Who won? Who knows. But Harden deal was one to talk about

Nothing like a big trade to get everyone pumped in the week leading up to the NBA regular season, is there?

James Harden can’t get a deal on a contract extension with the Oklahoma City Thunder and, boom!, he’s shipped off to Houston for a package of players and picks.

Not sure how much a more punitive tax threshold that’s coming factored into OKC’s decision – it had to play a role – but I think they might have made the right basketball decision as well as the right financial one.

Look, Harden’s a gifted player, no question about it, a 23-year-old shooting guard who should be entering the prime of his career and he may have had an atrocious NBA Finals last June but he’s skill.

However, he’s also never been The Man and never would have been on any team with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook and it makes it a lot easier to be very good when you’re surrounded by great. I don’t know that he’s capable of lifting a team on his back alone because he’s never had to do it and there are enough flaws on the Houston roster that no matter how good he is, they are a marginal playoff team at best.

The Thunder is still good, very good, still the second-best team in the West (and awfully close to the Lakers) and losing Harden isn’t going to change that. They are being a bit financially prudent – it’s a byproduct of the new CBA as much as anything – and while you might see some shortsightedness in this deal from their side, they are better poised now to be flexible in the future than they would have been had they stuck with Harden at a maximum value deal.

But here’s one of the more important things about this whole affair:

For every decision someone makes, there are consequences and repercussions that you need to live with and have to anticipate when you make them.

I would presume, and hope, that Harden and his agents knew there would be backlash to his turning down what would appear to be a pretty good deal but you can’t leave a good situation without knowing there would be a price to be paid.

And as long as you’re willing to live with those consequences and repercussions, there can be no looking back.

I don’t think for a second that Harden regrets what he did, nor should he. He did what he thought was best for him and there’s no reason to look back.

We can’t presume for a second to know who “won” this trade at the moment, it might take a year or two before that becomes crystal clear.

But the salient fact right now is that it looks like everybody won:

Harden should get is maximum value contract, worthy of it or not.

The Rockets got a fine young player and still have enough money to go after another one next summer.

The Thunder still have Durant and Westbrook and Serge Ibaka and their depth and ability to get young players in the future has been enhanced.

Sure, it would have been nice had Harden taken the last offer and stayed in a place where they had something special going on. He didn’t, he made a choice, rightly or wrongly, and has to live with his decision.

-

You had to know this was coming, right?

Man, don’t you just hate it when things just fizzle out.

Like the World Series.

Boooorrrrrrinng.

Good on the Giants – and team with a guy they call Panda and a pitcher who evokes memories of Sidd Finch is okay with me – but I’d rather have seen the Tigers win.

Or at least win a game because there’s nothing as off-putting as a sweep.

But at least now we can start thinking about how AA is going to fix the TOD and who might manage it.

I’m available for either.

-

I’ll tell you what, aside from the fact it’s about 150 kilometres from Casa Doug, they’ve got something good going up at Rama, the casino way up north that hosted the intrasquad game Sunday.

And quite aside from the fact two public intrasquad games is one too many – ask the coaches and players in their heart of hearts whether they really wanted to be there and you’d get an overwhelming “no, not really but I guess we have to do it – the facility was outstanding.

Had that theatre lighting we like so much and it’s too bad it only holds about 3,000 for basketball because I bet it’d be a cool place to have a pre-season game.

-

No, I don’t know how Jose Calderon or John Lucas III is after banging up their knees yesterday and we won’t find out until much later today after practice.

The timing’s awful, though, if they have to miss even a day of practice since they’ve only got today and tomorrow to get ready to start things but, as Dwane said somewhere in this piece, things can happen at any time.

Just a tough break.

-

Chat?

Oh, yeah, we’re going to chat.

Seems we have this thing at noon today with me, Not Grace Kelly, Dave F. and McGran to talk about the sorry state of Toronto pro sports teams and that ought to be, um, fun.

And there’s some talk about doing something at noon on Wednesday that’s basketball specific.

Man, you folks and I are going to get to be really close, aren’t we?

And is that a good thing?

-

Hey, bundle up and be safe, folks.

It’s going to get nasty out there.

-

 

 

 

Comments

[Tim H.]

