What path would you take with your star?

[AboveLegit]

Do you go the direction of Sam Presti or the Utah Jazz with Deron Williams and trade him earlier than expected, or do you wait it out and risk another Dwightmare like Orlando?

 

Consider this, OKC could have waited, let the season play out and contend for a title, then revisit contract talks next summer by either matching a max offer or trading him.

 

Obviously in hindsight you're probably choosing the former because of how ugly Dwightmare and Melodrama was, but, Harden seemed like a guy that wasn't going to let the media in on everything the organization was doing or what he was demanding. So it is safe to assume that the drama wouldn't take a complete toll on his teammates (although the constant barrage of questions would still be prevalent). Regardless, the Thunder were a top 3 team in the NBA coming into the season, and they thrived off chemistry. Now, it's clear that LA is the better team, they lost some of that chemistry, and have that massive shadow casted over the season.

[ChosenOne]

Well first off no one knew that the Dwight situation was going to turn into a Dwightmare situation. So its really up in the air on what the Hardens situation was going to be.

 

And when it comes to trading or keep Harden/my star i would always keep unless he had made it clear he wanted out. Take this James Harden situation for example he had just made it clear that he wanted to get paid, and not leave. If i was the Thunder organization i would have waited till the end of the year like New Orleans did and matched any offer for him.

 

With that being said they really didnt make all that of a bad move as they got a great package for him.

[moeroadkill]

i dont mind trading him. presti knew harden wanted the max and nothing else, even though he talked about sacrifice, team is his family and shit like that. im not bitching about it but you really cant put to much meaning behind what a player says these days.

 

i like the move early on for a few reasons. one it gives that extra time for the team to mesh. two it gives presti to have the ability to make more trades if it feels fit.

 

i dont mind the trade. i think people are overrating harden(to an extent) and also underrating kmart. but the one thing im concerned about is thabeet being our backup center... oh lawd. this trade gives us a long term and short term fix

 

makes the season that much more interesting.

[N.1.A.K.]

I don't think that LA is the clear-cut better team as of right now. They will have the same chemistry issues to work out that the Thunder will.

[N.1.A.K.]

BTW, I'd much rather deal the star NOW rather than LATER. The Warriors did this with Monta. I liked trading him for a number of reasons.. shot selection, defense, finally getting a legit (albeit injury prone) big... but also because he has an opt out clause after the 2012-13 season that he most certainly is opting out of.

[DunkinDerozan]

I think they got pretty good value for Harden. I like the trade, and with there being no certainty that he's going to come back, might aswell trade him before the season starts so that the chemistry of the team has more time to develop. I think they are still the third best team in the league. and now they have even more depth in draft picks and young players (Lamb) for the future.

[TheNotoriousBANG]

http://gifsoup.com/view5/4252792/ja-rule-o.gif

 

Interesting question

 

 

I think I would just get it out of the way as soon as possible, can't move forward with uncertainty

[Check my Stats]

I don't think it is fair to compare the situations. OKC was holding all the cards, and folded. You are comparing apples to oranges right now. If Harden is a UFA this summer, okay, I don't mind the deal, but he's not. Especially when you clearly CHOSE Ibaka over him, who is clearly a worse player by far.

[Real Deal]

It depends on a lot of things.

 

1) Am I contending right now?

 

If I'm contending, I'm going to keep him around and push for a championship. Why? Winning cures all. However, this is in regard to someone like Kevin Durant, Dwight Howard, or Carmelo Anthony, not James Harden...which leads into the second question:

 

2) Is he a superstar, a franchise player, all-star, or just a star?

 

I define all four differently. Kevin Durant is a superstar. Andrew Bynum is a franchise player (subtract the injuries, he's a guy you can build a team around...not necessarily a contender, but a playoff team). Russell Westbrook is an all-star...definitely not a superstar, not a franchise player...but he's good enough to be considered a championship-level second scoring option. James Harden was just a star, in the role he had with OKC...borderline all-star.

 

So, I'm not going to be THAT nervous trading a borderline all-star, especially when I have a superstar and an all-star sitting ahead of him on the roster. However, a big factor that can't be ignored:

 

3) How much potential does he have?

 

Harden's potential, to be an all-star or beyond, is what would matter the most. You saw shades of it every now and then, and you got this idea that he was definitely a future all-star player. That's when you sit back and start to pick apart his game: he's an efficient scorer, a willing passer and good facilitator, and he's an energy guy that can play bigger minutes than what he was served in OKC.

 

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If it's Harden we're talking about, I probably would have pulled the trigger if it meant landing a promising rookie and a pure scorer...so the trade isn't THAT bad for the Thunder (but I don't like Kevin Martin, so I'm only just trying to make sense of it). The only problem (like I mentioned) is that they are missing out on a facilitator that can actually draw defensive attention, and Martin is nowhere near the defender Harden is.

 

Otherwise, a lot of factors come into play. If you have a gut feeling the guy is heading out the door, maybe it's best to deal him before he complains...to get the best trade possible, and to have your team set by November. The longer you keep him around, the closer you get to February, and it's possible he loses value as each week passes (unless he's playing out of his mind).