Comments on: Report: Mavericks, Rockets to make sure Thunder pay for Harden

By: nokoolaidcowboy

nokoolaidcowboy — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 09:15:53 +0000

This guy is having too much fun! No one going to mention the name Urkell? Snort, snort, snort!

By: Kurt Helin

Kurt Helin — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 21:36:40 +0000

I love that picture of Harden.

By: max20characters

max20characters — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 21:23:02 +0000

Couldn’t pick a better picture, Kurt?

By: cmehustle

cmehustle — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 21:13:39 +0000

All you guys make good comments. I think its going to be fun to see how this ends up playing out. We know both him and Chris Paul are going to be free agents and I cant wait to see how this ends up playing out. The Thunder are a smart franchise though and I believe in them. I think they know thier team and if they decide to let him go its because they got somebody behind him now who can help pickup some of the slack.

By: sylpkt

sylpkt — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 18:04:44 +0000

I think its pretty clear Harden will get his MAX deal (PHX, DAL our HOU), but the Thunder don’t have any reason to offer him the Max now.

Either he signs a team friendly deal before the season or he plays it out this season and is motivated to get his MAX deal, is offered the MAX from one or all of the 3 teams and OKC matches and then amnesties Perk.

With the Perk amnesty in the back pocket for the Thunder, I don’t think there’s any way that the Thunder don’t match.

(and I hear you “but dwight howard is on the lakers and perk is a dwight stopper – yada yada” crowd, but If you hadn’t noticed, the Thunder have been signing young, cheap centers all offseason and have a couple stashed in the D league and overseas to prepare for this. Ibaka hopefully will learn the nastiness/defensive leader role that Perk learned from Garnett in Boston and should step into that role. He will also play more center as the team continues to run the league out of the gym with the “small” lineups of Durant, Westbrook, Harden, Maynor/Tabo/P Jones, Ibaka/Collison)

By: kdn4

kdn4 — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 17:08:41 +0000

I think it would be an awesome coupe for whatever franchise that ends up in Seattle to get him. Because we know that Chris Hansen isn’t going to be afraid of a little luxury tax.

By: xLith

xLith — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 16:52:21 +0000

I would love for the Rockets to get Harden. I’ve been cheering for him and OKC in our mediocrity. OKC is what I hope the Rockets can pull off in the next few years. I miss the glory days of the 90s when we actually mattered. This middle-of-the-pack crap is so old now.

By: eventhorizon04

eventhorizon04 — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 16:14:54 +0000

Good post.
Some people were saying on the post yesterday that, “James Harden is not a max player! Look at how poorly he did in the Finals!”
They’re right that Harden had only 1 good half in the Finals (the first half of game 2) and was otherwise a non-factor in that series.

However, GMs don’t just look at one playoff series when deciding how much a player is worth.

Harden provides floor spacing (fun fact – he had a higher 3 point field goal percentage than Kevin Durant in 2011 – 39% versus 38.7%).
Harden provides ball handling/playmaking ability.
Harden is not an elite defender but is a willing defender.
AND Harden is famous and popular (Fear the Beard!).

The NBA is short on elite shooting guards, and now that both Kobe and Wade are in their 30′s, it’s possible to argue that Harden (age 23) could be a top shooting guard in 4-6 years.

Those factors all add up to max contract. No matter how upset you are at how poorly he did in the Finals, you can’t really argue otherwise.