Did OKC make the right decision with Harden?

[dyukcs]

Why are people making it seem like Wade was a vastly superior prospect than Darko back in 03? Hindsight is a wonderful thing

He was before he started **** everyone's sisters and mothers, Darko's a bad bad man.

[kdthunderup]

Of course they made the wrong decision. They gave up Harden for essentially nothing and instead kept the far inferior Westbrook. The fact that Durant is so good that the team is still elite despite making the worse error since Darko over Wade doesn't change the reality that they blew an opportunity to have a GOAT level team in OKC.

Uh no Westbrook is a far better player then Harden. Harden doesn't play any defense and not doesn't play at the same level of intensity as Westbrook which helps us greatly. Plus Westbrook has a better attitude which fits the culture at OKC.

[Frank Mulely]

Why are people making it seem like Wade was a vastly superior prospect than Darko back in 03? Hindsight is a wonderful thing

Nobody really had seen Darko play in 03 whereas Wade was a blue-chipper to anybody who had watched him work. I remember him being compared to Jordan during the Final Four. The real question is why most GMs are such sheep and always draft the conventional wisdom and let obvious studs like Wade fall in the lottery....which brings us to Presti who is one of the GMs none of us on this board can even pretend we could out-draft. His slick drafting might save the Harden dump from being viewed as an all-time idiotic decision. I think the pieces they have now can win a ring. It's a nice supporting cast around KD and Westbrook.

[Rhinou]

Why are people making it seem like Wade was a vastly superior prospect than Darko back in 03? Hindsight is a wonderful thing

Because the guy that said that is a troll and makes ludicrous statements continually for attention.

[mojay641]

how is harden far superior to westbrook?

[jym85]

They should have kept him that extra year and made the decision the next summer

[TheBargnaniRule]

Obviously not, Thunder would already have 4 championships and would go 82-0 if they kept Harden.

[SargentBargs101]

Why are people making it seem like Wade was a vastly superior prospect than Darko back in 03? Hindsight is a wonderful thing

Nobody really had seen Darko play in 03 whereas Wade was a blue-chipper to anybody who had watched him work. I remember him being compared to Jordan during the Final Four. The real question is why most GMs are such sheep and always draft the conventional wisdom and let obvious studs like Wade fall in the lottery....which brings us to Presti who is one of the GMs none of us on this board can even pretend we could out-draft. His slick drafting might save the Harden dump from being viewed as an all-time idiotic decision. I think the pieces they have now can win a ring. It's a nice supporting cast around KD and Westbrook.

But heres my question basing this off all the reports written about him prior to the draft,did the pistons really make a mistake on drafting a 17 year 7'0 big by all reports could do it all offensively passing, shooting, dribbling and defend? I will say at that point GM's were all tryna find the next international star i.e (dirk, yao) plus the pistons needed a big ( teaching us all a lesson in years later to pick based on BPA not need). Also there were things there about wade not to like... Having his meniscus removed, being undersize, upside he was like 22/23 when he came out etc.

I think everyone can agree the Harden trade was beyond horrible but i will say this presti has made up for it with drafting Adams, jackson/lamb development. Lets see how things play out the next two to three years...

[SargentBargs101]

They should have kept him that extra year and made the decision the next summer

Even the trade deadline some team might have panicked and overpay.

[Kabookalu]

I'm so ****ing tired of the same rehashed arguments about this subject. Did the Thunder get fair value for Harden? No. Could they have? No. They tried trading for Bradley Beal and Chris Singleton and guess who turned it down? The Wizards, even if they're the ones raping OKC in that transaction. Same with Jonas Valanciunas and the Raptors.

No one ever talks about the money issue when it comes to the teams that OKC was trying to bargain with. Here we had this unproven max player that started exactly 7 times at that point. No team wants to be the one stuck with a fresh new max contract realizing that his play benefitted because of playing in the second unit and because he was playing with two dynamic young scorers. So there's more risk that other teams have to take when negotiating this trade, and that puts OKC at a disadvantage there.

There was little chance that OKC was ever going to get equal value in a trade for Harden.

[BrooklynBulls]

I'm so ****ing tired of the same rehashed arguments about this subject. Did the Thunder get fair value for Harden? No. Could they have? No. They tried trading for Bradley Beal and Chris Singleton and guess who turned it down? The Wizards, even if they're the ones raping OKC in that transaction. Same with Jonas Valanciunas and the Raptors.

No one ever talks about the money issue when it comes to the teams that OKC was trying to bargain with. Here we had this unproven max player that started exactly 7 times at that point. No team wants to be the one stuck with a fresh new max contract realizing that his play benefitted because of playing in the second unit and because he was playing with two dynamic young scorers. So there's more risk that other teams have to take when negotiating this trade, and that puts OKC at a disadvantage there.

There was little chance that OKC was ever going to get equal value in a trade for Harden.

Everything you said is correct, which is why they should have kept Harden, amnestied Perkins, and traded Ibaka for a Center.

[jeremylin17]

luckily you guys were not the GM or OKC would be stucked as Miamis bitch had they stuck with harden.

[Chalky White]

I'm so ****ing tired of the same rehashed arguments about this subject. Did the Thunder get fair value for Harden? No. Could they have? No. They tried trading for Bradley Beal and Chris Singleton and guess who turned it down? The Wizards, even if they're the ones raping OKC in that transaction. Same with Jonas Valanciunas and the Raptors.

No one ever talks about the money issue when it comes to the teams that OKC was trying to bargain with. Here we had this unproven max player that started exactly 7 times at that point. No team wants to be the one stuck with a fresh new max contract realizing that his play benefitted because of playing in the second unit and because he was playing with two dynamic young scorers. So there's more risk that other teams have to take when negotiating this trade, and that puts OKC at a disadvantage there.

There was little chance that OKC was ever going to get equal value in a trade for Harden.

Everything you said is correct, which is why they should have kept Harden, amnestied Perkins, and traded Ibaka for a Center.

And the Bulls should have selected Russell Westbrook over Derrick Rose. But then, they do say hindsight is 20/20.

[BrooklynBulls]

I'm so ****ing tired of the same rehashed arguments about this subject. Did the Thunder get fair value for Harden? No. Could they have? No. They tried trading for Bradley Beal and Chris Singleton and guess who turned it down? The Wizards, even if they're the ones raping OKC in that transaction. Same with Jonas Valanciunas and the Raptors.

No one ever talks about the money issue when it comes to the teams that OKC was trying to bargain with. Here we had this unproven max player that started exactly 7 times at that point. No team wants to be the one stuck with a fresh new max contract realizing that his play benefitted because of playing in the second unit and because he was playing with two dynamic young scorers. So there's more risk that other teams have to take when negotiating this trade, and that puts OKC at a disadvantage there.

There was little chance that OKC was ever going to get equal value in a trade for Harden.

Everything you said is correct, which is why they should have kept Harden, amnestied Perkins, and traded Ibaka for a Center.

And the Bulls should have selected Russell Westbrook over Derrick Rose. But then, they do say hindsight is 20/20.

Because Russell Westbrook would really have helped in the previous years playoffs. If you're done making completely irrelevant attacks, it may interest you to know that this was ALWAYS my opinion. Probably since the beginning of Harden's 3rd year when he made the leap, but definitely by the end of it.

[kingkirk]

This topic is becoming nauseating. I've locked at least 12 of them. This will be 13.

It's been done and is only now relevant if users want to bait each other. That's all it serves at this point.