Official NBA 2012-2013 Season Thread

[BIG LEEMELONE]

so if we assume that there was no way for OKC to keep their top 4 players together, do yall think they would be better off with Ibaka or Harden? personally I think that as good as Harden is he is more replaceable than Serge, especially since Serge is slowly getting better offensively. and I didn't realize K-Mart is an expiring contract that makes the deal even better for them. I don't expect the Thunder to have as big a drop off as most people, they got even deeper with this move.

and this ol' NBA "thug" James is gonna go crazy with the hand signs after he starts hitting threes in that red jersey

 

[DCAllAfrican]

 

[Peep Game]

Nate Rob just got to the Bulls and is already auditioning for his next team

 

[rook]

Thanks for that vid, real talk.

 

[noblekane]

With mr potato head coaching Jesus won't save you

THANK YOU! apparently half of our fanbase all of a sudden treats mike clown like frickin coach k

 

[franknbeans]

Hate lol
btw Yankee aint touching the Lakers in term of popularity
Outside of US. How many people know or follow the Yankee lol

lol in any sport,in any part of the globe ,no one franchise is as popular or more successful than the Yankees,stop it.

 

[Bend_The_Knee]

Hate lol
btw Yankee aint touching the Lakers in term of popularity
Outside of US. How many people know or follow the Yankee lol

You clearly have no idea what you are talking about.

 

[noblekane]

Yea, what's even more crazy is that they still didn't get a reliable interior scorer in the trade.

please tell that to nba 2k13 smh

 

[addict4sneakers]

You're wasting your time arguing with ACBboyz. He can barely spell his own user name.

 

[rook]

Hate lol
btw Yankee aint touching the Lakers in term of popularity
Outside of US. How many people know or follow the Yankee lol

lol in any sport,in any part of the globe ,no one franchise is as popular or more successful than the Yankees,stop it.

Manchester United.

 

[franchise3]

If Stern doesn't nix the original Rockets-Lakers-Hornets three way, the NBA landscape looks totally different, obviously. Just crazy to think about.

 

[thehealthinspector]

who the hells going to pay james harden almost 30 mil in endorsements over the next 5 years?

footlocker?

 

[dacomeup]

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

Really? He looked good in that role when he played with Kemba. I'm not even sure if it's in his makeup to be "the guy" on this level. I think he could turn out to be nice in this situation, but not year 1.

I think it's good that Presti didn't let this be a distraction, nor did he wait until his hands were tied and he had to take a much worse deal.

I wonder if Cleveland is kicking themselves for not drafting Harrison Barnes? Possibly could've flipped Barnes for Harden and that works out great for both squads.

 

[nicelikechrist]

 

[ucm92]

Financially, I think it was the right move for Harden. They're offering him around 5 more million dollars and plus a starring role. If he can deliver what they're banking on him delivering then it could end up being more than that. At least OKC got some more than capable players back. 

Basketball wise I think the Thunder were gonna do what they were gonna do. Especially with the players they got back, If they were gonna win the championship they were gonna win it with or without harden. He was a really big part of that okc team yes, but Lamb plus Martin and getting maynor back definitely make up for it. And they still have perhaps the best combo in the league.

For the rockets it's clear that they're banking on big years from Harden and Lin. They gave away some pieces in Martin and Lamb that would of made them at the very least competitive. Looking at the Rockets roster now if James doesn't come through upwards of 20 a game it's gonna be a struggle. He had 17 a game last year.Going from that to 20 ppg wont be enough. He's gotta take a huge leap. Like T-Mac in 01. Can he take that next leap ? As the primary focus of the defense every night ? Against starters as opposed to reserves ?  I think he can the book is still out though. Wouldn't be surprised if he didn't.

Could potentially be a great move for both teams.

 

[solarius49]

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

Really? He looked good in that role when he played with Kemba. I'm not even sure if it's in his makeup to be "the guy" on this level. I think he could turn out to be nice in this situation, but not year 1.

I think it's good that Presti didn't let this be a distraction, nor did he wait until his hands were tied and he had to take a much worse deal.

