

Cousins
CP3
Bynum
Josh Smith


Honestly, I feel Houston needs to stay away from the superstar sweepstakes. Very few teams can win those, and Houston seems very unlucky in that regard. I like the Harden trade because he's someone who hasn't reached his ceiling yet. Houston being a young team is a good thing if they have people like Harden who have playoff experience.

I like Cousins because he can become a difference-maker with good coaching. Houston has to trust that McHale can make something out of that talent, or they need a new coach. I think Bynum has too much mileage to be that missing piece. Josh Smith is interesting, but I don't like him as the face of a franchise. He'd work best on a veteran team like SA, LA or Boston. The CP3 dream should just end. Lin is getting paid too much to be a backup, and if he is good enough to trade, he's probably good enough to keep for a couple of seasons. The Rocket's biggest problem is that they focus too much on flipping assets and not enough on developing them.

[benefactor]

Spurstalk is fucking retarded when it comes to basketball discussion. I understand that nobody likes Harden, but acting like he isn't a good player is just stupid. I don't know what will happen with the draft picks OKC got in the future but their championship hopes for this season are done.
There is still immeasurable amounts of Spurfan asshurt over the playoffs. I was actually laughed at upstairs for suggesting they Thunder had scrapped their championship hopes for this year.

[LkrFan]

http://cdn2.elitedaily.com/elite/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/elite-daily-james-harden-rockets.jpg
:lolKC
J:lole J:lolhns:loln 2.:lol

[FYM]

I never said he wasn't a good player, he's just not worth the money or even the draft picks IMO, but when you're desperate like the Rockets to escape mediocrity I guess you'll try anything. Everyone one has a blueprint on how to play him based off the finals & unless he improves, he wont do much.

in today's market he is worth the money and the draft picks.

He is no franchise player imho but under evaluating his potential and his skills is foolish. He shocked during the POs but other great players also shocked before redeeming themselves.
He is a great closer, OKC is going to realize his loss when they will rely on Westbrick playmaking abilities in the fourth. Fourth quarter OKC execution was all about Harden skills to score, draw fouls, play intelligent basketball and feed KD.

[FYM]

should of waited til next year... bonehead kneejerk reaction. Sure it's great to be set long term, but when you can win a title NOW with a good % chance, you go for it.

I also agree with that comment, look at the mavs disaster, letting TC walked was a dumb move. With him they had a shot last year imo, it will take a long time for the mavs to be contender again.

[djohn2oo8]

http://cdn2.elitedaily.com/elite/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/elite-daily-james-harden-rockets.jpg
:lolKC
J:lole J:lolhns:loln 2.:lol

You sayin at the age of 23 he doesn't have potential? You know he's nowhere near his prime yet?

[LkrFan]

You sayin at the age of 23 he doesn't have potential? You know he's nowhere near his prime yet?
I'm saying he won't get nearly the open looks he got in OKC playing 3rd fiddle. He is "the man" now in Houston. He'll still get his FTAs, but I would be highly surprised if he does any better than Joe Johnson did in ATL when he left Nash.

What you are saying is you guys paid him on potential. Bynum had potential, yet the Lakers still 86'd his ass. For your sake I hope Morey is right. Harden is good, but not a max player IMO. Time will tell.

[djohn2oo8]

I'm saying he won't get nearly the open looks he got in OKC playing 3rd fiddle. He is "the man" now in Houston. He'll still get his FTAs, but I would be highly surprised if he does any better than Joe Johnson did in ATL when he left Nash.

What you are saying is you guys paid him on potential. Bynum had potential, yet the Lakers still 86'd his ass. For your sake I hope Morey is right. Harden is good, but not a max player IMO. Time will tell.
Dwight is clearly better than Bynum, that's why they 86'ed him. I do know that Harden is a game changer. The plan isn't to make him the man long term, just until they bring in the second all star.

[djohn2oo8]

Plus I'd rather have Harden as the MAN than Lin :lol

[SpursRock20]

I'm saying he won't get nearly the open looks he got in OKC playing 3rd fiddle. He is "the man" now in Houston. He'll still get his FTAs, but I would be highly surprised if he does any better than Joe Johnson did in ATL when he left Nash.

