The most popular jersey list is out and LeBron is No. 1, taking over the spot from Derrick Rose who slipped to No. 5. KD has climbed all the way up to No. 2, edging out Kobe and Carmelo. Russell Westbrook jumps up to No. 12, making his first appearance on the list. Rajon Rondo is six, Dwyane Wade seven, Blake Griffin eight, Dwight Howard nine and Chris Paul 10.
Fran Blinebury of NBA.com on Harden’s return: “That’s all Harden, Durant and Westbrook could think about as they stood on the sidelines that night in Miami, arm-in-arm in defeat, side-by-side secure in the belief that they would keep moving ahead together. Did he consider for a moment that he would only return to OKC this season for just one game as an outsider. ‘To be honest, I didn’t,’ Harden said. ‘Especially coming off The Finals and basically being together (with Durant and Westbrook) all summer with the Olympics. It happened so fast, happened so fast … Everything happens for a reason and now I’m in a different situation.’ The Beard growing among different faces.”
The PTI timeline of LeBron James is fascinating.
Dan Devine of BDL on Thabeet’s career night: “After spending his first three NBA seasons flailing due in part to a sashimi-raw offensive game, a lack of defensive understanding that led him to foul like crazy and ever-present pressure to do more, be more and be better right now! to live up to his lofty draft position, Thabeet is now in a place where hardly anything’s expected of him — as a spot-minutes big on a short-money deal, a confirmed bust whose prior failures have actually freed him to start his career’s second act. (Well, if you count those stints in Houston and Portland, technically this is his fourth act. But let’s not quibble.)”
BDL offers up Russell Westbrook’s awkward layup against the Bobcats.
Dante Jordan of The Lost Ogle says he got a letter from Thabeet’s hair: “Soon after Hash was drafted, my life completely fell apart. The NBA was a lot different than I’d expected and it was starting to wear on me physically, mentally, and emotionally. Then one late Sunday night, after returning home from a 5-Game road trip, I walked into my house only to found my wife in bed with Gryffindor, Blake Griffin’s Talent. It broke me.”
Thabeet did a Twitter Q&A yesterday that went well: “@justmeg87: @HasheemTheDream How often do you hit your head when walking through a door?” EVERYTIME I WALK INTO A PLACE THAT HAVE DOORS.. ”
Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com: “Martin doesn’t have the history with the Thunder that Harden did. But he already has developed good relationships with Durant and Kendrick Perkins. The team believes more time will lead to more trust, the sort that is needed in tough, playoff-type environments. As the season goes along the Thunder may be able to add to their bench via trade or free agency as they did last season when they signed Derek Fisher in March. Before all that plays out, though, they are showing plenty of signs that the trade has not weakened them meaningfully. With the way Durant is performing and Westbrook is sharing the ball, there’s a chance it could end up making them a more dynamic team.”
Spin took a look at the top NBA teams that have players mentioned in rap songs. OKC is tied with a whole bunch of teams with three.
http://www.dailythunder.com/2012/11/3-on-3-reacting-to-hardens-return/#more-23082
came someone explain to me how James Harden is a better passer than Russ.
@OBoy Jones III Russ > Harden...
Media got so many people bamboozled that no one wants to say it aloud. He is though.
@Perkfection @OBoy Jones III I'll say it from now until infinity, you don't win a title with Harden as your #2, you do with russ
@DSYIII @Perkfection @OBoy Jones III
Sadly scoring pgs just dont win NBA titles. If we had traded Westbrook for Rondo we would win multiple NBA titles.
@OBoy Jones III It has something to do with The Wire, I'm not exactly sure
What response should Harden get tonight? Crickets. nothing more. nothing less.
Or since silence among 20K fans is unlikely I think invoking a Liar! chant seems kind of fitting.
@ThunderBelize
I still blame Presti mostly for Harden being gone. Harden wanted to drag out to the end to try to get as much money as possible, and then boom Presti shocked him with a 60 minute deadline. I think Harden fully intended to resign by the Oct 31st deadline.
@ThunderBelize how about some golf claps? i think thats all he deserves.
@CLthunderfan @ThunderBelize
C'mon guys . . . that's not how we roll here.
@Perkfection @ThunderChick2010 @CLthunderfan @ThunderBelize
*emotion
@Perkfection @ThunderChick2010 @CLthunderfan @ThunderBelize
do the damn thing. bottom line, he didn't have to spew a lovefest of emotoin and sentiment that he KNEW he was staying and DIDNT WANT THE MAX. don't blame him for gettin' his chippers up, but don't put it on front street. totally unneccesary, and if you say PR move, i say that was one ill advised PR move. you say nothing and are hated less.
@ThunderChick2010 @CLthunderfan @ThunderBelize LMAO its how I roll.
@Crow I think if you gave Westbrook truth serum, he would probably tell you he's relieved Harden is not there because it allows him to open up his playmaking game and doesn't take the ball out of his hand in the 4th.
Westbrook says it doesn't affect him and I tend to believe that it doesnt really matter to him. He just does him.
@ThunderChick2010 @CLthunderfan @ThunderBelize I think there is a decent chance that Harden and Durant might team up again in the distant future, if they really were really tight. But it may have been just tight in the situation they were in, given the other options.
@ThunderChick2010 @CLthunderfan @ThunderBelize Harden and his former teammates will have the opportunity to make the first moves during warmups. I assume they will do something but maybe not.
TrueHoop about Thabeet:
http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=8686485
@Sigmund
altho, i don't know if i agree that he could start, but who knows at this point. that would be something of a story if it were to happen.
@Sigmund
good stuff indeed.
@Sigmund Thanks! It's nice to know that other folks are noticing the rebirth of Thabeet. I'm thinking he's going to end up being the real "steal" this year, rather than PJIII. To pick up Hash, along with PJIII, Lamb, and Kmart and still have a possible high draft pick available....well, it's hardly fair to the other teams, is it?
