The 2012-13 Basketball Season Is Here

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CLEVELAND CAVALIERS

Best case: Kyrie Irving becomes an All-Star develops into a top-five point guard and makes the Tristan Thompson and Dion Waiters picks look defensible.
Worst case: Anything negative happening with Irving’s health. For now, nothing else really matters all that much, relatively speaking.

The Cavaliers continue to pursue a long-haul approach. Besides Anderson Varejao, the Cavaliers essentially have no money committed past this season except to players on rookie deals. Now that’s flexibility. The goal in coming summers will be to land a top-shelf talent to pair with Irving, forming a duo that can push the Cavs back toward the deep playoff runs that were routine during the LeBron James years. This year will be tougher sledding. Big picture, Irving is the player to watch. He already does so many thing so well — score, shoot, pass, run an offense — at such a young age that it’s startling. This year will simply be about more repetitions, developing counters and finding ways to steady an offense through tough stretches. (Improving his defense is important, too.)

The smart money says Irving’s contributions don’t go unnoticed, and he finds his way onto the All-Star team. Cavaliers fans would trade that recognition for good health. After a serious foot injury during his one season at Duke, a concussion during the 2011-12 season and a broken hand suffered in a freak accident during the summer, nothing would be sweeter than seeing Irving take the court for 82 games.

 

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DETROIT PISTONS

Best case: Andre Drummond shows enough flashes that he looks like the early steal of the 2012 class, Greg Monroe has enough double/doubles to be on the fringes of the All-Star discussion and Brandon Knight progresses as you would expect a second-year point guard to progress. (Charlie Villanueva deciding to retire would be great, too.)
Worst case: Drummond looks more like a project than an impact player, Knight doesn’t become a more efficient scorer and the veterans (Villanueva, Corey Maggette, Tayshaun Prince, Rodney Stuckey) take on too many responsibilities, stunting the younger group’s development in an ill-conceived playoff push.

Pistons fans might not want to hear this, but this team is better off being bad than good, as the young talent base (Monroe, Knight, Drummond) is solid but shy of excellent and the rest of the pieces are way too expensive and/or meaningless on a middle-of-the-road team. This is still talent-acquisition time. Detroit owes its 2013 first-round pick to the Bobcats if it’s not a lottery pick; keeping that pick, considering the roster landscape, would be far preferable to squeezing in as the eighth seed. The good news is that Drummond brings a watchability factor that has been absent over the last three seasons, all of which ended in the lottery. Good or bad, he will have you asking, “What will he do next?”

 

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INDIANA PACERS

Best case: The Pacers win their first Central Division title since 2003-04 and repeat their performance from that season, advancing to the conference finals. The key ingredients to get there: continuity from last season, a burst from Paul George and another season of team-first culture that helped push the Pacers to the East semis in 2011-12.
Worst case: Indiana takes its foot off the pedal during its second season under coach Frank Vogel, playing with less urgency than it did during last season’s 42-24 campaign. Persistent knee trouble limits Danny Granger and the Pacers bomb out in the first round.

The time is now for the Pacers. With the Bulls reeling from Rose’s injury, the Pacers put together their second consecutive solid offseason. In December 2011, Indiana signed David West, a key difference-maker last season. This summer, Indiana re-signed Roy Hibbert and George Hill (overpaying for Hill, if we’re being honest) while also adding Ian Mahinmi, D.J. Augustin and Gerald Green to the rotation mix. The only key departure was point guard Darren Collison, who had his spot taken by Hill, anyway. Two key X-factors: Granger’s health and George’s emergence. Granger is still the go-to guy, even if he’s not an A-lister. If he’s limited by knee pain, that could be a serious problem. George is a rising star who has all the tools to become a force on both ends. Will he get there? And will this be the season that he does it?

 

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MIAMI HEAT

Best case: Repeat.
Worst case: Anything besides a repeat.

James has taken his game to new levels and his partners in crime — Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh — enter the season fully healthy. The roster has been reshaped to play to James’ strengths, with shooters added around him and versatility becoming the mantra. Every season, including this one, carries all-or-nothing stakes during James’ prime. He declared recently that he wants to become the best of all time; that title requires, literally, more than a handful of rings. He needs to add to his collection and there’s no time like the present.