What you are saying is you guys paid him on potential. Bynum had potential, yet the Lakers still 86'd his ass. For your sake I hope Morey is right. Harden is good, but not a max player IMO. Time will tell.

Just to gauge your thought process, did you believe Eric Gordon deserved the max? If so, Harden also deserves it.

[mavs>spurs]

they're going to have the slowest old man backcourt in the nba lol

[LkrFan]

Just to gauge your thought process, did you believe Eric Gordon deserved the max? If so, Harden also deserves it.

Eric "The Wimp" G:lolrd:loln? Hell no. I don't know what Nawlins was thinking. Do they have the same GM that traded Vlade for the draft rights to K:lolbe?

[Kidd K]

This trade will go down as the worst decision for the OKC franchise to date, and probably will still be considered the worst over the next 5 years too.

All because they didn't want to pay the extra 1.25m a year to Harden.

Tbh, I don't see OKC getting back to the Finals any time soon because of this.

[LkrFan]

This trade will go down as the worst decision for the OKC franchise to date, and probably will still be considered the worst over the next 5 years too.

All because they didn't want to pay the extra 1.25m a year to Harden.

Tbh, I don't see OKC getting back to the Finals any time soon because of this.
:toast

[Findog]

This trade will go down as the worst decision for the OKC franchise to date, and probably will still be considered the worst over the next 5 years too.

All because they didn't want to pay the extra 1.25m a year to Harden.

Tbh, I don't see OKC getting back to the Finals any time soon because of this.

They essentially chose Ibaka over Harden. Ibaka is a good player, but they must be banking on him having a really high ceiling to choose him over Harden. I just don't see it. I know Ibaka is young, but I just don't see him blossoming into an All-Star caliber player, which is what he'll have to become to justify picking him over the Beard.

[Kai]

Harden is the better player, but the overlap they had at the wing position was reason enough to justify choosing Ibaka over Harden. I just don't know if he's as good a player as they hope he is.

[Findog]

Harden is the better player, but the overlap they had at the wing position was reason enough to justify choosing Ibaka over Harden. I just don't know if he's as good a player as they hope he is.

I think you always choose talent over positional orthodoxy. You can play the three of them at the same time. They wouldn't be in this position if they had been willing to amnesty Porkins.

[FuzzyLumpkins]

I'm saying he won't get nearly the open looks he got in OKC playing 3rd fiddle. He is "the man" now in Houston. He'll still get his FTAs, but I would be highly surprised if he does any better than Joe Johnson did in ATL when he left Nash.

What you are saying is you guys paid him on potential. Bynum had potential, yet the Lakers still 86'd his ass. For your sake I hope Morey is right. Harden is good, but not a max player IMO. Time will tell.

Johnson is only good example if you are trying to denigrate the man. Westbrook is a chucker and not a creating master like Nash. Quite the contrary in this instance as down the stretch it was often Harden that was asked to create. He gets to the line because he is uber aggresive going to the hoop. He is not like Martin and to a lesser degree Wade who try to jump into people all the time.

Harden can drive off iso's and pnr sets and finish at the rim or find the open man. He is not an elite passer but he is a pretty good one and with more experience and his relatively young age it stands to reason he will get a better feel for it. Johnson is more of a jumpshooter whereas Harden has shown he can finish against at the rim despite plus shotblockers.

Harden is the third best SG in the league easy and if he continues to develop then he is going to pass up the other two as they age sooner than later.

[racm]

OKC picking Ibaka over Harden is like picking Camby over Manu, tbh, fwiw, imo

[rogues]

:lol @ Houston chink fans in this thread tbh

[baseline bum]

Wow, what the fuck Presti? This nigga been drinking and driving with RC or some shit.

[benefactor]

I don't think it's choosing Ibaka over Harden as much as it was choosing Westbrook over Harden. In today NBA financial climate, you just can't lock up three perimeter players on max deals and expect to contend. I don't have a problem with them locking Ibaka up because good bigs are hard to find, but I was completely against the Westbrook contract and said it would bite them in the ass someday from the beginning.

[TDMVPDPOY]

90s allan houston
00s joee johnson
10s harden

all 3 overrated hacks

[Brazil]

OKc should have kept Serge and Harden and let westbrick go.