Hey Doug:

Thanks for jinxing the Tigers! ;>) Can you please predict a losing season for the Raptors?

Have you kept count of the number of times the infamous Doug Smith jinx has worked?

Blogger's note: As many times as I've made picks?

[Mike D.]

The speed of the Harden deal was surprising. Any word from the Raptors' execs on whether they even got a call? Although as I think it through, the Raptors don't seem like the ideal trading partner for OKC because our arguably "surplus" players play positions (PG and PF) where the Thunder are already strong.

Blogger's note: No word; I'd be stunned if they got a call, didn't have assets or the money

[JT]

Doug, I like your article today about why the Raptors could make the playoffs. I'm one of few optimistic fans. Considering they were around .500 before Bargs got hurt last season, I think the Raptors could be .500 this season if they stay relatively healthy. If things fall into place and they stay healthy, I could see a possible 41-45 win season.

[Andrew Gregg]

Hi Doug:

I'm forever the optimist and I think you are spot-on in your survey of the Eastern Conference. The Raps have an excellent chance to make a move here. NY will probably get a 3-4 seed for the same reasons stated--the weakness of their competition. But they are too flawed a roster to get very far. It would be great for our locals to gel and aim for a 6-7 seed, to avoid a first round sweep by the Miamis. But I'm getting ahead of myself. I like this young foundation Toronto has, but the foundation is holding up a wobbly structure, built around the mercurial Bargnani. I know it's early, but in practices and pre-season, have you seen any of the fire the brought to court last year?

AG, Toronto

Blogger's note: Not really

[Peter]

We are going to be close!! Unless you end up behind an expensive pay wall? Any news on which side of the fence you may end up on?

Blogger's note: Nope

[sam]

I'm not a big fan of the casino part of Casino Rama, but the location has hosted some great concerts over the years and the odd sporting event - Curling and Boxing mostly -

I was hoping to see more from the Tigers in the World Series - At last last night they were able to score a few runs....

I'm a little puzzled by Houstons moves this off season - They divested themselves of 2 NBA ready PG's for Jeremy Lin - let Luis Scola go - and then trade a couple of first rounders, Jeremy Lamb, Kevin Martin....
Is Harden going to make the Rockets that much better? I can't see that it will.

[who cares]

Tigers in 6!!

Excellent call!

Blogger's note: Much appreciated. Thanks for reading so closely and taking time out of your busy day for such insight.

[Bill]

Will any game be cancelled due to the frankenstorm?

Blogger's note: Can't say yet

[Mike kovacs]

Harden turned down 4 yr 52 mil. What would a 'max' deal get him?

Blogger's note: About $20 million more, as I understand it

[Dave B]

I like the way OKC handled Harden. They made a very reasonable offer and when Harden's agent pushed for more, they traded him. I like the approach of let's deal with this now instead of having the situation fester during the entire season. And things won't change next summer. Plus they can now do other trades if they desire.

It goes to show that for a lot of the players, money is more important than winning. That may be the same for all of us. However, most of us have to make decisions on a couple of thousand of dollar as opposed to a few millions.

I think if Bosh, LeBron and Wade can sacrifice dollars to win,maybe Harden could do the same. At the same time, this is Harden's chance to maximize his dollars as his stock may fall or an injury could affect his career,

I think the Raptors could find themselves in a similar situation next summer. Someone will offer DeRozen maximum salary next summer and the Raptors will lose a former high draft pick for nothing. However, if I understand correctly, the CBA favours an existing team over a new suitor starting next summer.

[Alan C.]

Doug, I was at Rama, investing in a 2.5 hr. round trip to get there, and quite enjoyed myself (notwithstanding loud music blaring during play -- what were they thinking?). I got to sit much closer than I could ever afford to at the ACC, and as an added bonus, I didn't have to go into the GTA. The guys seemed to play hard right to the end (Lucas' injury because both guys were going hard after a rebound on the last play). And there certainly was coaching going on. I'm sorry to hear that such an opportunity for us might not have been received well by the team. I would have thought that it would have been a good diversion at the end of training camp, and it brought $100 k to some worthwhile first nations youth programs in the area, among others. I hope that they do it again next year.