 

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MILWAUKEE BUCKS

Best case: Against all odds, Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis make an all-offense, undersized backcourt duo work, reaching better levels of efficiency than we’ve seen in recent years. Everyone else agrees to do the dirty work, thanks to constant prodding from coach Scott Skiles, and the Bucks hover around .500, good enough for a low playoff spot and a pedestrian first-round exit.
Worst case: Jennings and Ellis never establish chemistry, Skiles’ demands wear on key player(s) and Milwaukee’s front office spins the wheel at the trade deadline with the hope of reducing future salary commitments. The leftovers head to the lottery for the third season in a row.

This is a “prove something” year for GM John Hammond and Skiles, as one would think a third straight sub-.500 season would be enough for ownership to pursue a different direction somewhere. The Bucks haven’t extended Jennings’ contract, adding another element of uncertainty to a totally uncertain roster and season.

Give Hammond this much: There are a lot of pieces here, especially in the frontcourt. Tobias Harris and John Henson both looked good at the Las Vegas Summer League and you know what you’re getting from re-signed Ersan Ilyasova and veteran center Samuel Dalembert, a summer trade acquisition. Perhaps there’s room for some roster redistribution via trade, as someone will be on the outside looking in. (Not to mention, Larry Sanders has already butted heads with Skiles during the preseason.) The Bucks are an enigma for now, and not in a particularly intriguing way. Maybe some deadline fireworks will change that.

 

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NEW YORK KNICKS

Best case: Carmelo Anthony commits himself to more than just scoring, and his new, more balanced game provides a perfect complement to another Defensive Player of the Year-caliber season from Tyson Chandler. Meanwhile, Raymond Felton delivers on his promises of a bounce-back season, Iman Shumpert rejoins the rotation at midseason and the octogenarian bench holds up well enough to affect a playoff series. New York wins a playoff series for the first time since 2000.
Worst case: Injuries wreak havoc, Carmelo checks out and the Knicks crash and burn into the lottery without a sequel to Linsanity to save them.

If Amar’e Stoudemire happened to still be really good, the Knicks would have a much brighter prognosis. As is, the presence of his monster salary is a major limiting factor on New York’s moves. Credit management for its creativity this summer, pulling players in from overseas (Pablo Prigioni) and out of retirement (Rasheed Wallace), while orchestrating sign-and-trades (Marcus Camby, Raymond Felton and Kurt Thomas) to fill out the roster. Persuading J.R. Smith to stay under a modest deal was an underrated move, too, despite his obvious flaws and red flags.

The bag of tricks pays off only if Anthony takes his game up a major notch, which seems unlikely but not impossible, or if Stoudemire, who is already missing time with knee issues, has an unexpected renaissance. No matter what, the Knicks are dead in the water if they have to face Miami or Boston in the playoffs. If the Knicks dodge those two and draw the Pacers, Hawks or a Bulls team without a fully healthy Rose, they might have a puncher’s chance. That’s not horrible, considering the franchise’s last 12 seasons of futility.

 

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ORLANDO MAGIC

Best case: No. 1 pick in the 2013 NBA draft.
Worst case: No. 6 pick in the 2013 NBA draft.

Do those scenarios sound familiar? They should. They are the same parameters that govern the Bobcats’ season, outlined above. In the first year of the post-Dwight Howard era, new GM Rob Hennigan can’t expect anything but futility. Not after he finally dealt Howard to the Lakers. Not after he agreed to sign-and-trade Ryan Anderson, the team’s best player not nicknamed Superman, to the New Orleans Hornets. Not after the Magic re-signed the middling Jameer Nelson to a multiyear deal. Not in Year One for a first-time head coach in Jacque Vaughn.

Hennigan, like the Bobcats’ Cho, is a former Oklahoma City Thunder assistant GM. The two executives will wage a battle for the Southeast Division’s basement, and the extra lottery balls that come with that distinction. Magic fans have gone through this cycle before and come out just fine, but that doesn’t help push the fast-forward button on this season, which will feel as if it’s unfolding in brutally slow motion.

 

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PHILADELPHIA 76ERS

Best case: Andrew Bynum dominates the boards and the paint, solidifying his status as a franchise-type big man who can carry the Sixers for a decade. More immediately, he makes his case for a max contract next summer by getting Philadelphia into the conference semifinals for the second year in a row.
Worst case: “Andrew Bynum’s knees” overshadow Andrew Bynum and hopes are dashed.

