Want to read the definition of sour grapes? For example: This is like a dumped boyfriend convincing himself his girlfriend was ugly.
I still think it was a bad deal for OKC, but maybe the market for Harden wasn't as good as some of us thought? I just don't think any of what they got was a good enough prospect. The guy is 23. He should at least be worth a lotto pick. Instead they get Martin, who has never played a full 82 game season and has only played over 70 games three times in his 8 year career. They also get Lamb, who I like, but he damn sure isn't a centerpiece in a trade for a guy like Harden. And then there's the draft picks.... which sure seem like they suck balls. So what exactly did OKC get that they couldn't have gotten at the trade deadline? Mediocre talent? Shitty draft picks? Sure screams of a deadline trade to me. It's not like this was just some awesome deal they couldn't pass up. Was there seriously no other deal out there? The guy is only 23, he had a solid season last year, and he was an Olympian. Hell, I wish the Blazers would have made an offer. There HAD to be something better out there. Injury prone chucker Enigmatic rookie Shitty draft picks Yup..... Bang up job by Presti. I seriously don't know why people think he's so great. How awesome would the Thunder be if we had taken Durant and they had ended up with Oden? They'd have a team led by Russell Westbrook.... that's about it.
It seems that they could have waited for more offers, but Harden was going to be an UFA next year, and I believe Houston is a team that would have enough space to have signed him outright, then the Thunder get nothing. I think the owner decided that the draft picks, and a prospect like Lamb were better than losing him for nothing, or playing hundreds of millions of dollars in luxury taxes by retaining a player at his salary level. Most likely it was simply a cost cutting move, and a way to save face.
That's what I was thinking. Presti could have gotten more, but he waited to put the trade to GMs and then got pressed up against the Oct. 31 deadline. In his 8 NBA years, Kevin Martin has averaged under 60 games. He is 6 1/2 years older than Harden.
Daryl Morey is looking amazing. He's acquired three players that he had no business acquiring. Everybody thought NY would match Lin. Everybody thought Chicago would match Asik. Nobody would have dreamed you could get Harden for crappy old Kevin Martin (who was, remember, ditched from Sacramento for basically nothing because he was interfering with Tyreke Evans' growth [that worked out well] and Jeremy "sleepy" Lamb). All his risky picks look like they're panning out (well, the jury's out on Royce White) and, AND, he will have cap room for another max contract this Summer! He's like Bob Whitsitt WITH a degree in Chemistry. Does Houston have a single player who was on the books at this time two years ago? Or even one year ago?
Why do people keep saying the draft picks are shitty? The Raptors pick is guaranteed lotto. If the Raptors miss the playoffs this year (which I think they will), its a mid-late lottery pick. The Dallas pick is protected but I'm not sure of the details. Either way, it doesn't seem like the Mavs will be good for a while. The Charlotte second rounder is basically a late first but better as they don't have guaranteed contracts
"A max on the Thunder would have been roughly $60 million over those same four years. That’s a difference of $6 million over the life of the deal but $2 million per year. Before you scream “that’s it!” it’s important to realize the ramifications. That would have put the Thunder on the hook for roughly $69 million for just five players! In 2014-15, that bill for those same five players (Westbrook, Harden, Durant, Serge Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins) would have been around $72 million. The tax level this year is $70.3. So the Thunder would have been staring at a tax bill that started at $3 million before even fielding the remaining eight players necessary on the roster. What’s more amazing than the money the Thunder offered its third best player is how Harden will now get a max deal from Houston before Wednesday’s deadline. And it won’t be the same as the Thunder’s max. It’ll be the “designated player” max, the same joint Westbrook got. Because the Rockets haven’t used this exception in the new CBA, they can designate Harden to be its lone player on a five-year contract. That means Harden, any day now, will ink a five-year deal worth roughly $78 million. We’ll see how that works out for Houston. My take is it’s a reach." Initially, I was surprised that Harden would leave the OKC dynasty in the making, for just a few million dollars, but now it makes more sense. In a vicarious fantasy world, I'd have stayed in OKC.
Essentially, the CBA is doing what it should: preventing teams from stockpiling stars. Unless you're the Lakers, and can subvert the whole process by signing a ridiculous TV deal that gives you and you alone unlimited wealth. (THAT'S something the CBA should cover: after all, who'd pay to watch the Lakers just play exhibition games against non-NBA teams?)
After Presti traded Aldrich and cut Orton, long-time Blazer Hasheem Thabeet will be the top backup at Center for fans of the Cheapstake Energy Arena. Chesapeake. Cheesecake.
false, the thunder could have matched any offer, or facilitated a sign and trade, and probably for a similar if not better haul
Yeah, assets out of space. He's been good at it. But thinking he'll now flip Martin as an expiring and assets for a big piece....why wouldn't he hav eeither moved Harden for that piece, or use the money that piece is making to keep Harden. I don't see this move at all as asset building for a trade. It's finding a way to keep talent in the pipeline, because you know you can't pay it all when it maxes out. It's like an Oakland/TB sort of move in baseball. Doing it when they were that close to a title seems awful to me, for the pieces they got
an expiring, a middling prospect, a couple middling picks even if you think harden is crap, crap in crap out
I'd rather trade Ibaka than get cheap with Harden. Adding Kevin Martin, a poor defensive player that doesn't pass, to the mix is going to hurt chemistry.
presumably if they do this it would be for a necessary complimentary piece or pieces and not for someone starting a potentially crippling 5 year max deal.
they have 4 bigs they can rotate 4/5 in ibaka, perkins, collison, + PJ3 who played great in preseason. they don't need to rely on thabeet.
