Official NBA 2012-2013 Season Thread

[jordan23dotcom]

Heart broken right now.... But I'm willing to see what OKC does with all this. I don't see the newly acquired players staying for long. I think they are planning for the future, which i think is stupid cus they have something now..... Lets wait and see. This year, in my book, is out the window unless these new guys just light it up

 

[goldmember]

 

[buc em]

I'm sorry but it was clear as day that the Thunder had not one single other player that could score the ball besides Durant, Westbrook and Harden. Now they add two more nice scoring options (one of which has a TON of potential) and most likely two lottery picks since I doubt the Rockets will be making the playoffs in the next couple years. Yes Harden has been a great playmaker and 6th man option for them but they got a hell of a lot in return for him and unloaded the two scrubbiest players remaining on their roster as well. K-Mart may not be the #1 option that both the Kings and Rockets trying making him into but as a 6th man I think he'll be great. Love this deal for the Thunder and can't wait to see how Lamb and K-Mart fit in with them.

As far as the Rockets are concerned, they really don't have much to lose and they didn't give up much besides Lamb. Should be very interesting seeing if harden can be the #1 option there.

 

[essential1]

I'm sorry but it was clear as day that the Thunder had not one single other player that could score the ball besides Durant, Westbrook and Harden. Now they add two more nice scoring options (one of which has a TON of potential) and most likely two lottery picks since I doubt the Rockets will be making the playoffs in the next couple years. Yes Harden has been a great playmaker and 6th man option for them but they got a hell of a lot in return for him and unloaded the two scrubbiest players remaining on their roster as well. K-Mart may not be the #1 option that both the Kings and Rockets trying making him into but as a 6th man I think he'll be great. Love this deal for the Thunder and can't wait to see how Lamb and K-Mart fit in with them.
As far as the Rockets are concerned, they really don't have much to lose and they didn't give up much besides Lamb. Should be very interesting seeing if harden can be the #1 option there.

Their picks were from the Raptors and the Mavs..

The Mavs pick is top 20 protected until 2018

The Raptors is lottery guaranteed.. But I don't see them getting better than a 10-14 pick.. Lowry & Calderon together will put them near a 8th seed.

Harden > Kev Mart who is constantly injured
Harden > Lamb who is all potential no proof

They were competing with LAL.. Their biggest hole was Center against Dwight... Now it's SG, Center.. And they don't have a bench advantage over LA..

In a couple years.. Yes it's a good trade, but to argue the deal is good for OKC THIS YEAR. Is insane

 

[picknroll24]

OKC tapping out
Jeremy Lamb has potential to be good player I wonder how he will fit in though

 

[franchise3]

because you and rocket fans ant hyped up kevin martin for years? the same with kings fan, yall and many other people have said kevin martin would be prefect as a number 3 on a team or a 6th man role and thats what he will do in OKC.

i like what OKC did, now i would have traded harden back at draft time with all the good trades rumors they had out back then. but KD and RW will always keep u at the top of the west this gives u more options to put players around them.

Martin made sense as a compliment to Yao. Martin made sense when Yao was gone. How does Martin make sense on a team where KD and Westbrook dominate the ball? Bring him off the bench you might say. I guess. At the end of the day, OKC lost a lot in letting Harden go. While OKC was a Finals team last year, they're gonna ride Martin for one year, hope Lamb pans out, and draft dudes that can hopefully produce and pan out in the next couple of years. Good luck.

 

[julius wrek]

Hey_

I'm a Harden fan,

but is there anybody out there who could make a "Scumbag Harden" meme?

Harden after the Finals: “This team is like a family. Like, we’re really brothers. We hang out most of the time every single day. You won’t find any other team like this. I love it here. This is something special here. A dynasty is being built here. So we’re winning, we’re having fun and we’re brothers. The other stuff, you can’t buy it.”

Smh.

Julius F. Wrek

 

[bigmike23]

Their picks were from the Raptors and the Mavs..
The Mavs pick is top 20 protected until 2018
The Raptors is lottery guaranteed.. But I don't see them getting better than a 10-14 pick.. Lowry & Calderon together will put them near a 8th seed.
Harden > Kev Mart who is constantly injured
Harden > Lamb who is all potential no proof
They were competing with LAL.. Their biggest hole was Center against Dwight... Now it's SG, Center.. And they don't have a bench advantage over LA..
In a couple years.. Yes it's a good trade, but to argue the deal is good for OKC THIS YEAR. Is insane

we all know harden>>whatever crap. but its clear as day harden wasnt going to resign with OKC so why keep him. your good with throwing out your fantasy trades. so name any that would have made OKC better right now? martin is going to play the same role

with harden did OKC have the SG advantage over LA? if kevin martin is coming off the bench he is better anything the lakers have on there's

OKC is still the lakers threat to win the east. and like a great GM he has the thunder in the hunt for this year and anything down the line

 

[essential1]

I honestly didn't think Kevin Martin was going to be traded for Harden... I would have thought he would have been traded to the Wolves by the Rockets

One has to think the Thunder do not hold onto Kevin Martin the entire season..

