NBA Chat With Susan Bible 11/3/12

Please join Susan Bible for her NBA Chat this Saturday at 11:00 am EST. Susan is a Newlines Editor and a member of the fantasy team at HOOPSWORLD. She covers the Oklahoma City Thunder and the NBA at large. Drop in your questions now.

  1. Jim in Cyber Space

    Hat’s off Susan, you called it…look it up.
    Last week I asked about the 15th Roster spot, I said Liggins, you said Orton. “Why not trade Lazar Hayward” for a draft pick and keep both?
    That’s exactly what happened. I just didn’t expect Presti to include Aldrich, Cook and Harden in the Deal?
    I feel obliged to point out that Orton got the 14th spot…not the 15th…still behind Liggins.
    It rocks your World for awhile, but they are still at the top of the NBA food-chain.

    • Susan Bible

      Hello everyone — thanks for joining me. Lots to talk about!

      Yep, that’s not exactly how I wanted the deal to go down…but hey, at least we can take satisfaction knowing we were right about something. Your last sentence resonates; it’s still hard (it’s going to be so weird to walk in that locker room Sunday and not see Harden laughing/cutting up at his usual space between Durant and Westbrook), but the shock wears off a little each day. Only two games in, and neither Liggins or Orton has played yet.

  2. Wil

    Hi Susan, how are you feeling now that the aftermath of the Harden deal has sunk in? I understand both parties, and thought it was probably the best deal for James and the best deal for OKC, but it is sort of like telling your kids Santa isn’t real. My worry, and what I wanted your input on, is if this bursting of the bubble, that it is a business, will hurt the team chemistry going forward?

    • Susan Bible

      I heard the news Saturday night during the OU/Notre Dame game; the game was nearing its end and not going well (from my point of view!). That was the last thing I suspected, aside from the weird timing. I honestly believed they would make a deal. Here’s my chain of reactions: “WHAT?”, “I can’t believe it”, “What do Durant and Westbrook think?”, “Daequan Cook, too?” “Kevin Martin? Is he healthy?”…and finally “I’m glad I don’t have little kids that wear Harden beards to games.” Harden was so uber-popular here, but like most things, time will heal. I’ll never forget having to tell one of my boys that Birdman was suspended a few years ago. That was one of the hardest things to do, and I’m not joking. But he eventually picked another favorite player and all was well. I’m not worried about chemistry – it may take a bit of time (not long) for it to transfer on court, but based on what I know about the players and coaches, they welcomed Martin and Lamb with open arms. Durant said a couple days ago that he supports the front office decisions 100%, and I believe him.

  3. Nana

    I know you’re hugely involved with Fantasy Basketball. How’s your own team shaping up? Does the Fantasy BB season commence with the start of the NBA season?

    • Susan Bible

      I had sort of a strange draft. I had the third pick so I had to go with Westbrook. It’s not as fun for me unless I have at least one major Thunder guy. I’ve had Durant three out of the past four seasons; no such luck this time. Since I’m in a snake league, my next pick was at 22 and I went with Ibaka. I like having him because I know I’ll have at least one category wrapped up, plus he revealed some offseason offensive improvement. Unfortunately, he hasn’t demonstrated that in the first two games. I also have Tony Parker, Greg Monroe, Ryan Anderson, Kawhi Leonard, O.J. Mayo, Greivis Vasquez, Kemba Walker, Aminu and a few others. I won my league last year, but I’m going to have to turn to the waiver wire, I fear, for some bigs. The fantasy league did start up at the same time as the NBA season.

      (btw, I understand you’re a big Aerosmith fan; they play at The Peake on Nov. 8th – do you have your tickets yet??)

  4. LA in LA

    Hey Bible, 2 questions:
    1) This isn’t a question but Tony Parker has hit 3 clutch shots, 1 a GW, with under 2 minutes. Looks like another MVP caliber year.
    2) What did you think of Chuck’s post game analysis of Westbrook?
    3) Not to pile on Wesbrook, but in an article discussing the Harden trade, I read from a writer that OKC’s not 100% sold on Westbrook. Do your sources tell you this?

    • Susan Bible

      Hey LA. Parker’s off to a great start: 18.5 ppg and 8.5 apg.

