Official Speculation Thread (Pt. XLVI "Re-Building" Edition)

TheLastDon · Post #441 » by **TheLastDon** » Sat Aug 18, 2012 11:10 pm

Rudy Gay career stats
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/4136/career

James Harden career stats
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/4563/career

Nyce_1 · Post #442 » by **Nyce_1** » Sat Aug 18, 2012 11:26 pm

Give me Harden over Rudy.

ChildishGambino · Post #443 » by **ChildishGambino** » Sat Aug 18, 2012 11:32 pm

TheLastDon wrote:Simple question: Who do you rather have James Harden or Rudy Gay???

short term Rudy....Long term Harden....now let me ask you in our current situation where do you think our planning should focus on? long term or short term?

MAGICian619 · Post #444 » by **MAGICian619** » Sat Aug 18, 2012 11:34 pm

TheLastDon wrote:Simple question: Who do you rather have James Harden or Rudy Gay???

Anyone taking Gay over Harden is crazy.

OrlandoMajinBuu · Post #445 » by **OrlandoMajinBuu** » Sat Aug 18, 2012 11:37 pm

Are the Magic trying to contend or rebuild...? LoL

Let the Magic sink the ship completely this season! To get those high picks.

TheLastDon · Post #446 » by **TheLastDon** » Sat Aug 18, 2012 11:44 pm

ChildishGambino wrote:
TheLastDon wrote:Simple question: Who do you rather have James Harden or Rudy Gay???

short term Rudy....Long term Harden....now let me ask you in our current situation where do you think our planning should focus on? long term or short term?[/quo

Depends on availability, The OKC model is very difficult to duplicate: Just think, any pro draft is at best a crapshoot. My thinking if u can get a top free agent in 2014 for a TPE and a couple of those extra 1st round picks for a proven commodity, you have to strongly consider it (Rudy Gay) How many 1st round busts are there? Teams like CHA, MIL, WSH, GS, SAC, and many others have been in draft lotteries for years.. The NBA, just as any pro sport is a win-now league

Post #447 » by **Def Swami** » Sat Aug 18, 2012 11:44 pm

Via Steve Kyler

Having talked with Sam Presti and the Thunder about this subject, their stance is simple...
If keeping James helps them win games and gets them to the Finals then they'd gladly pay him... thats all that really matters.

Ownership in OKC has greenlit anything the Basketball Ops side wants to do... that said, in the history of the Thunder they have always made good decisions when it came to the contracts they give out.

Keeping Harden in OKC will be 100% about whether they want to keep him for basketball reasons - they still hold their Amnesty which they could use in the summer of 2013 on Kendrick Perkins and they have a lot of team options on players.

When you consider how much the Lakers just spent - $99 million so far this year, the Thunder sitting at $70 million coming off the Finals isn't a tough sell to ownership.

Lets do the math on the Thunder for a second...
This year the Thunder have $67.063 million in salaries on the book.

In 2013 - Durant makes $17.832, Westbrook makes $14.693 and now Ibaka makes $12.00... so lets say the Thunder give Harden max allowed - $13.668 --- thats $58.193 million.

Add in Thabo's 3.90mil... Nick Collison's 2.585 mil and the $1.082 mil they owe Perry Jones and thats $65.76 million

Thats $5.04 million below the current tax line.

Now to get there they'd have to Amnesty Kendrick Perkin's and pass on their young guys' options.

But they are actually pretty well situated.

Post #448 » by **Def Swami** » Sun Aug 19, 2012 12:14 am

Maurice Harkless ‏@moe_harkless
Boread watching youtube videos .. watch this mix of me and @DRE_DRUMMOND_ in high school .. made by @GothamHoops

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCdtdiG5SqU[/youtube]

InFlames · Post #449 » by **InFlames** » Sun Aug 19, 2012 12:15 am

Harden over Gay.

TheLastDon · Post #450 » by **TheLastDon** » Sun Aug 19, 2012 12:19 am

InFlames wrote:Harden over Gay.

Why?? Thunder will keep Harden and Gay is available for TPE and other things... Proven 20 ppg over player who plays off Durant and Westbrook...

ChildishGambino · Post #451 » by **ChildishGambino** » Sun Aug 19, 2012 12:22 am

TheLastDon wrote:
ChildishGambino wrote:
TheLastDon wrote:Simple question: Who do you rather have James Harden or Rudy Gay???

short term Rudy....Long term Harden....now let me ask you in our current situation where do you think our planning should focus on? long term or short term?[/quo

Depends on availability, The OKC model is very difficult to duplicate: Just think, any pro draft is at best a crapshoot. My thinking if u can get a top free agent in 2014 for a TPE and a couple of those extra 1st round picks for a proven commodity, you have to strongly consider it (Rudy Gay) How many 1st round busts are there? Teams like CHA, MIL, WSH, GS, SAC, and many others have been in draft lotteries for years.. The NBA, just as any pro sport is a win-now league

our best chance to win now was just traded not too long ago......... Obviously Ownership chose to rebuild with youth because we could of easily been able to obtain Iggy who imo is just as good as Gay if not better or Bynum who's better than both but ownership wanted to go another route....just don't see how we choose to pass on Iggy and Bynum only to obtain Rudy Gay? not adding up to me.....Harden in my eyes as a player is on the same level as Gay but is 4 years younger.....