Blogger's note: I'm sure they'd like to do it again, everything was great. I just don't think they need to do it three days before the regular season starts. But I hope they go back

[JT]

Could/were the Raptors at all interested in Harden? Seems like a good deal for Rockets. Raptors seem to have the same pieces available to get a bona-fide top SG considering those 1st Rd picks are probably mid rounders, and the rest of that package, the Raptors have very similar equivalents in DeRozan and Ross.

[Tom]

Doug, I can't tell you how disppointed I am that the Star has decided to follow the herd and go the pay wall route. I've already stopped reading the The Globe and Mail and when the paywall goes up for the Star (depending on the terms) I will most likely be done with the Star. I have been a long time reader of your blog, but to think that $20 a month (globe rate) is worth the access considering this is the same rate for both the W.S.J. and the New York Times are asking is ridiculous.

I realize that it costs money to produce the contents and it takes money to pay the staff, etc. I don't expect something for free, but honestly there is advertising revenue that is generated from all the web pages on this site. All I have to do is look at the top of the page of scroll down the right side of the page to see all the advertisements. Is this not enough to carry the cost to produce the on-line product??

Does this now mean that there will be no advertising beyond the paywall? Or is the company going to be double dipping in order to maximize their profits??

I don't pretend to know the costs versus incomes of The Star, but the corporation obviously makes enough money to function as a company or it would have gone bankrupt by now. So why limit access to the content? Why double dip.

Everyone has the right to spend their money how they want, but from an economical point of view there is already a debt epidemic in Canada. Personal debt/income ratio (average) of 163-164%, and incomes being stagnant in Canada for the last 25 years (inflation adjusted); where is the line in the sand for people for them to no longer nickel and dime themselves to death. That commercial a while back, "Hand in my pocket, Hand in my pocket, ..." pretty much sums it up. But for myself in the morning, I like to come into work early in the morning have a coffee (which I brewed myself and brought in a travel mug) and read The Star, The Globe and The Toronto Sun (Sports and Sunshine Girl Only). At $20/month each that would total $720/year. As the parent of a 3 year old and also supporting a wife I personally can't justify the additional expense. Some may say that I'm being cheap, but quite frankly there is more than myself to think about and that's just being responsible! And trust me when I say that I've cut back in many areas of my life now that I'm married and have a son, so making up that added expense would be very difficult.

One last thing that truly bothers me is that a lot of the content that is provided on the major news outlet sites is both AP and CP content which can be read for free at the CBC web-site. And CBC being a public corporation will most likely not be putting up a paywall. So the majority of the daily news articles I can simply find somewhere else. The most disapointing part of this situation is that I would lose access to the very few writers who articles I search out on a daily basis. Your Blog being one of them.

I realize that the decision was made above your payband, but given the comments forum on your blog I really want to hear others opinions on this topic. Personally the added expense can't be justified and when the pay wall goes up, this long time reader will become an ex-reader.

Disappointing!!!

[john]

@Tom, it appears you've chosen to be a single income family and you want others to financially support your personal entertainment which includes checking out half naked women every day. Perhaps a re-set button is in order?

[joeu]

Hey Tom, which of these stories did the WSJ/NYT times Investigate ( or even cover ) for your $20 ?

Ornge embezzlement
eHealth political spending
Ashley Smith institutional homicide
Raptors
Champix Suicides and Health Canada approval
Rob Ford Conflict(s) of interest.
Subway funding tug-of-wars
Marineland mismanagement and cruelty.

Reporting is a valuable public function of the newspapers.
$20 (which is a straw man in your rant) is gas money for two days.

[KB]

Does this mean no more of the greatest Toronto sports blog in the world for us who decline to subscribe? My mornings will be alot more lousy.

[Tom]

Umm, John I said wife not ex-wife (I'm happily married) and I never indicated that I wanted anyone to support my personal entertainment. Perhaps you should read a little better.

Thanks for passing judgement on me without knowing who I am, and what I do on my own time is my own business.

[Tom]

@John. My wife works and we support each other.

