***2012-13 NBA THREAD!!! New Season/New Thread - LET'S GO!!!!!***

[Lombardi's_kid_brother]

Watching them two together on the court, I was thinking to myself this is going to be a pretty ill back court.

I didn't see the turnover count for Lin, but he did have 8 dimes.

In my world, it is 1997 forever.

[Destino]

Watching them two together on the court, I was thinking to myself this is going to be a pretty ill back court.

I didn't see the turnover count for Lin, but he did have 8 dimes.

I ain't going to lie, I was kind of skeptical about Lin hooping for the rockets. With the addition of Harden, looks like a great move for the both of them. I bet you the Knicks are going to feel like come mid-season.

Harden did succeed in killing any talk of Linsanity. The trade for Harden and his debut, especially with that stat line, actually made the guys on NBATV say "and don't forget about Jeremy Lin, he's on the Rockets too".

[MLSKINS]

I knew Harden's game was going to have people saying uh-oh. But don't get it twisted, no matter what Harden does, the Thunder are the winners of this trade. They weren't going to sign him back anyway and they got incredible value for him....

With that being said, that Harden/Lin back court is going to be fun to watch.

[Lombardi's_kid_brother]

I knew Harden's game was going to have people saying uh-oh. But don't get it twisted, no matter what Harden does, the Thunder are the winners of this trade. They weren't going to sign him back anyway and they got incredible value for him....

Do they have a better chance of winning a title this year now or a week ago?


What's the goal here? To win a title or to have assets?

[MLSKINS]

Do they have a better chance of winning a title this year now or a week ago?


What's the goal here? To win a title or to have assets?

Who the Rockets or the Thunder?

In both cases, I think both teams have a better chance to win.

[authentic]

I knew Harden's game was going to have people saying uh-oh. But don't get it twisted, no matter what Harden does, the Thunder are the winners of this trade. They weren't going to sign him back anyway and they got incredible value for him....

With that being said, that Harden/Lin back court is going to be fun to watch.

I agree with you.. i think they made out better in this trade. Not to minimize Harden's contribution to OKC, because i was one of the first people to say that Harden was gone.. this was last season, going into the playoffs and folks basically laughed me to scorn. Anyways, i also think that both OKC and Houston are better off...

[Zhouse]

Martin is awful.

Harden gave them three elite scoring options, two great ball handlers, and a pretty good perimeter defender...plus he's a guy with an edge who attacks the rim like only maybe three other guards in the league do. Martin is maybe the worst defender in the league. He requires half a dozen screens to get his points. He's not a good ball handler. He'll be an ok sixth man, but I don't see him playing in the last 4 minutes of any important game. And Lamb is a rookie.

They traded an All Star for a one dimensional player and some future assets.

NBA fans are obsessed with tomorrow for some reason. I don't get it. Somehow Lamb and a potential later lottery pick is as valuable as one of the three best shooting guards in the league - who I may add is only 23 years old.

---------- Post added October-31st-2012 at 11:31 PM ----------

Name a shooting guard who does not turn 30 this season that is better than Harden.

Given the situation OKC was in, I think they came out looking pretty good. I was a smart move to move Harden and not let this be distraction. He turned down $52 Mil to stay in OKC and continue to make a championship run. This move paid off for him if his priority was getting paid (and NO he's not worth $80M). He's now going to be stuck in Houston playing regular season basketball.

OKC on the other hand will continue to be a top contender in the West.

[Lombardi's_kid_brother]

Who the Rockets or the Thunder?

In both cases, I think both teams have a better chance to win.

You think the Thunder have a better chance to win this year without James Harden.

That's simply idiotic.

---------- Post added November-1st-2012 at 10:03 AM ----------

OKC on the other hand will continue to be a top contender in the West.

They were the best team in the West last week. Now they are a "top contender."

How is this a good thing?

[RonArtest15]

Food for thought - look at the comparison.

James Harden plays basketball like a video game character: all 3s, dunks, and layups. About 87 percent of his shots come from either near the rim or beyond the 3-point arc. He’s great in both areas, but make no mistake — it’s his ability to create and convert opportunities at the basket that makes him special. He’s incredible off the dribble, in transition, and in pick-and-roll situations. He has a high basketball IQ that’s most obvious in the two-man game, in which he reads and reacts better and faster than almost any other NBA player.

