Harden is as good as gone. Nothing against recuperating Wall but the writing is on the you know where. I do not think you can hold Harden here, even with Beal it would have been hard. Westbrook will be in Harden's ear to move to the easier East.
What if Tilman likes eating dicks ? He'd be as happy as a punk in a peter patch with that whole bag full ....
Mike D'antoni Created Linsanity. Jeremy Lin got exposed in the Playoffs. By the Miami Heat LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh. Russell Westbrook got exposed by LeBron James and the Lakers Guards. Mike Dantoni creates Hot Stretches by Point Guards in the Regular Season but when Playoffs Start and Double Teams begin Mike does not know any Offensive Plays to counter double teams.
I love it. We only got Westbrook because of Harden. Russ wants his own team or to play for Scott Brooks. Harden probably respects that. Russ knew this could never be his team. It's not quite Cp3 but if healthy Wall is a upgrade over Russ. At least basketball decision wise.
I like the trade even more now seeing the work that Wall has been putting in on his shot. You also have the question of which one of the 2(Westbrook/Wall)have the better b-ball IQ. I'm guessing its Wall.
This (the bottom line) is my take too ..... Harden doesn't need a point guard in the traditional sense , PatBev would be the perfect guard next to him - great defender who can hit 3's. What Harden needs is a top tier 3 or 4 who doesn't need the ball in his hands to make an impact. Yeah , those guys are unicorns ... Harden Capela PatBev Tucker Mystery 4.
That's what it seems like to me too ... They had to get CP3 and spent a brinks truck load of assets to do it .... then more assets to dump him for Westbrook which didn't solve the problems , now they are doing the same thing with Wall. Point Guard isn't the issue .... they need star power at the forward spot(s). Worst part of this trade is the salary stays basically the same - it didn't allow them to add anyone else to the deal nor did it lower the overall salary figure so that they could use the MLE. Sideways move in those aspects .....
Mildly on the yes side. Keeping Westbrook had two outcomes - He gets back on the court and plays like usual, we get eliminated in the first or second round. We're in the same spot with 2 older players. - He makes a real headache of himself, his contract has no value, it's the final straw for Harden and we're deeply f**ked. Trading him for Wall has two outcomes. - He stays healthy and returns to form, he is a much better fit next to Harden (who stays) and we have a chance to make a deep run and trade his newly tradeable contract later if necessary - He gets hurt again or sucks, his contract has no value, it's the final straw for Harden and we're deeply f**ked. The floor with Westbrooks attitude was every bit as bad as the floor with Wall, but IMO Wall has the potential to be a much better fit next to Harden and maybe it comes together perfectly. At 32 I just don't see any chance we regret losing Westbrook. He had an amazing season by his standards last year and teams still wanted no part of him. There's no reason to think that was gonna change, he was just gonna get more disgruntled and older.
What else is going on ? That insurance policy on Wall's contract .... Financially its not a risky bet because of that and they got a FRP out of the deal .... That takes the sting out of it for the franchise and could potentially get that $40m off the books if Wall were forced retire because of injury. That doesn't compensate them in terms of talent ....
Wall if healthy is going to assist more than score at this point in his career, so you'll distribute some of Westbrooks' 27 ppg to the others. Wood has to score up to 18 ppg I guess. Can't have Harden go 42 ppg and going fatigued into the Playoffs again. If you knew, you'd made that trade, do it earlier. Wall has a shortened preseason to get himself acclimated.
Even Wilkins only had one additional year of elite play but age (35) probably had something to do with that -- Wilkins is also an outlier with his recovery because of the medical tech available when he had surgery. Not many 34 year olds were resuming there pro careers in any sport at an elite level after an achilles tear 30 years ago.
Just clarification. Doesn't Wall have to pass a physical before the trade is completed? Are there guidelines what that physical can or cannot include? Essentially, if he is totally done, wouldn't the trade be null and void?
or we have a more tradeable star vs. wb. besides wb wanting out.. if wall pans out you now have 2 true stars you can trade off if needed. im not convinced a team of harden wall gordon is going to happen. i think wall is gone soon and wall is a good sell to plenty of teams vs. what wb yields on and off court and in terms of value. wb value was pretty low they could have waited for it to go up and washington could have waited on wall. seems even in that sense. wb fun.. but too much a headcase anyway. if can get someone like randle from knicks i would be very happy. wall seems to open things up in my mind for more trades. i think wall is trade bait
You can take credit for WB fallout, without any boosting of 2 years injured player. Player benefits mean nothing if Player doesnt see the court. Even if they want to be here. You're citing qualities to positively grade the move. To show up WB. But if Wall only plays 30 games the next 2 years, "At least we got rid of Westbrick" is not near enough reason to validate the move and claim a high ground. Its in a hypothetical stage still
I don't like this move because it strikes me as a half measure. Its a safe bet that Wall will never produce enough to live up to his contract, and that FRP is basically worthless. So... We got arguably worse in the short run, and not really better in the long run. If Wall magically slots in alongside Harden like a glove then I'll gladly eat my words, but beyond being a good fit Wall has to actually be GOOD in his own right again first. Feels like a lateral move at best with minimal upside.
Wait & see. Really really depends on Wall's health. Moreso, depends on Harden's interest. How cool was Harden with Westbrook? How does this fallout affect his attitude about Houston? He's lost his supportive gm, coach, b-bball buddy, all in the same offseason. Got back... huge questions. Players last good & healthy 3 years ago. Who didnt have much winning even when healthy. Main offseason signing with motivation issues & small body of work. A first year coach & gm managing it all. Doesnt really show stability. (Though disgruntled star teammate doesnt either)
dont you like the idea of selling this guy off for right star next to harden? also if harden blows up good or bad..and wall is good ..that makes harden expendable. a team around wb at pg without harden wasnt going to happen. a team with wall at pg without harden is now feasible. you can now sit on best deal for wall or harden. wall makes harden obsolete and vice versa...do you like that?