[Bo Klymkiw]

I'm sorry to read about a paywall being considered. You've been a great writer for many years. Your steady sense of judgement stopped me from repeating many fanatical observations over the years. I often read you during my morning routine, and will miss you greatly, if the Berlin Wall actually goes up. The wonderful thing about the web, is that there is always another site that offers similar info (RealGM Basketball?) and I hope your words of wisdom spread, nonetheless. The wild, wild west will not bow to any corporate overlord. The fool is the one that tries. Any idea when the beginning of the end is scheduled?

[marc in panama]

Hola Doug,

Paywall huh? I can understand why. The "print" media is adopting the digital distribution format at a pretty good clip. Sure, there's all kind of folks that don't want to buy a Kindle, iPad, Surface, Kobo, Nook, etc to read the news, just as there were probably lots of people that didn't want to give up the horse once upon a time.

My own experience might be indicative of this shift. I've used both a Kindle or an iPad for the past 4 years, and in that time I haven't bought paper or a paperback. It was weird at first, I never thought that I would enjoy the experience of reading on a device. I thought I'd miss the ink and the paper. I don't. I especially don't miss the weight of books, or the recycling bin.

As for paying for content, especially in this case to a provider that has given it away for free for a number of years, and now wants to "see the money" I have to say that it does feel a bit like a bait and switch. I don't hold you responsible for this of course, but the blog is a perfect example of the strategy. You've become a widely read site and part of people's day. Now I might have to pay for the privilege of continuing this daily fix. Don't drug dealers do that? Give the first one away for free? The fact that I read very little of The Star other than the Sports section and a couple of columnists makes me wonder, like others perhaps will, about the value of the Star as a whole. It's hard to say right now, without any details being released. My only point of reference right now would be that I have chosen not to partake of the Globe and Mail's $20 a month offer because the little I read of that paper, it isn't worth it to me. Time will tell. I wish you well.

marc in panama

[Dave B]

Paywall? The only thing o read on TheStar is this blog and Basketball stories. I don't buy the paper because it is too difficult to read (vision issues). While I like the blog, I am only willing to pay a small fee. I will not pay the $20.00 the globe and mail is charging.

Hopefully there will be a number of free downloads per month. It will be unfortunate if we have to go away from the national news outlets to get Raptors news.

It has been fun Doug and thanks for keeping me entertained for the past several years. I will stay with you until The Star prevents me from reading your blog online.

[Steve]

@Tom: The problem traditional news media are facing is that there is significantly less revenue in online advertising than there has traditionally been for print.

Considering online advertising is generally paid per click rather than per view. How many times have you been on thestar.com and intentionally *clicked* an advert rather than ignored it or blocked it?

[Peter]

@ Tom

I'm sure the Star will be smart about what is and is not put behind the pay wall. Putting CP stories behind the wall will be a very poor business move as people aren't going to pay to get what they could have received for free. Having said that, Doug's Blog is not something that can be offered by any other organization. That's what concerns me. If I need to save money, I can find online news outside of The Star. The question becomes, if Doug is behind the pay wall, how much am I willing to spend to see Doug's Blog.

I'm as big of a fan as Doug has, but trying to justify $20.00 a month just to read one blog each day, is probably going to cause me to have to make a decision that I don't want to make. I've got two young kids myself. I like The Star, and if money was no issue, I'd gladly pay to support quality independent reporting. But for me, Doug is the driver to this site, as it sits today, I don't "need" The Star for much other than Doug's blog, and his unique basketball news.

Price, and where that pay wall line is drawn will be a big factor in determining whether or not I can continue to support The Star with my several dozen "clicks" per day.

[who cares]

touchy, touchy.... can you please predict a losing season for the HOTH?

Plllllllllllllllllllllllllllleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaasssssssssseeeee!!!

Blogger's note: Seriously, the insight is astounding!

[GM]

As much as I like coming here every day during the NBA season, if it costs money, see ya! I'll move on. I'll miss ya, big fella. If they started charging to watch the games on TV, I'd give that a pass, too. There are enough free distractions in life, I can get by with a couple more. Also @john, there's no such thing as half naked. Either you're naked or you're not. If the naughty bits are covered up, you're not naked. Put it in reverse, if the naughty bits were showing yet everything else was somehow covered, you wouldn't say they were half-naked, you'd say they were naked.