Official NBA 12-13 season thread

[Dademo]

Nuggets are my sleeper coming out the west... they can beat OKC and the Lakers in a 7 game series I think

 

[SAL]

Nuggets are my sleeper coming out the west... they can beat OKC and the Lakers in a 7 game series I think

Dude I love the Nuggets and I want to live in the universe where they have a real chance to make it out of the West, but I can't see it at all.

 

[Notorious]

All depends on the improvements of Lawson & McGee and the impact Iguodala will have on them defensively.

We already know they're probably the best offensive team in the NBA but if Iggy can have a significant impact on them defensively, they're a team to be reckoned with.

I also have a feeling Ty Lawson is ready to cement himself as one of the top PG's in the game, predicting an All-Star year for him.

 

[Showtime]

How can you say Harden isn't a max player when statistically he's top 20-25 at least and a pretty smart dude working for the Thunder was ready to offer him everything just shy of the max?

you're the only that thinks he's a max player apparently.


he was a top 20-25 player OFFENSIVELY and that was while playing a lot of his minutes next to Durant and/or Westbrook. You really think he's going to be as good this season when he's not always played with single converage and actually has to play against starters the majority of the time while being thought of as the main threat? Yeah, I highly doubt it.

Not to mention his defense isn't that great. It's not awful like PSYCH is trying to suggest, and no idea why he keeps saying he wasn't able to guard MWP when MWP never really lit anyone up, but yeah, he's simply average.

the guy doesn't deserve 15 mil per year let alone anything over 11 mil per year. Pretty sure Rondo gets paid around 11 mil, so no idea how Harden should be worth more than that. And if Lebron isn't getting paid the max then I see no reason why all these overrated "stars" are. Guys like Gordon who can't even get on the court get a max? A sixth man gets the max? these awful contracts is why every major sport continues to go into lockouts because they don't understand that they're simply fucking themselves over. these poison pill contracts are just going to make things even worse.

 

[Notorious]

To be fair, Rondo signed his contract extension before the 09-10 season, which was Rondo's breakout year.

I agree though, Harden should've gotten no more than 13M a year.

Like I said on WF, the majority of players who have max contracts don't deserve them.

 

[LaBrandon Aldridge]

LEAVE HARDEN ALONE

you guise are just being faggets so stop talking shit about him becuz hes a better peach basket player then u

 

[SAL]

My basic thoughts on the "max" contract: in a league where the mid-level exception is $5-6 million, fringe players make a million, and the best players make $15-16 million, value isn't distributed evenly. What would LeBron make in an open market? Something like the $30 million Jordan made at the end of his career? It's an exercise in futility to say "LeBron makes x, the average player makes y, so Harden should make z." I don't think anyone can disagree that Harden's a highly above-average player who's 22 years old and will continue to improve. Sam Presti was ready to give him $13 million a year, and folks are pretty much splitting hairs by saying "that's fine, but the max isn't."

 

[Showtime]

I never said 13 million was fine nor do I believe the market for players is fine and I'm pretty sure all the owners agree which is why we'll have another lockout the next time the CBA ends because they keep giving these fucking contracts.


Is Harden even top 5 in his position? If we're talking about right now I'd take Wade, Joe, Kobe, Manu, and Iggy over him.


And the level of talent he possesses is debatable as well because of situation he was in while playing for the Thunder. He had some many things there that he won't be able to take advantage of with the Rockets:

1) he got to come off the bench and play against opposing benches. Yeah I know he also played against the starting units of other teams and played well against them too, but there's no denying that playing against other team's second units didn't help make him look so much better.

2) He was the third option on the Thunder and didn't have nearly as much pressure on him to score there as there will be in Houston.

3) Basically the same as above, he's no longer the third option. He's now the first option and coaches will be planning to stop him accordingly. He may become a 20 point scorer this year, but I highly doubt that will come from efficient shooting.

