Life After "The Beard"

There has been so much discussion and argument over the OKC Thunder-James Harden issue. Did the Thunder give up the chance at a championship? Was this “small market team” unable to match funds Harden could earn elsewhere? Did Harden wish to be in OKC? Was Harden tired of being a spoke in the wheel, as opposed to being “the man” on “his team”?

These are all relevant questions, and deserve attention…

Did the Thunder give up the chance at a championship? This is a tricky one, though with the early season acquisition of Kevin Martin and Jeremy Lamb, the Thunder allow teammates the opportunity to mesh with a very talented core group. Now, though neither may equal to one Harden, you get two role players.

Kevin Martin, a dead on shooter who can score quick, fast and in a hurry. K-Mart (not Kenyon Martin) is already averaging over 17 points a game early in this season, and as he becomes acclimated with the Thunder offense and flow, the sky’s the limit for production.

Jeremy Lamb is the question mark as of yet. He has a huge upside and allows another athletic, long body off the bench. If he plays up to the potential he showed at UConn, the Thunder may have made the best of a bad situation.

With the extra draft picks, the Thunder look to continue to build in the mold that was set forth by the San Antonio Spurs. These teams have been linked so closely, with good reason. The Thunder have somewhat “stolen” the ideologies that made the Spurs perennial contenders. What better mold to follow?

And, with a core group of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Serge Ibaka, Thabo Sefalosha and Kendrick Perkins, the Thunder can battle with anyone. Nobody will argue that Durant is the best pure scorer in the game, or that Westbrook is the most athletic point guard in the NBA. With that core of players, Oklahoma City cannot be counted out as championship contenders.

Now, without Harden in the fold, the Thunder lost the reigning Sixth Man of the Year, and a bonafide game-changer. The fan base has cried loud and long about losing “The Beard”. The biggest hole that will be missed will be as a defender and passer. Harden was no dount the best passer on the Thunder, and many thought him the best option as point guard. That’s a topic for later discussion.

The next question of OKC not having the funds of a larger market team is a small factor in my estimation. OKC has been a money-making team, the likes of which small markets have never seen. The Thunder are the only professional sports team in Oklahoma and have a fan base that is strong, regardless of where you go in Oklahoma. The Thunder have solidified themselves as Oklahoman’s team. As fiercely as Oklahomans support their Sooners or Cowboys, they ALL support the Thunder.

This seems to be more a discussion of ideals. The Thunder wished for Harden to play into the idea of the team being first. Westbrook and Ibaka both took less than the max numbers to stay with the Thunder, and the team expected the same from Harden. When they felt that was not going to work with Harden, they decided to move quickly and not deal with a season-long drama situation like Orlando had with Dwight Howard last year or Cleveland with Lebron leaving them high-and-dry.

The next point, whether Harden wanted to be in OKC is a touchy subject as well. The Thunder advertise themselves as a family, and expect everyone to play their role. Harden, it has been stated, didn’t show strong interest in staying in Oklahoma City. When the decision had to be made, GM Sam Presti didn’t sense the willingness on Harden’s part to stay. Rather than wait until the trade deadline, and have to develop a chemistry with new players on an abbreviated schedule, Presti pulled the trigger on a deal that has drawn much speculation around the NBA.

And, finally….was Harden tired of being a “part” of the team and wanted to be “the man” on “his” team? This has been rather apparent since his arrival in Houston. Harden has scored and been “the man” in Houston, but to what end? The Rockets are a middle-of-the-road team that has nobody concerned at this point. James will be the leading scorer on this team, featuring himself and Jeremy Lin. Lin, who himself was somewhat of an iconic figure last season in New York has yet to live up to the offseason hype.

All in all, this trade made sense on many levels from the Oklahoma City standpoint. They couldn’t allow Harden to become “bigger than the team”, be a distraction in the locker room, nor pay him the way he wanted. That’s not to say he’s not worth it, just not in the team concept in Oklahoma City.

How do you feel about the trade of “The Beard”?

Can Oklahoma City win without him?