Simply put, Harden is an elite player for two reasons: his ability to create close-range shots, and his ability to make long-range shots. When you look at his shooting chart, you realize it’s almost as if mid-range shots bore him.

Link

Wasn't a chance in hell that the Thunder could have resigned him. IMO, they made a HUGE mistake by re-upping Ibaka before Harden. Harden, IMO, will be considered the best 2 guard in the league probably within the next 2-3 years. Ibaka, for all purposes, is a project. Harden's absence on OKC can't be replaced. For as much as people sweat Presti, I think he goofed in this whole Ibaka/Harden situation.

[Zhouse]

You think the Thunder have a better chance to win this year without James Harden.

That's simply idiotic.

---------- Post added November-1st-2012 at 10:03 AM ----------



They were the best team in the West last week. Now they are a "top contender."

How is this a good thing?

Every season is a new season. Look at the Lakers and Clippers, they've tooled up. The Spurs won't go away and they gave OKC a run for their money last year.

Another thing to consider is, 12 months from now Harden was gonna walk away leaving OKC empty handed or scrambling to get a deal done. Instead 12 months from now, we'll be talking about Lamb's progress and who OKC will draft with their multiple first round picks.

Given everything i've seen from OKC, they are a well managed team.

[Lombardi's_kid_brother]

Every season is a new season. Look at the Lakers and Clippers, they've tooled up. The Spurs won't go away and they gave OKC a run for their money last year.

Another thing to consider is, 12 months from now Harden was gonna walk away leaving OKC empty handed or scrambling to get a deal done. Instead 12 months from now, we'll be talking about Lamb's progress and who OKC will draft with their multiple first round picks.

So what? If Harden walks, he walks. You figure out how to replace him then...like maybe by signing Kevin Martin. It's almost impossible for a team to have three talents like Durant, Westbrook, and Harden at the same time. To just give up a year of that is insane.

Given everything i've seen from OKC, they are a well managed team.

I agree. They still screwed up.

By the way, one thing being overlooked is that Harden could not just have walked away. He would have been a restricted free agent next year. The Thunder could have signed him and then tried to trade him next year if they wanted to. They didn't, because they didn't want to pay the tax.

But they had all kinds of options. They could have matched any offers. They could have amnestyed Perkins.

All would have caused short-term financial pain, but the team has made something like $100 million in profit in the last three years.

I just see no way to justify this. This is not a team bleeding money like the Kings. This was a team rolling in cash that gave up an All Star in order to keep rolling in cash.

[Zhouse]

Food for thought - look at the comparison.
Wasn't a chance in hell that the Thunder could have resigned him. IMO, they made a HUGE mistake by re-upping Ibaka before Harden. Harden, IMO, will be considered the best 2 guard in the league probably within the next 2-3 years. Ibaka, for all purposes, is a project. Harden's absence on OKC can't be replaced. For as much as people sweat Presti, I think he goofed in this whole Ibaka/Harden situation.

Don't you think finding a competent guard is more doable than a PF/C? Ibaka led the league in blocks.

So what? If Harden walks, he walks. You figure out how to replace him then...like maybe by signing Kevin Martin. It's almost impossible for a team to have three talents like Durant, Westbrook, and Harden at the same time. To just give up a year of that is insane.
I agree. They still screwed up.

Time will tell.

[Lombardi's_kid_brother]

Food for thought - look at the comparison.

I've watched a fair amount of Martin since I moved to Houston. I've never seen a player quite like him. He's a jump shooter that gets his points off free throws. You pretty much have to design your offense around his skills in order to get anything out of him. I highly doubt that Houston is going to have Durant setting screens for Martin.

What makes Harden so special is that if he has the ball, he's going to get a good shot. The end.

[Monte51Coleman]

Uncle Drew: Chapter 2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLyvkBifQ3w

[authentic]

Wasn't a chance in hell that the Thunder could have resigned him. IMO, they made a HUGE mistake by re-upping Ibaka before Harden. Harden, IMO, will be considered the best 2 guard in the league probably within the next 2-3 years. Ibaka, for all purposes, is a project. Harden's absence on OKC can't be replaced. For as much as people sweat Presti, I think he goofed in this whole Ibaka/Harden situation.

good point and i agree...