<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Welcome 2the Rockets @<a href="https://twitter.com/jharden13">jharden13</a> ! Coach McHale & I had a gr8 conversation w/James tonight. We look forward 2welcoming him 2Houston tomorrow</p>— Daryl Morey (@dmorey) <a href="https://twitter.com/dmorey/status/262437298308796416" data-datetime="2012-10-28T06:15:02+00:00">October 28, 2012</a></blockquote> <script src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Lin and Harden were both on the 2006 California all state teams.. so I'm sure they've played with or against each other.
Potential is def there...people are too quick to think "Kevin Martin" and "No defense" when thinking of Lamb. Lamb's wingspan and quickness can definitely be a factor on the defensive end. He just needs to get stronger.
Say what you want, but you can't argue with the numbers. He's excellent penetrating the lane and finishing at the rim. Also great a PnR player. Tough as nails too. Teaming him up with Linsanity could be a genius tandem. Would love to see a Stockton/Malone type combo stay together for some time. http://www.nba.com/rockets/news/blockbuster-deal-brings-james-harden-houston
Great writeup by Hollinger, as always. But funny how he doesn't mention Martin at all as a possible contributor to OKC, but talks about Lamb's potential to play defense and hit 3s. I guess he sees Martin's value as just being an expiring contract at this point. Personally, I think Martin will prove to be a great offensive option coming off the bench for the Thunder this season.
Excellent move by Morey! Martin was in a contract year and though we gave up two first round picks, the Rockets clearly do not need anymore young talent with the 3 first rounders we scored recently. I was happy to see Jeremy Lamb drafted to the Rockets, but with this trade we get a proven 23 year-old SG IMO ranks top 5 SG talent in the NBA. I'd rather take a proven player rather than young talent that hasn't played a real NBA game yet. If you remember, Houston was very interested in James Harden when he was coming out of the draft a couple years back. For those of you who think this trade is bad, you're clearly out of your mind! But could you honestly say that you would prefer Harden over Martin? Kevin Martin is a gifted scorer, but he's a defensive liability. Morey structured this team very well! I wouldn't be surprised if he happened to make another move before the trade deadline.
Please stop feeding the ice cream troll. It's hard not to love this deal. It should put a charge in the fan base that we haven't had in a while. Timing could not have been better. This deal took our potential rebuild time from 4-5 years down to 2-3 years. I'm talking low-end potential rebuild time. It's a great deal for both teams, to boot. Martin gives a great bench spark, while Lamb can sit behind him, learning how to be him once he leaves at the end of the season. Martin will put up about 14 points a game for the Thunder, making a run at sixth-man. Meanwhile, The Beard will flourish in his new role. This trade will put this team on the map, marketability-wise, too. The Parsons entourage may have just become the Harden express. Either way, I can see Harden, Parsons, and Lin really enjoying themselves and gelling. I have great hope that D-Mo and Jones will develop favorably at the four, too. I don't have as much hope for Royce, although maybe he could be our bench enforcer eventually. If all of the above happens, and Morey can attract a max big man (Josh Smith, Cousins, Love would be pipe dreams), this team can really compete. There really isn't much not to love about this trade, other than losing Lamb's potential. As far as the picks go, I don't think there was ever a plan to keep them. You can't be constantly drafting three first round players a year. We'd be stuck in the mediocrity turmoil we've been in. It was time to try to leap towards greatness, and there was no better player available than Harden. I'm more excited to be a Houston Rockets fan than I have been in a while.
Sorry that Lamb is gone..... quite a few picks gone as well but still excited about Harden. We have to be willing to give to get a player of his caliber in our position.
I don't understand why so many people are whining about Jeremy Lamb. I liked him too, but he's an unproven player. I wish him the best, but you don't pass up one of the best offensive players in the league for an unproven. They are both young, but Hardin has playoff experience on his side. Forget the the Miami meltdown. Jeremy Lamb has never been to the NBA finals. Hardin was a primary reason the Thunder even made it to the finals. I can recall him making some pretty clutch shots and drives in some of those playoff series last year. Jeremy Lamb? Didn't see him in ONE of them. It's a no-brainer.....
