James Harden traded to the Rockets

[Don Draper]

Using greater than signs clearly proved your point.

He has a whole career. Your using a 40 game sample to override a whole career of super efficency.

I'm actually using what I've seen on him recently. Did you not see what last year's rule changes did to his ability to get to the freethrow line? Do you not realize that he is useless if he isn't scoring? Have you ever seen him play defense?

That's why you shouldn't base your analysis entirely on stats. Kevin Martin is an efficient offensive player but an extremely limited and lazy one. I think he can thrive in OKC if he changes his mindset, but he's not the player you are making him out to be.

[Neutral 123]

As good as Harden is, he got traded for Martin, Lamb, two first round picks, and a second round pick.

All the Thunder need to do is leverage up in the draft to pick number one overall next season, or they can trade to get another star player. They amnesty Perkins and reload in a hurry, deeper and better than ever IMO.

Really? They are going to trade up for the number 1 pick? Really?

Ignore that conjunction, or, and everything after it.

Next season, Cody Zeller might not be the top pick but he would be perfect for them. My point is they can move up in the draft or they can use the picks along with Martin to get a good player.

Josh Smith is what would be most doable. He would make a huge difference on the Thunder.

Why is Josh Smith a better fit than Harden? Why would Atlanta want martin?

[DEEP3CL]

So did LAL just lock up the West 72 hrs before the season starts?

Guys need to pull back on this type of thinking. The Lakers won't come blazing out the gates, they're going to struggle a bit. The key part is when does it all come together ?

[Super Selby]

So did LAL just lock up the West 72 hrs before the season starts?

Guys need to pull back on this type of thinking. The Lakers won't come blazing out the gates, they're going to struggle a bit. The key part is when does it all come together ?

it'll never come together for LA, they're gaping holes are gonna get them chin checked and out in the 2nd round

[slick_watts]

If you're an OKC fan and like this trade, you must have a very high opinion of Lamb. Otherwise, this si a huge loss.

[PurpleRooster]

Posters are underrating how effective Durant and Westbrook can make a good shooting guard.

Martin may not be better than Harden but he will thrive in that role.

[TylerTheDebater]

I just saw this. Holy crap.

[HornetJail]

Is it possible Portland goes into full tank mode and accepts the picks, more future picks, K-Mart, Lamb, and PJ3 for LMA? There's got to be something more behind this deal.

[Ayt]

This thread is so bizarre. All types of odd stuff being posted. Martin in not in their future. So they traded Harden for Lamb and mediocre draft picks. All this excitement over draft picks. They trade a 23 year old to get younger? A second youth movement? WTF.

Martin is not in their future but what is to stop OKC from flipping Martin and the draft picks for someone like Josh Smith? Doubt Utah would give up Al Jefferson but I could see them trading Paul Millsap. A team like the Wizards could give the Thunder a good big man like Nene Hilario. I could easily see them trading to Sacramento for someone like DeMarcus Cousins.

What OKC has is tradeable assets along with Kevin Martin. I bet he gets flipped for something of value, if he's not successful enough to stay on at a discount.

None of those trades make any sense at all on any level for the other teams. What the...

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

As a conspiracy theorists, I believe the Lakers will get enough calls to get by the Thunder any way, most likely. That is just the way the NBA works. The Thunder got calls to beat the Spurs because that is the team that was more marketable. The Heat got calls against the Pacers. The Heat got calls against the Celtics (after Boston got calls against Atlanta). In the Finals, the Heat got calls against the Thunder. Blatant calls all playoffs IMO.

So, if this does put the Lakers in the Finals, just look at the years on Kobe, Nash, and to a lesser extent Gasol. The Lakers are not built for the long haul. The Thunder GM could not afford to keep Harden, so he did the next best thing. He sold high. Harden could in fact become the next Joe Johnson.

I think the Thunder moved with the future in mind. They got to the Finals but it was far from a lock they would return. Especially not with Harden in a contract dispute.

Time will tell but I think this was a good strategic move for the Thunder by Presti.

[Sedale Threatt]

Indeed. That year he took more long two's, and at a higher %, than Kobe Bryant.

Who has stronger RealGM radar, you with Rose or JordansBulls/Jordan23Forever with MJ? Do you guys get Google alerts or what?

[kblo247]

Harden and Lin is going to be laughably bad IMO to watch as they get exposed on both ends. Two overrated backcourt players who can't defend their shadows

Houston gave out some dumb deals this summer IMO. They paid so much for Asik who never shown to b a 15+ minute guy for a whole season nightly. Paid damn near a mil for every good game Lin had in his career. And to top it off are going to max out a guy who can't draw revenue, can't defend his position or the 3 or the 1, and who has no mid range, post up, or ability to go right.

Great job Houston, wasn't like Dragic and Lowry playing together as the starting back court with Scola couldn't be better than them ... Oh wait

[Sedale Threatt]

As a conspiracy theorists, I believe the Lakers will get enough calls to get by the Thunder any way, most likely. That is just the way the NBA works. The Thunder got calls to beat the Spurs because that is the team that was more marketable. The Heat got calls against the Pacers. The Heat got calls against the Celtics (after Boston got calls against Atlanta). In the Finals, the Heat got calls against the Thunder. Blatant calls all playoffs IMO.