      I didn’t hear Chuck’s analysis – that was a late game and I had to get up at 5am Friday, so I turned off the TV after Parker’s shot.

      To say OKC is not 100% sold on Westbrook is crazy talk. I don’t need to turn to any sources, I just need to listen to Brooks, Durant, Presti, et al. They love the guy. They love what he’s about. I trust you saw the game last night. Brooks summed it up, sarcastically, post-game; his first words at the podium: “It’s a good thing I stuck with Russell, right?”

  5. Alex in Burbank

    Susan, don’t know if you remember my alias from here but I always discuss Thunder/Lakers with you. A new season is on the way and we’re both winless! Ha! So are you as scared of the Lakers as I am of the Thunder?

    • Susan Bible

      Sure I remember you – welcome back! By now, the Thunder are 1-1 and the Lakers are 0-3 (with an average 9.3 margin of defeat). The Lakers haven’t won a game in over five months. Not too scared here :) As we know, it takes time to find what works when new players arrive and other players are shipped out. I have concerns with the Lakers, starting with Howard maybe returning too soon, Nash’s age and missing a game already, Kobe saying his foot feels like it’s about to fall off and playing 43 minutes, and the teams’ 59 total turnovers in three games.

  6. JC

    As a Houston fan, I’m happy we once again boast one of the top 2 guards in the game. It was painful to follow the team for a few years. Now there is some hope. It must have been hard to see him go but I don’t think Harden could have gone to a more appreciative fan base. I project him as a top 3-5 shooting guard for the next few years. Agree?

    • Susan Bible

      No doubt about it. I’m happy for you guys. He and his beard generate a lot of interest, so brace yourselves for a fun ride. He’s a good community guy and typically says the right things in interviews. Not sure how he can keep up at 42 mpg, but we’ll see.

  7. Aaron The Queenslander

    Hi Susan–
    I know you’re a huge Durant fan but I think he has really been exposed so far without Harden–he’s below average on defense, has below average court vision, and cannot take anyone off the dribble, especially without the spacing Harden would provide for him. He’s just really a great shooter and nothing else to be honest.

    Besides Dwight Howard I think he’s the league’s most overrated player. I think OKC needs to build around Westbrook and that the team will struggle to be a top 6 seed now in the West. What do you think?

    • Susan Bible

      Really? Nothing but a shooter? That’s laughable. In the first two games, he’s averaged 15.5 rebounds (leads the league in that category so far and in total defensive rebounds), 6 assists, 6 free throws, 1 steal, 1 block to go along with 23 points at .500 shooting. Last night he ran the point freely, finding teammates and picked his spots very well. He’s hardly overrated. Let’s see how exposed he is after a good sampling of games have been played.

  8. LA in LA

    So typical of Westbrook to follow up a clunker with a game like he did against Portland.

    Anyway, what’s going on with the winless Lakers, Celtics, and Nuggets?

  9. Tony

    I am saddened by the Harden trade. I understand what Presti did but he should’ve paid the man the $60 million he wanted.Some people say it was a good trade for the Thunder but I don’t think so. Martin is not on Harden’s level. Martin stands around waiting for the ball which makes it easier for the defense to zero in on Durant and Westbrook. Because of this trade the West is wide open now and the Thunder have digressed. Agree?

    • Susan Bible

      They’ve digressed some, but they still have KD, Westbrook, Ibaka and a great bench in Collison and Maynor, a highly-efficient Martin and one of the best perimeter defenders in Sefolosha. I’ve got my eye on Perry, too. I attended Presti’s press conference the day after the Harden trade; he said they had been working on the Harden extension since July. Presti said, and I agree, you have to have a bottom line in negotiations, and you have to be prepared to walk away. Word is, the Thunder’s best offer was $55.5M which would have still put them in luxury tax territory. In the end, the Rockets signed him to an $80M/five-year deal which OKC simply could not do. Despite Harden’s insistence that a deal would get done, that’s a lot of money to leave on the table. And he couldn’t pass it up. Martin is certainly a different type of player; there aren’t many James Harden-type players walking around.

  10. cain

    When will Indiana realize that in order to compete we need a g goto scorer? Granger isnt dynamic enough to get it done and PG is more of an Iguodala type player.

