How will History look back on the OKC Thunder

[LV Koopa]

Bottom line is Harden was on the most valuable contract in the league: Rookie contract producing All Star impact. Teams will gamble on lesser players in RFA because the bet usually pays off.

OKC had a clear example of a guy who was at worst an All-Star warranting a RFA contract. The worst he could do is take the QO - you "lose" him for nothing IF he walks at the end of the year (a fallacy among fans but w/e). You still have him for 1 year after coming off the Finals. Keep harping on his performance vs Miami but ignore how he destroyed San Antonio in games 3-6.

Bottom line: OKC had one of THE most surefire bets in league history and cheaped out. They wrongly assumed that Durant + Wesbrook = contender when the league has never functioned like this. Other teams get better, injuries happen. They did one of the dumbest FO moves I've ever seen and they're paying for it to this day. MANY people knew Harden had the potential to be an MVP level player. If OKC and their fans didn't then they really aren't smart at all and undervalued a prime asset.

 

[Gil Scott-Heroin]

They had limited options for Harden but Kendrick Perkins and Jeremy Lamb are gonna pay dividends? You are just arguing just to argue at this point huh?.

I'm answering your question - How are they working on that need? With KD and Russ and Ibaka what cap room do they have?

There aren't too many teams that want Perk (even with being an expiring), we'll just have to wait and see - as you said 'there's always a sucker'. There's still an avenue there for them to go down.

That excess got them to the Finals, we can't just ignore this. We can't just act like having Harden doesn't give them a better shot against Memphis or SA or to start this season.

Yeah keep ignoring the fact that Westbrook got injured, that they were a better offensive team (more fluid, better ball movement, better efficiency on more points) and better defensively without Harden - why pay max money to a player when you can replace him at a fraction of the price and not only NOT lose a step but improve from the season before?

He wasn't as important as you're making him out to be.

No deflection just fact. We have seen teams with all kinds of great ratings fall flat come playoff time so no matter how you slice it great ratings =/= getting to the Finals let alone greater.

What part of they were a better team (from the previous season) do you not understand?

Injuries happen and once again having a player like Harden only mitigates that.

Not to any degree where they'd be back in the Finals

Injuries do happen, but you don't build a roster with an excess of max players in one area, just in preparation for injuries.

at Harden not being that important. He wasn't their MVP but having a 3rd option that could do all that he could was certainly a key component to them getting to the Finals. His subpar play in said Finals was a key reason they lost.

He wasn't that important, his impact could only go so far, and was replaceable - as noted by how destructive that team was the following season. It wasn't just 10 or 20 games, it was 82 games-worth where they ran through pretty much every team in the league. If Westbrook didn't get injured and we had a complete picture of what their chances of making the Finals were, you'd have grounds, but since they were a better team you don't a leg to stand on. Regardless if he was a better player than Martin (their impacts on the Thunder were similar in their designated roles) - they were flat-out a BETTER team in all aspects of the game. Point. Blank. Period.

When you trade a key piece from a championship contender over $4 mil a year before you have to the shyt better work, period. And so far it has not.

We'll never get to know how far they could've gone with the injuries they had. Harden wasn't going to change that. It's just some unfortunate shyt that happened. it's basketball.

 

[Gil Scott-Heroin]

Bottom line is Harden was on the most valuable contract in the league: Rookie contract producing All Star impact. Teams will gamble on lesser players in RFA because the bet usually pays off.

How far are you extending this All-Star impact? Because talent and impact are two different things, and no he didn't have All-Star impact for the Thunder - his role wouldn't allow him to.

Bottom line: OKC had one of THE most surefire bets in league history and cheaped out. They wrongly assumed that Durant + Wesbrook = contender when the league has never functioned like this. Other teams get better, injuries happen.

They didn't wrongly assume anything, when Harden left they were the best offensive team in the league with a top 5 defense. THEY WERE A CONTENDER during that season.

They did one of the dumbest FO moves I've ever seen and they're paying for it to this day. MANY people knew Harden had the potential to be an MVP level player. If OKC and their fans didn't then they really aren't smart at all and undervalued a prime asset.

How exactly are they paying for it?

