I disagree. Houston didn’t make themselves any better while selling out on their future. A Westbrook Paul swap isn’t going to get them anywhere.
NBA: ***Official 2019 NBA Playoffs Thread***
- Thread starter Dandy
- Start date
CycloneErik
Well-Known Member
I'm sure they're just aiming for the next couple years and tearing it all down again. I can't imagine they have a bigger plan than that right now.
It's trading one bad contract for another, but at least Harden doesn't despise Russ like he did Chris Paul. Not yet, anyway.
Yes I agree it’s good in that aspect, but as far as this being a move that even comes close to getting them over the hump to a championship? Definitely not.
Their centerpiece is Harden and he obviously didn't get along with CP3. They traded away CP3's amazingly terrible contract while acquiring a younger, faster, stronger and more available player in Westbrook. And draft picks are such a toss up.
Yeah, Houston is just going for it as hard as can be with this current core.
Remember there were rumors about Jimmy Butler before this happened.
And it might work. They are going to be a really good team.
The current core was good enough to win a championship two years ago and was probably the second-best team in the West last year -- why not improve slightly then run it back?
Nobody is going to miss those picks if they hang a banner.
Heavy emphasis on might. Houston dealt one bad contract plus draft capital for another but they had to since Harden and Chris Paul had soured on each other. They ended up with a PG who is younger and coming up on the tail end of his prime instead of a massively overpaid, past his prime PG.
But he's also a weird fit alongside Harden. It's going to be really interesting to see how D'antoni (lame duck coach, BTW...something to watch for) makes it work offensively.
I don't know. Even with the West wide open it feels to me like Houston missed their window already and the Westbrook trade is just a desperation move to get out of CP3's contract.
Both CP3 and Westbrook are on essentially the same contracts except Russ has 1 more year at 47 mill.
CP3 is theoretically a better "fit" as the PG in Houston because he is the better 3pt shooter and defender vs Westbrook. The issue is CP3 is 4 years older and has had chronic leg issues that limits his minutes and has cost him multiple games the past two years, contributing in declining of his skills. We also have to factor in CP3 rumored trade request and hints of trouble in the locker room. Houston is always going to side with Harden and if he is ready for a change they need a immediate contributor at PG even if the fit is different.
Russ doesn't have the injury issues and we know he can carry a team himself if Harden sits. Also Russ will decline but should stay his current level for the rest of his contract. (I think most of us think Russ at 34 will be better than CP3 at 39). Having two top 15 players for the next 3 years to maximize Hardens end of his prime is less risky than CP3 a slghtly better fit at his best will be able to stay at that level. I can see why Morey went with the Russ path, as it opens their championship window a couple of more years.
NBA Reddit had a pretty good one about this last night...
That contract was really bad, though.
Getting out of it can be and end to itself, not just a means to a title.
I think Daryl Morey is going to wake up one night in a cold sweat, with Chris Paul sitting in a rocking chair staring at him, shirtless, draped in an American flag, patting a shotgun on his knee. They have some... business to settle, I imagine.
Speaking of which, does OKC try to flip Paul from here?
Miami is the obvious target, could just be expiring contracts to dump the salary since OKC already has essentially gotten 2 firsts and swaps for Westbrook, If they wait until Dec 15th when new player can be traded then I could see Minnesota, Charlotte and the most fun Lakers (Banana boat) getting involved.
Maybe. That contract makes him hard to move. But what they could do is just hold onto him for now and see what happens this season. Maybe a contending team loses their starting PG or something like that. I doubt he's very excited about being the old guy/mentor on a team that's pretty much starting over from scratch.
First Things First on FS1 (Nick Wright and Cris Carter) had a good take on CP3's current situation this morning. CP3 is the President of the NBA Players Association. He fought hard for older players to have the ability to get big contracts with multiple year guarantees, exactly similar to what he signed with Houston last summer. Now barely one year later something he fought for is going to be his demise. Hardly any teams want him because of his cap hit and availability issues and he's almost stuck in OKC now on a non-contending team. Play two years, hope for a buyout then jump on to the coattails of a contender when he's like 37 years old? May go down as one of the best players ever to never reach a Finals.
The list of suitors for him "starts and ends with Miami" according to Woj. Why would Miami take him on? Jimmy Butler wants to be the solo superstar. Why make him mad by taking on CP3?
If Miami takes on CP3's god awful contract they better get draft assets too.
Miami is one of the few teams that just does not care about the luxury tax, though.
I can't say I agree but at the same time I can't think of anyone else to replace him here. Andrew Wiggins maybe? Dude was hyped as the next LeBron.
D'Antoni has had some real tough luck in his coaching career, all the Suns teams that just couldn't get over the hump. The 2017-18 Rockets, a 65-17 team, that just happened to run into an all-time great team in the playoffs.