    • Susan Bible

      It would help if Granger was at least on the floor, right?

  11. paprika

    You suddenly got a time machine and became the gm of okc 10 days ago, trade westbrook and keep jharden?
    And the way i see it,thabeet is a keeper,injury proned kperk gone by feb deadline,89 % chance of happening…. With me?

    • Susan Bible

      I can’t agree with much there. I’d keep Westbrook and find a way to keep Harden, too (lol). Thabeet is looking a bit better than I thought even though he’s a foul machine. It seems he and/or the Thunder are perhaps realizing how to use his length, and limiting him to around 15 mpg is a good plan. Perkins does seem to get injured, but he plays through injury as well. Perk only missed one game last season. His contributions aren’t wholly measured by the stat line – not by a long shot – but he can play his position well and has an uncanny way of getting in his opponent’s heads. He bothered Aldridge a lot last night; he got 22 points, but at 8-of-22 shooting.

  12. Jim in Cyber Space

    CP3 put on a Clinic against the Lakers. I would compare it to a Big League Pitcher throwing a one hit shut out.

    Remember that old CP3 for RW “Fantasy” trade banter?

    • Susan Bible

      Funny you say that, because in my own fantasy draft with the number three pick, I went with RW over CP3. The tipping point was the fact that Westbrook hasn’t missed a single game in his four-year career (shout-out to my husband for convincing me to go that direction). Paul has missed 49 games in the same period of time. His assists are crazy good, though.

      I’ll tell you this…the Clippers look great. Just wait until Billups and Hill return.

  13. Arturio Jacobs

    I think we got fleeced on the Harden deal. Please tell me Jeremy Lamb is going to develop into something. Not a fan of Martin, and we all know the draft is a crapshoot.

    • Susan Bible

      I wouldn’t say that at all. Lamb should develop, Martin is already doing what we know he can do and he’ll improve in different way as he gets acclimated to the system. The draft picks are huge. Presti/OKC can scout; they haven’t hit a homerun every time, but the odds are in their favor.

  14. josh

    What will harden average being the first option? how will he fare against stronger defences like miami?

    • Susan Bible

      I’m interested in seeing that, Josh. We know he was the man in Arizona State, so this is not unfamiliar territory to him. I bow to him, though, for his performance in the first two games. Just an amazing display. He could well average 30 points this season.

  15. Tyrober

    Harden wanted to get paid and that’s exactly what happened. Do you think at the end of his career when he has 200 million in the bank that he will look back and realize OKC could have been something special if he would have taken a small pay cut at the time?

    • Susan Bible

      I can’t help but feel that he may regret it, however, that’s a HUGE amount of money. I’ll just say…I was shocked, truly shocked, by the trade.

  16. Bearded one

    Susan, long time reader, first time question.. What are your thoughts/insights on management’s moves next year? Will Maynor and K-Mart be brought back? I understand the Harden move ONLY if those (or other intriguining) signings occur. I’d love to see OKC close games with Maynor, Russ, K-Mart, KD, and Serge on the floor.

    • Susan Bible

      Presti was blunt last week saying Maynor has to prove himself this year before talking future. I guess that’s not too harsh given his huge injury/surgery last season. We’ve got to give K-Mart more time before we talk about bringing him back. Martin is not exactly Harden (as far as playmaking abilities and defense, to begin with), but in the two games so far – with only two practices under his belt- he’s averaged 17 points, 3.5 assists, 1.0 steal, 2.5 rebounds, 1.5 turnovers, 3.0 three-pointers at .667 percentage and 5-of-5 at the free throw line in 30.5 minutes I’ll take it. On numbers alone, that’s that too far off from Harden’s last season. Just stay healthy! I’m pretty optimistic though about the season.

  17. Nana

    RE: Aerosmith – word is that my family is going to surprise me with close-to-the-front tickets. More lster…… ‘Course truth is I’d rather have Thunder tickets. Maybe the family will come through there….????

    • Susan Bible

      Hopefully your family is rich.

      That’s one hour. Obviously, the Harden trade is still on readers’ minds. Enjoy the rest of the first week of the NBA!