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Posted: **Mon Dec 2, 2013 6:13 am**

Posted this on the general board and thought you'd guys would like to see it:

Im going to go ahead and say it. I've bitched about the Harden trade since day one. I hated it, hate it now, and to this day I believe OKC would be the best team in the league had they kept these guys together; far and away, no contest, indisputably. They'd be the cream, titans amongst gods, a dynasty to rival any this league has seen, and we blew it. Ruined what I thought was going to be impossibly brilliant, and more impossible to **** up. But its good, what's done is done, and tomorrow is new. That said:

I don't know if Presti is a god damned genius, or if he signed his contract with OKC in blood as a tribute to a deal made with the devil, but Oklahoma City is going come out of this trade clean. I've always thought Ibaka had the potential to develop into an all star quality big, but not this early. His development into a legitimate third option offensively with the strides he's made defensively is stupid. If this isn't a flash in the pan and he maintains this level of play into the playoffs, watch out, because he's only scratching the surface.

Which leads me to my next point: None of the pieces in the Harden trade will develop into a player as individually talented, but the sum of the parts could potentially equate to something comparable. The bench is more balanced now, and I really like what I've seen of Steven Adams. He's strong as hell, has great athleticism, good defensive instincts, and can catch and score around the basket. Huge improvement over Perkins or anything else the Thunder have had at the 5 since coming to OKC. Lamb has the potential to develop into an efficient 15ppg scorer with plus defense, and Jackson has the stuff of a top 5 6th man. If they can flip Perkins/Thabo/picks for a knock down shooter or two, I really like this team going forward.

The Harden trade was a mistake, no doubt about it, but OKC might be alright.

Posted: **Mon Dec 2, 2013 6:38 am**

Chalky White wrote:Posted this on the general board and thought you'd guys would like to see it:

Im going to go ahead and say it. I've bitched about the Harden trade since day one. I hated it, hate it now, and to this day I believe OKC would be the best team in the league had they kept these guys together; far and away, no contest, indisputably. They'd be the cream, titans amongst gods, a dynasty to rival any this league has seen, and we blew it. Ruined what I thought was going to be impossibly brilliant, and more impossible to **** up. But its good, what's done is done, and tomorrow is new. That said:

I don't know if Presti is a god damned genius, or if he signed his contract with OKC in blood as a tribute to a deal made with the devil, but Oklahoma City is going come out of this trade clean. I've always thought Ibaka had the potential to develop into an all star quality big, but not this early. His development into a legitimate third option offensively with the strides he's made defensively is stupid. If this isn't a flash in the pan and he maintains this level of play into the playoffs, watch out, because he's only scratching the surface.

Which leads me to my next point: None of the pieces in the Harden trade will develop into a player as individually talented, but the sum of the parts could potentially equate to something comparable. The bench is more balanced now, and I really like what I've seen of Steven Adams. He's strong as hell, has great athleticism, good defensive instincts, and can catch and score around the basket. Huge improvement over Perkins or anything else the Thunder have had at the 5 since coming to OKC. Lamb has the potential to develop into an efficient 15ppg scorer with plus defense, and Jackson has the stuff of a top 5 6th man. If they can flip Perkins/Thabo/picks for a knock down shooter or two, I really like this team going forward.

The Harden trade was a mistake, no doubt about it, but OKC might be alright.

Chalky, I've had my issues w/ you on here at times, and have resorted at times to name calling, etc. I want to first apologize for that, and second say it takes balls to say something like this. You my man have a ton of respect in my book, and I would like to apologize for any prior times I've argued with you. Honestly, that post is pretty much how I feel about the trade, and kudos to you as well. Hope all is well man, awesome.

Posted: **Mon Dec 2, 2013 7:08 am**

I feel the same way.. It hurts me every time I watch the Rockets play and see a Harden 13 in there colors.. But Presti has done nothing but make me think he knows whats going on and has a plan for the big picture. Jackson/Lamb/Adams are all very exciting young players and I can't wait to see them continue to develop.

Posted: **Mon Dec 2, 2013 12:50 pm**

we can always ask the what if i (w.r.t. Harden) of course but i like what im seeing as well.

So now the next best thing is to see back and watch the team grows. Do continue to raise points of discussion from now and then i guess. this forum is kinda dead.

Posted: **Mon Dec 2, 2013 1:46 pm**

A couple things in response:
I actually think Lamb has shown flashes to be as good as Harden if not better as a scorer and obviously defender. I'm actually pretty disappointed in Harden's lack of growth the last few years. He is excellent at what he does in pnr but other than that still can't do much else. Lamb was compared to Kevin Martin a lot coming in and I still like that comparison. Martin faded as the season went on with the Thunder, but as Thunder fans saw last night he is truly a gifted scorer. He has been a 20+ scorer with great efficiency throughout his career. Lamb's ability to come off screens and score is very impressive to me. It really adds another dimension to an offense, just look at how great LAC offense looked with Redick doing that or Ray Allen or Rip in the past. He doesn't need to dominate or stop the ball in order to score, which for a young player is very impressive. If he keeps improving, I think his future is very bright in the league.

As far as adding another shooter down the line, I agree. I think Presti may have already found the answer with the 2nd round pick last draft. Alex Abrines looks like he may be another smart draft and stash. He is the 5th on his team in scoring for one of the top teams in the 2nd best league behind the NBA. Going by mpg, he looks to be a starter also. He is also playing over Mario Hezonja, who some have going in the lottery next year. According to Draft Express, he wasn't able to make it to the Eurocamp since his team was in the playoffs, and he intentionally tried to tank his draft value so he wouldn't be forced to be on a rookie scale. So if OKC can convince him to come over he could turn into another good wing scorer.

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