OKC Thunder Choosing Serge Ibaka over James Harden Proving to Be Wrong Choice
The James Harden-less Oklahoma City Thunder are changing the way NBA teams need look at superstar ultimatums.
Sans Russell Westbrook, and left to rely on Serge Ibaka and Kevin Martin to assist the undoubtedly exhausted Kevin Durant, the Thunder are no longer in the position of power they hoped to be in against the Memphis Grizzlies.
Oklahoma City has found itself in a 2-1 hole against one of the best defensive teams in the league and its offense has bordered on anemic. The Thunder have failed to eclipse 100 points in three consecutive games, which is now their longest streak of the season.
To be fair to the Grizzlies, they were 2-1 against the Thunder during the regular a season and held them to under 100 points in two of those three contests. It’s difficult to score on them. Their rotations are flawless, they guard the three-point shot well and both Mr. T and I pity the fool not named Kevin Durant who attempts to attack the rim with Marc Gasol safeguarding the paint.
Still, more was expected of the Thunder. To be more specific, more was expected of Ibaka and Martin.
Through the first three games of the series, Ibaka is averaging 9.7 points and 6.7 rebounds on 30.8 percent shooting. This comes after he averaged a career-high 13.2 points and 7.7 rebounds on 57.3 percent shooting during the regular season.
Martin hasn’t been much better. He’s averaging 14.7 points on 38.1 percent shooting a night. He is knocking down 40 percent of his three-point attempts, but that has meant very little.
And so, once again, we’re left wondering if the Thunder didn’t make the wrong decision retaining Ibaka over Harden.
I pondered the answer to this very question while Oklahoma City attempted to stave off an epic meltdown against the Houston Rockets. I came to conclude that the Thunder made the right decision. If they had to pick one—I still maintain they could have kept both—Ibaka filled a need, and Martin could replace much of Harden’s scoring.
To a large extent, I still believe just this. Had the Thunder known that Westbrook would tear his meniscus, of course they would have held onto Harden. But they didn’t know. How could they? No team in the NBA is capable of making those predictions. And you can’t build your team in fear. If you did, you’d find a reason not to do just about everything.
In conjunction with not being able to foresee the unpredictable, there were numbers to support my claim. Statistically speaking, the Thunder were better on both ends of the floor this season than they were last, numbers that I won’t get into detail with here because they’re nearly irrelevant here (you can take a gander at them here, though).
Much of Oklahoma City’s increased (numerical) success had to do with Durant and Westbrook evolving. Without Harden, the two were forced to take their games to the next level, a transcendence they may not have undergone had their second-unit safety-net not been sent to Houston. Knowing how well Ibaka (and Martin) had played during the regular season in association with the team’s not-so-subtle advancements only served as further proof that the Thunder made the right decision.
As we watch Ibaka play like he ate the bones, though, I’m compelled to reconsider my original stance.
I still believe the Thunder made the right decision—based on how they were thinking. They didn’t deal Harden because they thought Ibaka had a higher ceiling; they just understood that Ibaka filled a need, and Harden was a luxury.
So their flaw wasn’t in their logic, it’s how they got there. The Thunder chose satisfying a need over a more prolific talent—please don’t even attempt to argue that Ibaka has more potential—when they perhaps should have chosen the latter over the former.
Again, Oklahoma City couldn’t have predicted that Westbrook would go down. But when dealing with an ultimatum that the Thunder themselves imposed, you have to consider the move from all angles.
From there, you have to ask: Who would you rather build around?
The answer? Harden.
Ibaka is talented, without a doubt. But he’s not someone you build your team around. He’s a complementary piece who capitalizes off the presence of superstars on the offensive end. Which isn’t an insult.
Very few big men are capable of carrying teams on their own nowadays. The three-point shot has changed things; stretch forwards have changed things. It’s a guard/wing’s league now.
Over the course of the regular season, the Thunder were able to withstand the subtle disadvantages that came with being Harden-less. Come the playoffs, when the rotations are shortened and, yes, when a top-10 superstar goes down for the season, they’re not able to be cloaked as easily. Or even at all.
With Harden, the Thunder would be in a better position to beat the Grizzlies, to contend for a championship, than they are now. Harden can’t be removed from the offense the way Ibaka can. He creates his own shot and makes plays for his teammates while Ibaka isn’t known for doing either.
Ibaka—the league’s leading shot-blocker—is more talented defensively, but Oklahoma City isn’t known for its defense. The Thunder ranked fourth in defensive efficiency during the regular season, but their success is predicated upon the ability to score. Harden can do that better than Ibaka (and Martin).
Did the Thunder’s depth chart need Ibaka more than it did Harden?
Absolutely. And by that account, the Thunder made the right decision choosing Ibaka over Harden.
After watching how the Thunder have—how Ibaka has—struggled in the face of adversity, however, it’s become clear that Oklahoma City may have just been providing the right answer to the wrong question.
*All stats in this article were compiled from Basketball-Reference unless otherwise noted.
Read more NBA news on BleacherReport.com
View full post on Bleacher Report – NBA
James Harden vows to help the Houston Rockets recruit free agents
The Houston Rockets have found the face of their franchise. Despite not being able to take advantage of the weaker-than-usual Oklahoma City Thunder in the playoffs, the Rockets feel that they are a team on the rise.
Last off-season, the initial thought was that Jeremy Lin was imported to Texas to give the Rockets a brand to anchor their logo on.
That did not exactly work out as James Harden rode into town and took over both on and off the court.
Harden’s combo platter of charisma and skill have rendered him a big time player.
As Houston moves on to seek new pieces to their puzzle, Harden says that he is ready to recruit free agents to help their cause.