When the 76ers traded Andre Iguodala to the Denver Nuggets to acquire Bynum and Jason Richardson, they exchanged a “good but not great” reality for a riskier “could be great but could be a disaster” fork. With Bynum on the shelf because of knee issues throughout the preseason, “could be a disaster” is already picking up momentum. It’s not that the Sixers are totally lacking in size without Bynum; Kwame Brown, Spencer Hawes and Thaddeus Young can fill up most of the power forward/center minutes if push comes to shove. But that group has a firm ceiling; a Bynum-led squad simply has a much higher one, especially in the East where there isn’t a center around who can match his physicality and overall skill set.

The backcourt rotation of Jrue Holiday, Richardson, Nick Young and Evan Turner should hold up well enough. A breakout year from Turner, however unlikely, would mean Philadelphia has the chance to really scratch at something special. Like the Bulls and Rose, though, the Sixers will go where Bynum takes them, this season and into his next deal. Management knew that would be the case when it traded for him; he was deemed an acceptable risk. Now everyone holds on for dear life as it unfolds.

 

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TORONTO RAPTORS

Best case: Kyle Lowry gets an All-Star nod, Jonas Valanciunas proves ready to handle starter’s minutes as a rookie and the Raptors play meaningful games into April.
Worst case: History repeats itself for the fifth straight season.

It doesn’t appear as if the Raptors have assembled enough to drag themselves out of the post-Chris Bosh lottery muck. This year’s group should be more competitive than comical, though, thanks in large part trade acquisition Lowry, an above-average point guard who averaged 14.3 points, 6.6 assists and 1.6 steals per game for the Rockets last season despite a health scare and a frazzled relationship with coach Kevin McHale. Lowry will take on the primary ball-handling duties and the added responsibility of helping a host of young players, including DeMar DeRozan, Terrence Ross, Ed Davis and Valanciunas, succeed.

Coach Dwane Casey is taking an “us against the world” tack during preseason, pointing out pessimistic prognostications as motivation for his young guys. Effort is a huge deal, especially on the defensive end, where the Raptors improved from No. 30 in points allowed per possession in 2010-11 to No. 14 last season in Casey’s first year. If that progress holds and Lowry orchestrates, a run at the No. 8 seed isn’t totally out of the question.

 

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WASHINGTON WIZARDS

Best case: The Wizards challenge for a playoff berth thanks to John Wall’s fixing his jumper and getting his turnovers under control and the new-look front line’s staying healthy enough to make major gains in the rebounding and defense departments.
Worst case: Wall flat-lines or injuries carve up the bigs; if that happens,a fifth straight trip to the lottery is a guarantee.

Bad news, already. Wall hasn’t had the opportunity to improve or flat-line, as he’s out with a knee injury. It’s not serious, but it’s not nothing, either. More bad news: Expensive center Nene, the most important big man, didn’t play at all during the preseason because of a foot injury. This just isn’t a team that can afford to spot its East counterparts a game, let alone the month it is expected to take to get Wall back. In the meantime, all eyes turn to lottery pick Bradley Beal. Still a teenager, Beal carries himself with a veteran’s calm and he has a full offensive repertoire. Can he consistently knock down his jumper? That will define his ceiling.

 

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Nets' Williams believes Felton better PG than Lin


EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) -- Brooklyn Nets All-Star Deron Williams said Saturday that Raymond Felton is a better playmaker than the point guard he replaced in New York, Jeremy Lin.

Lin outplayed Williams last Feb. 4 in a stunning performance off the bench, starting a phenomenon that became known as Linsanity. But the Knicks opted not to match the $25.1 million deal Lin signed with Houston, having already completed a sign-and-trade deal with Portland to reacquire Felton.

Felton played well in a previous stint with the Knicks.

"I would say Raymond Felton is a better point guard than Jeremy Lin, in my opinion," Williams said at the Nets' practice facility.

The Nets host the Knicks on Thursday in their first game at the new Barclays Center.

It would've been hard to imagine Lin not being there after the 10 games that started when he scored 25 points in a 99-92 victory over the Nets at Madison Square Garden. Williams scored 21 points and shot just 7 of 19 that night, though made amends later in the month when he scored 38 points as the Nets won in their return to New York.


