James Harden traded to the Rockets!!!!!

[Sccit]

Now that I look at this trade, it maybe the best thing to happen to OKC. With Harden, they'll win the next two years and challenge the Lakers and Heat for titles. Without Harden, the next two years will be harder to pull off, but in 2 years with two lottery picks OKC will be UNTOUCHABLE! OKC is playing chess, and right now the NBA will not know what hits them. Martin will not be as good as Harden in the role that's required from OKC, but I think OKC put it's self in dynasty territory.

those lottery picks will pan out when durants out of his prime....westbrook probably books it to another team by then, as well. rule #1 in the nba...if u have a chance to win, do it.

That's why I was against the Thunder trading Harden. Harden gives them a chance to win now. Now the Thunder are build to win in 2-3 years. But in 2-3 years, they'll be unstoppable.

maybe....but compromising a chance to win NOW is never the smart thing to do in the NBA. it could pay off, no doubt, but it's also a big gamble.

[M Dogg™]

Now that I look at this trade, it maybe the best thing to happen to OKC. With Harden, they'll win the next two years and challenge the Lakers and Heat for titles. Without Harden, the next two years will be harder to pull off, but in 2 years with two lottery picks OKC will be UNTOUCHABLE! OKC is playing chess, and right now the NBA will not know what hits them. Martin will not be as good as Harden in the role that's required from OKC, but I think OKC put it's self in dynasty territory.

those lottery picks will pan out when durants out of his prime....westbrook probably books it to another team by then, as well. rule #1 in the nba...if u have a chance to win, do it.

That's why I was against the Thunder trading Harden. Harden gives them a chance to win now. Now the Thunder are build to win in 2-3 years. But in 2-3 years, they'll be unstoppable.

maybe....but compromising a chance to win NOW is never the smart thing to do in the NBA. it could pay off, no doubt, but it's also a big gamble.

to the Thunder's credit though, they have the youth to watch 2-3 years, and they also needed to something with Harden. This might have been the best bet.

[Remedy360]

Durant will be 25 years old, with adding back to back lottery picks to his team.

The Rockets weren't that bad last year were they? What makes you think they're going to be a lottery team?

Lin is going to be an abomination. Harden hasn't proven he can just be handed the keys & lead a team.

Only three players on the teams roster have more than 3 years of experience in the league & they just happen to be Sean Livingston, Carlos Delfino & Daequan Cook.

I'm not saying they'll be a top five lottery team, but I think they'll be in the lottery.

Fair points, but you gotta remember that Harden was drafted 3rd overall , is only 23, and was a third option on his team behind a freakishly athletic/ shot happy PG and a forward whose likely gonna go down as one of the best scorers of all time.  I'm not saying he's guaranteed to be a star, but the verdict is still out on him. Forgot that they lost Lowry though, that will hurt.

[Sccit]

Remember when Boston traded Perkins? It took them a year to finally get some chemistry back. Thunder had a good shot to win now. They gave it up to save money, first and foremost.

[Remedy360]

Remember when Boston traded Perkins? It took them a year to finally get some chemistry back. Thunder had a good shot to win now. They gave it up to save money, first and foremost.

Would you have paid him more than the 4 yrs/55 mill they offered?

[Sccit]

Yes, that's what Jerry Buss woulda done.. If u want to build championship teams, u have to sacrifice money. Thunder made 30 mill last year and they're tryna stay profitable first and foremost. That's the main reason the trade was made.

[Remedy360]

Funny, cause the whole becoming a small market team was their decision entirely and now they're talking about it like it's a curse. Overall though, I don't feel like Martin is as big a step down as some people think. Of course I hope you're right as much as I hate the organization, but it seems like everything Presti has done so far has worked out fairly well to great.

[Chamillitary Click]

Kobe is already hurt. So I don't know why the Thunder winning the West is out of the question.

