Official NBA 2012-2013 Season Thread

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For those that think James Harden is easily replaceable by Kevin Martin, Harden killed Dallas and LA last year on limited shots. Him getting to the line was crucial. He shot 6+ FT's 13 games out of the 20 they played last year. For a third option off the bench, that's amazing. Harden only put up 12+ shots 5 of those 20 games. Incredibly efficient while still scoring 16 PPG behind two prolific scorers in KD and Russ.
 
I'm not an OKC fan but I would have kept Harden along even without a contract extension, at least for the year. They could have dealt with it again next year. Don't think it was wise to mess with chemistry so abruptly
 
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Chuck Finster said:
One thing many are forgetting, Eric Maynor comes back this year. Plus an improved Reggie Jackson.
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Their bench is now riding on Rookies to carry them to the finals man... As opposed to a guy who could score, defend, pass, shoot

Eric Maynor and Reggie Jackson (Jackson won't play at all) will not give much.. Maynor is good, but not that good
 
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Martin will fit fine if he can stay healthy. I've always viewed him as the same player as Michael Redd. Both can score as well as anyone with their whack *** jumpers but neither are good enough to carry a team.
 
lynchpin33 said:
for the amount he is making are you seriously asking this question, not even worth 1/2 of that contract
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That's the GM's fault for giving him that contract haha let the boy cook. In all seriousness yeah dude isn't worth the money but who is?
 
Peep Game said:
I'm sure he's hyped about being the 3rd option on a contender than having to be the 1st option on purgatory's finest :lol:.
K-Mart's trash though? Like, trash? Damn, NT hates everything :lol: :smh:
That was 1 of about 4 trade offers.
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Never said he was trash. It's just going to be a culture shock for him to be so open for one, and to get less shots per game than he's used to.

Some guys take a while to get going in-game, and he's just never been in a winning situation before. I'm not saying it's his fault, but just that he hasn't been in this situation before.

Still don't get why Bennett and them so scared of the tax. The Thunder, and particularly Harden, are so popular they could pass a "Harden tax" and raise every toll by .50 cents and raise sales tax 1% for a month and we would gladly pay that **** and not complain while wearing corny beard merchandise and Thunder gear.
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Some teams think this CBA is a huge hindrance going over the luxury tax. Guys like Cuban who were notorious for giving out huge contracts has been shockingly cheap, not giving out multi-year deals to anyone, and hovering closer to the threshold more than ever.
 
- Martin is not as good as Harden. Nor is he as good of a fit for that team. Harden was the perfect complement to Russ as a secondary ball handler and distributor. You're not only losing his play-making ability but dumping more on to Russ' plate unless you want to go more with Maynor next to him, still a downgrade.

- 2 first round picks - great, but Dallas is Top 20 protected for five years? And Toronto's will fall trough 4-14? I struggle to see someone there stepping in and impacting a WCF or Finals series immediately, like within 2 years.

- Jeremy Lamb. Great, but again - are you putting him on the floor vs LA or Miami for anything important/substantial this year? Probably not. And this is working under the impression that he turns out to be a quality rotation guy. I also have to wonder if Presti asked for or was turned down on Terrence Jones instead. As a 4 man you can plug in the middle of Durant/Ibaka to go small, he would seem to be a more logical fit.

Just struggle to see how OKC came out better here (not with Houston, but with themselves..Houston just made a move to make a move- stupid IMO) unless you can tell me when and what they get out of Martin's expiring deal or we fast forward to 2015 and they make a move on Kevin Love or something. But this was a team that was in the Finals and competitive in it this past year and now you likely take a step back - even if it's a small one - while LA made a major move forward? Don't like it. And this is assuming KD/Russ remain healthy and nothing breaks up the chemistry of that team if they don't break through soon.
 
Why are people acting like Harden is Kobe? Yes he's insanely efficient but it's hard to be featured when you're playing with Westbrook and Durant. Defenses are going to really close in on this guy now and I see him sinking rather than swimming. He was perfect for his role in OKC. I don't see him as a guy that can carry a team, but we will see I guess. The Rockets are in panic mode & throwing all these assets just to get Harden is... Laughable. Not really impressed with the result, but you can't fault them for trying something instead of just sitting on their thumbs like most mediocre teams do. I wouldn't mind seeing the Rockets do well, they have quite a few guys wanting/needing to prove their worth now. Could be exciting.

For OKC, you get a decent fill in with Martin and a future prospect. With Maynor back from injury, I can see the 2nd unit being more cohesive than last year. Martin is most efficient when he is able to catch & shoot, something that he got away from being the man in Houston.If it doesn't work, he's a huge expiring contract. Picks aside (which included I say OKC "won" the deal) You get Lamb who you HOPE can live up to what Harden was doing. But once he gets to that level, with a big if involved, you'll have to pay him too. Do The Thunder hope they can just keep getting rookie SGs to groom into 6th man all-star roles and trade them away before paying them? What was the point of this... you give up current production hoping you can get it again in the future, which is unlikely given how efficient Harden was in his role. OKC shouldn't have been looking to win a trade for the future, they need to focus on the present which this fails miserably in doing. It's not about winning trades with them, it's about winning a championship. At least it should be. Do I think they can still do it without Harden? Possibly, but the way everyone from the staff, players and fans talked about Harden it certainly is going to get much more difficult. It's sad that a team so close is being hit with a money saving trade.
 
It would have been ideal if they could've kept Harden but the Thunder are still going to get the 1-2 seed.

Whether or not the Thunder win a championship does not depend on Harden though. It depends on Russ learning how to play the Point Gaurd position. He is still very very far from being a polished PG and has hurt the team many times with his selfish boneheaded mistakes. Guarantee you once he heard about this trade he was thinking about getting more possessions to himself.

Also with Maynor coming back it will benefit them a ton. An actual PG can now play. Not two shooting gaurds in Harden and Westbrook switching off.
 
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Assuming they amnesty Perkins.. And let Maynor go..

Thunder have $8-9 million in cap space next year.

And maybe $12 million in cap space the year after as long as they don't sign anyone past 1 year.
 
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Also;

How many teams have one a chip with literally no reliable inside scoring option?

How many teams have won a chip with their two best players being perimeter players?

Is it even possible to win a chip with max deals invested in three perimeter players?



All these questions lead you to only one reasonable answer; unless James Harden will take less to play in OKC, you have to deal him. Presti made the right call.
 
I'm cosigning al3xis. At the end of the day, Harden is like 23. He becomes the Rockets best building block by far. I ain't eem mad at this deal. It coulda been worse, remember? The Magic could've traded Dwight to Houston, and then bounced after the season. At least Harden is staying. :lol:
 
Just had an earthquake in Oklahoma now, literally. You can't make this **** up, only a 3.1 but an Earthquake still
 
Osh Kosh Bosh said:
Also;
How many teams have one a chip with literally no reliable inside scoring option?
How many teams have won a chip with their two best players being perimeter players?
Is it even possible to win a chip with max deals invested in three perimeter players?
All these questions lead you to only one reasonable answer; unless James Harden will take less to play in OKC, you have to deal him. Presti made the right call.
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I think you're right in the end of it...

But the real question is: Could they have waited a month or two and gotten the inside scorer.. And the same amount of first round picks.
 
DatZNasty said:
Just had an earthquake in Oklahoma now, literally. You can't make this **** up, only a 3.1 but an Earthquake still
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Nice, but just curious what does that have to do with this though? :lol: Are the basketball gods mad about this trade er something.
 
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