Kelvin Pelton from ESPN rated him pretty high with WARP around 2 in rookie season(better than most rookies, and Asik is projected to have WARP lower than that BTW). I watched last night's game, and have to agree with the analytical community. BTW, Lamb seems like improved a lot on both ends of the floor, and Thabeet is solid(which is pretty awesome for him). OKC always knows how to draft and develop prospects.
The real question after watching that youtube vid is would you trade steven adams + jeremy lamb + kevin martin for james harden? bc that's what daryl morey did
I don't think this question would be full answered until at least one year from now. If WB came back healthy, Jackson/Perry Jones explodes to the scene with more minutes, Lamb&Adams go to rookie/sophomore allstar team and the Charlotte/Dallas pick turn out to be nice...And it depends on how well Harden performs going forward and if he can be healthy...
He's a keeper. Presti finally drafted a legit C after missing the mark for several years. The only thing holding Adams back now are fundamentals on defense: Not fouling, understanding PnRs and communication. He's like a younger, more athletic, tall version of Collison.
Consider this. Westbrook and Durant were already on that team. The time to ask Westbrook vs. Harden was over. Argue that decision all you want. The question was Harden vs. Ibaka. Harden is the superior player, and even OKC might have thought so.... BUT, he played a position not necessarily in as much need for the Thunder, and required more to stay. Point? He had to be moved, and the longer the Thunder waited, the less leverage they had in a trade (given Harden's impending free agency) AND the more likely for their team to be disrupted mid-season by a deadline trade. On to the offers. APPARENTLY, nobody else would give them a better deal. Didn't they have an offer out there for Bradley Beal, that the Wizards passed on? Thought there was a Warriors trade possibility as well. I thought it was a win for the Rockets when it happened, and clearly everyone now does. But not sure what else Presti could have done, in OKC, in a salary cap league, on a win-now team. Don't forget the Thunder were the top seed last year, and before the Westbrook injury they we're still the favorites to come out of the West. The only obvious thing in retrospect is that absent the Harden trade, the Rockets don't make the playoffs and potentially Westbrook doesn't get injured. As for Adams, weren't there some public tweets by the players - Durant - shaking their head when the pick was made? For that alone, I want the dude to succeed... There's nothing worse than random people, who theoretically should then be on your side, talking crap about you, when they basically know nothing. But since he's on a competitor, hope he's just another stiff...
From most of his interviews I've watched, he seems like a simple, very-hardworking player. Hes big and athletic, got a 7'5 wingspan, and probably really doesnt give a moments time to what others thing. From memory wasn't it Harden? not sure if it was Durant.
Very easy answer to your question: Yes, yes a thousand times yes. Top 5-10 guys like Harden don't grow on trees. haoafu, Perry Jones will never amount to anything in the NBA. He's too soft and way too passive. The guy is a tease.
I think the real question to ask is Will he be able to make OKC Thunder fans(and NBA fans in general that enjoy watching the Thunder) happy by keeping Kendrick Perkins off the floor? If I'm a Thunder fan I'd shudder just thinking about Perkins in the playoffs last season. I know everyone sans Durant played subpar to an extent but Perkins performance....*shudder* What say you A_3PO?
It depends on Coach Bonehead. Perkins gets way too much criticism and hate. He's a washed up chump, which happens to everyone eventually. The problem is Coach Bonehead plays him way too many minutes and puts him in situations that hurt the team. Probably no other coach would give so much playing time to a player that so negatively affects their team. It's mind-blowing. If Bonehead quits using Perk as his boo boo blankie and only puts him on the floor when he's the best option for the team, Steven Adams will get plenty of floor time, develop over the regular season and eventually get the lion's share of minutes at C. Perkins will finally be used like the specialist, situational player he's been the last couple of years, max 15 mins/game. OKC followers have given up on Perkins and nobody seems to know why Bonehead can't see what is obvious to everyone else. Giving Perkins so many minutes in the 2012 NBA Finals over Collison is something that will remain a mystery for all eternity. Another thing is Bonehead should have the guts to tell Perk to never shoot the ball unless there are 2 seconds or less remaining in the shot clock.
Dude is an athletic freak, and his sister was an olympic gold medalist, so runs in the family. Played against him some years back when he was 16, didn't know what to expect from him so the first two plays he dunked it off two alley-oops and quickly got our attention. We didn't let him score after that but damn that sort of effortless athletic ability really makes you feel mortal. Cool starry bra, no pics. Anyway, hope he does well but still a no brainer trade.
Watched the Thunder on LP the other day. Kid obviously has work to do but the effort and physicality were there. Moved his feet quite well for a 7 footer.