[Sccit]

lol@kobe hurt

[M Dogg™]

Kevin Martin is important to this trade because he's a gap for OKC. Martin is 29 years old, so he's getting to that tipping point, but for the next 2-3 years he'll be in his prime. The problem with Martin is that he is HORRIBLE on defense, and everything outside of scoring is lacking. He's a poor mans Ray Allen or Vince Carter. He's a pure shooting guard, he's score first and the rest of the game is what my teammates are for. If he could score better, he would have been an all-star. Don't get me wrong, he's a good scorer, but he is not 25 ppg. Where they'll miss Harden is that Harden can make game changing plays. Martin is not a game changer, he's a score first player who will get along with the rest of the roster but be out of place not being the first option. And this coming from a guy who usually picks up Martin for his fantasy teams because I know he'll get a lot of points. But his other stats suffer.

[Chamillitary Click]

lol@kobe hurt

He's day to day. Obviously will play, but not a good look before tomorrow.

[Sccit]

Kevin Martin is important to this trade because he's a gap for OKC. Martin is 29 years old, so he's getting to that tipping point, but for the next 2-3 years he'll be in his prime. The problem with Martin is that he is HORRIBLE on defense, and everything outside of scoring is lacking. He's a poor mans Ray Allen or Vince Carter. He's a pure shooting guard, he's score first and the rest of the game is what my teammates are for. If he could score better, he would have been an all-star. Don't get me wrong, he's a good scorer, but he is not 25 ppg. Where they'll miss Harden is that Harden can make game changing plays. Martin is not a game changer, he's a score first player who will get along with the rest of the roster but be out of place not being the first option. And this coming from a guy who usually picks up Martin for his fantasy teams because I know he'll get a lot of points. But his other stats suffer.

as far as scoring goes, it's really not the problem...the problem is that james harden was a good defender who they were able to put on kobe, as well as other premier perimeter players.. he was also their top play-maker in the 4th quarter. kevin martin is a pure scorer, not a playmaker or defender like harden. on top of that, it will take some time for the whole team to build a new chemistry. i think if oklahoma never traded jeff green, they woulda beat dallas and won the title in 2010. now, again, they trade an integral part of their success, and they have to start from scratch. theres no way anyone can say oklahoma is a better team now than they were before the trade, and with this being the first year of the Lakers being together, this year was probably supposed to be their best shot yet of winning it all. crazy to break up a team that was a couple wins from a championship before they even peak.

[M Dogg™]

Kevin Martin is important to this trade because he's a gap for OKC. Martin is 29 years old, so he's getting to that tipping point, but for the next 2-3 years he'll be in his prime. The problem with Martin is that he is HORRIBLE on defense, and everything outside of scoring is lacking. He's a poor mans Ray Allen or Vince Carter. He's a pure shooting guard, he's score first and the rest of the game is what my teammates are for. If he could score better, he would have been an all-star. Don't get me wrong, he's a good scorer, but he is not 25 ppg. Where they'll miss Harden is that Harden can make game changing plays. Martin is not a game changer, he's a score first player who will get along with the rest of the roster but be out of place not being the first option. And this coming from a guy who usually picks up Martin for his fantasy teams because I know he'll get a lot of points. But his other stats suffer.

as far as scoring goes, it's really not the problem...the problem is that james harden was a good defender who they were able to put on kobe, as well as other premier perimeter players.. he was also their top play-maker in the 4th quarter. kevin martin is a pure scorer, not a playmaker or defender like harden. on top of that, it will take some time for the whole team to build a new chemistry. i think if oklahoma never traded jeff green, they woulda beat dallas and won the title in 2010. now, again, they trade an integral part of their success, and they have to start from scratch. theres no way anyone can say oklahoma is a better team now than they were before the trade, and with this being the first year of the Lakers being together, this year was probably supposed to be their best shot yet of winning it all. crazy to break up a team that was a couple wins from a championship before they even peak.

We can't agree on many things, but I think it's safe to say we agree on this. Is it 2012?