With the season on the verge of tip-off, I saw it fitting to try and get some discussion going. Big news tonight is the Oklahoma Thunder have traded James Harden and a few other role players for Kevin Martin, Jeremy Lamb and draft picks. This comes as no suprise as they just didn't have the funds to pay Harden what he is worth.
Or, they did have the funds but didn't want to use them. The Thunder need to pay James Harden now - Grantland
Saw the new Barclays Center the other night when the C's and Nets squared off. That arena is incredible. I've got to get up there for a game this year.
No, no they didn't. Not yet. It's too early to tell. Martin is a dog and Lamb has potential, which means he's proved nothing. Harden isn't a star player in the sense that he can be the centerpiece of a legit contender but he is capable right now of being the number two guy for a legit contender. That will never be said about Martin. What they do with those picks will really determine who "won" the trade.
They definitely didn't "easily" win, but they did get a better haul than I expected. Probably because Houston has been desperate to trade some of their 85 rookies for an All-Star for months now.
And what haul is that? One if the worst defenders in the NBA and Lamb. The draft picks are the key to all of it.
You're full of shit and have no clue what you're talking about it, hence the hesitation to even attempt to defend your position.
You're the one that can't see that OKC didn't lose anything by trading away Harden. They gained a talented rookie and a perimeter threat. Martin is the short term fix, Lamb takes over in the long run. Harden wasn't worth anywhere near the money that Houston paid him. Hence why OKC was just in the Finals and Houston was out of the playoffs, they are smart with their money. Sad that you have to resort to name calling because you were wrong.
Kevin Martin sucks. I can't say that enough. He's as bad at defense as you are at defending you're baseless arguments. Truth is, OKC got rid of their glue guy. When Durant was on the bench or when Westbrook was in full brick more, it was Harden who ran the offense, started the break, attacked the basket for a layup or a pass to an open teammate. When other contenders got better this offseason, the OKC traded an irreplaceable cog in the wheel. Irreplaceable in the sense that only a handful of guys are not only skilled enough to do what he did but would assume a lesser role than their skills should be reduced to. Unless OKC hits it big with those draft picks, they've taken a step back. Now let's see one of those blanket statements you're so apt at.
Yeah, Harden was definitely the glue guy. Not the leading scorer in the league or one of the most explosive players in the league. It was definitely the 6th man that was the glue. He was going to lead them to the promised land, especially after delivering in the clutch and scoring 5, 9 and 8 points in three of the Finals games. And I'm somehow the one with baseless arguments. Your overwhelming negativity in regards to Kevin Martin is exhausting. Keep up the good work, though.
Trolling for fun aside, my entire point is that Harden wasn't worth a maximum salary contract. OKC made the right move by not giving him maximum money when they have already invested that money in Westbrook and Durant. Houston has been so desperate to land a "big name superstar" that they even gave that kind of money to the 6th man of the year. In return, OKC gets a perimeter threat to play in a high octane offense and a player that has all the tools to develop into exactly what James Harden was. And as long as the Thunder have Durant and Westbrook leading the offense, alongside Perkins and Ibaka manning the low post D, they will always be in contention.
And yet, you still can't defend your post. at no point have you described how OKC "easily" won the trade. In a pure basketball sense you don't have a clue, I know that and you know that. You can reference three games in Harden's career and try to box him in, it's typical and an extremely lazy way to try and make a point. And yes, he was the glue guy. When their offense hit the skids he took the lead and created his own shot or created easy shots for his teammates. There is no way that anyone can say definitively that either side has lost or won the trade. That may take years to determine. In the short term, OKC got worse and may have cost themselves a title shot this.
Lamb is no Harden. And Harden us worth max money. Had he had the chance to hit the open market every team with available space would go for him. Dude is 23.