[NotAJerry]

Perhaps he has just been waiting for his turn behind KD & RW. I doubt he can keep this up but dare I say he is off to a Linsanity-type of start to the season.

He was a 17 point scorer last year on 49% shooting, 39% 3pt shooting, and 85% FT shooting. The thing that held him back was having a superstar ahead of him in Durant and a team that thinks Westbrook is worth allowing 20+ shots from the PG per night. OKC set themselves back by 2-3 years, as far as winning the finals goes, with this move and Houston now has a great offensive backcourt to go with a good rebounding C in Asik.

[thepostman]

You have proven over your short time on this board that you have a hard time with reading comprehension. By me saying nothing he has done has warranted max is in no way me saying the guy isn't talented.

He is talented, but not every talented player deserves max money. Especially with all the complaining the owners have done about overpaying players.

He is off to a great start and it may end up working out for Houston, but overpaying for players rarely works out in the end for most teams. That is all I am saying NorAJerry.

I am sure you will continue to point out how talented Harden is even though nobody in this thread has said he isn't.

[lynchburgwildcats]

Harden plays a team that has perimeter players that can play defense and got locked up tonight against Portland while also being outplayed by a rookie in OT. But the first two games were about as impressive as it gets, no doubt.

[NotAJerry]

In the current NBA setup, he had warranted a max contract. The only reason OKC didn't give it to him is because it would have put them in luxury tax territory and the owners wouldn't go for it.

[thepostman]

Even in the current NBA setup he didn't warrant a max contract...6th men of the year don't warrant max money

[lynchburgwildcats]

In the current NBA setup, he had warranted a max contract. The only reason OKC didn't give it to him is because it would have put them in luxury tax territory and the owners wouldn't go for it.

Wouldn't have been a problem if they would have amnestied vastly overpaid Kendrick Perkins who is making $9 million a year to do nothing but inadequately defend top flight offensive centers and deliver an infinite amount of scowls on the court.

[thepostman]

Since I am too lazy to look up the thread i would like to point out the Magic are 2-0. Not just 2-0 barely getting by but they did it in convincing fashion. Now I am not under any kind of illusion that the Magic will be great but they will be much better then anybody is giving them credit for. They have brought in players that want to be here and a coach who has a calming sense about him. The magic are going to be ok....

Dwight is 0-3....

[NotAJerry]

Even in the current NBA setup he didn't warrant a max contract...6th men of the year don't warrant max money

His shooting, coupled with the way he turned around the Spurs series and got them to the finals, definitely warranted a max deal.

When you start looking at advanced stats, like the Hollinger stats, he was 30th last season in PER (2 behind Carmelo), 20th in EWA (estimated wins added), 20th in value added, and 4th in true shooting percentage. His numbers actually compared closely to Manu Ginobli. Once he got to the playoffs he was a top 10 or 20 player in most of the Hollinger stats.

He was a max player and the only reason OKC didn't offer him the max is the owners don't want to pay the luxury tax.

[TDDance234]

Right now, he means more to Houston than any other franchise. He is the franchise player they were desperately trying to find since McGrady kicked the bucket. Teamed with Lin, they are easily one of the most recognizable basketball backcourts in the league. You can argue that it wasn't a great choice for what he produces on the court but you can't deny the impact off the court. Harden has been to an NBA finals, won a gold medal, and has a winning pedigree. He brings something to the Rockets they haven't had in awhile.

He may not be worth a max-deal to any one else in the NBA, but makes perfect sense for the Rockets.

[Sly Fox]

Particularly since you can't just go out and get a max-type player when you want unless you happen to be the Lakers, Celtics or Heat. In fact, very few players of Harden's caliber even get traded any more.

[lynchburgwildcats]

Even in the current NBA setup he didn't warrant a max contract...6th men of the year don't warrant max money

His shooting, coupled with the way he turned around the Spurs series and got them to the finals, definitely warranted a max deal.

When you start looking at advanced stats, like the Hollinger stats, he was 30th last season in PER (2 behind Carmelo), 20th in EWA (estimated wins added), 20th in value added, and 4th in true shooting percentage. His numbers actually compared closely to Manu Ginobli. Once he got to the playoffs he was a top 10 or 20 player in most of the Hollinger stats.

He was a max player and the only reason OKC didn't offer him the max is the owners don't want to pay the luxury tax.

The problem with the advanced stats is it doesn't factor in defense outside of steals and blocks, which is generally a mostly horrible way to measure defense, and Harden is an average defender at best. I like PER a lot and think it is very useful when looking to compare guys offensively, but it's defensive faults make it borderline useless if you want to compare the total value of a player.