How would people have felt if we ended up getting Harden for Perk?

[hpantazo]

Thanks for providing that information. I see what you mean, but am not sold on Harden as a superstar yet. The sample size is fairly small (13 games) and I don't know that Harden would have done all that more damage than Green did last year.

I will certainly keep an eye on Harden and he looks like he has a solid future, but saying that a healthy Harden being here instead of a healthy Green is the difference between Howard coming here or not is really a stretch. They would both probably be playing fairly similar roles on this year's team (with Ray and Paul still here). It's really just unfortunate that Green had a serious life-threatening heart problem.

I didn't say he would be the difference. I said a Rondo/Harden foundation would put us among the frontrunners.

It should anyways. There wouldn't be a better pairing out there for him.

Vastly underrating Harden. Jeff Green is....a flawed player without a real position as of right now. Harden has been improving at a seemingly exponential rate from the beginning of last season, to the Jeff Green trade, to the playoffs, and into this season.

James Harden is a complete player, and the only SG's I'd take in front of him going into the future are Dwyane Wade and...Dwyane Wade. Dwight Howard knows this.

that's a huge assumption, considering Dwight Howard was the one who wanted Glen Davis on his team, I don't assume he knows anything about who is better at any position.

Ha, they're buddies. Notice he got Glen Davis and yet still hasn't signed an extension or anything.

that's right, Howard is such a jerk. He asks the magic to give a large contract to his buddy big baby, and then (so far) refuses to commit to the team long term himself.

[Moranis]

I still would have objected to blowing up a championship contender mid-season, but I would have pulled the trigger on a Harden deal.  He just had much more potential than Green.

Trading Perk was not blowing up the team.  Would anyone say the same thing if OKC traded Perk right now?

Eh, agree to disagree.  Our team immediately went into an identity crisis once Perk was traded, and we still haven't really gotten it back.  Our starting lineup never lost a playoff series.  Perk was a big, big part of our team.

an identity crisis is a big stretch especially since the team went on a tear directly following the trade.

The team is just old.  It was old last year and even older this year.  That isn't an identity crisis, it is reality.

[indeedproceed]

Thanks for providing that information. I see what you mean, but am not sold on Harden as a superstar yet. The sample size is fairly small (13 games) and I don't know that Harden would have done all that more damage than Green did last year.

I will certainly keep an eye on Harden and he looks like he has a solid future, but saying that a healthy Harden being here instead of a healthy Green is the difference between Howard coming here or not is really a stretch. They would both probably be playing fairly similar roles on this year's team (with Ray and Paul still here). It's really just unfortunate that Green had a serious life-threatening heart problem.

I didn't say he would be the difference. I said a Rondo/Harden foundation would put us among the frontrunners.

It should anyways. There wouldn't be a better pairing out there for him.

Vastly underrating Harden. Jeff Green is....a flawed player without a real position as of right now. Harden has been improving at a seemingly exponential rate from the beginning of last season, to the Jeff Green trade, to the playoffs, and into this season.

James Harden is a complete player, and the only SG's I'd take in front of him going into the future are Dwyane Wade and...Dwyane Wade. Dwight Howard knows this.

that's a huge assumption, considering Dwight Howard was the one who wanted Glen Davis on his team, I don't assume he knows anything about who is better at any position.

Ha, they're buddies. Notice he got Glen Davis and yet still hasn't signed an extension or anything.

that's right, Howard is such a jerk. He asks the magic to give a large contract to his buddy big baby, and then (so far) refuses to commit to the team long term himself.

haha, to me it just shows he's less incompetent than the magic!

[Moranis]

Thanks for providing that information. I see what you mean, but am not sold on Harden as a superstar yet. The sample size is fairly small (13 games) and I don't know that Harden would have done all that more damage than Green did last year.

I will certainly keep an eye on Harden and he looks like he has a solid future, but saying that a healthy Harden being here instead of a healthy Green is the difference between Howard coming here or not is really a stretch. They would both probably be playing fairly similar roles on this year's team (with Ray and Paul still here). It's really just unfortunate that Green had a serious life-threatening heart problem.

I didn't say he would be the difference. I said a Rondo/Harden foundation would put us among the frontrunners.

It should anyways. There wouldn't be a better pairing out there for him.

Vastly underrating Harden. Jeff Green is....a flawed player without a real position as of right now. Harden has been improving at a seemingly exponential rate from the beginning of last season, to the Jeff Green trade, to the playoffs, and into this season.

James Harden is a complete player, and the only SG's I'd take in front of him going into the future are Dwyane Wade and...Dwyane Wade. Dwight Howard knows this.

that's a huge assumption, considering Dwight Howard was the one who wanted Glen Davis on his team, I don't assume he knows anything about who is better at any position.

Ha, they're buddies. Notice he got Glen Davis and yet still hasn't signed an extension or anything.

that's right, Howard is such a jerk. He asks the magic to give a large contract to his buddy big baby, and then (so far) refuses to commit to the team long term himself.

I'm fairly certain Howard didn't ask the Magic to give a large contract to his buddy and I'm also fairly certain the Magic didn't have to give that large contract to his buddy (and still could have signed him).

[SHAQATTACK]

I'm a not a talent scout, but I could tell when I saw Harden play a few times as a rookie he was better than Green .   It was obvious. He played like he had been in the NBA 5 years. If I couldn't have got westbrook or Harden I wouldn't have traded PERIOD. I would have used Perk the rest of the year and let him go if thats what he really wanted.

OKC is better off with out Green. he was in the way of Harden playing. ... we were fleeced on that deal.

DA intentions were good , it was dang near the most bad luck I've seen any team have. Its like we're cursed

[Smokeeye123]

We should have traded Ray Allen and Perk for Harden...

[jambr380]

I am also just not so sure if we would know how good Harden was if he were. Would he be playing as well?

Eh?
[/quote]

Sorry, I probably should have explained that better :0) I meant that he would be playing behind Ray and who knows if he would have fit in that well. We all know that Green didn't. Green seemed to be everything we needed - a starter quality forward with supreme athleticism and strong fundamentals who could spell Pierce and Garnett. For some reason, it just did not work out as planned.

Again, everything I have said is taking into consideration when the trade was made, not now - obviously now everybody in the world would take Harden over Green. The argument for Green back then was a lot more valid.

[SHAQATTACK]

OKC knew what they had in HArden, it was like they we hiding him, he would play off the bench and score like crazy , the team was way better with him in than Green.  

We fell right into their laps on that deal and took away a problem they had , how to bench Green and get Hardin mor minutes. And get our only young center.  

You can not depend on guys 35 years old . DA risked everything on Shaq and Jo .

Was a bad gamble ,   and we are stillpaying for it.  Now Green is gone and our pick value is dropping as the CLippers get better every week.  It sucks to be us.

[Bankshot]

Would have been nice but it was never going to happen.

Yeah.  I don't blame Danny for asking.  When Presti changed the conversation, though, Danny should have hung up the phone.

I didn't mind trading Perk, but I agree with this.  I think he might have landed Harden if he stuck to his guns.  I got the feeling tbat OKC really thought they needed Perk to contend.

[greenpride32]

I think the comparisons between Green and Harden need to stop because the reality is we asked for Harden and were turned down.  That's more of reflection on that fact that we're sending Kendrick Perkins as the key piece; what the heck do you expect to get in return for an average center?

If we chose to receive Green instead of Harden then it would be a discussion.  But there was no choice.  DA could have asked for Durant or Westbrook instead and would also have been turned down.  Spending time thinking about fantasy land gets you nowhere.