Prediction for this season

[BIG EDDIE]

Let me touch the Harden topic one more time here.
I believe he made a big mistake by leaving OKC, and he will most likely regret it.

Why did he not accept 54 mill/4 years and instead signed a 80 mill / 5 year contract with the Rockets:
1. He is 23, has quite a big ego and wants to be measured by his contract (as well).
2. He wanted to have a bigger role instead of coming off the bench.

Why he will regret this move:
1. He will soon be missing being on a title contender team. It's not really fun long term to be a 25 pts, 5reb, 6ast guy on a below .500 team.

Where OKC and Presti/Brooks messed up, is that they didnt let Harden be a starter.
Its one argument, that he "fit in" with the bench guys better, which might even be true, but Harden was too good to be a bench player at the age of 23. You can do that with a Ray Allen or a Manu Ginobili, but you cant do it to a 23 year old kid, who plays like a STAR.

OKC will regret this big time, because:
1. Kevin Martin is nice and even Lamb might become a nice player, and Im not even talking about the draft picks here we got, BUT the Thunder will be missing the "smarts" of Harden most. He made things happen, which will be hard (or impossible) to replace.

I really wish they would have traded Westbrook instead for some nice pieces.
Westbrook in my eyes is a nice player, but way to overrated.
What he does well:
1. He is a big and strong PG, who can rebound really good.
2. He is fast and gets to the basket well.
3. He is a hustle player who gives you 100% effort every night.

What he lacks:
1. He cant shoot. But he thinks he can!!!
2. He thinks he can gamle on D, which makes him actually quite a big liability on that end.
3. He is not a good distributor, doesnt see the floor well for a PG.
4. Most importantly, he makes too many mistakes, TOs, misjudgements on the floor. He is just plain bad at making decisions.

OKC is really missing someone who can create. KD is actually the best at creating plays for others, but that should be only his 2nd option. He is best if he puts up 30 every night.

If the team stays as it is, I dont see us getting past the 2nd round of the playoffs.
So here is my prediction: OKC wins about 53-56 games this year and loses to a team like Clippers, Lakers or Spurs in round 2 of the playoffs.

Presti realizes that Westbrook wont do the magic for us and trades him for a solid PG and a scoring big man.