Report: Mavericks, Rockets to make sure Thunder pay for Harden
Sep 12, 2012, 11:54 AM EDT
When Oklahoma City GM Sam Presti was talking James Harden’s contract recently, he sounded a lot like your boss before he started talking about everyone taking furlough days — “we have some inherent challenges that we face as an organization” and that kind of thing.
Which is because every dollar they can get Harden to give back to the franchise as a hometown discount is two dollars they save as they start to head over the luxury tax threshold.
But Harden wants a max contract and as ESPN’s Marc Stein noted on twitter there are teams ready to give him one next summer as a restricted free agent.
I know at least two teams near OKC (Houston & Dallas) that are huge Harden fans and will have cap space to sign him to loaded offer sheet
Make no mistake, Harden wants to stay in Oklahoma City and chase rings with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. That is his preference. But this is business and this will be his first big contract (after his rookie deal). This is the contract that not only sets a player up for life (unless he blows the cash), it can set his family up for generations. A max deal is about $58 million over four years. This is not when you hand out your services at a discount.
In a world where Brook Lopez and Roy Hibbert get max deals and Nicolas Batum comes close to one, Harden is a max player. It’s not close. He’s an All-Star and gold medal winner who just turned 23 and is getting better. He doesn’t have to take less than the max.
The Thunder knew this was coming, they have known since before the new CBA was signed the price Harden would command on the open market. They made their deal with Serge Ibaka knowing full well what the future costs of Harden would be. This is not on Harden, this is fully on the Thunder and their ownership. They can make the max offer before the Oct. 31 deadline for a contract extension and avoid the season of drama (they have no plans to trade him), or they can wait until next summer. Their call. The price isn’t changing.
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520px;”> Phil Jackson has been virtually everywhere the last couple weeks selling his new book “Eleven Rings” but one of my favorite interviews so far is the one from last night with John Stewart on The Daily Show. And not because as a Knicks fan Stewart wants to know about those two rings. It’s near…
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It’s official: Krzyzewski back to coach Team USA through Rio Olympics
May 23, 2013, 11:39 AM EDT
Reuters
We’ve all done this: After a really difficult project, no matter how rewarding it was, right afterward we say “no way, I’m never doing that again.” Then six months later we look back on it and think “you know, it wasn’t that bad” and talk ourselves into doing it again. That’s Mike Krzyzewski and coaching…
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John Calipari: Cavaliers’ GM scouted Kentucky more than any other GM
May 23, 2013, 11:22 AM EDT
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There’s a big risk that comes with draft Nerlens Noel. And not just his torn ACL. Noel played only 24 games last season, and although that’s more than twice as many as Kyrie Irving did his lone season at Duke, it’s still a pretty small sample. I think Noel proved enough to justify becoming the…
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The Wizards rightfully believe they would have made the playoffs if they remained healthy this season. Washington went 24-25 with John Wall – a better winning percentage than the eighth-seeded Bucks (38-44). And when Wall, Nene and Bradley Beal all played, the Wizards were 15-7. Washington should be excited to have a team on the…
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Hibbert said he will speak up in future, demand to be in game at end
May 23, 2013, 10:47 AM EDT
AP
Pacers coach Frank Vogel had his reasoning — the Heat with their small lineup had five guys who can shoot from the perimeter so he wanted to match that with a small lineup that could switch everything. Twice in the last 10.8 seconds he pulled the 7’2” rim-defending center and went small with Tyler Hansbrough…
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Reuters
It’s good to have the best player on the planet on your team. At the end of the day that was the reason the Miami Heat are up 1-0 — as great as Paul George was for Indiana, the Miami Heat have LeBron James. From the very start LeBron was knocking down jumpers from the…
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LeBron James’ detractors are still plentiful and are still vocal — just follow the conversation on twitter during any Heat game. People will tell you how much they loathe LeBron and everything he stands for. But they are buying his shoes. Forbes Magazine broke down the numbers on domestic signature shoe sales (from sportsonesource.com) and…
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For the 145th time since they joined forces in Miami, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh finished as the Heat’s top three scorers. For the first time in the 2013 calendar year, the fourth-leading scorer – Chris Andersen – scored more than 15 points. It’s been much less of a concern that many expected…
