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[RealGM.com] Cutting Up The Revisionist History Of The James Harden Trade

Discussion in 'Houston Rockets: Game Action & Roster Moves' started by Rookie34, Jan 14, 2015.

  1. Rookie34

    Rookie34 Member

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    http://basketball.realgm.com/analys...Revisionist-History-Of-The-James-Harden-Trade

    Nice read and some interesting things, IMO.
     
  2. Mirri3000

    Mirri3000 Member

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    They, and the wiz, still boned that trade. But again, Morey was trading for a guy avg maybe 13 a game? Never had a 30 point game and rarely hit the 20 mark. He shouldn't had commanded anything like any 'star'.

    Still, very good read.
     
  3. Himdemm

    Himdemm Member

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    IIRC he dropped 40 against Phx during his 6th MOY campaign
     
  4. Aleron

    Aleron Contributing Member

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    Can you imagine what Harden and Durant combined would do today between Harden's playmaking and Durant's scoring, that's 50-60 points of super high efficiency every single game, the odd man out in OKC was Westbrook, it was always Westbrook, he plays a really exciting brand of losing basketball.
     
  5. vince

    vince Member

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    Glad Morey did his homework on Harden. Because OKC was going for the best deal out there! In hindsight the Rockets gave OKC a bad return. But boo-hoo on the rest of the NBA, because they weren't even willing to give up that much themselves.....
     
  6. Downtown Sniper

    Downtown Sniper Contributing Member

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    There were so, so many things the Thunder could have done to make themselves better before trading Harden.

    One could have been to trade Westbrook for 2-3 legitimate players for the bench.

    Insert Harden into the starting lineup and have him initiate the offense and find Durant where he wants the ball (I 100% believe that duo would be better than Durant/Westbrook) and have a very solid bench with those 2-3 players from the trade.

    It will go down as one of the worst trades in NBA history.

    Imagine what he would be doing in the East if he went to Washington! Oh lord.
     
  7. Paaratohre

    Paaratohre Member

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    His efficiency off the charts in his third season with OKC and he was getting better fast. Also, Eric Gordon got a $60 million max contract that same off season. So even before his breakout in Houston, he was absolutely right to ask for the max.
     
  8. Mr Chuck Norris

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    I swear Harden had a 40 point game in OKC......
     
  9. RockingRox

    RockingRox Member

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    Thanks OP. Very good read.
     
  10. amazingskills

    amazingskills Member

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    cmon , the first couple of times I saw Harden play (and westbrook and durant) I knew they have jordanesque potential...
     
  11. cdrive

    cdrive Contributing Member

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    Harden isn't even playing like an MVP this year. The guy is playing like he is one of the few GOAT. 27/6/6 is rarified air: MJ Bird Kobe LeBron. I think that might be it. and hopefully Harden if he sustains it. But I wonder if Kobe MJ LeBron were doing that with 28 minute nights and 12 shot attempts. I still pinch myself in disbelief that we have Harden and that Harden even exists. He is a super special player. Homerism aside, if he were not in my team I truly think he would still be my fav player in the NBA. We are so fortunate to have him. Enjoy the good times. Championship or bust. I really feel like we got a legitimate shot this year and it all orbits around James Harden's off the charts talent.
     
  12. CDrex

    CDrex Contributing Member

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    Decent read and I agree with most of it, but I think it's false to automatically say that because 3 guys are scorers, playing them together makes the team worse.

    Starting Harden would have made his role smaller than his Houston role, yes - and correspondingly stolen role away from Russ and KD, yes. But that doesn't guarantee a worse team. They would have three lethal weapons, each taking less touches. That's damn hard to guard.

    It's true that the whole would have been less than the sum of the parts. But it's stupid to say the sum would have been less than the sum with Sefolosha, Fisher, and whatever other garbage they plugged into that spot.
     
  13. ParaSolid

    ParaSolid Member

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    I was just about to reply and say essentially the same thing. The article is a nice recap of the trade but it really doesn't offer anything new on it. The argument that harden was destined to carry his own team doesn't make the trade any less repulsive to OKC fans. It just reinforces the fact that they had ANOTHER superstar on their team and that they chose to get rid of him. Bad nasty terrible trade
     
  14. Aleron

    Aleron Contributing Member

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    Bill Simmons seems to have been told that Presti thought the Houston offer could be used as a bluff, considering that at the time we were being picked for deep lottery, and that they didn't realize how willingly he would jump at a 5 year max with no state tax

    Heck, if it doesn't work out in Houston, he can always go join Freakosaurus Rex in New Orleans when he's a free agent.
     
  15. rockbox

    rockbox Around before clutchcity.com

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    We raped Presti not because we didn't offer him the best package we could, but because other teams were too dumb not to offer anything better. For example, Washington could have had him for Bradley Beal. Just goes to show how GMs misjudge talent even after you see them play hundreds games in the NBA.

    That is what makes Morey really special. His team is the best judge of talent in the NBA.
     
  16. glynch

    glynch Contributing Member

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    Got it backwards. The NO guy can join the true alpha dog JAMES HARDEN ! If it doesn't work ou for him.
     
    1 person likes this.
  17. HeWhoIsLunchbox

    HeWhoIsLunchbox Contributing Member

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    Yup, he did.
     
  18. radiohunk

    radiohunk Member

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    Absolutely true. That the rest of the NBA could not see the potential in Harden to give him a max contract speaks volumes for the Rockets front office. We gave up so little in hindsight for the best SG in the league.
     
  19. count_dough-ku

    count_dough-ku Contributing Member

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    I get where this guy is coming from. Harden obviously wouldn't have become the superstar and MVP candidate he is today(at least not from a statistical standpoint) had he remained in OKC. But that doesn't change the fact that this was a bad trade for the Thunder. A good coach would figure out a way to make that trio of Durant, Westbrook, and Harden work. The 1980's Lakers and Celtics had tons of all-time greats on their rosters and managed to get them all on the same page. And once that happened, the Thunder would've owned the league for a decade.
     
  20. sealclubber1016

    Supporting Member

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    Harden did have superstar trade value yet, Russell Westbrook did. If the Thunder had done their job correctly they would have traded Westbrook and gotten a massive package back for him while retaining Harden.
     

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