Scouting James Harden
Two days before the draft, I recorded the Arizona State game versus UCLA on ESPNU figuring there was a good chance the Thunder would come away with Sun Devils shooting guard James Harden. It’s been a busy week to say the least, so I’m just now getting around to pressing play on my DVR. (One of the best inventions of all time by the way. I’ve got 23 episodes of Martin recorded and all I had to do was set it to record one time. Genius. Oh yeah, James Harden.)
The No. 3 overall pick is impressive.
He has a maturity to his game that’s rarely seen in 19-year-old ballplayers. His court vision is excellent, his decision-making is terrific and his all-around impact is invaluable. It could be that I caught Harden on a great night, a 74-67 home win over the Bruins in which he nearly recorded a triple-double with a team-high 15 points and a career-high 11 assists to go with seven rebounds. But considering the point total was five below Harden’s Pac-10-leading scoring average and he finished with eight turnovers, I’d say his performance was closer to average than great.
But over the course of 40 minutes (through the help of my spectacular DVR’s rewind, slow-mo and pause features), I got a better feel for what exactly Harden can bring to the Thunder next season. Although his game isn’t always pretty — although most of the time it is but in a non-flashy kind of way — he gets the job done.
With that said, here is what I took away from Harden’s performance.
Five Good Minutes With Kevin Durant
Kevin Durant sat down with Jenni Carlson and NewsOK to share his thoughts on all things Thunder. He talked about going back to school this summer, returning to OKC for his first ever kids basketball camp, his impressions of the team’s draft picks and the start of free agency. Well worth a look.
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Paul Millsap: To Sign Or Not To Sign?
One name that constantly crops up around here as the start of free agency nears is Paul Millsap. The big man for the Utah Jazz will be a restricted free agent Wednesday, and fans have long wanted the Thunder to take a chance on the 6-foot-8 forward out of Louisiana Tech. A potential pairing of Millsap and the Thunder has made national headlines Monday morning because of mentions here and here, suggesting the Thunder might make a run at him.
It’s an easy connection to make. Millsap, with his rebounding and interior defense, fits the Thunder’s most pressing needs. Assistant general manager Troy Weaver is also a former director of player personnel with the Jazz and is more familiar with Millsap than most. Add to that, Millsap is one of the best up-and-coming big men in the league after a breakout season in 2008-09 as a result of Jazz starter Carlos Boozer’s injury woes. Millsap averaged 13.5 points, 8.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.0 blocks and 1.0 steals, all career-highs. He also connected on career-highs of 69.9 percent from the free throw line and 53.4 percent from the field in 30.1 minutes per game.
And so there are reasons to believe the Thunder will make a run and Millsap, but there are also some that suggest OKC won’t.
Where Does OKC Go From Here?
Caution: to prevent temporary loss of vision, avoid looking directly at my dome. I’m now a part of the International Bald Brotherhood
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Open Mike Podcast: Harden, Mullens & Head Fakes
Sports editor Mike Sherman and I are back in the booth with more banter.
In today’s installment, we discuss whether James Harden is fat, if B.J. Mullens is any good and why GM Sam Presti passed on Ricky Rubio.
Join us.
(Oops. Technical difficulties on the first try for anyone who clicked on it. That was an old podcast. Today’s is now posted.)
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Thunder Get Their Man, And It Was Harden All Along
I knew James Harden would be the pick since the draft lottery balls bounced the Thunder the third pick on May 19.
Sold I was that he would be the one putting on an Oklahoma City cap before walking up the steps of the WaMu Theatre at Madison Square Garden, reaching the top of the stage and shaking NBA Commissioner David Stern’s hand while staring out at flashing bulbs.
Then Thunder GM Sam Presti misdirected me with his maneuvers over the past week. First he flew to L.A. to meet with Ricky Rubio last Saturday. Wanted to glance over his problematic contract and parlay with Rubio’s family and representatives. Three days later, word got out the Thunder had hired a Spanish law firm to give that complicated contract a careful once over.
It knocked me off my pivot. I should have held my ground.
Few understood how or why I had reached such a firm conclusion on Harden. My explanation was the same, through tens of radio interviews and tons of talks with editors and co-workers, friends and fans.
“He fits the Thunder way.”
Westbrook Backs Away From Rubio Comments
Three hours before the start of Thursday’s NBA Draft, Thunder guard Russell Westbrook backed away from blunt statements he made in a magazine regarding the team’s possible addition of Ricky Rubio.