[ambchang]

How Dwight Howard Shuts Down Tony Parker and Russell WestbrookStatistics Prove Dwight Howard Has a Major Impact in Limiting the Effectiveness of Russell Westbrook and Tony Parker Around the Rim
If the Lakers are going to win the 2013 NBA title they very well may have to get past both the San Antonio Spurs (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/teams/sas) and Oklahoma City Thunder.
Dwight Howard (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/3818) could be the key in getting past the Spurs and Thunder by shutting down their explosive point guards near the rim.


Since Dwight Howard joined the Orlando Magic (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/teams/orl) in 2004-2005 he has had a major impact containing Parker and Westbrook from within five feet of the hoop. With data taken from Pro-Basketball-Referene.com, here is the summary:


FG% on Shots Within Five Feet Since 2004-2005
Tony Parker (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/3527) - vs. Orlando Magic: 57% (51-89 (http://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/plus/shot_finder.cgi?request=1&player_id=parketo01&match=single&year_id=&is_playoffs=&team_id=&opp_id=ORL&game_num_min=0&game_num_max=99&game_month=&game_location=&game_result=&shot_pts=&is_make=&shot_type=&shot_distance_min=&shot_distance_max=5&q1=Y&q2=Y&q3=Y&q4=Y&q5=Y&time_remain_minutes=12&time_remain_seconds=0&time_remain_comp=le&margin_min=&margin_max=&c1stat=&c1comp=ge&c1val=&c2stat=&c2comp=ge&c2val=&c3stat=&c3comp=ge&c3val=&order_by=fg)), vs. All Other NBA Teams: 63% (2719-4291 (http://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/plus/shot_finder.cgi?request=1&player_id=parketo01&match=single&year_id=&is_playoffs=&team_id=&opp_id=&game_num_min=0&game_num_max=99&game_month=&game_location=&game_result=&shot_pts=&is_make=&shot_type=&shot_distance_min=&shot_distance_max=5&q1=Y&q2=Y&q3=Y&q4=Y&q5=Y&time_remain_minutes=12&time_remain_seconds=0&time_remain_comp=le&margin_min=&margin_max=&c1stat=&c1comp=ge&c1val=&c2stat=&c2comp=ge&c2val=&c3stat=&c3comp=ge&c3val=&order_by=fg))


Russell Westbrook (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/4390) - vs. Orlando Magic: 49% (22-45 (http://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/plus/shot_finder.cgi?request=1&player_id=westbru01&match=single&year_id=&is_playoffs=&team_id=&opp_id=ORL&game_num_min=0&game_num_max=99&game_month=&game_location=&game_result=&shot_pts=&is_make=&shot_type=&shot_distance_min=&shot_distance_max=5&q1=Y&q2=Y&q3=Y&q4=Y&q5=Y&time_remain_minutes=12&time_remain_seconds=0&time_remain_comp=le&margin_min=&margin_max=&c1stat=&c1comp=ge&c1val=&c2stat=&c2comp=ge&c2val=&c3stat=&c3comp=ge&c3val=&order_by=fg)), vs. All Other NBA Teams: 53% (1203-2291 (http://www.basketball-reference.com/play-index/plus/shot_finder.cgi?request=1&player_id=westbru01&match=single&year_id=&is_playoffs=&team_id=&opp_id=&game_num_min=0&game_num_max=99&game_month=&game_location=&game_result=&shot_pts=&is_make=&shot_type=&shot_distance_min=&shot_distance_max=5&q1=Y&q2=Y&q3=Y&q4=Y&q5=Y&time_remain_minutes=12&time_remain_seconds=0&time_remain_comp=le&margin_min=&margin_max=&c1stat=&c1comp=ge&c1val=&c2stat=&c2comp=ge&c2val=&c3stat=&c3comp=ge&c3val=&order_by=fg))
When facing Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic, Tony Parker saw his FG% fall six points when shooting from within five feet of the rim. Russell Westbrook (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/4390)'s FG% fell four points against the Magic.


Much of this significant decrease in Parker and Westbrook's ability to score near the rim against the Orlando Magic would logically be attributed to Dwight Howard's defensive presence.


This is devastating! I mean, if Parker was shooting his normal average, he would have made 56.4 shots instead of a paltry 51 shots for a grand total difference of 10.8 irreplaceable points since 2004-2005! Parker played 14 games against them since 04-05 season, which translates to a whopping 0.77 points a game. I can see Howard totally destroying Parker and shut down the entire Spurs offense.

