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The Official NBA 2014-2015 Discussion (Predictions)

Discussion in 'OTHER SPORTS Forum' started by LSUMASTERMIND, Oct 28, 2014.

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shane0911 Helping lost idiots find their village

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tirk said: ↑

correct.
Click to expand...

Wrong

Bengal B said: ↑

Fear the Beard
Click to expand...

Also wrong

What has he done in H town? Besides cash a check he could never have gotten in OKC?

shane0911, Oct 29, 2014

#31
tirk im the lyrical jessie james

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Averaged about 25 pts a game made a shitload of money and tied the thunder for rings with zero.

tirk, Oct 29, 2014

#32
LSUMASTERMIND Founding Member

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i know its 2 games, but the Lakers are a shit show and Kobe will get frustrated.

LSUMASTERMIND, Oct 30, 2014

#33
shane0911 Helping lost idiots find their village

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tirk said: ↑

Averaged about 25 pts a game made a shitload of money and tied the thunder for rings with zero.
Click to expand...

Exactly. Cashed a check he couldn't have gotten in OKC

shane0911, Oct 31, 2014

#34
tirk im the lyrical jessie james

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shane0911 said: ↑

Exactly. Cashed a check he couldn't have gotten in OKC
Click to expand...

But sacrificing minutes, shots and numbers for the betterment of the team AND taking a discount? That’s a little ludicrous. This wasn’t about $7 million — the difference between Oklahoma City’s final offer and the $60 million max offer that Harden’s agent requested — as much as Presti respecting Harden’s unique plight. The Thunder couldn’t offer a five-year extension because Durant and Westbrook had already grabbed their two special five-year slots (as mandated by the new CBA). Meanwhile, half the league’s teams would have happily given him a five-year max extension ($78 million), so really, Harden was already taking a discount by not getting a five-year deal.

Also, Harden’s offer never included a hard-core assurance that Oklahoma City wouldn’t use that “discount” against him by eventually trading that enhanced asset (a franchise player now making less than franchise money)1 for a collection of goodies. Remember when Boston talked Rajon Rondo into accepting a five-year, $55 million “discount” — $16 million less than he would have gotten on the open market the following summer — then dangled him for Chris Paul two years later? So much for “taking one for the team,” right? What about Steve Nash signing a two-year, $22 million “discount” extension because Phoenix promised to use that extra cap space to boost a 2010 Western Conference finalist? Remember what happened? They allowed Amar’e Stoudemire to leave, brought in a bunch of Hakim Warricks and Josh Childresses and immediately became a lottery team. But thanks for taking the discount, Steve.

So here’s Oklahoma City offering Harden $53 million for four years and refusing to include a trade kicker — in other words, Sorry, we have to keep our options open, just in case. Harden’s agent justifiably turned them down. The team played hardball. Harden’s agent stood his ground. They threatened to trade him to Houston — which was, in retrospect, their biggest mistake because that meant Harden had a five-year, $78 million offer with no state income tax suddenly waiting for him — and at that point, this was done.2

And here’s where the narrative became a little funky. See, we’re supposed to feel sorry for Oklahoma City, the tiny small-market team that couldn’t afford to keep its three best players. We’re supposed to ignore their staggering profits since they hijacked the Sonics from Seattle in 2008 (by my calculations, somewhere north of $75 million, at least). You know what the biggest advantage is for any professional baseball, basketball or hockey team? Selling out your building way ahead of time. When you lock up your season ticket base, luxury suites and sponsorships during the spring beforeyour next regular season, that’s 90 percent of the battle — now you have guaranteed income, you don’t have to waste resources on a swollen sales staff or various marketing campaigns, and you can bank the interest from that money instead of crossing your fingers and hoping that revenue shows up later. Yeah, Oklahoma City is never getting the television money of the Lakers or Knicks, but so what? You really think their situation is THAT far off from teams like the Celtics or Sixers?3

For Oklahoma City, the Harden trade wasn’t about losing money … it was about continuing to make money. Huge, huge difference. The Thunder realized that, as long as two top-12 players (Durant and Westbrook) were under their control, they would keep contending, keep selling out and maintain a certain level of relevancy. And by rebooting with the assets from that Harden trade (Kevin Martin’s offense as a one-year stopgap, Jeremy Lamb as a long-term replacement, Toronto’s guaranteed lottery pick and the other picks as potential trade chips), they could brainwash their fans on the whole “this is a marathon, not a sprint” spiel.