Me personally i think after this year it will take another 3 years before we're truly contenders....Gay would be 30-31? I would prefer getting Harden who is 23 right now sell him on us building the team around him and that we can get him another star.......Get more young prospects that fit with Harden and in a few years time if everything goes right we will have Harden who would be right in the middle of his prime years and another Star through Free Agency and if our Prospects realize their potential we could of a young talented team ready to contend.....Nicholson/Harkless/Vuvecic/O'Quinn would have a few years under their belt and enough time to realize some of their potential and that's not even counting who we could get in this upcoming draft or the one after..........

IDK i could be wrong but i think i can see what Henny's trying to do....a lot of it is a leap of faith but that is part of the whole experience imo.....We're trying to build something from the ground up and while it might take a bit longer than some of you guys hope you got to trust we're building it the right way...brick by brick.....

TDJacksonville · Post #452 » by **TDJacksonville** » Sun Aug 19, 2012 12:29 am

harden over Gay because we are focused Long Term here not short term. we also already have our SF in Harkless who will be Paul George like.

OrlandO · Post #453 » by **OrlandO** » Sun Aug 19, 2012 12:32 am

Just a fact check... Gay just turned 26 yesterday. Harden turns 23 at the end of the month. Difference of 3 years, not 4.

TDJacksonville · Post #454 » by **TDJacksonville** » Sun Aug 19, 2012 12:34 am

OrlandO wrote:Just a fact check... Gay just turned 26 yesterday. Harden turns 23 at the end of the month. Difference of 3 years, not 4.

still doesnt change anything. i highly doubt we gonan spend money on either of them so we can get a few Lottery players.

thelead · Post #455 » by **thelead** » Sun Aug 19, 2012 12:34 am

neither before we draft a star

TheLastDon · Post #456 » by **TheLastDon** » Sun Aug 19, 2012 12:48 am

TDJacksonville wrote:harden over Gay because we are focused Long Term here not short term. we also already have our SF in Harkless who will be Paul George like.

Neither George nor Harkless is a proven NBA commodity.. Rudy Gay is and he's available for A 1 yr TPE and will be a highly sought after FA in 2014... If u can get him now, WHY NOT???

MAGICian619 · Post #457 » by **MAGICian619** » Sun Aug 19, 2012 12:49 am

Sign Harden next summer and then bench him for the entire first year to get the 2014 1st pick.

Sounds crazy but it makes the best team for 2014 and beyond.

TheLastDon · Post #458 » by **TheLastDon** » Sun Aug 19, 2012 12:50 am

TDJacksonville wrote:
OrlandO wrote:Just a fact check... Gay just turned 26 yesterday. Harden turns 23 at the end of the month. Difference of 3 years, not 4.

still doesnt change anything. i highly doubt we gonan spend money on either of them so we can get a few Lottery players.

How many BUSTS are their in any pro draft?? Too numerous to put on REALGM... Most stars are traded for not drafted!!!

magicman123 · Post #459 » by **magicman123** » Sun Aug 19, 2012 12:51 am

TheLastDon wrote:
TDJacksonville wrote:harden over Gay because we are focused Long Term here not short term. we also already have our SF in Harkless who will be Paul George like.

Neither George nor Harkless is a proven NBA commodity.. Rudy Gay is and he's available for A 1 yr TPE and will be a highly sought after FA in 2014... If u can get him now, WHY NOT???

so its confirmed that gay is available for a 1 year TPE? plus is gay really worth 3 years $55mil for this team?

ChildishGambino · Post #460 » by **ChildishGambino** » Sun Aug 19, 2012 12:54 am

Hennigan worked the situation so we can pursue both avenues......getting better through the draft and getting better through Free Agency......me personally i hope we luck out and get some young Stars that can grow with the team and the culture we're trying to build here....Rudy gay has to want to come here right? would he come here in the middle of his prime when we're in the middle of a rebuild to waste some of his prime years? i could be wrong but i think it might be a bit easier to convince a young 22-23 year old to wait just a bit longer before we can contend.....Even though i say that i'm not even too sure about Harden being our Max player but let's see this upcoming season if he lives up to the hype........

I need to see a list or something of Stars becoming Free Agents soon that would fit into our long term plan.....