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Paul George introduces himself to much of America with breakout game… that got overshadowed
May 23, 2013, 2:08 AM EDT
Getty Images
America, meet Paul George. He’s the Pacer that hit the insane, dramatic three pointer that sent Game 1 against the Heat into overtime. He’s the guy that drew the superstar call on Dwyane Wade, then with ice water in his veins hit three free throws to give Indiana the lead with 2.2 seconds left in…
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Pacers’ coach Vogel explains decision to bench Hibbert late, says ‘we’ll probably have him in next time’
May 23, 2013, 1:49 AM EDT
The Heat came away with the 103-102 overtime victory over the Pacers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, thanks to a triple-double performance from LeBron James, which included hitting the game-winning layup as time expired. The words “game-winning layup” should never be a relevant phrase this deep into the postseason; teams normally defend…
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LeBron’s triple-double, game-winner in overtime lead Heat to Game 1 win over Pacers
May 23, 2013, 1:16 AM EDT
The Pacers gave the Heat all they wanted in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, but in the end, the game’s best player — along with some questionable coaching strategy down the stretch — was too much for Indiana to overcome. LeBron James finished with a triple-double line of 30 points, 10 rebounds, and…
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LeBron’s game-winning layup at the overtime buzzer gives Heat Game 1 win over Pacers (VIDEO)
May 23, 2013, 12:28 AM EDT
Getty Images
Paul George hit a big time shot at the end of regulation to get the Pacers to overtime, but once we got to the end of the extra session, LeBron James took his turn at the last-second heroics. With the Heat trailing by one and 2.2 seconds remaining, James receives the inbounds pass and immediately…
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Pacers’ Paul George hits the three to send Game 1 vs. Heat into overtime (VIDEO)
May 22, 2013, 11:50 PM EDT
At the beginning of this possession, it looked like Paul George of the Pacers made a huge mistake by not raising up for the shot when he first received the ball at the top of the arc. As the seconds ticked away and with the Pacers down three, things seemed to be breaking down to…
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Carmelo Anthony’s shoulder was clearly bothering him through much of the playoffs, but he fought through it as best he could averaging 28.8 points per game (on just 40.1 percent shooting, down from 44 in the regular season) with 6.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists. He injured it in Game 5 against the Celtics and went…
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LeBron loves that Coach K is back with Team USA, but will he play in 2016?
May 22, 2013, 9:02 PM EDT
AP
Mike Krzyzewski coming back to coach Team USA for the 2016 Rio Olympics is certainly a good step toward another gold medal for the Americans. Coach K has been 62-1 at the helm of USA Basketball. But it’s not the biggest key. That would be getting LeBron James, Kevin Durant and the elite talent of…
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Economists have done countless studies that show the economic impact of major league sports — and especially the impact of building new arenas and stadiums — are pretty negligible, often even painful for individual cities. I believe that. But it’s still hard to explain just what it meant to Charlotte to get the Hornets. We…
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Report: Mike D’Antoni will not return as Team USA assistant coach
May 22, 2013, 7:32 PM EDT
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We mentioned this in our story telling you Mike Krzyzewski will be back as head coach of Team USA for the 2016 Olympics — there might be some changes to his staff. One bit of news is in — Mike D’Antoni is out as an assistant coach, reports Marc Berman at the New York Post.…
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Reuters
Here is our regular look around the NBA — links to stories worth reading and notes to check out (stuff that did not get its own post here at PBT) — done in bullet point form. Because bloggers love bullet points. • Knicks GM Glen Grunwald says after his exit meeting with Jason Kidd, he…
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AP
For the next few weeks PBT will be profiling likely first-round draft picks in the upcoming NBA Draft. Today we talk about one of the best dunker’s in the game right now. San Diego State is turning out some talent under Steve Fisher the last few years. That Kawhi Leonard guy is giving the Grizzlies…
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Report: Mavericks looking to move No. 13 pick to clear out cap space for run at Howard, CP3
May 22, 2013, 3:43 PM EDT
AP
It’s no secret that the Dallas Mavericks want to get a big star to pair with — and eventually take over the franchise mantle from — Dirk Nowitzki. And there are only two franchise-caliber players on the market this season, Chris Paul and Dwight Howard. But to offer a max contract Dallas has to make…
