https://www.si.com/nba/2017/07/31/james-harden-chris-paul-houston-rockets-experiment-daryl-morey “[Paul] hopes to continue with Houston. He likes the team, the organization and the city. In terms of him actually signing long-term, that’s something that won’t be decided until next year.” - Morey
I appreciate Cleveland revising the history of this all. Paul George was being traded for the highest value player on a rebuilding team. Love is not making your future better, he's a good third piece. Chris Paul flat out said I'm going to Houston, if you want to trade me elsewhere, I'll opt out. So how does Cleveland have control over any of this?
It's funny when I see harden and cp3 next two each other two things come to mind. Either cp3 is smaller than 6ft (I think he might be) Or james is a lot bigger than 6'5 220lbs. James looks like he's 6'7 240lbs compared to cp3 in these drew league videos. Harden is def a big dude I wonder if he's grown since he came into the league at 19 years old? Clearly he's added weight but maybe he's grown an inch or 2.
I met CP3 a few years ago when the All-Star game was here last. He was exactly my height and I'm 5 foot 11.
July 1, 11 a.m. ET: Harden, CP3 crash Rockets party The Rockets arrived to the hotel an hour early for their noon ET meeting, prompting Rosenthal to call general manager Daryl Morey to make sure there wasn't a miscommunication. There wasn't. They were just ready to go. When it was time to meet, Morey, who was joined by then-owner Les Alexander, assistant GM Gersson Rosas, head coach Mike D'Antoni and chief executive officer Tad Brown, focused on how, with the addition of Iguodala, they could beat the Warriors in a seven-game series. He also detailed how the Rockets are well-positioned for the future and how Iguodala would save money due to no state taxes in Texas and the relatively cheap cost of living in Houston. (California has the highest state income tax rate in the nation.) D'Antoni discussed the NBA's new brand of basketball and his vision to push the pace on offense. He also emphasized improving defensively, highlighting a fearsome foursome of Chris Paul, Eric Gordon, Trevor Ariza and Iguodala as a switch-everything recipe to cover the league's most potent offenses. Iguodala was impressed and soaked it all in, sources said, but what really grabbed his attention was what happened next. Morey's phone began to ring and, surprisingly, he answered. It was James Harden, who was unaware the meeting was happening at that time and called about an unrelated matter. Harden apologized to Morey for interrupting. "That's OK," Morey said. "I'll always answer for you." Harden then asked Morey to hand Iguodala the phone. The Beard didn't attempt a recruiting pitch, but expressed his regret for intervening and wished him good luck with the process before hanging up. The two sides carried on with the meeting until newly acquired Rockets point guard Chris Paul stormed into the suite and took over the presentation, multiple sources said. Iguodala, Rosenthal and Cline-Thomas were stunned. Paul, who had been a Rocket for just four days, raved about the closeness of the team and the transparency within the organization for about 20 minutes. He revealed that the franchise's openness was something he has never experienced in the NBA. Iguodala was captivated. The Rockets didn't have cap space, so all that was available was their mid-level exception. They offered him a four-year deal worth $32 million. But Morey, a mastermind at maneuvering through the cap, began jotting down -- right there on the conference table -- lucrative sign-and-trade scenarios like a mad scientist, sources said. It was understood that this would be the lone route at persuading Iguodala to join the team. The meeting lasted almost two hours and was termed as "the best recruiting presentation of all time," according to a source within Iguodala's camp. Afterward, sources said Iguodala canceled all subsequent meetings with the Sixers, LA Clippers, Minnesota Timberwolves and Utah Jazz, and began investigating sign-and-trade possibilities. The Rockets left without a commitment, but there was strong sentiment that he was Houston-bound. Pretty interesting stuff. I think it deserves it's own thread @Os Trigonum
Bump gave me a mini heart attack I read Chris Paul traded.... in the front page and thought he was traded away from the Rockets cuz we no get Melo yeah I know it's not possible but still...
