Berry Tramel doesn’t think OKC will re-sign Harden: “I don’t see how it’s going to happen. Even if the Thunder signs him at $12.5 million, it’s going to cost OKC quite a bit in luxury tax. But signing him at $15M per year? No way. I think he plays this year without an extension.”
Kurt Helin of PBT: “The Thunder knew this was coming, they have known since before the new CBA was signed the price Harden would command on the open market. They made their deal with Serge Ibaka knowing full well what the future costs of Harden would be. This is not on Harden, this is fully on the Thunder and their ownership. They can make the max offer before the Oct. 31 deadline for a contract extension and avoid the season of drama (they have no plans to trade him), or they can wait until next summer. Their call. The price isn’t changing.”
You know Russell Westbrook isn’t missing out on fashion week.
Kelly Dwyer of BDL on Perk/Harden: “And it’s what they’ll have to deal with between now and Halloween, as they determine Harden’s future on the squad. Everyone wants the guy to stick around, and Thunder players (mindful of that sold out stadium that is full from October to June) think the team’s finances can support a payroll like this. The Thunder’s core might not be as brilliant as the ones we see in Miami or Los Angeles, but it’s not far off; and the trade off on that disparity is depth that far exceeds what the Lakers and Heat boast. The team has a month and a half to figure the extension out. We wouldn’t be surprised, Perkins’ assurances aside and no matter the result, if it takes until July of 2013 for the saga to end. Good thing. Because right now the NBA is just about all out of sagas.”
Serge Ibaka could work for my dad if the whole NBA thing doesn’t work out. (My dad owns a masonry company, you see.)
He Who Must Not Be Named had a response to KD’s response. NSFSP (Not Safe For Sane People).
With Leather on You-Know-Who: “The other problem is that even the big fish can’t ignore Bayless’ shiny lure, as we’ve already seen Chad Johnson “debate” Bayless and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban “own” him. It’s just too bad that even when Bayless is being “owned”, he wins because people tuned in. Ultimately, we can only stop Bayless by completely ignoring him, and that’s not going to happen anytime soon, thanks to Kevin Durant being his latest mark.”
Former Thunder great and mustache superstar Kevin Ollie is now the head coach of UConn.
Dan Grunfeld for SB Nation on why athlete’s read: “Obviously, I’m an athlete who likes to read, and I genuinely believe that there is something symbiotic about these two parts of my life. Reading in some small way makes me a more productive athlete, and being a pro athlete makes me enjoy the serentiy that reading provides just a little bit more. That’s all great, but truthfully, I’ll still love to read long after my days of playing ball are over. It’s one of my most enjoyable personal hobbies, and maybe that’s why it helps me as a ballplayer: because I like doing it so much. Either way, it’s not for everyone, and it’s far from a secret weapon that guarantees sports success. But, if you’re an athlete who enjoys it, like I do, it can help your performance in certain subtle ways. That’s all we can ask for, and no matter what, if you nurture a love of reading, it will be with you forever. And that’s a great gift, in and of itself.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRFftJqL2xk
The CBA is no secret to Presti and Hardens agent. Thunder can offer 7.5% raises other teams can offer 4.5% so obv a max offer from another team is a bit less. Why not lock Harden up now with a contract equivalent in totality to 4.5% raises that would be his max elsewhere. Surely both Harden and the organization don't want the media distraction of him being a RFA next summer all year long as they pursue a title. Why not do something like
EX; DAL/HOU/PHX max offer would be ~$15m w/ 4.5% increase for next 3 seasons. Thats 15M, 15.67M, 16.38M, 17.11M OR ~4 YRS ~64.1M
Thunder instead start him around $14.25M w/ 7.5% raises 14.25M, 15.32M, 16.47M, 17.7M OR 4 yrs ~63.75M
And if Beard can't budge on the 350k they can tweak yr 1 to $14.3M or whatever
@dmon21 They wont have it all year long. We will have to trade Harden if we cannt sign him by Oct 31st.
Someway somehow somebody needs to provide us with thunder games in the offseason cuz am tired of seeing heat on nba tv
http://www.dailythunder.com/2012/09/james-harden-wants-the-max/
@diddoff "Database Error" Noooooooooooooooooo. *hits refresh
@Barry Amenema @diddoff Yeah, that happened to me too. Fortunately, refresh fixed it!
@ou_sas still locked out...Curses, you!
