Who's Playing Who?

The NBA is back! After a 66 game lockout season last year, it’s a refreshing change of pace back to the 82 game season that we all know and love. And what better to celebrate the NBA returning than to give 82 random NBA thoughts! Now 82 thoughts is a lot to process so here are the first 41 random thoughts! Enjoy!

Oh you thought i’d use a different photo?

1. What better way to start than last season’s NBA Forever commercial. I’ve already shared this before but it’s truly spectacular! If that doesn’t get you excited for the NBA then nothing will.
2. Dwight Howard is a Laker.
   

   Dwight Howard. Laker

   How could this not be a reason to celebrate?! Yes if you’re a Lakers fan (which I am) then no doubt the arrival of the league’s best center is enough reason to celebrate. In fact, I could stop the list right now and it would be fine. After the shit storm that Dwight caused last year with his trade situation, wanting a trade, then opting in, then demanding another trade, he was finally traded to the Lakers where centers have thrived and delivered championships. After screwing with the people of Orlando, he’s found himself in a great situation surrounded by three other Hall of Famers and is primed to take over the franchise once Kobe retires. He’s basically insulted everyone that believes in karma.

3. Steve Nash is a Laker…wait…what?! Yes Steve Nash also brings his game to Staples Center.
   

   Steve Nash. Laker.

   This move was so unexpected that the day of the trade, I would randomly yell ‘STEVE NASH’ in my car in an attempt to process how the Lakers scored one of the best point guards ever. True story.

   

   This is going to be fun!

4. Could Mitch Kupchak the greatest GM in the modern era? I promise you it’s not all about the Lakers, but you have to admit, what they and Kupchak have accomplished over the offseason has been incredible. He basically ‘mitchslapped’ Orlando AND Phoenix into giving him their best player for draft picks, Andrew Bynum and Josh McRoberts. Mwhahahahahahahahahahaha. And this was just this summer! That doesn’t even count the Gasol hijacking in 2008!
5. Is this the year that Kevin Durant wins MVP?
6. Probably not.
7. Although he’s a freak and there’s nobody else that can do what he does with the basketball. He’s the league’s best scorer and can shoot over anyone. He’s the NBA player that you want taking the last shot in the game…unless you’re Laker fans.
8. It should be physically impossible for someone his size to be able to handle and score the basketball the way he does. HE’S TALLER THAN DWIGHT HOWARD. JUST LET THAT SINK IN. HE SHOULD HAVE THE HANDLES OF A CENTER!
9. I hope we’re done wondering about whether Durant and Westbrook can co-exist on the same team
10. Then I remembered that last playoffs Durant took that team to the finals and Westbrook learnt to get out of the way.
11. Now I was planning on writing about James Harden’s contract situation. I was going to say that the Thunder should wait and play out the season and see what happens from there. Give the trio of Durant, Westbrook and Harden one last shot. Then he got traded to the Houston Rockets. Wow. Bold move from Thunder GM Sam Presti! I’m in two minds about this. Yes I can see why you want to trade Harden. Westbrook, Durant and Ibaka all left a little on the table to resign with the Thunder and allow OKC to retain some flexibility. There was only about $4.5 million difference between what OKC were offering and what he’s going to get in Houston, and he was going to be in a position to play for an awesome franchise, awesome fans and compete for championships for the majority of his career. So why throw that away? Because he deserves his max contract. Zach Lowe of Grantland put it simply in this awesome analysis here. He said “The Thunder’s owners haven’t sacrificed profits here; why should Harden?” And that’s why I don’t blame him. To be honest I think it’s unfair for OKC to use the term ‘culture of sacrifice’ to justify lowballing Harden during his contract negotiations. James Harden worked hard to put himself in that position and he knew that other teams were going to offer him the max. Why leave guaranteed money on the table then? OKC made $35 million dollars in profit last season! They sell out every game and earn money on top of that for every playoff game. If there was a small market team that could justify dipping into the luxury it would be the Oklahoma City Thunder. Then again, you realise that their owner is Clay Bennett, the same man who stole basketball from Seattle… his refusal to go into the luxury tax ties Presti’s hands and makes it difficult to find a middle ground. Bold move Oklahoma, bold move.
    

    The Rocket’s finally landed their max contract player.