But I looked at every team.. And I can't really find one where it makes sense for the other team, and the Thunder get something out of it.

A bunch of teams need to clear cap, but not one of them will offer up something the Thunder need.. The one case where they would offer up a need would be the Cavs with Verejao, but they don't need KevMart and no way Presti deals with that contract.

Thunder took a guy who has a lot of trade value because of his expiring, but no deals that will fill the holes they need filled.

 

[essential1]

we all know harden>>whatever crap. but its clear as day harden wasnt going to resign with OKC so why keep him. your good with throwing out your fantasy trades. so name any that would have made OKC better right now? martin is going to play the same role


with harden did OKC have the SG advantage over LA? if kevin martin is coming off the bench he is better anything the lakers have on there's


OKC is still the lakers threat to win the east. and like a great GM he has the thunder in the hunt for this year and anything down the line

Martin is not remotely good enough to play that same role.. The reason Harden worked is because he could shoot the 3. Shoot mid range. Get to the bucket. Score and draw the foul. He was quick and he played pestering defense..

Martin is injury prone.. Everyone knows it.. Not only that he doesn't get to the bucket.. So you can let him stand there and shoot 3s if you want while KD & Russ do the same. While Dwight stands around the rim with nobody attacking.

And no Lakers SG position was better before.. But with Harden and Thabo it was manageable. Thabo causes problems for Kobe on Offense.. Harden does on Defense.. Kobe has zero problems on Defense with Martin or Thabo... And Martin isn't going to cause problems for Kobe on Defense either.

And no OKC is no longer the threat to LA... Sure they'll get 55 wins.. But I'll take SA & Clipps as bigger postseason threats now..

And with demolishing their bench by getting rid of Harden.... Their bench is no better than LA's...

And there were dozens of trades out there that would have been better for OKC... Morey went for blood, and played them in their desperation..

You can also try to use the same tired line about "fantasy trades" but I know my ****, and have proven I know my ****.

 

[picknroll24]

Lakers #1 weakness past years: guarding the pick and roll... OKC trades away one of the best pick and roll players in the league

 

[japanair21]

Now they add two more nice scoring options (one of which has a TON of potential) and most likely two lottery picks since I doubt the Rockets will be making the playoffs in the next couple years. Yes Harden has been a great playmaker and 6th man option for them but they got a hell of a lot in return for him and unloaded the two scrubbiest players remaining on their roster as well.

Kevin Martin is a pretty good shooter, and scorer, but he's most likely gone after the year. And the other player they just got who you says has a ton of potential, is not touching what James Harden could be. Harden gets to the line as good as Iverson did back in the day. Except he's like 5 inches taller, a better shooter, and great with the ball in his hands.

Both picks have protection on them, so they may not be worth as much as they seem. They won't be based on how Houston does, but on how well Toronto and Dallas do.

I honestly don't see Kevin Martin being in the Thunder's long-term plans. Just this year, unless he plays out of his mind, which no one is expecting.

I think people have short-term memory. Harden killed Dallas and LA's back-court.

 

[dmbrhs]

i dont know how i feel abou this trade... first of all harden is not a max player and he should have accepted his extension at 13 mill per year... and not to mention he has been playing garbage lately in the finals and in the olympics... but i wouldnt be so quick to give him up just yet...

Whether you feel someone is a max player or not, and what the market dictates, are two entirely different things. Harden is a max player, plain and simple. Next summer, 25 teams were ready to line up and offer him a max deal, no matter what it took. He played like garbage in the Finals, and then barely played in the Olympics, so your sample size is quite small. They didn't give up on him, they just went the route of a standard small market franchise: they didn't want to pay him his market value. It's complete crap, considering how much OKC makes these days as a franchise.

Anyone who thinks this is a good trade for OKC is delusional (note: note sure if a "great", or even "good", trade was ever going to materialize). Harden thrived there because of his role. It's well know he never wanted to be "The Man" in the NBA. He was effective because he had starter talent without the pressure of being a starter. He could defer to Durant and Westbrook whenever, and if they lost, it was never on him, and if he was responsible for a win, he got his due credit. The only criticism he really got was in the Finals against Miami. Now, OKC gets Kevin Martin, whose name has never once appeared in the same sentence as Harden's. And now, OKC has screwed with their chemistry. If you don't think Harden leaving (a guy who was their third best player, and also played on the Olympic team with his teammates) is going to have an impact, then you're crazy. You have to integrate these new players into the system. I think due to overall age in the west, OKC can make it out, but beyond that, it's tough to see them winning it all this year

 

[do work son]

Harden + Lin + Asik as the future of the rockets makes me sad

 

[kevin cleveland]

I'm mad that Jeremy Lamb is going to be a third option for most of his career now.

 

[illoquent aka dsk]

Maybe it's cuz I'm wavy right now but how is everyone missing how much more Harden is gonna make in Houston? He's getting more than that $6 mill difference y'all keep talking about...Houston will max him out on a bigger extension than what OKC could offer.