@Sigmund that was a great watch. thanks for posting.
@Sigmund Was just about to post this. Really great stuff from Thorpe.
@sammasaaron @Sigmund
DEfinitely worth watching. As a bonus, you get a brief dose of Hash's "giant voice."
"@ESPN_FirstTake Don't be surprised to see Phil Jackson in LA anyway #Clippers"
"@espn: BREAKING: Sources say Phil Jackson has began negotiations with the Clippers to possibly take over as head coach."
This last tweet was taken down within 10 seconds but already had enough retweets to find.
What do you guys think of this? just a rumor out there but still.
@CLthunderfan @ESPN_FirstTake man, this would suck.
@CLthunderfan @ESPN_FirstTake
ON one hand, would absolutely love the message it would deliver to the Lakers. On the other hand, the only thing the Clippers are missing is a real coach and Phil would solve that problem, to the Thunder's possible detriment.
@OBoyzOld Man I can't "like" your post about Phil solving the Clippers' problems and being a major pain for the Thunder because I don't like the thought of that...but I definitely agree with you.
@TaoMaas @OBoyzOld Man I don't think CP3 would like being a point guard in the triangle.
@OBoyzOld Man I agree 100 percent with this.
@CLthunderfan @OBoyzOld Man 4 straight losses is good fuel for the rumor, whether based on any fact or not.
@CLthunderfan @ESPN_FirstTake I can't believe that Donald Sterling would pay his asking price.
@justin_mia @CLthunderfan Forget the asking price, Sterling is too cheap to buy out Del Negro
@justin_mia no joke I was under the impression that Phil really didnt want to coach again but maybe he is just so pissed at the lakers that he was to get revenge
@CLthunderfan @justin_mia Sounds like Phil just didn't believe the Lakers could win. 3 aging legends all coming off injuries and zero bench. Even Phil Jackson can't coach that to a title. I bet he gives the Clippers a way better deal than the Lakers.
Anyone else appreciate the relatively unbiased opinions of @Royce Young when participating in ESPN's 5-on-5 bits?
I sure do! Well done Royce.
I see we still have people that don't understand PR and negotiation. And honestly Royce, as a member of the media, you should probably be a little more understanding of this. I get that your "shtick" so to speak is more of a fan perspective, but come on.
Also Justin said yesterday that Love could be a RFA. He actually can't. No one with more than 4 years experience can be a RFA. His general point about Love only getting here in a trade remains true.
http://www.cbafaq.com/salarycap.htm#Q43
@senseandsenescence Whoops I forgot Love was already extended.
The rookies just aren't good enough to play yet. Is Brooks purposefully holding Lamb and Jones back? I don't think so. If the rookies produce in practice they will earn minutes.
See Cole Aldrich and Byron Mullens. Did they blossom once they got away from Brooks/OKC? Not really.
@DXL Mullens is worse.
@justin_mia @DXL he's hardly doing worse, nearly every stat is up for him in the last two years outside of fg % and 3p %. i understand he's getting more minutes now, but the 13.4 ppg and 8.3 rpg is higher than i woulda ever guessed he'd be getting in the league...
@TreyFiveOnMyBack @justin_mia @DXL He's worse in that he has the size to be a back to the basket big, but instead would rather hanging out hoisting 3's from the corner at a terrible percentage. He's a waste of a 7 footer.
@justin_mia @DXL btw, i'm not saying he's good. please don't confuse my statement. just saying he's getting more of opportunity now to hoist his shots. ha
@DXL Mullens is doing alright, but not in a role he woulda had in OKC.
@TreyFiveOnMyBack I think that's the key. Byron's doing okay, but what he wanted to do and what OKC needed were two different things. I also think it's wrong to think that players aren't developing just because they're not playing here. The Thunder are a very good team and it's a tough line-up to crack.
Laughing at the small group of people here that think Harden negotiated with OKC.
@Perkfection Harden did no negotiation with Thunder and his agent probably did little to none with Thunder. Doesn't appear either Harden or his agent tried to negotiate with each other to do anything different than what the agent appears to have done. Anyways, case closed.
@Perkfection How many different ways can you say "Max"?
#FreetheBrookies
@FreeFezzyFel/BIG3little2 I liked a select few of the things I saw from them. I think Lamb's defense was kind of promising, and PJ3 didn't look as lost as the other times.
@novelisticbee0 @FreeFezzyFel/BIG3little2 If Jones would just learn how to move without the ball, his athleticism would make him really good. He just doesn't look confident in anything he's doing out there. He even looks nervous setting screens. Lamb at least looks like he wants the ball and knows what to do with it when he has it, even though his shots aren't falling at a high rate. i'm sure that will only improve with time. Jones is reminding me a lot of Jackson last year. Much more comfortable just immediately handing the ball off to someone else every time he gets it. His jumper is not quite there yet, but he's getting some decent looks under the rim so far. I think he should try to get the ball down low a little more when he's in instead of hovering at the perimeter...
@TreyFiveOnMyBack @novelisticbee0 @FreeFezzyFel/BIG3little2 No matter what, without Harden, Durant or Westbrook have to play with the reserves. For that reason alone, PJ3 has to be ready to make an impact, even in 3 minutes of garbage time. I don't think I've seen him with his feet set for a shot at all in the regular season. It always comes out of his hands weird, like you know for sure it's not going in. Dude just seems nervous and lost.
Harden was the same way his rookie year. I would make the argument that his efficiency came from having to fight for every minute off the bench for a year and a half. An inefficient and erratic PJ3 or Lamb will do us no good this year. I'd rather have a solid 8 than an unstable 9.