Please click here to read this story and watch a dramatic James Harden video.
The post James Harden vows to help the Houston Rockets recruit free agents appeared first on Players View.
View full post on Yardbarker: NBA
Houston’s Harden diagnosed with strep throat (Yahoo! Sports)
HOUSTON (AP) — Houston Rockets star James Harden has been diagnosed with strep throat and is still expected to play Friday night in Game 6 against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
View full post on Yahoo! Sports – NBA News
Harden powers past illness, lifts Rockets 107-100 (Yahoo! Sports)
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — James Harden lacked the energy to get through a morning shoot-around. Then he found the strength to fill the Houston Rockets with life in a playoff series that had started to look hopeless.
View full post on Yahoo! Sports – NBA News
Rockets follow James Harden to Game 5 win over Thunder
Houston comes up strong in Oklahoma City, forces Game 6.
View full post on USATODAY.com Feed
Rockets’ Harden expected to play despite illness (Yahoo! Sports)
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Rockets All-Star James Harden is expected to play in Game 5 against the Thunder after leaving their shootaround because of flu-like symptoms.
View full post on Yahoo! Sports – NBA News
James Harden Learning One-Star Teams Don’t Last in NBA Playoffs
James Harden, this is the cost of being the man.
The NBA‘s newest superstar is trying to win by himself with the Houston Rockets, a move that gave him opportunity and cash but will cost him a shot at a ring.
Winning a championship can’t be done alone, a point he had slapped across his head following his team’s 120-91 blowout Game 1 loss on Sunday at the hand’s of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and the rest of his former Oklahoma City Thunder team.
Despite reaching the Finals last season with the Thunder, Harden was too young and too good to be a third option. An opportunity to be the man elsewhere made the most sense.
And though it was unequivocally logical for Harden to move outside of Thunder land to earn max-contract dollars and the keys to a franchise, it also came with consequences.
When you rise to the top of your roster, even for an elite scorer like Harden, it often means falling in terms of team success.
Harden went from being a prince among royalty to the lowered status of jester, a moment emphasized on Sunday night:
No one wants Kevin Martin laughing at them.
Harden has plenty of talent surrounding him on the Rockets, but there’s a difference between quality and elite. Harden was one of three superstars on the Thunder. Now, he’s the only superstar.
And a quick map of history presents the clearest truth: No superstar can do it on his own, as seen through the results of the last decade:
| Season | Champions | Superstars |
| 2011-12 | Miami Heat | LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh |
| 2010-11 | Dallas Mavericks* | Dirk Nowitzki, Tyson Chandler* |
| 2009-10 | Los Angeles Lakers | Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol |
| 2008-09 | Los Angeles Lakers | Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol |
| 2007-08 | Boston Celtics | Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett |
| 2006-07 | San Antonio Spurs | Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili |
| 2005-06 | Miami Heat | Dwyane Wade, Shaquille O’Neal |
| 2004-05 | San Antonio Spurs | Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili |
| 2003-04 | Detroit Pistons* | Chauncey Billups, Ben Wallace, Richard Hamilton |
| 2002-03 | San Antonio Spurs | Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili |
The two exceptions of the last 10 years include, arguably, the 2010-11 Mavericks and, less arguably, the 2003-04 Detroit Pistons.
One could claim that Nowitzki did it on his own against the Heat, but that’s forgetting that Tyson Chandler was Defensive Player of the Year that season and the team was also loaded with Jason Kidd, Shawn Marion and the high-scoring Jason Terry. The 2003-04 Pistons are the only example since before the Michael Jordan years of a team winning a championship without a clear superstar.
That’s not great evidence to support success from Houston in the immediate future.
Of course, none of this is to say that the up-and-coming Rockets won’t one day have multiple superstars. Houston is young and they could reach plenty more matchups against the Thunder in upcoming postseasons.
Jeremy Lin may have hit his ceiling, but Omer Asik and Chandler Parsons are absolutely capable of growing into superstar shoes.
Still, the growth could take a year, two years or never fully develop. And the youthful talent of the Thunder may always overshadow the Rockets.
That’s the risk of going out and starting shop on your own. As Harden is realizing, you have to go up against the industry giants.
Playing with fellow superstars isn’t an automatic ticket to a title, but there are plenty of superstars out there who can attest to struggles without first-class co-pilots.
LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul and even Kobe Bryant all suffered without fellow elite support.
Harden will be the next superstar to learn that lesson.
Read more NBA news on BleacherReport.com
View full post on Bleacher Report – NBA
James Harden trade worked for Thunder and Rockets
Harden for Martin seems like a win-win, a rare thing for an NBA trade
View full post on USATODAY.com Feed
Harden for Martin trade worked for Houston and OKC
Harden for Martin seems like a win-win, a rare thing for an NBA trade
View full post on USATODAY.com Feed
Harden ready to face former team in playoffs
OKLAHOMA CITY You had to know this was going to happen.
You just knew James Harden was going to come back at some point, and at some point it was going to really matter.
And now the Thunder are in a no-win situation, while Harden is poised for the ultimate “I told you so” moment.
Five days before the season started, the Thunder traded the popular Harden to Houston, and now we’re two days before the teams tip off in the first round of the playoffs in Oklahoma City.
We meet again.
If you didn’t think this was going to happen, you’re an optimist. If you think this series is anything other than Harden vs. Oklahoma City, you’re mistaken.
This is a stand-off and is as big as it gets for April in the NBA. The Thunder may say they are distancing themselves from a grudge match against their former teammate, but we know better than that. It’s only natural to want to one-up a former solider. It only makes sense to say to him, “Here’s what you left behind.”
And it only
View full post on Yardbarker: NBA
