It's paying for potential, a pretty big risk considering Rox want to hype Harden up as a star so they can attract a big name to form their own big 3 with Harden & Lin()
But I would have still given Kobe a max contract at the salary and years Harden was eligible for if he wasn't old as now.
It's paying for potential, a pretty big risk considering Rox want to hype Harden up as a star so they can attract a big name to form their own big 3 with Harden & Lin()
If we were talking those huge 7 year deals like Allan Houston and Eddie Jones got back in the day, then he wouldn't be worth it, but now the max contract has gone way down to the point Harden is easily worth the current max based on the player he is today, potential disregarded.
But if he doesn't really shine then that puts a monkey wrench in the Rox's plans and sets them back. harden is worth it for his play, he'll eventually fix his shooting %, but will he give the team appeal to sign somebody like Tyreke? I really don't see a big draw to Rockets with teams like Lakers coming off the books with Pau & Kobe soon after next season, Nets possibly becoming a high in demand team to be traded to, OKC shedding Kmart next season I think and with Irving coming up Cavs might have a strong draw even if their city is .
To me, his contract is a bust unless he can get the interest of a top FA in '13 or '14. Houston isn't really in the top 5 destination list for a lot of players![]()
2nd seed in the west still up for grabs right?
houston has to be thrilled with they'r deal, they got a great player and still managed to be terrible... with a top 3 pick in the next draft and another max player they could be set for years to come..
The Rockets won't add a big time player through free agency. It'll be through trade. And how could he set them back? He's only 23. He's a well respected player around the league, you have to get a foundational piece before you get the finished product. Like I said before, sounds like you're hatin a bit. Houston wasn't a destination as far as playing for the Rockets goes. In today's NBA, it's not as attractive as other big market cities because the Dwight Howard/Carmelo Anthonys of the world are only concerned with their brand. You just said Houston isn't a destination for players even though many reside here in the offseason, yet you say Cleveland can attract players before Houston. And since 97, Cleveland can't even attract a ing all star game. And there sure were alot of big time players who went to team up with LeBron when he was there, like a washed up Shaq.![]()
Last edited by djohn2oo8; 11-22-2012 at 09:30 AM.
This. The plan all along I guess. Be terrible, have room for another max player. And if they get a top pick, do they use it or ship it off for another max player?
You have to be really clueless if you think Lin is actually a part of their plan. Lin was Les Alexander's choice, not a Morey one, for marketing purposes obviously. He was brought in to draw the asian population while they tank this year. Seems pretty obvious.
houston might be a big city by population but its never been a big sports city imho, people are dumb n fat and most of them are more insterested in junkfoods & night clubs rather than sports. you seem to get more all-star votes each year but you know where most of the votes come from tbh
they signed the asian to keep their popularity high in the asian market. although they seemed to have given him a big contract, they won't necessarily end up paying him that much since he'll probably get shipped out of town before his contract comes to its final year where his salary will jump from 4m a year up to 13m something. dude's contract will be an excellent trading asset imho
It doesn't really seem to help, plenty of Asians around here that like NBA and not many know who Lin is.
The Houston market it helps.
So glad that Presti traded Harden to the Rockets. The Thunder are much more beatable without him.
Hardens good. He's not that good. IMO he was worth 11M a year to OkC. A penny beyond that and he was standing in the way of their future success. Ibaka, without question, is more irreplaceable. Great move keeping Ibaka over Harden, if only one could be had.
more beatable maybe but I'm not so sure. Martin is quite a good fit for OKC and Ibaka progress on the O end are quite noticeable, he is hitting the mid JS nicely nowadays he is averaging 15 pts a game at .58 FG% which is great improvement compared to last year. OKC needed O out of their front court and Ibaka is bringing just that. Durant is also improving especially his passing skills which compensate a bit Harden play making ability. Harden was a Spurs killer so it is a good news but this OKC team is not a lot weaker than last year imho
Harden for what Houston is paying him is a lot less overpayed than the max contract Chimpbrook got. They woulda been smart keeping Harden and Ibaka over Chimpbrook.
Didn't say they were a lot weaker, just more beatable. Especially when matched with the Spurs.
In playoff games where 4th quarter execution is even more important the Thunder are more beatable and "weaker" for that matter. Harden was clutch as and had a bad series against the best perimeter defense in the NBA. Kevin Martin is a historically unclutch stat padder who won't give them nearly what Harden gave them in the playoffs.
yes I agree, my comments were more general for those who think that OKC is going to be easier to deal with
Kevin Martin was always the primary O option in his previous teams, with Westbrick and Durant this is not the case anymore therefore he will deal with a lot less pressure. The 4th quarter Harden playmaking abilities are going to be missed a lot by OKC but in counterpart Durant is becoming more mature for that matter and once again the Ibaka improvements on the O end are going to help them a lot. Overall I'm just saying I don't sleep on OKC they are still for me the favorites to go out of the west.
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