Williams stopped short of saying the Knicks are a better team without Lin as the starting point guard, but said he would rather go with Felton because of what the veteran has accomplished in the league as a starter, especially during his short stay in New York before he was included in the deal that brought Carmelo Anthony over to the Knicks.

Felton averaged 17 points and nine assists in 54 games during the 2010-11 season in New York.

"He is just proven," Williams said.

"You'll have to see Jeremy Lin. He had a heck of a run. The numbers he was putting up were All-Star type numbers when he was starting, so we'll see how he does this year. But going off of track record, you know I'm going to go with Raymond Felton and Ray probably had his best year that half season he was there. I guess he likes the bright lights. "

Felton admitted being out of shape last season in Portland after the lockout, but Williams likes what he has seen of Felton, whom he has known since their high school days.

"He looks good. He looks in shape this year," Williams said.

Williams did not practice Saturday but said he will return Sunday. He was given a cortisone shot two days ago for his left ankle that's been bothering him since the Olympics.

"After the season I'm going to have to get it cleaned up. We'll see after that," Williams said. "I don't think it will be a problem. Like I said, the cortisone shots should get me through the season."

 

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Celtics coach Doc Rivers on Heat: “They don’t own the trophy”


The rivalry between the Boston Celtics and the NBA champion Miami Heat is already tense and Celtics coach Doc Rivers added fuel to the fire by saying the Heat aren’t defending anything because it’s a new season. The Celtics open the 2012 season against the Heat in Miami on Tuesday night.

“I never believed that anybody is ever defending a title, because that was last year,” Rivers said to ESPN.com. “They don’t own the trophy this year. That’s what I tell our guys: Miami isn’t considered anything. They won the title last year. You don’t give your trophy back — that’s in boxing, where you get the belt back, that’s defending the title. In the NBA, you win a new title.”

Some Celtics also were in no mood to talk about former Celtic guard Ray Allen. Allen signed a free agent deal with the Heat after last season. Allen was offered twice as much money as the Heat did to stay in Boston, according to Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge. The Celtics also included a no-trade clause to the contract.

“I’m here to play the game and get the hell up out of here,” forward Kevin Garnett said when asked about Allen. “Period, point blank.”

 

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Ex-Celtic Allen: Disconnect hurts


Ray Allen has fled from Boston, taking a well-documented set of complaints -- and a few possibly fractured relationships -- with him. [Kevin Garnett] said he no longer has Allen's number. It might be worth watching Garnett's first pick on Allen. The C's center has that sinister way of sticking a hip into opponents he doesn't care about, let alone a teammate who left to play for a hated rival. ... "He probably doesn't have my number anymore," Allen said after a brief hesitation. "That doesn't make me think negatively of him. No matter what someone says, it doesn't change what we did in five years. That's why the disconnect hurts. But I was 30 minutes into being in Memphis last year. There were so many times I was on the trade block, it was unbelievable."

 

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Manu Ginobili will miss Spurs’ regular-season opener in New Orleans


It can be dangerous to read too much into early-season injuries, but there’s something disheartening in Mike Monroe’s latest report for the San Antonio Express-News. Per Monroe, Manu Ginobili — who is no stranger to lingering injury — will not be traveling with the Spurs to New Orleans for their season opener on Wednesday because of a back issue.

This news, in itself, is hardly disastrous. A single regular-season outing is relatively insignificant given what the Spurs hope to accomplish, and this could very well be a precautionary effort to make sure that Ginobili is ready for the rigors of an 82-game schedule. But that Ginobili has already battled two distinct ailments in the preseason (he missed time earlier with a foot injury) doesn’t exactly bode well for one of the Spurs’ most vital contributors, particularly when back injuries bear such a high risk for complication.

San Antonio is better equipped than most to deal with both this particular absence and any that may follow, but that doesn’t make Ginobili anything less than essential to the Spurs’ season. San Antonio’s place as a contender is not only contingent on his availability but also on his optimal play. Anything less than a full-speed Manu puts the Spurs at an incredible disadvantage and dooms what hope they have of keeping pace with the Oklahoma City Thunder and Los Angeles Lakers. Danny Green, Stephen Jackson and Gary Neal are a commendable collective stopgap, but without Ginobili’s elite all-around shot creation, the Spurs’ patchwork roster of role players would look quite ordinary.

