RealGM

Posted: **Tue Jun 2, 2009 10:18 pm**

The more I think about the 3rd pick I think its a simple choice considering whos doing the drafting-Sam Presti .What is he building here a team first,defensive minded Spurs blue print.that being said the pick is gonna be James Harden.Nba ready,team first player,jack of all trades,happy to be 3rd option on a team and happens to play a position of need for the thunder Shooting guard.Everyone has Thabeet pegged at the 3rd pick but there are some red flags with him not so many with Harden .Hardens the safe pick,the solid pick,the common sense pick,a presti pick and overall will be TheThunders pick.Perfect scenario would be Thabeet going to memphis and rubio landing on the thunders lap.Then they trade him to the kings for the 4th and j mcgee or a future first and draft Harden

you heard it hear JAMES HARDEN the OKC Thunders draft pick 2009.

Posted: **Wed Jun 3, 2009 6:46 am**

You mean we heard it "here"? How do you know he's satisfied being the 3rd option? Did you ask him? And wouldnt Thabeet be more defensive minded first then James Harden? He's known for his finishing ability at the rim and his basketball IQ. Wouldn't Thabo Sefolosha also be more defensive minded?

In all honesty almost all signs show Presti has been targeting Thabeet after recinding the trade on Tyson Chandler and trading for a shooting guard instead. Wouldn't you think he would have accepted the Tyson Chandler trade if he was to pick a shooting guard? The only way I see Presti taking Harden is if he gets BJ Mullens in this draft.

Posted: **Wed Jun 3, 2009 2:04 pm**

No projected lottery player was more surprising at the combine than James Harden. Many scouting reports on Harden say that he’s not athletic, but his results say otherwise. First, he recorded a 37” vertical and reached the same maximum height (11’8.5”) as Blake Griffin. Second, he ran a 3.13 sprint, which was only one hundredth behind speedster Ty Lawson, and repped 17 on the bench press. It’s been reported that the Thunder are considering him at #3. With no more reservations about his athleticism, is this enough for Harden to leapfrog Rubio?

Posted: **Wed Jun 3, 2009 2:16 pm**

pa7290 wrote:
No projected lottery player was more surprising at the combine than James Harden. Many scouting reports on Harden say that he’s not athletic, but his results say otherwise. First, he recorded a 37” vertical and reached the same maximum height (11’8.5”) as Blake Griffin. Second, he ran a 3.13 sprint, which was only one hundredth behind speedster Ty Lawson, and repped 17 on the bench press. It’s been reported that the Thunder are considering him at #3. With no more reservations about his athleticism, is this enough for Harden to leapfrog Rubio?

Well that's surprising that his combine numbers came back so well.

I think it's a toss up, between Harden and Thabeet.

I think if they pick Harden look for Presti to make Gortat a very nice offer.

But I still hate the fact that Harden completely vanished in two NCAA tournament games.

Posted: **Wed Jun 3, 2009 2:40 pm**

harden's the right kind of guard that could work next to russell westbrook. he's got some handles, and generally seems like a guy who plays in control. okc needs a player to compete right away, and that's harden. thabeet might work out but he's not going to get there for awhile with the learning curve for big men.

Posted: **Wed Jun 3, 2009 4:03 pm**

i agree

Posted: **Wed Jun 3, 2009 8:39 pm**

So your thinking...

Westbrook/Atkins/Weaver
Harden/Sefolosha/Weaver
Durant/Williams/Wilkens
Green/White
Gortat/Kristic

Something like this next season?

Posted: **Wed Jun 3, 2009 8:57 pm**

Hiphophead101 wrote:So your thinking...

Westbrook/Atkins/Weaver
Harden/Sefolosha/Weaver
Durant/Williams/Wilkens
Green/White
Gortat/Kristic

Something like this next season?

you're forgetting collison, watson and livingston. also, if gortat is signed i'm not sure he starts ahead of krstic, especially if nenad has a productive offseason (remember he is only 25 years old himself).

westbrook/watson/livingston/atkins
harden/sefolosha/weaver
durant/williams/wilkens
green/collison/white
krstic/gortat

that's 15 players, assuming okc keeps the other first rounder and drafts a guy like williams. i don't see sefolosha and weaver both on this team next year as they're very similar players. same with watson and chucky atkins. in fact, the more i think about it the more it appears that some kind of trade will be necessary just to consolidate the roster. there's lots of young guys here (livingston, weaver, sefolosha, two draft picks, white) who will definitely not benefit if they are benched or d-leagued.

if i were presti i would push some kind of expiring package (watson, wilkins, atkins, maybe a future pick or nick collison) to one of the many teams looking to either cut salary or get more cap space for 2010. like always, i'd also be receptive to upgrading at pf in this scenario. a package of jeff green + expirings could get a starting quality PF from the right team. while that roster has a lot of potential the big hole is still post defense at the 4 position..

Posted: **Wed Jun 3, 2009 11:06 pm**

Hiphophead101 wrote:You mean we heard it "here"? How do you know he's satisfied being the 3rd option? Did you ask him? And wouldnt Thabeet be more defensive minded first then James Harden? He's known for his finishing ability at the rim and his basketball IQ. Wouldn't Thabo Sefolosha also be more defensive minded?

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