James Harden interested in joining the Suns next summer

[sunsfan88]

James Harden says he's open to signing with Phoenix Suns
by Dan Bickley, columnist - Jul. 27, 2012 09:39 AM

LONDON - A flicker of hope for Valley basketball fans:

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Former Arizona State star James Harden would consider signing with the Suns if his contract expires after next season.

"Yeah," he said. "Of course. I love it there. My mom lives there still. So that's definitely my second home as far as my comfort level and going to school there..."

Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/sports/oly...den-open-play-phoenix-suns.html#ixzz21qXV1pZQ

Also, after initially boldly saying that Harden "will not hit the market" Durant back tracked on those statements and said "I may be wrong, I don’t sign contracts, I don’t negotiate contracts."

Probably a long shot but if OKC decides they want to keep Perkins for his vet leadership etc and would rather have defensive stalwart Serge Ibaka, then we, now, do have the assets to trade for him before the deadline this year if OKC looks to move him so they don't lose him for nothing.

 

[SweetD]

Most likely will be a S&T to get back more assets. I don't think I would want to move Morris in with a deal that is just me.

 

[Joe Mama]

Most likely will be a S&T to get back more assets. I don't think I would want to move Morris in with a deal that is just me.

I had no problem with picking Morris where we did and I think he could be a good power forward off the bench. We'll see if James Harden can repeat or even improve on last season, but right now I would be happy to give up Morris to get Harden.

Joe

 

[Mainstreet]

It all depends, if Morris can grow a beard as impressive as Harden's beard he would be hard to give up.

 

[Dr. Jones]

I think Harden is more interested in a Max deal. There will probably be an article like this in every town that has the possibility of offering one.

 

[cly2tw]

Dragic, Harden, Beasley definitely make up a formidable scoring trio.

 

[mojorizen7]

Dragic/Harden would be a sexy backcourt that could do everything pretty well for the Suns.

 

[Griffin]

I don't think there is any chance that OKC moves him mid-season, unless they are not playing well (due to injuries perhaps) or they can immediately replace him with someone of equal value but lesser salary. Neither of these scenarios seem very likely to me. They are chasing a title, so they won't do anything to ruin those chances until they absolutely have to.

But in the off-season, it's a different story. Unfortunately for them, and maybe fortunately for the Suns, the new LT rules kick in next summer. Probably not a good time to be handing out max contracts when you already have two on your payroll and then some. And they still have Ibaka to consider.

The Suns may have the cap space to sign him to an offer sheet, and so will couple other teams. But there will also possibly be a bigger unrestricted free agent on the market (Howard) that may keep some of those teams and their cap spaces busy.

But if OKC decides they can't afford to keep Harden, they will look for a sign-and-trade and suddenly there will be a lot more suitors with possibly better assets than what the Suns can offer (although those teams will likely be over the cap so they will have to return a lot more salary than what OKC might want to receive, most likely in expiring deals). So it really will boil down to which team can convince Harden to commit to them. The Suns may have some home-court advantage in the matter, but I don't know how big of a factor that might play.

 

[JS22]

Dudley would fit like a glove on that team.

I've always figured that if they can't bring Harden back and the Suns would be willing to do a S&T it'd be Dudley + unprotected pick + a few random pieces.

 

[sunsfan88]

Dudley would fit like a glove on that team.

I've always figured that if they can't bring Harden back and the Suns would be willing to do a S&T it'd be Dudley + unprotected pick + a few random pieces.

Why trade an unprotected pick for a restricted FA?

We can just give him the max and dare OKC to not match it if we want. If they match, fine we'll just go after Ibaka next summer and they won't be able to do anything about it.

We'll finally have a defensive shot blocking threat in the post.

 

[NashDishesDimes]

Why trade an unprotected pick for a restricted FA?

We can just give him the max and dare OKC to not match it if we want. If they match, fine we'll just go after Ibaka next summer and they won't be able to do anything about it.

We'll finally have a defensive shot blocking threat in the post.

This. And like somebody else said, S&T is not going to happen because OKC will be relevant. Theyll ride it out no matter what.

Personally, i think Gordon was a better prospect though. I think Harden falls somewhere between Gordon and Mayo.

 

[desertdawg]

I had to log in just so I could post this.

 

[Joe Mama]

This. And like somebody else said, S&T is not going to happen because OKC will be relevant. Theyll ride it out no matter what.

Personally, i think Gordon was a better prospect though. I think Harden falls somewhere between Gordon and Mayo.