So, if this does put the Lakers in the Finals, just look at the years on Kobe, Nash, and to a lesser extent Gasol. The Lakers are not built for the long haul. The Thunder GM could not afford to keep Harden, so he did the next best thing. He sold high. Harden could in fact become the next Joe Johnson.

I think the Thunder moved with the future in mind. They got to the Finals but it was far from a lock they would return. Especially not with Harden in a contract dispute.

Time will tell but I think this was a good strategic move for the Thunder by Presti.

If the NBA is actually rigging results like you say, do strategic moves even matter?

[Guy986]

If you're an OKC fan and like this trade, you must have a very high opinion of Lamb. Otherwise, this si a huge loss.

Kevin Martin as a first and 2nd option is disastrous.

Kevin Martin as 3rd/4th option? Dude is one of the smartest offensive player in terms of cutting and getting himself open and absolutely lethal from 3pt range. He can't create but he will excel in the Thunder offense as a shooter.

[ieatchildrenraw]

This thread is so bizarre. All types of odd stuff being posted. Martin in not in their future. So they traded Harden for Lamb and mediocre draft picks. All this excitement over draft picks. They trade a 23 year old to get younger? A second youth movement? WTF.

Martin is not in their future but what is to stop OKC from flipping Martin and the draft picks for someone like Josh Smith? Doubt Utah would give up Al Jefferson but I could see them trading Paul Millsap. A team like the Wizards could give the Thunder a good big man like Nene Hilario. I could easily see them trading to Sacramento for someone like DeMarcus Cousins.

What OKC has is tradeable assets along with Kevin Martin. I bet he gets flipped for something of value, if he's not successful enough to stay on at a discount.

None of those trades make any sense at all on any level for the other teams. What the...

Josh Smith has made it clear he doesn't want to stay with Atlanta why shouldn't they try to get a few picks for him in return that deal would make sense for both teams imo, esp. if Atlanta has a tough season

[Archerbro]

Like the trade for both. Rockets got a great player in Harden and if he develops into ginobili. they got a great deal.

as for okc? for right now? it seems lateral. Martin is not better than Harden, but he's not as bad as some make him out.

Lamb and two draft picks is great, but right now OKC is in contention. I think if you keep harden, okc guarantees themself a title over the next 5 years. They're still in contention and their future still looks good, but the thing is....THEY Were already there, they went to the Finals last year. Now? I think they made a small step backwards.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

This thread is so bizarre. All types of odd stuff being posted. Martin in not in their future. So they traded Harden for Lamb and mediocre draft picks. All this excitement over draft picks. They trade a 23 year old to get younger? A second youth movement? WTF.

Martin is not in their future but what is to stop OKC from flipping Martin and the draft picks for someone like Josh Smith? Doubt Utah would give up Al Jefferson but I could see them trading Paul Millsap. A team like the Wizards could give the Thunder a good big man like Nene Hilario. I could easily see them trading to Sacramento for someone like DeMarcus Cousins.

What OKC has is tradeable assets along with Kevin Martin. I bet he gets flipped for something of value, if he's not successful enough to stay on at a discount.

None of those trades make any sense at all on any level for the other teams. What the...

As a Wizard fan trading Okafor would make a ton of sense. Trading an injured Nene, with 52M remaining on his deal to any team not wary of his injuries would be a masterstroke of genius that Ted Leonsis would be lucky to get. Trading Jefferson but getting more than value helps the Jazz build for the future with Kanter an heir apparent. The Kings won't trade Cousins, but the Maloofs are hard up for money and they might before they sign sell.

I can rationalize all these deals for other teams. OKC took the players and picks and so would lesser teams. You say it wouldn't make sense. I disagree.

[StitchJones]

One of the other things that irks me is people are criticizing harden for not sacrificing some on his contract. Marc stein even mentioned how Presti stated that Perkins, Ibaka and even Durant sacrificed some on their contract. The difference is THEY STARTED. harden is a top 5 SG in my book and he was already sacrificing by coming off the bench. Why shuld he have to sacrifice double, on the court AND in his contract? He should be able to have one or the other. I bet if they told Harden they were going to sign him to less, but guaranteed he would start now, he would have signed on the dotted line. Instead they asked him to sacrifice more than anyone else on the team.

[kodo]

Finally, Harden is way better than Kevin Martin. I don't understand how people can debate this.

I want to see Harden perform as a #1 option without 2 All-NBA scorers on either side of him completely spacing the floor and stringing defenses out.

As much as I love fear-the-beard, he had an ideal situation in OKC. It's much tougher being the guy defenses focus on.

[Rerisen]

Indeed. That year he took more long two's, and at a higher %, than Kobe Bryant.

Who has stronger RealGM radar, you with Rose or JordansBulls/Jordan23Forever with MJ? Do you guys get Google alerts or what?

Good contribution to the topic.

Harden's ability or need to use the mid-range shot is definitely a good question for this topic, but Derrick Rose is not a player who qualifies as proving an example of a superstar succeeding without it, because he has one.