Lol, this trade is far from setting the team up to be championship contender. So let's not act like he did something great here. Yes we got the better player but in the long term, this deal is better for OKC. Presti has proven once again he's a good GM and Morey was desperate enough with all the draft picks he assembled and Martin's expiring contract to pull the trigger. Harden still has a lot to prove, especially after his comments and performance in the finals.
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Harden is a borderline All-Star in his abilities. He thrives in a system where the defense won't collapse on him. That's why he did so well with Durant and Westbrook. However, for him to carry a team is a bit of a stretch. In my mind, he's not worth max salary.
Interesting to note that Morey's three biggest acquisitions (Lin, Omer, and Harden) came via a team struggling to talk themselves into the money. They all had, all could have done it, but Morey (and notably Les) stepped up. Very excited about this young core.
what is wrong with you people!? Morey just traded a player you all hated, other teams future picks, and a unproven late lottery rookie for a established young all-star caliber player . . . isn't that what you all wanted!?!?!? all of you arm chair GM's should just please quiet down and enjoy the team!
This. It's a good trade in terms of value. But so were many of Morey's trades. The biggest question is still there: Have we a franchise player that almost every championship team needs? Harden is probably the closest since the Yao-McGrady era ended. But he is not there yet. He's at best a second tier or third tier star. The good thing is, he's only 23 and have not entered his prime yet. So we are still talking about potential. Just a more tangible potential than the rookies.
so i'm supposed to apologize to daryl morey for making a trade that still doesn't make us a championship contender?
Were not gonna turn into the La Lakers or Miami Heat over night what do you expect? Morey hit a home run 2 days before the season.
It sounds like he expected him to make a trade that would somehow make us a contender in one fell swoop. Let him worry about his own unrealistic expectations.
I've been critical of Morey in the past but he deserves kudos for this deal. He gave up a great deal but it's rare that you get something for nothing (unless Stern says its O.K.). You have to give to get that's just business. Harden is a star player (with a nice resume & a winner to boot) with room to grow at age 23. While there is still a TON OF WORK TO BE DONE, I really like this deal for H-Town.
i love this signing however, harden isn't a max guy yet. he was a bench player. this is still an unknown. secondly, its about time
What playoff struggle? Harden had a bad NBA Finals but was excellent in all 3 prior rounds of playoffs. The guy is 23, he can get better. Even if he is always bad vs. Miami and Lebron (again, 23 yr olds do get better and many other players have had a bad playoff series and later won titles), it is only a worry when the team makes it to Finals.
Wait, so a 23-year-old up-and-comer who can create his own shot, get to the line better than ANYBODY in the league, is money in pick-and-roll positions, and can defend both guard spots is getting hated on for not being a max guy? What do y'all want? This is exactly the move that we've been waiting for. Kudos to Morey & Co. for pulling the trigger on this one. It's laughable to hear people b**** about this.
Maybe someone said this already in the last 6 pages, but trading for Harden doesn't erase the failure of the last 3 years. The plan had been to keep the supporting cast in place and be competitive and plug in a new franchise player for instant contention. He tried for 3 years, failing each time, until finally blowing it up after the 2012 draft. That era officially ended with the amnesty of Scola (and all the other roster-destroying moves). We started a new era and then snagged Harden. I think it's great. I commend Morey for getting Harden and starting the new era well. But, the last 3 years were still a failure and will be a failure regardless of what he does now. The strategy to keep a supporting cast and trade for a star repeatedly didn't work. It's good he changed direction and had success, but we wasted 3 years on an ill-conceived strategy. So, I'm not eating crow on this one. Not at all.
You lost all credibility at the bolded part. This guy is a first-tier star potentially, we just have to continue to surround him with the right pieces. Again, hearing people call this trade confusing or stupid, or whatever, is dumbfounding to me. Morey did what he had to do and the franchise is going to reap the benefits because of it.
