And what if he does? So you're saying signing him would mean A.) To be stuck in mediocrity for a a little bit longer or B.) To finally get a star player. I don't see the downside to it then...
a) That's not the point b) I didn't say that at all IMO, it's very simple. If the NBA blew it all up and let 30 teams start from scratch, when would Harden be taken in the super re-expansion draft? If he's not one of the first 15 guys to go, you don't give him the max. If you do want to make an exception do it with a young big that's on the cusp like Harden is. 4s and 5s carry far more weight than guards do, even when they don't become out and out superstars. Internet Boards love to say GIVE HIM THE MAX every single time a young guy comes out looking good. GMs did it too, and once you had guys like KVH getting the max 3-4 years in, they had to redo the CBA to get a handle on things.
James Harden was taken 20th in the NBA fantasy draft thread on here. I could easily see him going close to 15th.
I was mistaken on the new luxury tax system. It starts during the 2013/14 season, so next year it is still dollar for dollar. Also, the deadline to extend Harden and Ibaka will be in October of this year. I guess it was moved to January for this season due to the lockout. If they don't extend them by October, they will be restricted free agents next July. http://aol.sportingnews.com/nba/sto...sell-westbrook-contract-oklahoma-city-thunder
No it is the point. Because when you give a young guy a max contract you have to think about his potential. Right now it is silly to say that he can't become a top 15 player. Right now he's maybe on a lot of peoples list a top 5 SG... As for the whole thing about positions. People go over board with that. You need superstar players period, no matter the position. Sure if you had a shot at say building around Cousins or Harden you may choose Cousins...but the Rockets don't have that option, they take what they can get. Superstar SGs and PGs can lead their team to the promised land too. Before you say "Yeah but they also had (enter big man here)" well yeah, great teams win championships.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NBA_salary_cap#Maximum_individual_contracts_under_the_CBA The maximum amount of money a player can sign for is contingent on the number of years that player has played and the total of the salary cap. The maximum salary of a player with 6 or fewer years of experience is either $9,000,000 or 25% of the total salary cap (2010–11: $14,511,000), whichever is greater. For a player with 7-9 years of experience, the maximum is $11,000,000 or 30% of the cap (2010–11: $17,413,200), and for a player with 10+ years of experience, the maximum is $14,000,000 or 35% of the cap (2010–2011: $20,315,400).[4] Under the 2011 CBA, maximum salaries, as expressed as a percentage of the cap, remained mostly unchanged. However, a player coming off his rookie scale contract is eligible to sign for 30% of the cap if he appeared in two All-Star Games, was named to an All-NBA Team twice, or was named MVP. This was dubbed the "Derrick Rose Rule" after the 2011 MVP.[5] In addition, newly signed contracts now have a maximum duration of five years for players with Bird rights and four years for all other players (including sign-and-trade acquisitions).[6] Every team is allowed one "designated player" who receives a five-year maximum extension on his rookie scale contract.[7] Maximum salary in 2010-11: $14,511,000 http://hoopshype.com/salaries.htm http://www.hoopsworld.com/nbas-top-50-highest-paid-players
Still not sure how Wikipedia came out with that number, but I believe Larry Coon. Edit-found it They use a different cap calculation to determine the maximum salaries, which is based on 42.14% of projected BRI rather than 44.74%. For this reason, the maximum salaries are not actually 25%, 30% or 35% of the cap, and instead are a slightly lower amount. For example, even though the salary cap for 2011-12 is $58.044 million and 25% of this amount is $14.511 million, the 0-6 year maximum salary is actually $12,922,194.
It's also wishful thinking to assume that he will become an elite or high caliber NBA player, especially if you are believing he can average 21-25 ppg for an entire NBA season for consecutive years on a team where he is the primary go-to player. That's another thing, do you honestly think James Harden can become a superstar? We can look at players, like Ginobili, Parker, Ellis, Joe Johnson, Paul Pierce (younger), and even Carmelo Anthony . . . would you consider them to be superstars? Moreover, would you think Harden is worthy of a comparable salary to such players? Another point is he won't have Westbrook and Durant, next to him.
This is about the 5th time I have said it on this site. But I think Durant, Westbrook, and Harden will ALL be in the hall of fame. Harden will not leave they will not let it happen. I'm not sure they will win it all this season but they will very hard to beat 4 times.
Westbrook I believe has been to an all-star game twice and if he wins multiple rings with multiple all star appearances....he is in Harden will once he starts
Harden is the only young SG in the league that's injury free and that has the potential to be great. These guys are getting scarce in the NBA and having one can really improve a team. He's max worthy.
Depends on where the Max is set. He is no LeBron, but the current Max is set pretty low. So he's probably worth it.
OKC would match that in a heartbeat. IF OKC doesn't re-sign him I think only a max contract would give them pause in matching. Don't forget how small of a market OKC is. They are already locked into two max contracts as well as Perkins sizable deal. No way they can afford to lock up a 3rd max deal, re-sign Ibaka AND keep Perkins...something has to give.
I'm confused, how come Harden can be extended for the max but the Rockets couldn't give Dragic an extension with a big raise?