As for Westbrook, we are talking about a difference of 23.6 shots made vs. 22 shots made for a difference of 3.3 points over 8 games, or a difference of 0.41 points! OMG! Where can the Thunder come up with that extra 0.41 points?


The Steve Nash (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/3103) - Dwight Howard Partnership
The implications of this are huge for the Lakers.


While Steve Nash will greatly benefit the Lakers' offense with this playmaking, penetration, and killer jump shot, Nash can be a defensive liability when matched up against younger, more explosive point guards.


The Lakers will likely face the Spurs and/or the Thunder in meaningful regular season games and in the playoffs, and Dwight Howard's play against their aggressive point guards will be vital.

Curiously, the author did not talk about how Parker and Westbrook fair against Nash. Against Nash, Parker averaged 18.4 ppg on 48% shooting with 4.7 assists in the regular season, and 21.2 ppg on 47% shooting with 5.2 assists. That compared to 16.8 ppg on 49% shooting in the regular season and 18.9 ppg on 46% shooting in the playoffs.

As for Westbrook, 20.2ppg on 47.2% in regular season vs. Nash and 19ppg and 43% shooting vs. every body else.



Stopping PG's Key to a Lakers' Title
In the 2012 playoffs the Lakers point guards were exposed in the first round by the Denver Nuggets' Andre Miller and Ty Lawson. The Lakers escaped with a 4-3 series win.


In the second round the Lakers were obliterated by the Thunder's Russell Westbrook.


Fortunately for Lakers fans like me, Dwight Howard's presence will significantly reduce the effectiveness of the west's elite point guards like Tony Parker and Russell Westbrook around the rim.


Dwight Howard will help in covering up Steve Nash's defensive flaws, and the new Nash-Howard duo may very well power the Lakers to an NBA title in 2013.

Interestingly, Howard's defensive presence doesn't seem to cover up Nash's defensive flaws. In H2H matchups, Parker averaged 19.1 ppg on 49.8% shooting vs. Howard, and 18.36 ppg on 50.6% shooting vs. everybody else over the same period.

Westbookr averaged 19 ppg on 40% shooting vs. Howard, and 19 ppg on 43% against everybody else. Doesn't seem to compute.

I guess purple and yellow glasses can only read purple and yellow articles.

[ambchang]

Spurs da Champs coming up with the royal baaaaaaaaaaads.

One - Nobody is comparing Harden to Dirk and Lebron in terms of playing ability. What FL was doing is to illustrate that one bad series does not a career make. Will Harden bounce back, I don't know, and neither should you. Harden hasn't played in regular season minute after the Finals meltdown.

Two - The blueprint to stopping Harden is to have some of the best perimeter defense in the league. Some things cannot be duplicated, and the Heat defense could only be accomplished by a handful of teams.

Is Harden worth the max? I don't know. To me, he is borderline based on today's markets, but every transaction have some risks, and this one is no different than signing Joe Johnson (which didn't pan out) or signing a Tony Allen or a Kyle Lowry (which did pan out)

[djohn2oo8]

90s allan houston
00s joee johnson
10s harden

all 3 overrated hacks
Care to bring anything else to the table? Or name what Joe Johnson has done in the playoffs?

[TDMVPDPOY]

Care to bring anything else to the table? Or name what Joe Johnson has done in the playoffs?

Jj has done jackshit as far as im concern, dude is not franchise player material....

[Clipper Nation]

Care to bring anything else to the table? Or name what Joe Johnson has done in the playoffs?
Same as Harden.... choking and gagging against the real teams, tbh....

[Reeko_Htown]

Same as Harden.... choking and gagging against the real teams, tbh....

Pot calling the fucking kettle black.