Listen guys, harden is a done deal so stop worrying yall selfs, this contract stuff is just to keep us relevant in the offseason cuz there wudnt be nothing else to talk about thunder
@thunderobsess Oh I beg to differ....plenty to talk about... e.g. we have many lively discussions about the ThunderThighs...er....whatever they call the cheerleaders.
@Barry Amenema lol u knw wat i mean
Ouch, Royce fell into the misunderstanding the whole max extension deal. As a first rounder, he's eligible for the regular 25% of the cap extension the first year that Gordon was, with 4% raises every year thereafter. Lin's a special situation called the Gilbert Arenas provision. ( http://www.cbafaq.com/salarycap.htm#Q44 ). Harden isn't.
Also of note: The Thunder can offer 7.5% raises on their max offer. If they match, they only have to offer 4% annual raises. Might be a way of getting a slight discount on a max player, like what NOLA did.
@ou_sas
So with 59 million cap next season, the Thunder can offer:
14.75
15.85625
17.0454688
18,3238789
= 65.9755977
Other teams can offer:
14.75
15.34
15.9536
16.591744
= 62.635344
Right?
@diddoff Actually, I made a mistake. The other teams can offer 4.5% http://www.cbafaq.com/salarycap.htm#Q53
And this one will give you what a max extension starting this season would start at: http://www.cbafaq.com/salarycap.htm#Q16
@diddoff I believe that's right. That's the reason that Eric Gordon got signed to a matching max extension by New Orleans, as opposed to a straight up extension. Save that extra 3.3 mil.
Reggie via Twitter: Great workout week w/ @KDTrey5 @EMaynor3 @colea45 @danielorton21 @andyrautins1 @HasheemTheDream @DC4Three @nickcollison4 @Perry_Jones1...
Sounds like a solid mini camp.
@diddoff @KDTrey5 @EMaynor3 @colea45 @danielorton21 @andyrautins1 @HasheemTheDream @DC4Three @nickcollison4 Interesting who is/isn't there. Good to see all the people who should be worried about fighting for a spot show up. Also predictable that KD would show up anyway.
@ou_sas Mr. Fashion Week is on scouting tour and The Rain Man is busy with contract negotiations.
via Broussard
"Despite what KPerk says OKC & JHarden not close to deal. Sides are talking. JH wants to stay but wants max. Let's see if OKC blinks b4 10/31"
booooooo
max? word let me pack hardens bags for em foh with that bs
@Lost Ones Wasn't he the one that started the "making sacrifices" stuff?
@diddoff If memory serves....Maynor said "sacrifice" and Harden said "family"...or something similar...but you are still on point.
--Barry A...(stays on topic!?! What is going on?)
@OBoyzOld Man @diddoff @Lost Ones ...so he's in OKC right now?
@diddoff @Lost Ones
That was before he started renting yachts and making it rain all over the world.
@OBoymuzik I don't think Broussard is informed about this talks like this like he once was. There are media guys I trust much more.
@diddoff i think he prob has info..all i would take it for is "sides not close, harden wants max"
More
"It would behoove OKC to sign JH b4 10/31 b/c next summer teams will offer poison pill max contracts that will be hard to match..."
i thought there wasn't a poison pill for max contracts?
@OBoymuzik There's not, and I called him on it. He's a first rounder, so all we have to worry about is straight max contracts. No poison pill available.
@ou_sas @OBoymuzik He doesn't even know what he's talking about.
@ou_sas haha yeah i just saw your tweet. It really doesnt matter if he reaches RFA if he's not going to take anything less than max.
@OBoymuzik You're lightining quick even in the offseason
@diddoff was lucky this time lol
Bert Tramel doesn't have a clue. What we know for sure is that Harden WILL NOT play the full season without an extension. That would mean that Presti would be letting him walk without getting anything in return OR matching an evevitable max off nxt summer that, if they were willing to do in the first place, they would have offered as an extension.
@Steve H Who's Bert Trammel? http://mikelightman.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/2-bert-de.jpg ?
@Steve H
Just playing devil's advocate, I can think of two reasons why he might play all season without an extension.
1. Presti could be waiting for that off chance that James has a really poor year, or suffers an injury, that would give other teams cause for concern, to the point of withdrawing a max offer. If not, he still matches the max offer and doesn't lose anything for letting the course of all possibilities run it's full length.
2. Presti is unwilling to sign him to the max, and will wait for another team to offer that contract, which he can then turn into some sort of last minute sign-and-trade.
