Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Location: Augusta, GA ''The fastest rising city in the southeast''
7,511 posts, read 15,201,782 times
Reputation: 960
Jeremy Lamb, Kevin Martin, and two first round picks are major gains IMO. Jeremy Lamb will probably end up being a better player in the next few years anyway.
Russell Westbrook and James Harden both dominate the basketball too much sometimes.
its kind of a surprise move to me. harden was the thunders manu, their off the bench 2nd unit leader who could do a bit of everything. the rockets will likely waive a couple of the guys they took on.
rockets will offer harden a max deal, the big question is if harden is a max deal kinda guy???? he showed to be some times and showed to be far from max deal material others.
lamb might turn into a decent player, maybe even better then harden but kevin martin is now, always was, and always will be garbage! he either gets retraded or walks at the end of the season.
i am amazed that the talks went south so quickly. things must have been a mess before for it to happen so quickly.
this does imo make the rockets somewhat better. harden is a better ball handler then martin who will lighten the load on lin some.
Harden is a great two way player. Not only that, he often handled the ball and facilitated OKC's offense even with Westbrook on the floor. Part of his value was instinctively knowing when to step into the role of distributor. Westbrook and Durant are not a clean offensive fit. Harden made that work a lot smoother. Losing Harden will be significant.
Of course Martin is a scorer. However, he is not the defender Harden is. And he is not the distributor Harden can be either. The younger players and picks are good to have. But in the grand scheme OKC is trying to win now. They had an NBA Finals team already. Talk of how good some young players will be in 3 years is pointless to their quest right now.
Durant and Westbrook are too good for OKC to nose dive. They will still be in the thick of things. But Harden fit with that team. They should have just paid him. Real chemistry is not easily replaced.
Harden is a great two way player. Not only that, he often handled the ball and facilitated OKC's offense even with Westbrook on the floor. Part of his value was instinctively knowing when to step into the role of distributor. Westbrook and Durant are not a clean offensive fit. Harden made that work a lot smoother. Losing Harden will be significant.
Of course Martin is a scorer. However, he is not the defender Harden is. And he is not the distributor Harden can be either. The younger players and picks are good to have. But in the grand scheme OKC is trying to win now. They had an NBA Finals team already. Talk of how good some young players will be in 3 years is pointless to their quest right now.
Durant and Westbrook are too good for OKC to nose dive. They will still be in the thick of things. But Harden fit with that team. They should have just paid him. Real chemistry is not easily replaced.
Think real chemistry will be worth $4.5M to OKC? The Thunder might learn the hard way this lesson...
Jeremy Lamb, Kevin Martin, and two first round picks are major gains IMO. Jeremy Lamb will probably end up being a better player in the next few years anyway.
Russell Westbrook and James Harden both dominate the basketball too much sometimes.
With their two young stars, those picks etc may be what makes them the league champ.
They may just recognize that the next 2-3 years are dubious against Miami so prep for the future.
With their two young stars, those picks etc may be what makes them the league champ.
They may just recognize that the next 2-3 years are dubious against Miami so prep for the future.
I give OKC an A on this trade.
Let me play devil's advocate for a minute, Mathguy.
Isnt it dangerous to assume you have a sure thing for the future? Granted, it isnt a sure thing right now...but investing 2-3 years down the road is almost always a crap shoot...even for a team that has drafted as wisely as the Thunder...
I say it's a B for okc based on the time frame. Morey would have waited till next summer to make that deal. They gave the best 6th man, a loved team member and a known commodity along with a solid outside shooter, and a young 7'er, for the worst perimeter defender in the league, a rookie, and a couple of unknown draft picks. Yes a B at best at this point.
Seems to me there is more to the story then anyone knows at this point.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