[Kai]

Nice to see Rocketfans other than me and DJ around here

[djohn2oo8]

Same as Harden.... choking and gagging against the real teams, tbh....
http://sportnomics.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/blake_griffin.jpg
http://i.usatoday.net/sports/_photos/2012/05/18/Streaking-Spurs-roll-over-Clippers-go-up-2-0-9T1GL9J3-x-large.jpg
http://www.trbimg.com/img-4fb82ef0/turbine/chi-spurs-win-16th-straight-to-take-30-lead-on-001/600
http://blog.mysanantonio.com/spursnation/files/2012/05/19740263-G3-SPURS-CLIPPERS-08-JL-05_19_2012-306x251.jpg

http://www.thelostogle.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/blake-griffin-girl.jpg

[djohn2oo8]

Durant's contract is up in 2016. Not likely, but a scenario where Durant gets tired of playing with Westbrook, or he hasn't won anything by then and wants to leave, what about a Harden + Durant reunion in Houston?

[Kidd K]

They essentially chose Ibaka over Harden. Ibaka is a good player, but they must be banking on him having a really high ceiling to choose him over Harden. I just don't see it. I know Ibaka is young, but I just don't see him blossoming into an All-Star caliber player, which is what he'll have to become to justify picking him over the Beard.


I don't think it's choosing Ibaka over Harden as much as it was choosing Westbrook over Harden. In today NBA financial climate, you just can't lock up three perimeter players on max deals and expect to contend. I don't have a problem with them locking Ibaka up because good bigs are hard to find, but I was completely against the Westbrook contract and said it would bite them in the ass someday from the beginning.

Yeah, I think it's a matter of picking Westbrook over Harden. Not just in who they'd sign, but even before that in how many plays they allowed him to run by comparison. Harden is an underrated playmaker imo, and was at best slightly worse than Westbrook at it despite getting far less time actually running the offense.

Soon as they signed Westbrook to that big deal, I knew Harden was gone the following year. OKC owner has a history of being extremely cheap (any Sonics fan will talk your ear off about how much of a liar and cheapskate Clay Bennet and his little business group are). So, much like any other cheap owner in any sport, it was just a matter of milking Harden for as many of those rookie deal years as he could before dumping him while his market price was still at it's highest (final year of contract).

I'm not trying to bash Westbrook or anything, the guy is absolutely a talent. But man. . .James Harden was an excellent player. Bennet seriously didn't want to pay the extra 1.25m a year for a rare talent like Harden? The Thunder could've been scary as hell going down the road with Durant/Westbrook/Harden/Ibaka/Perkins. . .now they're just another annual 4th/5th seed who might surprise you and get the 3rd seed every now and then. All just to save a few bucks. They're in for a rude awakening if they think Harden's that easily replaceable, or that Westbrook is gonna carry them to a title.

[purplengold]

Durant's contract is up in 2016. Not likely, but a scenario where Durant gets tired of playing with Westbrook, or he hasn't won anything by then and wants to leave, what about a Harden + Durant reunion in Houston?

durant be traded before he leave jus like Dwight. lakers gon be off the books n Durant playin with Dwight mo appealing than wit harden. harden from LA so he prolly prefer there too. lakers gettin da DDH dynasty more likely n logical judging from how the league been movin this decade. Kobe bein off the books will be significant in da movement of players

[Kai]

Durant will play for OKC his whole career.

[purplengold]

Durant will play for OKC his whole career.

we all say that shit bout Lebron too, he born in da area n treated like royalty. dude just wanted ta win

if okc dun win shit by 2016, n that a big if cuz they scary good fo they age, then Durant leaving might be possibility.

[Chinook]

If anything, Westbrook would be traded. OKC would get a much bigger return for him than they did for Harden, at least what Denver got for Anthony. I could see a scenario where Westbrook is traded away next summer if it could bring in a guy like Chris Paul and change from a team like the Clippers.

[HarlemHeat37]

Um, how is this a bad trade for OKC? They got better. Jeremy Lamb is a stud. Kevin Martin is an expiring who will be a good bench player. They locked up Ibaka who is a rising star and will have draft picks to stash up on. OKC just got a whole lot better.


You people are fucking stupid if you think OKC didn't handle this well. Lamb is going to be better than Harden. Those draft picks make them even bettet for years to come. OKC handled this trade very damn well. Their front office knows what they are doing.


lol Harden aka glorified James Posey


Hahaha fuck you all. OKC just raped Houston currently and in the future.


Harden is garbage, OKC won this trade.


:lmao

Come on now, Harden is a total one-dimensional flopper and certainly not worth $60 mil...

Harden can't lead a team. You guys got screwed on that end of the deal.