Here’s the problem with that mind-set: When you’re this close to winning the title, why screw with it? Why own the franchise at that point? Look atwhat happened to Phoenix from 2005 through 2010, as the team wasted genuine assets (selling a lottery pick, selling the Rajon Rondo pick, trading two first-rounders to dump Kurt Thomas) and lowballed Joe Johnson out of town, squandering Nash’s glorious prime in the process. Guess what? Everyone in Phoenix hates Robert Sarver for it. What Oklahoma City did wasn’t as egregious, but in its own little way, it was just as dishonest — a team crying poverty even as it’s selling out every night and even though it’s been printing money these past few years.

And now, they’ve tossed away their 2013 title chances unless Durant jumps an entire level like LeBron did last spring (unlikely, since LeBron reached a level that we haven’t seen in 20 years) or Ibaka miraculously matures into a game-changing two-way force (a puncher’s chance of a possibility that Zach Lowe broke down on Grantland today). After that, who knows what could happen? Title windows have a tendency of slamming shut when you least expect it. Remember when we thought the ’86 Celtics were rolling off four or five titles in a row once they added the no. 2 overall pick? Remember when Payton and Kemp played in the ’96 Finals and we expected to see them every June? Remember when Kobe and Shaq were destined for an entire decade of titles? Remember when the ’77 Blazers were the NBA’s next dynasty? Remember when Sampson and Olajuwon seized control of the Western Conference from Magic’s Lakers, and it seemed totally far-fetched that they were ever giving it back? You never know.

In the Thunder’s case, we only knew that they had three of the 20 best guys in the league, all under 25, all of whom loved playing together. There are no sure things in the NBA, but that previous sentence was about as sure as it gets. Less than 100 hours ago, I thought the Thunder were headed for another Finals and another chance at toppling LeBron and Wade. That’s not happening with Jeremy Lamb and Kevin Martin. Instead, they made a different kind of history: becoming the first NBA contender that ever jeopardized multiple titles for financial reasons and financial reasons only. It’s never happened before.

They also walked away from the photo that adorns this column, as well as everything I ever thought sports was about. Other than that, the Harden trade wasn’t that big of a deal. You want predictions for the 2012-13 season from me? I have two and two only.

1. Miami is going to beat the Lakers in the Finals.

2. Oklahoma City will rue the day it traded James Harden.
Click to expand...

http://grantland.com/features/the-harden-disaster/

tirk, Oct 31, 2014

#35
shane0911 Helping lost idiots find their village

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a partisan hack that is still pissed because the Sonics are no longer in Seattle.

Harden, while great, was NOT going to stay in Oklahoma City. He can't do what Ibaka can and that is what they needed most and it has proved to be the better end of the deal. Sure it would be great if he were still here but oh well.

shane0911, Oct 31, 2014

#36
tirk im the lyrical jessie james

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shane0911 said: ↑

a partisan hack that is still pissed because the Sonics are no longer in Seattle.

Harden, while great, was NOT going to stay in Oklahoma City. He can't do what Ibaka can and that is what they needed most and it has proved to be the better end of the deal. Sure it would be great if he were still here but oh well.
Click to expand...

all you need now is a 4 ft bobble head for your complete delusion.

tirk, Oct 31, 2014

#37
shane0911 Helping lost idiots find their village

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tirk said: ↑

all you need now is a 4 ft bobble head for your complete delusion.
Click to expand...

If you want to talk Harden v Westbrook I will listen. One of the things that Harden wanted was to start and that wasn't going to happen.

All the what if's are not going to change the fact that he wasn't going to stay so when you look at team needs the clear choice, the right choice was ibaka.

shane0911, Oct 31, 2014

#38
LSUMASTERMIND Founding Member

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they are in a pickle now.

LSUMASTERMIND, Oct 31, 2014

#39
tirk im the lyrical jessie james

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shane0911 said: ↑

If you want to talk Harden v Westbrook I will listen. One of the things that Harden wanted was to start and that wasn't going to happen.

All the what if's are not going to change the fact that he wasn't going to stay so when you look at team needs the clear choice, the right choice was ibaka.
Click to expand...

tirk, Oct 31, 2014

#40

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