EDIT -

Wow, I totally forgot Houston can offer Harden the full five year max extension. Oklahoma City could only offer James a four year extension (Westbrook took the five year last year). So he's going to get a lot more than he ever could have in OKC.

@JonesOnTheNBA Harden can get up to 5yrs/$78M in Houston instead of 4 year $52 mil OKC offered. Significant difference.

WOOOOO

I knew I could count on you b.

I shoulda kept reading.

 

[buc em]

Kevin Martin has averaged between 18-24 points a game for the past 9 years yet somehow none of you think he'll even be capable of being an instant offense player off the bench. Okay. And people here were on Lamb's **** hard talking about him as a future star and #1 option.. Now I guess you guys are saying he won't even be able to be a good 7th or 8th man for the Thunder. Has seriously everybody forgot in the past 24 hours that James Harden has looked like he forgot how to play basketball since the Finals? I'm literally quoting that from atleast a few of you on here, including a couple Thunder fans themselves. That Thunder bench with Maynor-Martin-Lamb-PJ3-Collison-Thabeet is going to be awesome.

 

[jjs07]

Love this deal for the Rockets (going forward) - they get one of the best SGs in the league who is STILL improving. Dude is only 23 and not even close to reaching his full potential.

That being said, I completely understand why OKC made this move. We touched on it earlier, but it would have been foolish to keep Harden on the roster for the season (with his contract status in the air) and not get anything in return if he chose to walk at the end of the season - which was likely.

You all can fault Harden all you want, but he would have left a ton of money on the table had he stayed in OKC. You all have to remember....the NBA is a business first. There isn't such a thing as team "loyalty" like what we say out of players from years back. Take a deal from OKC for 54 mil, or get moved to Houston where you can bring in as much as 78 mil?

There are some questions about OKC going forward, but you have to put your complete faith in Presti and his vision for the franchise. They'll be right in the thick of things and in the WCF come playoff time. Just going to be a question of how everyone gels and accepts their new roles.

Oh, let's see if Ibaka can pick up some of the scoring slack in Harden's absence. No reason he can't be a consistent double-double guy this year.

Has seriously everybody forgot in the past 24 hours that James Harden has looked like he forgot how to play basketball since the Finals?

He had an awful finals...so what? Does that cloud everything he's done up until that point? Sheesh....he's not the first, nor last guy to have an awful playoff series.

 

[jumpmanpro97]

looks like OKC tried to lowball Harden, what did he expect after not showing up at all in the finals. I actually think the Thunder got the better of this deal, even tho I think Kevin Martin is overrated, he essentially does the same things harden did and they pick up Jeremy Lamb.

 

[datznasty]

I said that about James looking rusty in preseason (note, the particular game I was commenting on he was with no Westbrook or Durant and finished I think 2 for 17 but with 7 assists and 7 boards). And still I'd take my "chances" that he figures it out again (it was mostly just him trying to integrate mid range shots into his game, particularly out of pick and roll which he typically hasn't done much ever) over taking the chance that Kevin Martin can be healthy (he has missed 20+ games 4 of the last 5 seasons) AND that he can up his % by 9 to match James.

Passing the ball to James and passing to Kevin Martin are 2 completely different propositions. In the later, you are conceding, guaranteeing, that Martin is going to take a shot, and basically 3 out of every 5 of those will be a miss.

Lamb is a huge upgrade defensively to James obviously right away. We do have some potentially stellar athletic lineup, it used to be Russ/James/Perry/Kevin/Ibaka that I thought was that lineup (they played it for like 90 seconds together one preseason games), but now sub Lamb in. When they want to that lineup can lock down defensively. Don't like Perry Jones 3, fine make Liggins the 2 and call Lamb the 3.

As for James and the finals, there was that rumor that he was upset after game 1 (the only game OKC won) about his shots and minutes and Fisher and Perkins had to talk to him.

The Rockets will still have money for 1 more max guy next yr. So Lin, Harden, Parson, Jones, and Asik with D-Mo and White off the bench tentatively, depending on who the max guy is and then moves someone else to the bench isn't bad at all


The damage these 2 used to do when they were on the court together, particularly against all bench units. Kevin Martin isn't good enough of a passer to mimic James's role in it, and Asik isn't clever enough of a ball player nor has the hands to be Nick's role in Houston

 

[noblekane]

what would cheryl miller do?

 

[CHAOSE57]

 

[Kimchi Papi]

Wow, OKC moved fast on this & got a solid deal in return, specifically the draft picks (2 first round & 1 second round). Martin's last season numbers are comparable to Harden. Not sure what type of player Lamb will be but he's in a good team first environment in OKC...

SMH at Harden, he wanted $4.5 mil more? Let's he how he takes the losing Houston will experience. There's something to be said about being in a winning environment & with a team committed to winning...I'm not knocking the Rockets, but they aren't OKC.

 

[harlemtothebronx]

Man, Houston has to change their uniforms.:x

 

[Kimchi Papi]

Man, Houston has to change their uniforms.:x

I've been saying that forever...Them jawns they wear now look like WNBA unis...Houston & the Suns have the worse unis...