4) He was thought of as a great playermaker on the Thunder but look at who he was passing to. I do believe it was easier to setup Westbrook, Druant, and Ibaka than it will be to setup Lin, Parsons, and Asik.

5) His defensive liabilities weren't exposed as much on the Thunder as they could have been due to the superior defensive players around him such as Sefo, Westbrook, Ibaka, and Perkins. Whose going to cover all his mistakes on the Rockets when the person he shares the backcourt with is already bad on defense?

There's actually quite a few more, but I don't feel like continuing. His stats were padded and his level of play was elevated due to who he was playing with. I don't think he's going to play like a max player on the Rockets and believe he will become terribly inefficient compared to his days on the Thunder.

 

[SAIYANS]

you're the only that thinks he's a max player apparently.


he was a top 20-25 player OFFENSIVELY and that was while playing a lot of his minutes next to Durant and/or Westbrook. You really think he's going to be as good this season when he's not always played with single converage and actually has to play against starters the majority of the time while being thought of as the main threat? Yeah, I highly doubt it.

Not to mention his defense isn't that great. It's not awful like PSYCH is trying to suggest, and no idea why he keeps saying he wasn't able to guard MWP when MWP never really lit anyone up, but yeah, he's simply average.

the guy doesn't deserve 15 mil per year let alone anything over 11 mil per year. Pretty sure Rondo gets paid around 11 mil, so no idea how Harden should be worth more than that. And if Lebron isn't getting paid the max then I see no reason why all these overrated "stars" are. Guys like Gordon who can't even get on the court get a max? A sixth man gets the max? these awful contracts is why every major sport continues to go into lockouts because they don't understand that they're simply fucking themselves over. these poison pill contracts are just going to make things even worse.

in the playoffs according to synergy Harden gave up 2.31 points per possssion to Kobe. 1.87 to Artest. 2.04 to Wade and 2.62 to LeBron. He also gave up 1.69 to Manu.

His average point per possssion allowed vs SGs was 1.54 on the season. That is extremely bad seeing as how Kobe Wade Ron Bron Iggy Battier Bradley all are in the 1.14-1.3 range on average and against one another. Even Melo only gives up on average a 1.37.

He is poor when you basically give up 2 points every possssion. And it will be magnified without Ibaka or KD or Russ erasing his mistakes.

For reference Lin gives up 1.62 points per possssion on average last season with Tyson behind him, this is why Im saying that backcourt is BBQ chicken and going to get their ass eaten up every night as Asik isn't Tyson or Ibaka and Parsons can't cover for both of them nor was he elite defensively last year

------

And let me add that Monta is a better sg than him IMO. He also gives up 1.41 and Mayo who is on par with harden as a starter gives up 1.39.

 

[Showtime]

I really don't care about the stats. They're not meaningless but they don't nearly tell the whole story. If they did then Kobe would be one of the unclutchest players in the league.

 

[Notorious]

He is :troll:

Anyway, wouldn't be surprised if Harden turns out to be Trevor Ariza 2.0 for the Rockets. As in young player with a lot of potential coming from a championship caliber team, they give him a big contract but he underperforms and they trade him the following offseason. Unfortunately for the Rockets though, I doubt they'll be able to just trade a max contract like it's nothing.

 

[Big Red Jericho Punk]

Wow Psych awesome stats. I give the devil his due, that was some pretty impressive stuff you pulled out.

 

[LaBrandon Aldridge]

I really don't care about the stats. They're not meaningless but they don't nearly tell the whole story. If they did then Kobe would be one of the unclutchest players in the league.

"Unclutchest" :Angle:

 

[SAIYANS]

Lmfao Angle looks high, never seen that smiley before.

I will be fair though and say he may surprise me and play with a chip on his shoulder on both ends, and that Houston may very well still want Bynum or at least to make a play on Al Jefferson this summer since they will still have room for one more max guy and the money isn't as huge an issue with them being a tax free state

 

[PHX]

Stern called Hurricane Sandy Hurricane Katrina and didn't even realize it smh