That’s because there’s a world of difference between a deep roster and a balanced one. San Antonio has capable players for days, but all of them are highly dependent on the Spurs’ core three. Tony Parker’s dribble penetration creates open looks in efficient zones and triggers off-ball movement. Tim Duncan’s mere presence demands that opponents pay attention and generates opportunities for quality mid-range looks and at-the-rim finishes. Ginobili functionally reinforces all of the above, while working the passing and driving lanes of the Spurs’ offense to incredible effect. He is a load-bearing pillar in a basketball institution, and one that can’t be structurally replaced by stacking lesser pieces up to the ceiling.

A few missed games here and there will do little harm. The replacement parts and coaching in San Antonio are impressive enough to sustain regular-season momentum and continue course without incident. But the Spurs can only hope that such minor, manageable losses are all that becomes of Ginobili’s ailing back.

 

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Report: Amar’e Stoudemire (knee) now projected to miss six weeks


The trickle of pessimistic news regarding Amar’e Stoudemire’s health continues.

Last week, reports indicated that the New York Knicks forward would get a second opinion on his surgically-repaired knee, and could miss up to the first month of the season due to a Baker’s cyst. The Knicks originally stated the week before that Stoudemire would be sidelined for two-to-three weeks.

On Monday, ESPN.com reported Monday that Stoudemire could actually miss the first six weeks of the season, placing his tentative return date in mid-December, causing him to potentially miss New York’s first 21 games.

An ESPNNY.com report Monday pushed that to “six-to-eight weeks.” An eight-week absence would cause Stoudemire to miss 27 games.

Coach Mike Woodson’s options for replacing Stoudemire are limited. He can shift Carmelo Anthony from his preferred starting small forward position into the power forward role, clearing minutes for Steve Novak at the three, or he can use 40-year-old reserve power forward Kurt Thomas a starter. In light of Stoudemire’s absence and New York’s age and injury concerns, the Knicks opted to keep 6-foot-8 reserve forward Chris Copeland on their 15-man roster.

According to the Mayo Clinic, popliteal cysts, also known as Baker’s cysts, are marked by an excess of fluid build-up in the back of the knee which can cause pain, swelling or tightness. They can be caused by arthritis or cartilage damage, among other knee joint problems.

Stoudemire underwent microfracture surgery on his left knee in October 2005, a procedure that forced him to miss virtually all of the 2005-06 season. Nevertheless, he came back to play all 82 games in 2006-07 and eventually played well enough for the Phoenix Suns that the Knicks gave him a five-year, $100 million contract during the summer of 2010. Stoudemire is on the books this season for $19.9 million and will be paid $22.4 million in 2013-14 and $24.4 million in 2014-15.

Stoudemire, 29, appeared in just one preseason game, scoring 18 points and grabbing five rebounds in 27 minutes against the Toronto Raptors on Friday. The Knicks have cited his left knee in explaining his preseason absences. He averaged 17.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.1 assists last season.

 

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Lakers’ Kobe Bryant (foot) a game-time decision for season opener


Will he or won’t he?

Los Angeles Lakers coach Mike Brown has listed All-Star guard Kobe Bryant as a game-time decision for Tuesday’s regular-season opener against the Dallas Mavericks with a right foot strain. Bryant did not participate in practice on Monday.

Last week, the Lakers shut down Bryant for the final two games of the preseason because of the injury. Bryant reported dealing with both pain and swelling in his foot.

In comments made last week, Bryant didn’t sound overly concerned about the long-term impact of the injury, as he called the rest it gave him “a good thing.”

The Lakers will host the Mavericks at the Staples Center on Tuesday and then travel to Portland to face the Trail Blazers on Wednesday.

Bryant, 34, appeared in five preseason games for the Lakers, posting averages of 20.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.4 assists in 26.8 minutes per game. One of the league’s more durable superstars, he appeared in 58 of L.A.’s 66 games last season, averaging 27.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game.

 

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‘Shocked’ Rockets GM Morey boasts his James Harden trade is unprecedented


Houston Rockets GM Daryl Morey has cultivated a reputation as one of the NBA’s most unemotional and numbers-driven executives, a man so prone to trading his players in recent years that continuity almost became a foreign concept.

On Monday, in the wake of landing Sixth Man of the Year James Harden in a blockbuster deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Morey revealed that he’s no stone-faced commodities trader, breaking into a wide smile and cracking a joke when a reporter asked Harden when he started growing his signature beard.

