with Cody Tannen-Barrup, Steven Strong, Sasha Klare-Ayvazian, Chris Conner, Nate Mondschien – The MMH staff weighs in on yesterday’s earth shaking Harden trade.
Cody Tannen-Barrup: First off, woooooooooow. We all knew Harden would get traded and he wanted Brooklyn and they wanted him. So now the overweight man with the big beard is moving to Brooklyn. They immediately become an even stronger contender if they can make it work. That part is obvious.
I am impressed they got it done without losing Joe Harris. That’s a huge move for them. I don’t like that they ditched Jarrett Allen, but he was an upcoming free agent. They are relying a lot on DeAndre Jordan, that’s all I’m saying. That said, when you have the two or three best players on the court in a playoff series that matters. Just look at the Lakers last year. You just have to have an average supporting cast. It’s a scary combo.
Are they going to play KD at the 5? Jeff Green?
Nate Mondshein: If only there were some historical example that could help us understand the potential ramifications of a team called the Nets trading multiple unprotected first round picks for one or more less-than-in-ideal-basketball-shape stars…
I guess I just wonder if you’re going to mortgage your entire draft future whether Harden was the guy to do it for (especially when you’re already an offensive juggernaut and mediocre defensive team and move one of your best defenders to get the deal done)? There is absolutely a version of this that gets them a ring, but it’s nowhere near the guarantee it should be with this hefty a price tag.
Steven Strong: I’ve heard some people say that Harden’s behavior to get out of Houston was comparable to Kawhi. While I can agree that Harden was pretty wack to the Rockets organization and his teammates as a whole throughout the start of this season, I don’t think the two situations are all that relatable.
Harden has been an established superstar in the league for years now and is known as one of the best scorers to ever play. Houston didn’t draft Harden, nor did they have the same coach or same GM as when he was brought there. But, regardless, I think it just shows how much leverage a player can have for their own wishes, desires, and destinations. At the same time, Harden was convinced joining with Westbrook again in Houston was the best idea ever.
I don’t think he’s gonna get the result he wants by running to his other former MVP teammate and expecting the results to show up just because they’re together. Harden is the player version of the coach that Mike D’Antoni is. Lol. Let’s do the same thing over and over again and then when it doesn’t work we’ll go back to the first thing and do it all over again and then shit we got bounced in the second round again. The East may be weaker but…. there’s some dogs that don’t gaf what the Nets look like and are already cohesive (Miami, Milwaukee, etc.), but maybe he’ll like the Brooklyn strip club scene better.
Sasha Klare-Ayvazian: Wow wow wow wow
A lot to process with this trade, a lot to process in these reactions!
My brain is so scattered, I’m going bullet points:
- To Cody: I also CAN’T believe they were able to hold on to Beef Jerky Joe—Joe Harris—and I agree that’s big. Is there any way they can roll out a lineup of Kyrie, Shamet, Harris, Harden, and KD without getting torched on D??? Because that lineup on O… (says prayer)
Steven Strong: I will say Steve Nash’s coaching career probably hangs on this very decision and he definitely knows that. There’s a ton of great basketball minds involved in Brooklyn (I totally forgot Mikey D joined as an assistant, that’s hilarious to me), but…. we’ll see how well it all comes together for them. I agree with Nash’s assessment on it being a “star powered league,” but in terms of championships, those stars have to achieve rings for that to really ring true for him.
Chris Conner: The biggest taking point for me is that the Nets have found a way to fuck their future in hopes of a 3-4 year window towards success. For a SECOND time in a decade.