@Jax Raging Bile Duct Any sort of last minute sign and trade will require roughly matching salary coming back in return, leaving Presti no better off. If we are going to trade him, it will need to be at his current salary. Your other option has us hoping Harden has such a lousy year that his market value significantly declines. Really doubt he takes such a big step backwards, and if he does, would we still be willing to meet his price?
@Jax Raging Bile Duct @Steve H Or 3) Presti is willing to match a RFA max offer, but doesn't want to give Bird raises on that max.
Frankly I think there is roughly zero chance Harden gets extended before becoming a RFA unless he signs for a deal similar to Serge.
@ou_sas @senseandsenescence @Jax Raging Bile Duct @Steve H Thanks.
@diddoff @senseandsenescence @Jax Raging Bile Duct @Steve H First year is 25% of the cap, that year. Then you get percentage raises after that. At least, that's the way I understand it. The Thunder can offer 7.5% raises, other teams only 4%.
@senseandsenescence @Jax Raging Bile Duct @Steve H Are there still bird raises in these max contracts? I've always thought the salary is exactly the 25% of the cap.
@Jax Raging Bile Duct @Steve H And I don't see why he would sign a deal like that.
That Jay Grizzle guy on the podcast knows just enough to be dangerous. They're the worst kind. You know not to listen to Sports Animal hosts, that's obvious. This guy knows more, but for crying out loud, I couldn't disagree with him more. And some of his research is just incorrect.
But Renner did a good job of explaining the cap situation and all the challenges facing the Thunder.
where is a good place in norman/okc to watch chavez jr-martinez saturday?
@persiansooner13 If OKC, you might check out Fox and the Hound. They usually do a cover charge for the fights. But if they charge a cover for an event, they turn the volume up so that you can hear what's going on. Which is better than other bars that just turn the channel, but that's it.
@persiansooner13 There aren't any great sports bars in Norman. Norman just has a lot of bars with TVs too. Best sports bars in OKC IMHO are Republic and then Brix. Other than that just hit up any chain like Buffalo Wild Wings...
@persiansooner13 In Norman, you might check NY Pizza and Pasta. I've watched fights there before, and it's typically less crowded than other places. May want to check to see if they're carrying it before you go though.
I don't believe Tramel said that. There's no mention of the word "boomer."...
for all the thunder fans, im putting on my gm hat. We missed out this summer to really improve our team, we could have signed o.j. mayo for a very reasonable price. Way less than what harden commands, but the main move i would have made, besides signing mayo, is trading harden for stephen curry. Let curry be our 6th man, he is better than harden anyways, and we would have the best backup pg in the NBA. We would also have a better bench with him and mayo. Now that mayo is signed, we should still make that trade happen, it would make our team better, and save us money. Harden lost all crediblity when he played like a scared 7th grader. We can't win a championship with his kind of inconsistency
@dwells Uh-oh, where's Okc baby? Someone wants to replace Eric Maynor as the best backup PG in the NBA.
eric maynor is good, and i know he is young, but he has that same quality that harden has that i don't like. The not that ahtletic, but can get to where he needs to go type game. But when a defender really locks in on him, he can't do anything. All harden will do is try to draw a foul, and the refs did right by not calling those fouls. but maynor is a setup point guard who runs our team well, but he is definitely not the best backup pg. Drew Bledsoe? much better. maynor just doesn't have any way to create space sometimes.
i am very serious. i think people on here consider themselves real fans, and know the game of basketball somewhat. if so, then how else does harden help us besides scoring and playmaking? i know that is important, but he wants a max contract? we are crazy as hell if we give him that. way overpaid. is he that much better than another 6-man like jason terry or ginobili? absolutely not, harden is inconsistent, he played like he was scared the whole finals. He missed a wide open layup, then he was scared to even look at the goal. That was not his first time not stepping up against top level competition either. Harden feeds off of our other 2 superstars, and yes, stephan curry was better than him in college, and he is still better than him now. Better ballhandler, better defender, passer, and shooter. Harden is bigger, can finish to the hole better, and a better slasher. But harder is not a good pressure player, he can't get off a great shot when the defense focuses on him, and he would be sereverly overpaid if we give him a max deal. Harden can only go left, i don't know why the heat were the only team that noticed that, but he couldn't go anywhere against them.
@dwells in No.9527 universe,curry is better than Harden
@dwells Wtf?....
@dwells I think your gm hat is twelve sizes too small.
@dwells Can't tell if serious.
@SoonerSpens @dwells He's joking guys, don't get riled up lol