James Harden: $80m Extension With Rockets

Harden's stats in the first half of his first game:

19 pts, 8/13 FG, 1/2 3pt, 3 rebs, 5 assists, 20 minutes. Not bad.

80 mil? Wow.

Houston took a gamble to an extent giving him the max but it might pay off for them. We'll see. The guy can definitely play and 2 way wings that can give you over 20 points per game and have playmaking ability don't grow on trees.

Harden is out to prove OKC they messed up by trading him. He putting up some All-Star numbers tonight.

TOP PERFORMERS
Houston

James Harden(notes)
13-23, 34 Pts
5 Rebs, 8 Assists

he's doing quite well.

FabFourLakers wrote:Harden is going to put up 24/6/5 this year. He's absolutely worth the Max and everybody is going to regret not taking him in their fantasy bball drafts.

GREAT write up by Simmons....couldn't have said it better myself. this woulda been the equivalent of the LAKERS trading ODOM for draft picks before the start of the 2008/09 season..one year after getting so close to winning it all.

I'm quoting myself because I might be wrong about his stats....he's going to put up 26/7/6. He's THAT damn good and if you guys didn't already know, this dude can PLAY.

Lakers_323 wrote:Harden is out to prove OKC they messed up by trading him. He putting up some All-Star numbers tonight.

OKC didnt mess up, the new CBA destroyed any chance for teams to have more then two max contracts on their team unless they signed the other 12 guys for the min.

Yeah, they couldn't afford to keep him. OKC got the best deal possible; it's better to get something in return then let him walk away for nothing, obviously. They are going to miss his playmaking ability. He was the best PG on their team.

Houston backcourt rocks
Lin and Harden excitement...
Best young backcourt now

^It was a good move by Houston to pair Lin with a player like Harden that he can set up for scores or can create on his own to offset the pressure on the former. Those two could work well off each other. Lin did well finding Novak for shots and of course he is no comparison to Harden who is much more dynamic on offense.

Lakers_323 wrote:Harden is out to prove OKC they messed up by trading him. He putting up some SUPERSTAR numbers tonight.

FTFY

Harden is going to be a star this year. His offensive game is so complete. Fantastic in the pick and roll, great passer, devastating 3 point shooter on/off the dribble, can spot up, can get to the rim and finish, or dish out to the corner. His absurd efficiency is going to take a hit this year, as teams will solely focus on stopping him, but I think he's in for a special year. If this guy can work on his midrange game, and improve his effort on defense, watch out!

OKC

Not bad ...I can't stand the dude but not bad for a 1st game...His game is so similar to Ginobili

Not Ginobili
Harden more gifted for sure
All the right guard skills

OKC should have traded Westbrook instead.... Harden has a complete game and is a Phd of the game compared to Westbrook's Pre-K approach.... that will come full circle on them in a year or two.......

I still don't think he's a MAX player. He's definitely good though, we all knew that.

therealdeal wrote:I still don't think he's a MAX player. He's definitely good though, we all knew that.

Worth the max is a difficult assessment with he and Westbrook. Westbrook puts up numbers but is a liability on a team that has the best pure scorer in the league. Harden had put up great "off the bench" numbers and had shown that he's a much smarter player.... to hold him hostage of stupid decisions in giving Porkins and Ibaka huge contracts along with Westbrook's Max deal was not too smart.

A lotta tails wagging dogs if you ask me.... you take care of your unique players and fill in later.... these guys did it backwards.... Ibaka and Porkins are replaceable on the open market.... we'll see if Harden is... I have my doubts...

Fabfourlakers...

26, 7, and 6? Those are pretty much Lebron's numbers. I don't see Harden doing that. He would automatically be in MVP conisderation off of stats, let alone team record. You think he's that good?

I see 23 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists a game. The league will be adjusting to his game as months go on. He'll have some spectacular games, like the 45 he just dropped. But after that, it'll taper off I believe. I hope I'm wrong though. I'd love to see the young man emerge and tear down the league, hell bent on revenge.