12. Short term, I think the trade hurts OKC. Just look at what trading Kendrick Perkins did to the Celtics. Harden is better and more important. The Thunder gets Kevin Martin back as the main piece and a bunch of other players. Martin is a capable scorer and should be able to fill Harden’s scoring off the bench. He’s not a good defender though and isn’t the confident ball handler that Harden is. What Harden was so good at was taking the ball out of Westbrook’s hands and initiating the offense. Just look at that Dallas playoff series last year. It takes a lot of pressure off Westbrook. I don’t think Kevin Martin can do that. More importantly though, I don’t think Martin can come even close to replacing Harden’s chemistry. Durant, Westbrook and Harden’s chemistry was their backbone. The way those three play together was a sight to see. They had grown up together in the league and grown into this three headed monster that was 3 wins shy of winning the finals. The dynamic complete changes now.
13. If anything, it helps my fantasy team because I’ve got Durant, who might score even more points and assists now!
14. And because I’m a Lakers’ fan, this trade makes me feel better about the 0-8 preseason! It definitely loosens OKC’s grip atop of the Western Conference because they don’t have that dynamic 6^th man to bring off the bench. Harden’s a game changer off the bench (he is the league’s best 6^th man after all) and although Kevin Martin is a capable scorer, he’s an equally incapable defender. Match him up against Kobe or Manu? You’re going to have a bad time!
15. Plus it’s now easier to match up with them defensively and you can put more pressure on Durant and Westbrook.  Looking at the long term though, Kevin Martin does have an expiring contract which the Thunder can move and the scored Jeremy Lamb from the Rockets, who apparently is a valued draft pick, but because I don’t care about rookies before their play in the NBA I have no idea who he is.
16. Looking at the Rockets, they finally landed their franchise player. It took a while! They missed out on LeBron, Bosh, Dwight and Pau Gasol, but they got the ‘Bearded One’ (has anyone ever called James Harden that!?) to team up with Jeremy Lin. Is he worth the max contract that Daryl Morey’s going to offer him? It looks as if Daryl Morey’s betting his job that it is. The Rocket’s just got their backcourt of the future set and a proven NBA star. It’ll be the first time they have a legit NBA talent in his prime since…T-Mac and Yao?
17. One last thing about Harden to Houston, this move means that Jeremy Lin doesn’t have the hold the ball as much. Even Jeremy Lin is celebrating this! It automatically cuts Lin’s TO’s in half!
18. So enjoy this photo Thunder fans. This is the only championship that Durant, Westbrook and Harden will ever win together…
    

    It’s a shame to this this will be their only championship.

19. Too soon?
20. LeBron James got his ring. Congratulations to LeBron for winning his first NBA title. Hopefully this means that we can get those Kobe and LeBron MVPuppet commercials from Nike again.
21. I really enjoyed those MVPuppet commercials.
22. I’m only truly realising LeBron’s talent for what it is. He’s amazing. I don’t know if he’ll be better than Jordan, and I’m kind of sceptical of people that attempt to make those comparisons, but when the person saying it is Charles Barkley you have to at least entertain the thought.
23. But then you realise that Chuck is an idiot.
24. Then you think about some of the dumb things he’s said or done over the years.
25. Like this: 
26. Or this Taco Bell commercial: 
27. Have you seen his golf swing? 
28. In all honesty, I love Sir Charles. He’s one of the best, if not THE BEST NBA analyst there is. I think he’s a fantastic analyst for TNT and ‘Inside the NBA’ is the best basketball show there is. But my god does he say some dumb things!
29. It is conceivable that LeBron is better than MJ statistically, but he’ll never win 6 rings or have the impact that Jordan had.
30. More importantly, now that LeBron has his ring, the media (not me of course) can stop making a story out of his fourth quarter meltdowns and his inability to win a ring.
31. Actually winning a ring could make him even better without all that pressure which is an extremely scary thought.
32. You know what’s also scary? LeBron joining Dwight and the Lakers in 2014! Mwahahahahahah
33. Would that mean ESPN would stop their ‘Heat Index’?!
34. Would it become the ‘Lakers Index’?
35. Will LeBron be bald by 2014? How big will his headband be by then?
36. The NBA has already begun airing their promos for the upcoming season. Their marketing department is just fantastic. 
37. A couple of thoughts from that commercial: When do they film it? On media day? Some random day during the offseason? Old footage? It can’t be from last season because it had Andrew Bynum with his ‘fro and Iggy in his Nuggets uniform.
38. Speaking of the Andre Igoudala, he’s going to be awesome in Denver. George Karl is going to love what he brings. Although the Nuggets still need one go-to-guy in the fourth and I don’t think Iggy’s that guy. He’s definitely more of a second best player on a good team than a number one option.
39. And speaking of guys that are better off being a number two option on a good team rather than a number one option on a bad team, who is better: Andre Igoudala or Danny Granger?
40. Also I’m really loving those alternate Nugget jerseys.
    

    At what point was it a good idea to give the Manimal a pick axe?

    Maybe it’s because it reminds me of the Laker’s…

41. Do they really rewash the player’s jerseys? I always imagined that they just threw them out and got new ones each game.

And that my friends, it part 1 of The Final Buzzer.