By Max Berger
Two weeks ago, on October 26, I said the following regarding
the Houston Rockets: “…it’s the Jeremy Lin and Kevin Martin show until Martin
is possibly packaged in a trade for another All Star during the season.”
Then, on October 27, the Rockets acquired 2012 Sixth Man of
the Year James Harden from the Oklahoma City Thunder for the aforementioned
Martin, rookie Jeremy Lamb, two 2013 first-round draft picks (from Dallas and
Toronto) and a 2013 second-round draft pick (from Charlotte).
Now, it’s the Jeremy Lin and James Harden show, and this
show is already getting rave reviews.
Through the first four games of the season, Harden is
averaging 30.2 points per game, which is tops in the NBA, as well as 5.2
assists and 5.5 rebounds per game. Also, the other new addition to Houston’s
backcourt, point guard Jeremy Lin, is feeding well off of Harden, averaging
15.3 points and 7.3 assists per game to start the season, forming one of the
league’s most dynamic duos in the backcourt.
The Rockets may be only 2-2 and will not be able to win the
Southwest division (the San Antonio Spurs are 4-1, which should surprise no
one), but people are more excited about their prospects for the future with
Harden in the red and white.
The Thunder traded Harden because they could not afford to
sign him to a max contract, as current Oklahoma City stars Kevin Durant and
Russell Westbrook already have max contracts, and Thunder forward Serge Ibaka
recently signed an expensive contract extension too.
As a result, because Oklahoma City knew they couldn’t resign
Harden after he becomes a free agent next offseason, they decided to trade him
and get some value for him while they could, which they did. Kevin Martin is a
prolific scorer, Jeremy Lamb is a promising young talent, and the draft picks
could pay off in the future.
However, in my opinion, James Harden is a top-20 player in
the NBA and will lead the league in scoring this year, and the Thunder traded
away their chances of winning a title this year.
Oklahoma City will still contend, but Harden is a special
talent, and he provides Houston with a lot to look forward to.
He signed the max deal with the Rockets, for five years $80
million, so he will be around for a while. Hopefully, Houston can coax another
big time player to join Harden, Lin, and center Omer Asik
for a chance to overtake the aging Southwestern Division powers and contend in
the West.
For now, enjoy the ride, and to the rest of the league, Fear
the Beard!