Westbrook, sporting a new Mohawk hairstyle, appeared on ESPN’s Jim Rome is Burning and claimed he doesn’t remember telling ESPN The Magazine in response to the idea of the Thunder drafting the 18-year-old Spanish point guard, “You trippin’”
“I don’t recall saying that,” Westbrook said. “I don’t remember saying that at all.”
In the newest issue of the magazine, Westbrook was quoted as saying he would draft Arizona’s State shooting guard James Harden with the third overall pick and Ohio State center B.J. Mullens with the 25th selection.
On Thursday, Westbrook said a potential pairing of he and Rubio could work.
“It wouldn’t be a bad situation for us,” Westbrook said. “But I would just leave that up to Oklahoma City and hopefully they make the right decision.
When asked if the pairing could work, Westbrook said, “Whatever’s good for the team, I’m going to try my best to contribute to the team in anyway I can.”
Westbrook did, however, reiterate statements he made time and time again throughout the season about being a natural point guard and wanting to remain at the position rather than move to shooting guard.
“I feel like I’m a true (point guard),” Westbrook said. “I’ve been playing point guard all my life. And I’ve been trying to get better at learning different things, especially in the NBA point guard is a tough position.”
Westbrook campaigned for Harden in the magazine by saying, “He can handle, shoot and he’s athletic. And he was in a good system at Arizona State.” His take on Mullens: “Mullens is a good rebounder and a big, strong presence inside. The way we’re playing, we need help inside with rebounding and defense. That’s the key for us.”
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My Top Seven Draft Options
A little outdated now given what we know has developed over the last week. But in this video with sports editor Mike Sherman, I offer my top seven draft options for the Thunder at pick No. 3. We recorded the video last week, but even though the Thunder’s draft board has likely fluctuated since then I still think these are the best players for the Thunder in order of worst to best.
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Sam Presti Talks NBA Draft
Just got off a teleconference with Sam Presti. The Thunder’s general manager addressed his team’s needs going into tomorrow night’s NBA Draft, why the organization hired a Spanish law firm, what they could possibly do with the 25th selection and the newest rumor that has the Thunder trading up to get the 14th overall pick from Phoenix.
Presti was asked about what he learned from his meeting with Ricky Rubio last week and whether he is more comfortable with the situation after examining his contract, but he called the situation an “internal matter.” Presti was also asked about Russell Westbrook’s comments in ESPN The Magazine, but because he was unaware of the context of the question he felt it was inappropriate to comment on Westbrook’s comments. Presti did reiterate that Westbrook is a team-first guy, a competitor and a winner and has always been that way.
With that, I give you a transcript of your general manager’s thoughts on Thursday night’s draft.
Q: Can you talk about your areas of need are heading into Thursday? What are the areas you’ll be looking to address as you head into tomorrow?
A: We’re always looking for ways to improve the team, and the draft is another opportunity for us to take a step forward as an organization. Hopefully add a player or players to the team that we feel like have a chance to grow with us and continue to grow with the team that we have in place. I wouldn’t say that we’re going in looking to fulfill every need that we have as a ball club in one night. I don’t think that would be realistic. But we’re going to look to try to get a little bit better on Thursday night and ultimately see if we can add another piece to the puzzle.
Q: Can you say in any specific nature in terms of you guys needing more interior defense or more shooters, things that you may be looking for in these players that you will draft?
A: As a ball club that didn’t make the playoffs last year and obviously didn’t have the kind of success that we’d like to have from a win-loss standpoint, we’ve got a lot of needs. We’re no different than a lot of teams in the NBA. We’d love to be able to continue to add shooting and continue to improve our defense and continue to play more efficient basketball. That’s important to us. Like I said, we’re not going to address everything in one night. And one thing that I think is important for us organizationally, and maybe beyond the draft on Thursday, is the continued development and improvement from our players on our current roster. As we know we’ve got a younger team. And with younger teams, summertime is an important time for development. And Scott and his group have made a very consistent and conscious effort to hold a real sense of accountability for individual development and ultimately team development. So we’re looking forward to that being an important part to our summer and our overall improvement.
Q: Did you guys hire a Spanish law firm, and if so, what for?
A: I believe that the report was confirmed from the team. And secondly we want to be as thorough as we possibly can as we prepare for the draft in all aspects. It’s not specific to one piece of information that was reported.
Live Chat at 1 p.m.
Let’s talk NBA Draft.
Join me for a live chat on NewsOK.com at 1 p.m.
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