Morey cracked: “What year did he hit puberty? Is that what you’re asking?”

The Rockets GM, who had failed to land Chris Bosh, Pau Gasol and Dwight Howard in recent years, had good reason to smile. His roster ranked as one of the worst entering the 2012-13 season, and was set to cast Jeremy Lin and Omer Asik as its centerpieces. Now, in Harden, he has a legit top-30 talent to build around.

Morey didn’t bother hiding his glee on Monday, asserting that his trade was essentially unprecedented in NBA history and declaring that Harden, who he called a “foundational” player, would make this year’s All-Star Game in 2013, set for Houston’s Toyota Center in February.


Here’s Morey’s take via a Rockets.com transcript.

Shocked. I actually can’t come up with any examples of a player of his caliber and age getting traded at the time he was traded – it really has never happened. So we were obviously very aggressive and we gave up a lot – Oklahoma City does a great job; we gave up some great players in Kevin (Martin) and Jeremy (Lamb) and some great draft picks – but a top player like James really never gets traded so we jumped at the chance.

I actually didn’t think they’d trade him. I think he’s a great, great player. I think he’s already playing at an All-Star level and is going to be a perennial All-Star and those players are rarely traded so I thought, frankly, it was going to work out there. I’m very happy for the Houston Rockets that he’s here.

Then when we were able to talk to James it was real exciting because I think our goals and his goals are aligned: We want to win a championship and this is a place where he can win a championship as a foundational player for a team.


Harden, 23, became available because he sought a four-year, $60 million max extension that the Thunder were not willing to offer. Reports indicate Oklahoma City’s best offer was $54 million over four years.

During a Sunday interview, Harden said he was “stunned” by the trade, and that his departure from the Oklahoma City Thunder, the only professional team he has played for during his three year career, left him at a “loss for words.”

Thunder GM Sam Presti, who clearly had the best idea among the involved parties that a trade could be coming, struck a different note during a Sunday press conference, wishing Harden well and stressing that he had to do what was best for the Thunder.

“We made several efforts to try to make this work,” Presti said. “I think there’s a point in every negotiation where you start to realize where things are lining up. At that point you have to play the hand you are dealt. As an organization, we’ve made some tough decisions. This one was right up there with them. But once you know the landscape you have to look at everything and make the decision you feel is best for the franchise.”

Harden said Sunday that he expects to sign a contract extension with the Rockets in advance of Wednesday’s deadline. Surely we can expect an ecstatic Morey at that press conference as well.

 

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cnnsi.com

Harden trade marks end of well-cultivated era in Oklahoma City



In the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum hangs a picture of Thunder general manager Sam Presti touring the landmark with a group of young players, solemnly describing the events of April 19, 1995. Presti requires that all his new employees take the tour, usually before their first training camp, to learn about the day that shaped the community they now call home. It is a crucial part of building the connection between town and team. In the photo, Presti stands in front of the players, and they stare at him intently. One of them is James Harden.

The snapshot was taken in Sept. 2010, back when Harden was looking like a bust and Presti like a goof, because he didn't draft Tyreke Evans instead. The Thunder were fierce in their defense of the pick, maintaining that Harden was the right choice for a team with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, because he was the rare lottery pick willing to grow in their shadows. The Thunder believed in Harden, and just as important, trusted in their ability to cultivate him.

All NBA teams talk about player development, but in Oklahoma City it is more than a catchphrase, and Harden became the latest evidence. Today, there isn't a general manager alive who would prefer Evans. Of course, Durant would have been a megastar even if he'd landed in Charlotte, but the Thunder helped turn Westbrook into a point guard, Serge Ibaka into a stopper and Harden into an Olympian. They built this team, step by methodical step, from 3-29 in 2009 to No. 8 seed in 2010 to the Western Conference finals in 2011 and to the NBA Finals in 2012. Finally, the construction was over. The finished product was ready. The only step left was the championship, the parade and the ring ceremony.

When Harden, Westbrook and Durant stood together on the bench at American Airlines Arena in June, arms slung over each other's shoulders as the seconds ticked away on that mortifying Game 5 loss to Miami, they were both suffering and savoring their last growing pain. The disappointment would not break them. It would only steel them. Which is why, when Oklahoma City dealt Harden to Houston late Saturday night, it felt like a classic movie was getting cut off just before the climax. We will never get to see what should have been a stirring ending in the NBA's most unlikely hotbed.