I wonder if Cleveland is kicking themselves for not drafting Harrison Barnes? Possibly could've flipped Barnes for Harden and that works out great for both squads.

Where would Barnes even play? He plays the same position as their bests player and their first round draft pick

 

[jumpmanfromdabay]

Hate lol
btw Yankee aint touching the Lakers in term of popularity
Outside of US. How many people know or follow the Yankee lol

You clearly have no idea what you are talking about.

 

[buc em]

If Stern doesn't nix the original Rockets-Lakers-Hornets three way, the NBA landscape looks totally different, obviously. Just crazy to think about.

That's crazy to think about. Who knows where all the guys that the Clippers signed this offseason would be, CP3 would be a Laker, Nash probably a Raptor, Gasol and I don't remember who else would be Rockets, Kevin Martin, Scola and one of the Rockets 1st rounders this year would be Hornets, and who knows what happens with Dwight if the Lakers didn't end up having the money for him.

 

[pmatic]

The Lakers actually would have saved money in the nixed deal (but they had to re-up Chris Paul).

 

[Arthur Shelby]

I'm still at the James Harden trade was hoping OKC would play out this last season but it is what it is

i wonder how high / how good those future picks will be + jeremy lamb is a really good get 2nd best Wing player in this past draft After Brad Beal

Lamb is a lot better than Ross , Waiters , Rivers or Barnes in my book

 

[friscostylez]

Really? He looked good in that role when he played with Kemba. I'm not even sure if it's in his makeup to be "the guy" on this level. I think he could turn out to be nice in this situation, but not year 1.

I think it's good that Presti didn't let this be a distraction, nor did he wait until his hands were tied and he had to take a much worse deal.

I wonder if Cleveland is kicking themselves for not drafting Harrison Barnes? Possibly could've flipped Barnes for Harden and that works out great for both squads.

If jeremy lamb was the third option, then who was the second option?

 

[DCAllAfrican]

For those of you who aren't big fans of traditional fantasy (like me) I used to play a game that was based on the Efficiency Rating (not PER). It used to be called Virtual GM, then they changed the name to NBA Fastbreak. ESPN axed the game some years ago but now it is back. Basically you set your team each week and you accumulate points (efficiency). Each player has a value and it increases/decreases depending on his performances.

http://es.pn/VVGJR6 - Link to my group. Password is wwf.

There is a rules section for anyone that is interested. It is fun. Glad it is back.

 

[bhzmafia14]

Damn, if James Harden gets Rudy Gay type money.

I believe this was already said in here, but:


From Hardwood Paroxysm on Twitter:

"@HPbasketball: I like how people think that Harden's efficiency and production will be the same when defenses aren't worried about KEVIN MF DURANT and Russ"

And

"@HPbasketball: Harden's not going to get that third best defender anymore. Iguodala, Tony Allen, Luol Deng, THOSE are who he gets now."

Overall, I still like how Houston went after him. I don't think he'll end up being a #1 option kinda player, but we'll just have to wait and see. Houston was my 2nd favorite team heading into the season because they had a bunch of guys I liked: the 3 rookies, Asik, Parsons, Patterson. Now, they have Harden, who I'm a fan of as well. They do need to change those damn jerseys, though.

As for people talking about OKC's future..... this move may be good for OKC's future, but ask Portland (Oden, Roy) about the future. You never know if they will be in the position to contend again. Injuries are part of the game (ask the Griz about that). I think you strike when you have the chance to strike. And going into this season, the Thunder were one of the top 3 contenders. I also don't see Martin fitting in as well, but Maynor will have to be huge this year. If he goes down, that halfcourt offense :x

 

[jjs]

OKC had a chance to win it all IMO, now with harden gone, it's hard for me to think they can get past all those western teams to get to the finals (they are still a very good team, but we will see)

I'm a OKC fan, so I'll keep hoping

 

[doitallpaul]

YO the thunder got more for james harden the magic got for dwight howard....still amazed the magic turned down lopez humprhies and 4 four quatro first rounders...