Not really


Harden is an overrated flopping playoff choker, and Presti would have found himself stuck with a an overpaid player and a fat contract if he re-signed him


Because Harden isn't special & has been on a downward spiral since finals, he isn't a number 1 option/face of the franchise , Thunder get deeper & Rockets remain mediocre.


I agree that Martin isn't better then Harden, but depth is depth, Maynor is back, Lamb isn't bad & Martin doesn't have to be #1 option on a shitty team like the Rockets anymore, Perry Jones will be solid. Thunder will be better IMO.

Harden just got exposed in the finals & wont be the same.

:lol

[djohn2oo8]

:lol

[HarlemHeat37]

This thread is further proof of 3 things:

- Most NBA fans are idiots
- Most NBA fans overreact to small sample sizes
- Most NBA fans severely overrate "sleeper" rookies..:lol Jeremy Lamb? who the fuck is that scrub, tbh?..

[Pelicans78]

:lol

Wow! :lol

Alot of fail going on there.

[TIMMYtoZO]

:lol Harlem with the truth bombs. I can't believe fans actually thought this trade would help OKC at all. Those draft picks are losing value. OKC got fucked in this trade. It was retarded at the time, and it is even more retarded now.

[HarlemHeat37]

:lol not to mention idiots like Reggie Miller and Charles Barkley claiming Martin would be just as good as Harden, in addition to adding sleeper rookies..

[Pelicans78]

Catastrophic trade by OKC. Will cost them a championship in the future.

[Spurs 4 The Win]

Catastrophic trade by OKC. Will cost them a championship in the future.

Will cost them a championship this year

[sook]

I don't agree with many of the posts of it " costing them a championship this year" because anything can happen. I will say this....OKC was scary as SHIT last year after beating the spurs. I actually had them sweeping the heat. Harden was inexperienced and it was his play that elevated them when they needed shots. With Martin you kind of know what you are going to get, but the reason I didn't like him, is that he will do what he is paid to and will settle. The guy is a mouse and will complement KD and WB in the reg season but will most likely crumble in the spotlight.

I can't see them beating the heat as they are but who says they "need" to beat the heat?
in 07' the mavs were a lock to win the championship but due to their bad luck the Spurs coasted throughout. The NBA is dynamic.

[spurraider21]

I lol'ed at "glorified James Posey"


:lmao

[mindcrime]

How has Presti kept his job after this debacle? The entire OKC management staff is on Meth tbh.

[Michael Jordan.]

We came out of this one with the better end of the deal.

:lol now San Antonio gets to see its worst nightmare playing against them in the same division. Can't wait to see all you crybabies surface.


I also like the acquisition of Jeremy Lamb. He's shown a lot of potential thus far.


Harden can't lead a team. You guys got screwed on that end of the deal.


You're life must be pretty shitty.

Jeremy lamb = future superstar (able to play 2-guard, too)

Besides, Martin knows who he is playing with, he won't chuck like he had to when playing for a shit team like the Rockets.


You think? There is a reason why there is a buzz around this transaction. The Thunder got better in every way possible, short and long term. As a nugget fan you're gonna have to live with a Western Conference dominated by the Thunder. Oh and, you've been pretty damn rude to me in my welcome.

Screw you.
http://i.imgur.com/atNvAkW.gif

[Michael Jordan.]

We came out of this one with the better end of the deal.

:lol now San Antonio gets to see its worst nightmare playing against them in the same division. Can't wait to see all you crybabies surface.
:lmao

[jeebus]

I also like the acquisition of Jeremy Lamb. He's shown a lot of potential thus far.
oh yeah? :lol

[KaiRMD1]

Ol' sport looking like a fool per usual

[Bill_Brasky]

:lmao thunderup
:lmao partner
:lmao that's what he calls his spouse

[Bulaien999]

Yes continue to ride Harden & say he performed well based off 9 minutes a game & at the beginning if I recall he wasn't playing well which is why he was restricted to garbage time. Harden isn't extremely talented, he's a 2nd or 3rd tier talent nothing more, nothing less, your implying that he's on Dirk's level shows me how stupid you are & you have no idea what you're talking about.

People looking like clowns in this gem of a thread :lmao

[Leetonidas]

http://i.imgur.com/atNvAkW.gif

http://replygif.net/i/243.gif

[spurraider21]

some good posts itt