Kevin Martin, who was devastated by the vetoed trade to New Orleans last year, will flourish in a catch-and-shoot role alongside Westbrook; Presti will make valuable use of the draft picks; Jeremy Lamb will be groomed in the same manner that Harden was. But the whole point of scouting, drafting and developing players is to guide three or four homegrown stars into their primes, then turn them loose and enjoy the rewards. If you're lucky, those players will all be close friends of similar ages, and if you're really lucky, they will have different personalities and skill sets. The Thunder essentially created the NBA's dream house -- and then tore up the kitchen so they could try again.

Oklahoma City is obviously a miniscule market, and the new luxury tax is indeed punishing, but according to reports, Harden and the Thunder were about $6 million apart in negotiations on a four-year max contract. For $6 million, Harden is forfeiting a clear title shot, and the Thunder are risking their ability to return to the Finals. If Presti's track record is any indication, he will simply recast a contender in a different from, but it's hard to imagine the Thunder will be better than before. Championship hopes in the NBA are fragile, especially in the age of LeBron James and the super team, and the Thunder's chemistry will be difficult to replicate. They got good players back from Houston, but they gave up a great one, and now they will have to face the Lakers' four stars with just two-and-a-half.

Harden may not be a true No. 1 option -- his deference, which appealed to Oklahoma City, should give Houston pause -- but he made the Thunder the deepest team in the NBA. No one draws fouls as easily, no one scores more with the ball in the pick-and-roll and no one irritates the Lakers quite like Harden. The Thunder would have decimated L.A.'s second unit, and while their bench remains superior, the margin is not what it was 48 hours ago. Suddenly, the Lakers aren't the only ones with a chance in the West. Add the Clippers, the Spurs and perhaps even the Nuggets to the list.

At times, the Thunder seemed immune to the challenges that hound the rest of the NBA. Players lived in the same suburb, and after practice, went to Durant's house for video games and chicken wings. They stayed deep into the night. They signed long term. But the image of Harden, Westbrook and Durant, arm in arm on that difficult night in Miami, was a prelude to nothing. It was just the end of innocence.

 

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Rockets’ James Harden expects to sign extension before deadline


The newest member of the Houston Rockets expects to stick around for awhile.

James Harden, acquired in a late-night Saturday trade from the Oklahoma City Thunder, told Houston reporters on Sunday that he expects to sign an extension with his new team in advance of Wednesday’s deadline.

“Yes, yes I do,” Harden said, in a video interview posted on NBA.com. “I’ll let them figure that out with my agent. My focus right now is Houston and how I can make them better. … I feel like I can help build it and bring my talents over here.”

He said that he had already decided that the Rockets will be his long-term home.

“Just to be secure, I feel like I’m in a great position with a great team and great young guys who are willing to work hard,” Harden said.

Contract talks between Oklahoma City and Harden were reportedly still taking place just hours before Thunder GM Sam Presti pulled the trigger on a trade that landed Kevin Martin, Jeremy Lamb and three picks in returns. The Thunder reportedly offered Harden a four-year deal worth $54 million.

The Rockets can offer Harden, who is entering the last season of his rookie deal, a five-year extension in the neighborhood of $80 million, according to Sports Illustrated’s Chris Mannix.

Harden, 23, averaged 16.8 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.0 steals in 31.4 minutes off of the Thunder’s bench last season. He was named the 2012 Sixth Man of the Year on a Thunder team that went to the 2012 NBA Finals.

In Houston, he moves into the alpha dog role as the team’s new franchise player, a transition he says he is ready to embrace.

“It’s going to take some time,” he said. “Not starting, not having attention on me, but I think I’m ready.”

Harden acknowledged there would be another adjustment: going from a championship contender in the Thunder to a likely lottery team in the Rockets.

“It’s definitely different, but it’s something that we have to learn to deal with,” he said. “This is a business and everything happens for a reason. I’m just going to try to play hard and win games.”

 

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Opening Night Fixtures (Tuesday Oct30):


Cleveland Cavaliers vs Washington Wizards

Miami Heat vs Boston Celtics

Los Angeles Lakers vs Dallas Mavericks