Daily Thunder.com

Sam Amick of USA Today: “They spent four months negotiating with him and his agent, Rob Pelinka, and anyone who had tracked the career of the team’s general manager, Sam Presti, knows of his tendency to act deliberately and, when necessary, swiftly. So with Harden hell-bent on landing a maximum deal of four years and $58.5 million, Presti dealt him (with three others) to Houston for veteran scorer Kevin Martin, rookie shooting guard Jeremy Lamb, two first-round picks and a second-round pick. Harden, who told USA TODAY Sports that the final offer from the Thunder was for four years and $53 million, said he was not aware that Houston was a possibility until the deal was done.”

Marc Stein of ESPN.com: “The results were fairly predictable, too. With Chandler Parsons (shoulder) and Carlos Delfino (groin) out injured and unavailable to stretch the floor — and Thunder defenders knowing Harden’s tendencies better than anyone — they smothered him with relentless aggression and precision. Harden wound up seeing six of his 16 shots blocked by a defense that made it immediately clear that there would be nothing resembling the lefty’s 82-point spree in his first two games after OKC stunned the entire NBA by trading him to Houston on Oct. 27 when contract extension talks collapsed.” Keep Reading…

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.” Keep Reading…

Danny Chau of The Classical on Perry Jones III: “Jones’ freakish ability on the court had me smitten, but his self-awareness is what made me a real believer in his success. Despite a ridiculous NCAA suspension at the end of Jones’ freshman year—one of the NCAA’s using-a-bazooka-to-remove-a-ketchup-stain specials in its long-running conflict against picayune violations—Jones decided to return for his sophomore year, mature enough to know he wasn’t yet mature enough for the pro game. His time with P3 was a preemptive measure to help his body best defend against the unknowable future. It’s the kind of proactive effort that could have saved the prime years of Tracy McGrady’s career. Potential is fleeting, but Jones is doing what he can to protect it while he’s still young.”

Ken Berger of CBSSports.com on the lockout a year later: “As far as reducing player costs as a percentage of revenues, that goal was achieved almost immediately. The players’ share of basketball-related income (BRI) was reduced from 57 percent under the previous agreement to 51.15 percent for the 2011-12 season and to a sliding scale between 49 and 51 percent thereafter, based on revenues. The escrow system remains in place to account for any shortfall or overage in the amount of negotiated salaries. How that reduction is being achieved will be the most interesting and important aspect of the agreement. With only one truncated and one full free-agent signing period under the agreement so far, it’s too soon to conclude whether the player cost reductions are being achieved in a way that promotes competitive balance.” Keep Reading…