Slim, you're one of the most respected posters here and I value your opinion more than others because you really know what you're talking about. I may have exaggerated the numbers a bit...but I really think he'll be in the 24-26 ppg range, maybe the rebounds and assists wont be 7 and 6....i'm thinking he'll end up at the 25-5-5 group though, and if the Rockets are even near the playoffs, he needs to be considered for MVP, because that roster has no business making the playoffs in a much tougher Western conference and they were lottery bound before they acquired Harden.

Rooscooter wrote:

therealdeal wrote:I still don't think he's a MAX player. He's definitely good though, we all knew that.

Worth the max is a difficult assessment with he and Westbrook. Westbrook puts up numbers but is a liability on a team that has the best pure scorer in the league. Harden had put up great "off the bench" numbers and had shown that he's a much smarter player.... to hold him hostage of stupid decisions in giving Porkins and Ibaka huge contracts along with Westbrook's Max deal was not too smart.

A lotta tails wagging dogs if you ask me.... you take care of your unique players and fill in later.... these guys did it backwards.... Ibaka and Porkins are replaceable on the open market.... we'll see if Harden is... I have my doubts...

I don't disagree that they should have kept him. Even if they paid the MAX which I know defines his value, but in my opinion, he's not worth that kind of money. Especially with the taxes and penalties being what they are, I don't see many MAX types out there anymore. That's a lot of your taxes dependent on that player. I see a MAX guy in a small market as being the ONE player that can get you deep in the playoffs. Other than that, I don't see it. Is Harden that guy? I kind of doubt it.

Well one thing we know for sure...the Thunder should NOT have extended Ibaka, and they should have considered using amnesty on Porkins before they EVER think of letting harden go or trading him. I mean, I thought drafting PJ3 would allow them to amnesty Porkins or at least feel better about it....letting him go you could have easily replaced him...but Harden? You're not going to get a player like him on the open market or even through trade. westbrook-harden-durant was the best 1-2-3 in the league....nobody could stop them. And I guarantee that Harden would have torn it up in the finals against the Heat if they met again. These guys grew up a lot last year...and have been for the past 3 yrs. Harden was worth every penny of that max. Thunder played hardball and ultimately got effed.

therealdeal wrote:

Rooscooter wrote:

therealdeal wrote:I still don't think he's a MAX player. He's definitely good though, we all knew that.

Worth the max is a difficult assessment with he and Westbrook. Westbrook puts up numbers but is a liability on a team that has the best pure scorer in the league. Harden had put up great "off the bench" numbers and had shown that he's a much smarter player.... to hold him hostage of stupid decisions in giving Porkins and Ibaka huge contracts along with Westbrook's Max deal was not too smart.

A lotta tails wagging dogs if you ask me.... you take care of your unique players and fill in later.... these guys did it backwards.... Ibaka and Porkins are replaceable on the open market.... we'll see if Harden is... I have my doubts...

I don't disagree that they should have kept him. Even if they paid the MAX which I know defines his value, but in my opinion, he's not worth that kind of money. Especially with the taxes and penalties being what they are, I don't see many MAX types out there anymore. That's a lot of your taxes dependent on that player. I see a MAX guy in a small market as being the ONE player that can get you deep in the playoffs. Other than that, I don't see it. Is Harden that guy? I kind of doubt it.

OK I think we agree on this if you're saying he's not a Max player given OKC's situation... If I was starting a team from scratch and had to give either Westbrook or Harden a Max contract it would go to Harden....

FabFourLakers wrote:Slim, you're one of the most respected posters here and I value your opinion more than others because you really know what you're talking about. I may have exaggerated the numbers a bit...but I really think he'll be in the 24-26 ppg range, maybe the rebounds and assists wont be 7 and 6....i'm thinking he'll end up at the 25-5-5 group though, and if the Rockets are even near the playoffs, he needs to be considered for MVP, because that roster has no business making the playoffs in a much tougher Western conference and they were lottery bound before they acquired Harden.

Hey...if he's 24-26 ppg, I'd love to see it. I really would. The kid can ball. 25-5-5? I say next year for him. That statline is the standard of the well-rounded swingman of the NBA. Jordan, Wade, Kobe, Bron, McGrady, Pierce...they have all hit those numbers for a full 82. With Harden coming off the bench, we haven't seen him a full-throttle for 82 games. I wonder if he has it in him. Concerning young players in the league, the biggest questions in the NBA moving forward are, how good is Anthony Davis. And now, is James Harden worth the max? Luckily for us, we'll get to see the whole thing unfold before our very eyes.

