Harden to the Rockets

[bbms]

Must improve. Ibaka looks awful. No offense, little defense. Perkins and Sefolosha are regular season liabilities. Useless against most of the teams in this league and one of them shouldn't be starting at least in the regular season. Ibaka/Perkins don't work and won't work in the playoffs against at least all teams except for the Lakers. No one is stupid in playoffs time except Brooks, everyone watched how devastating was Heat's small ball against our starting bigs, and our bigs don't have offense to punish small mall.

Our bench lack a PG that can play the pick and roll and infiltrate. We lack a scoring bigmen that could be Perry Jones/Durant's niche, but goddamn Brooks is awful with his big rotation. Perkins/Ibaka/Nick/Thabeet. Come on, we can be better than this if he just could use his brain.

Durant should be playing power forward more. For this sake, either one of Lamb or Perry should be seeing minutes. Durant's playing a playmaking role so I don't think playing power forward would be desirable, but we don't have choice, we have too little offense with collison/thabeet. Harden's departure totally exposed how weak our starting line up is offensively, Thunder desperately needs to improve... Durant is at his best being only in charge of scoring. If Odom was called a good playmaker, than Durant is very good. But Durant is so much better focused on scoring.

This team was damned. We could survive with Brooks. We could survive without Harden. We can't survive after Brooks resigned for four years AND without Harden. Definitely not. Presti made amazing things for us, but he screwed everything up this offseason. Let a legit star go to keep our average and overpaid defensive role player. Kept the worst coach in the past three years playoffs for 4 years.

The dream of winning is over, unless Presti pull something off his hat.

[Joseph17]

I know that you guys wanted a guy who could replace Harden, but why did you guys get two shooting guards? What they needed was a point guard if they wanted to keep Westbrook. The bottom line is that Westbrook isn't a point guard and guys like Martin and Durant won't be able to play to their full potential with him at point. They also need a post player, but I feel like a true pg is the thing they need most right now.

[wizkid27]

I know that you guys wanted a guy who could replace Harden, but why did you guys get two shooting guards? What they needed was a point guard if they wanted to keep Westbrook. The bottom line is that Westbrook isn't a point guard and guys like Martin and Durant won't be able to play to their full potential with him at point. They also need a post player, but I feel like a true pg is the thing they need most right now.

I think Martin was the Harden replacement for the year to keep the team in contention. I think that part has been great thus far... honestly when on the floor with Durant and Westbrook, Martin has been a more natural fit than Harden ever was to this point due to his shooting and movement without the ball.

As far as Lamb... I don't think it was necessarily the SG thing, I think it was more Houston being an interested team, getting a Harden replacement and then just the best possible combination of assets beyond that. PG is certainly a bigger need (unless you're just in love with Maynor or Jackson for some reason), but Houston didn't really have anything else to give in that area.

[Joseph17]

I know that you guys wanted a guy who could replace Harden, but why did you guys get two shooting guards? What they needed was a point guard if they wanted to keep Westbrook. The bottom line is that Westbrook isn't a point guard and guys like Martin and Durant won't be able to play to their full potential with him at point. They also need a post player, but I feel like a true pg is the thing they need most right now.

I think Martin was the Harden replacement for the year to keep the team in contention. I think that part has been great thus far... honestly when on the floor with Durant and Westbrook, Martin has been a more natural fit than Harden ever was to this point due to his shooting and movement without the ball.

As far as Lamb... I don't think it was necessarily the SG thing, I think it was more Houston being an interested team, getting a Harden replacement and then just the best possible combination of assets beyond that. PG is certainly a bigger need (unless you're just in love with Maynor or Jackson for some reason), but Houston didn't really have anything else to give in that area.

Martin has done a good job. I just feel like they should have traded Harden for either a post player or a true point guard since those are two positions that they are actually lacking in. Does anyone else feel like they should give Westbrook the Harden role and start Martin with Maynor?

[Chri2Kng]

With this trade, OKC is no longer a contender. They are not even good enough to be the stacked Clippers.

[Ayt]

What were Jeremy Lambs numbers in the finals? His career numbers? His disappointing collegiate numbers?


You'll soon learn the life of a small market team when the Lakers pull in another superstar or two to rebuild the Lakers after Kobe retires(they'll role this season and next as OKC awaits their late picks to develope into anything) and OKC becomes annual second round fodder.


How do you think Durant will react to losing knowing what made it possible was greedy, hard nosed management? Let James sign with LA next season and become their PnR guard of the future once Howard leaves. Then what? What message do you think this sort of move sends to the rest of the young talent on the roster?

This isnt even a championship contending team anymore, yet somehow tis is supposed to be a good trade?

Sure it wasn't a greedy hard nosed player? Harden could have signed an extension for a couple million a year less then than the max and remained on a contender, the defending WCC, but he turned that down. Now he has the chance to be the featured player on a lottery team.

BTW - Lamb's disappointing college numbers, he averged 17.7 ppg on 47.8% shooting, 4.9 rebounds and 1.7 Assists.

Everyone on the planet who follows the NBA knew he'd be the most sought after FA and that he'd be an automatic max FA. There is no reason why Harden should have settled for less than the max.

[--ALL--NBA--]

Compare Kevin Martin on OKC (2012-pres.) to James Harden on OKC (2011-2012)

Martin = 17.1 PPG / Harden = 16.8 PPG
Martin = 5.6/6 FTM-A / Harden = 5.0/6 FTM-A
Martin = 2.8 RPG / Harden = 4.1 RPG
Martin = .481 FG% / Harden = .491 FG%


Even financially, they are close to the same. Harden is getting paid close to $6 million this year & $13.7 million next year, versus Martin who is getting $13,000,000 this year but publicly stated that he'd take a significant pay cut next year if the Thunder contend for a championship this year.

There are PLENTY of games left in the season, so time will tell. But right now, it's too close to call.

[Krodis]

Don't think Martin is going to continue to shoot 50% from three though,, so his efficiency and scoring is likely to come down some. Plus it puts more responsibility on Westbrook to do more ball handling.