I think this really depends on what kind of player you want and how much you are considering injuries. I have to admit that a small part of me was hoping that New Orleans would not match the offer for Gordon. I ended up watching a lot of video on him, and even though I thought it was a lot of money to spend I was excited about watching he and Dragic together. I was thinking they could be very good on both ends of the court... as long as Gordon could stay healthy. The problem... one of the problems... is that we really need to get a couple high draft picks and make them count, and with Gordon THIS team would look to me like a 35-45 win 8-10 seed picking #12-16 for the next couple of years.

Anyway, Harden will absolutely get a maximum contract (barring injury), but at best he is a second or third best player on a championship level team. On Oklahoma City he was the most efficient player in the NBA, but that's on a team with Kevin Durant and/or Russell Westbrook as the focus of the opposing defense. I'm not sure how enthusiastic I would be about paying him a maximum contract and having to give up significant (expect OKC to drive a brutally hard bargain in a sign and trade) assets.

There's no way I would give Ibaka a maximum contract unless he showed significant improvement in his post up game and was more assertive on the boards.

Keep the options open, keep gathering young players with good contracts and upside as well as draft picks.

Joe

 

[Phrazbit]

Expect OKC to retain all 4 for a couple years. They can handle paying the tax for a season if it means defending or attaining a title. And I doubt Ibaka gets a max offer unless he improves by quite a bit. He is an excellent shot blocker and not great at much else. Even as a pure post defender he isnt very good.

They amnesty Perkins and keep the rest. Then in 2014 or 15 probably start to field offers for Harden, so they dont become a 2x luxury tax offender, and cash out big on him.

 

[sunsfan88]

This. And like somebody else said, S&T is not going to happen because OKC will be relevant. Theyll ride it out no matter what.

Personally, i think Gordon was a better prospect though. I think Harden falls somewhere between Gordon and Mayo.

Oh definitely. I would have much rather preferred Gordon over Harden. Gordon is a much better defender and all around player.

The only thing Harden has on Gordon is being more durable and better play making. But with out training staff, I don't even count the injury thing as a big factor.

Also, I think Ibaka will likely get the max contract. Other than Dwight Howard, there's no player in the NBA who makes a bigger impact defensively than Ibaka. Even when he's not blocking shots, he alters the way opposing teams attack the rim in a remarkable play. Teams actually game plan against his defense and that's saying a lot imo.

 

[thephoenixson28]

If the thunder let him hit free agency, suns can offer a front loaded contract making it difficult for them match. If Ibaka, and Harden have both good years, expect one of them to be gone.

 

[Phrazbit]

Oh definitely. I would have much rather preferred Gordon over Harden. Gordon is a much better defender and all around player.

The only thing Harden has on Gordon is being more durable and better play making. But with out training staff, I don't even count the injury thing as a big factor.

Also, I think Ibaka will likely get the max contract. Other than Dwight Howard, there's no player in the NBA who makes a bigger impact defensively than Ibaka. Even when he's not blocking shots, he alters the way opposing teams attack the rim in a remarkable play. Teams actually game plan against his defense and that's saying a lot imo.

What?! Harden is a far better all around player. Gordon is a better shooter, thats it. Harden is better at everything else. Passing, rebounding, attacking the rim, defense.

And you cant discount the injury factor. As good as our staff is they are no God. Just look at Penny Hardaway while he was here. They might be able to help Gordon, but so far his career has been a mess of injuries.

And as nice as Ibaka's shot blocking is, there are better post defenders in the NBA. And its not like he forced Miami out of the paint. He is a good help defender, but he struggles on man defense in the post.

 

[Gaddabout]

Harden would definitely make Dragic a more appealing first option at PG. Two ball handlers in the backcourt. I wouldn't know what to do with myself as a fan without complaining about the ballhandling.

 

[sunsfan88]

What?! Harden is a far better all around player. Gordon is a better shooter, thats it. Harden is better at everything else. Passing, rebounding, attacking the rim, defense.

And you cant discount the injury factor. As good as our staff is they are no God. Just look at Penny Hardaway while he was here. They might be able to help Gordon, but so far his career has been a mess of injuries.

And as nice as Ibaka's shot blocking is, there are better post defenders in the NBA. And its not like he forced Miami out of the paint. He is a good help defender, but he struggles on man defense in the post.

Ibaka is still improving in his man defense in the post and his shot blocking and timing alone is worth the max contract imo. I haven't seen anyone like Ibaka in this league since Mutombo. Except, Ibaka is inferior in post defense right now and Ibaka has a far more advanced offensive game than Mutomobo.