Iceberg Slim wrote:

FabFourLakers wrote:Slim, you're one of the most respected posters here and I value your opinion more than others because you really know what you're talking about. I may have exaggerated the numbers a bit...but I really think he'll be in the 24-26 ppg range, maybe the rebounds and assists wont be 7 and 6....i'm thinking he'll end up at the 25-5-5 group though, and if the Rockets are even near the playoffs, he needs to be considered for MVP, because that roster has no business making the playoffs in a much tougher Western conference and they were lottery bound before they acquired Harden.

Hey...if he's 24-26 ppg, I'd love to see it. I really would. The kid can ball. 25-5-5? I say next year for him. That statline is the standard of the well-rounded swingman of the NBA. Jordan, Wade, Kobe, Bron, McGrady, Pierce...they have all hit those numbers for a full 82. With Harden coming off the bench, we haven't seen him a full-throttle for 82 games. I wonder if he has it in him. Concerning young players in the league, the biggest questions in the NBA moving forward are, how good is Anthony Davis. And now, is James Harden worth the max? Luckily for us, we'll get to see the whole thing unfold before our very eyes.

See that's the thing, that's where i see him ending up..in that exclusive 25-5-5 group. If wade can get that without havin a jump shot for his entire career, I'm pretty sure Harden can get it too, given that he's a better shooter and he gets to the line just as much and HITS his free throws, feel me? I think OKC made a HUGEEEEEE franchise-changing mistake. They will regret this for years on end. Harden is going to be a superstar....he's the next great shooting guard in this league after Kobe and Wade retire.

FabFourLakers wrote:

Iceberg Slim wrote:

FabFourLakers wrote:Slim, you're one of the most respected posters here and I value your opinion more than others because you really know what you're talking about. I may have exaggerated the numbers a bit...but I really think he'll be in the 24-26 ppg range, maybe the rebounds and assists wont be 7 and 6....i'm thinking he'll end up at the 25-5-5 group though, and if the Rockets are even near the playoffs, he needs to be considered for MVP, because that roster has no business making the playoffs in a much tougher Western conference and they were lottery bound before they acquired Harden.

Hey...if he's 24-26 ppg, I'd love to see it. I really would. The kid can ball. 25-5-5? I say next year for him. That statline is the standard of the well-rounded swingman of the NBA. Jordan, Wade, Kobe, Bron, McGrady, Pierce...they have all hit those numbers for a full 82. With Harden coming off the bench, we haven't seen him a full-throttle for 82 games. I wonder if he has it in him. Concerning young players in the league, the biggest questions in the NBA moving forward are, how good is Anthony Davis. And now, is James Harden worth the max? Luckily for us, we'll get to see the whole thing unfold before our very eyes.

See that's the thing, that's where i see him ending up..in that exclusive 25-5-5 group. If wade can get that without havin a jump shot for his entire career, I'm pretty sure Harden can get it too, given that he's a better shooter and he gets to the line just as much and HITS his free throws, feel me? I think OKC made a HUGEEEEEE franchise-changing mistake. They will regret this for years on end. Harden is going to be a superstar....he's the next great shooting guard in this league after Kobe and Wade retire.

But for Harden to be putting up those great numbers wouldn't the Thunder have had to get rid of him anyways? I mean can you really imagine Harden coming off the bench putting up 25-5-5 with shot jacking Westbrook and Durant still on the team? The only way I could see Harden staying on the Thunder and still putting up those numbers you mentioned would be for Westbrook to be traded.

With Harden in Houston, he can put up those stats without having to worry about Westbrook and/or Durant constantly taking shots away from him. This situation can sort of be compared to the Kobe and Shaq situation (with less animosity of course). IMO Kobe couldn't have had those INSANE numbers he had from 05-07 if Shaq was still there. In order for Kobe to reach his true potential, Shaq almost had to go so Kobe could have the franchise to himself and see what he could do with it.

kevin martin doing an admirable job as the new 6th man for OKC so far