Regardless of what his potential was, he was never going to play to it on the Thunder. The version of Harden you see now was NEVER going to have the type of impact in OKC. As above, his role on the team would never allow him to. He'd just be at most a 18 ppg scorer who provided no defense and was another carrier of stopping the ball. Why pay max money when you can replace that type of production/impact with other pieces at a lower cost?

 

[FTBS]

I'm answering your question - How are they working on that need? With KD and Russ and Ibaka what cap room do they have?

There aren't too many teams that want Perk (even with being an expiring), we'll just have to wait and see - as you said 'there's always a sucker'. There's still an avenue there for them to go down.


Yeah keep ignoring the fact that Westbrook got injured, that they were a better offensive team (more fluid, better ball movement, better efficiency on more points) and better defensively without Harden - why pay max money to a player when you can replace him at a fraction of the price and not only NOT lose a step but improve from the season before?

He wasn't as important as you're making him out to be.

What part of they were a better team (from the previous season) do you not understand?

Not to any degree where they'd be back in the Finals

Injuries do happen, but you don't build a roster with an excess of max players in one area, just in preparation for injuries.

He wasn't that important, his impact could only go so far, and was replaceable - as noted by how destructive that team was the following season. It wasn't just 10 or 20 games, it was 82 games-worth where they ran through pretty much every team in the league. If Westbrook didn't get injured and we had a complete picture of what their chances of making the Finals were, you'd have grounds, but since they were a better team you don't a leg to stand on. Regardless if he was a better player than Martin (their impacts on the Thunder were similar in their designated roles) - they were flat-out a BETTER team in all aspects of the game. Point. Blank. Period.

We'll never get to know how far they could've gone with the injuries they had. Harden wasn't going to change that. It's just some unfortunate shyt that happened. it's basketball.

Already clearly addressed pretty much all of this.

As far as the new stuff goes:
I didn't say you should build with an excess just in case injuries happen. I am saying the excess worked well enough to warrant keeping it in tact for at least another year and it would have been beneficial when the injuries did occur.

 

[Gil Scott-Heroin]

Already clearly addressed pretty much all of this.

As far as the new stuff goes:
I didn't say you should build with an excess just in case injuries happen. I am saying the excess worked well enough to warrant keeping it in tact for at least another year and it would have been beneficial when the injuries did occur.

It clearly didn't though. And it wouldn't have been beneficial because they weren't going to the Finals without Westbrook.

 

[Surreal]

Durant and Russy not good enough
Dirk won 1 and went twice with much less and 2 different coaches

 

[Gil Scott-Heroin]

Durant and Russy not good enough
Dirk won 1 and went twice with much less and 2 different coaches

How old was Dirk when he lost in the Finals and how old was Dirk when he won in the Finals?

 

[Surreal]

Age means nothing - Magic

 

[FTBS]

It clearly didn't though. And it wouldn't have been beneficial because they weren't going to the Finals without Westbrook.

Going to the Finals doesn't warrant keeping all the main players? I can't say how much better they would have been but there is no debate they would have been better with Harden after Westbrook went down.

 

[Gil Scott-Heroin]

Going to the Finals doesn't warrant keeping all the main players? I can't say how much better they would have been but there is no debate they would have been better with Harden after Westbrook went down.

The result would've been the same - they still wouldn't have made it into the Finals. Now who's on that Is it Oochie Wally Wally or One Mic shyt?

 

[Gil Scott-Heroin]

And what do you mean you can't say how better than would have been? THEY WERE BETTER after Harden left.

 

[FTBS]

The result would've been the same - they still wouldn't have made it into the Finals. Now who's on that Is it Oochie Wally Wally or One Mic shyt?

Going to the Finals doesn't warrant keeping all the main players? I can't say how much better they would have been but there is no debate they would have been better with Harden after Westbrook went down.

 

[Gil Scott-Heroin]

 

[FTBS]

And what do you mean you can't say how better than would have been? THEY WERE BETTER after Harden left.

You can't be BETTER than a team that went to the Finals unless you go to the Finals and win, period.

:Looks forward to "bu...bu...but they would have".:

If you can assume they would have won had Westbrook not gotten hurt, I can assume he doesnt' get hurt if Harden stays...see how silly this can get?

 

[FTBS]

Try to flip shyt because you can't refute what is being said brehs I guess we are done here.