Also, are you serious about Harden being a better defender than Eric Gordon? Gordon's one of the better defenders in the league despite lacking height. Even for Team USA, Colangelo called him a "pit bull on defense" and he's almost a lock down defender at the 2 position.

Harden, despite having the size and athleticism, struggles mighty with defending. That's one of the main reasons Sefolosha starts and gets mins.

 

[Phrazbit]

Ibaka is still improving in his man defense in the post and his shot blocking and timing alone is worth the max contract imo. I haven't seen anyone like Ibaka in this league since Mutombo. Except, Ibaka is inferior in post defense right now and Ibaka has a far more advanced offensive game than Mutomobo.

Also, are you serious about Harden being a better defender than Eric Gordon? Gordon's one of the better defenders in the league despite lacking height. Even for Team USA, Colangelo called him a "pit bull on defense" and he's almost a lock down defender at the 2 position.

Harden, despite having the size and athleticism, struggles mighty with defending. That's one of the main reasons Sefolosha starts and gets mins.

Sefolosha starts because he is one of the best defenders in the entire league. Harden is their scoring punch and primary ball handler off the bench and best wing defender when Thabo isnt in.

I am very serious about Harden being a better defender than Gordon. And Colangelo called him a "pit bull on defense"... then promptly sent Gordon packing in favor of a better player in Harden.

Harden is a very talented defender, that Miami beat up on him became news because Harden is typically very sound defensively, he gave Kobe absolute hell in the 2nd round.

http://www.nba.com/advancedstats/player-vs-player.html#James-Harden-vs-Kobe-Bryant|201935,977;year=201112;season=p

Its absolutely nuts that you think Gordon is the better all around player... you can claim he is a better shooter, but in all other aspects they're, at best, debatable and in most areas Harden is clearly superior.

 

[SirStefan32]

Gordon is not even close to Harden, especially on the defensive end. Harden had a really terrible series against Miami, but putting that one series aside, I can not understand how anybody can claim that Gordon is better than harden in any way.

 

[HooverDam]

Yah James Harden is a terrible defender:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63TDVWnZ5K8



Arguing Eric Gordon is a better all around player than Harden is crazy talk. Harden handles the ball better, passes much better, defends much much better, rebounds better, is bigger, etc.

I'd say Gordon is a better pure shooter, but their career FG and 3PT% are nearly identical, 45% FG & 37% 3PT for Gordon, 44% FG & 37% 3PT for Harden. So even in that area, the difference isn't large.

Eric Gordon's career defense rating is 113 and has a Defensive win share of 2.9. Hardens numbers are 106 and 6.4, respectively (by the by, Hardens offensive win shares are better too).

 

[dodie53]

possible lefty backcourt for the suns in the future.
hmm.

 

[Russ Smith]

Sefolosha starts because he is one of the best defenders in the entire league. Harden is their scoring punch and primary ball handler off the bench and best wing defender when Thabo isnt in.

I am very serious about Harden being a better defender than Gordon. And Colangelo called him a "pit bull on defense"... then promptly sent Gordon packing in favor of a better player in Harden.

Harden is a very talented defender, that Miami beat up on him became news because Harden is typically very sound defensively, he gave Kobe absolute hell in the 2nd round.

http://www.nba.com/advancedstats/player-vs-player.html#James-Harden-vs-Kobe-Bryant|201935,977;year=201112;season=p

Its absolutely nuts that you think Gordon is the better all around player... you can claim he is a better shooter, but in all other aspects they're, at best, debatable and in most areas Harden is clearly superior.

Harden gave Kobe hell? The key to that series was Brooks finally figuring out Harden couldn't guard Kobe and switching later in games putting either Thabo or at times Durant on Kobe.

As for what Colangelo thinks he described Harden as "more than adequate defensively at his position."

If you read the NBC Sports column they're speculating one reason Gordon didn't get picked is he's very unhappy about wanting to join the Suns but the Hornets are going to match it and some believe the coaches were concerned picking Gordon would impact team chemistry because he's so unhappy about his contract situation.

It's nit picking as good as the team is but I would have taken Gordon because he's a better shooter and this team does tend to need shooting from that spot. THere was a sequence in the France game today where Harden had 3 wide open looks in short order, I think he made the 3rd but on the first two he was doing his kick the legs fall down thing. You could actually hear one of the coaches on the bench tell him just make the shot James.

 

[mojorizen7]

Harden would definitely make Dragic a more appealing first option at PG. Two ball handlers in the backcourt. I wouldn't know what to do with myself as a fan without complaining about the ballhandling.

+1
No need to tinker with that starting backcourt for about 10 years me thinks.....as long as you've got a monster PF up front of course