Shooting guard James Harden had three successful seasons with The
Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder used the third overall pick of The
2009 National Basketball Association Draft to select this prodigy from
Arizona State University. Harden was a prolific scorer at Arizona State
which was highlighted by him being selected as The Pac-10 Conference’s
Player of The Year in 2009. Harden grew as a player immensely with
Oklahoma City. Along with forward Kevin Durant and guard Russell
Westbrook, Harden helped to make The Thunder one of the most exciting
teams in The NBA. Harden was never a starter for The Thunder, but he was
a key cog off the bench for Thunder head coach Scott Brooks. Harden
averaged 19.3 points per games last season off of the bench which earned
him The NBA’s Sixth Man of The Year Award. Harden helped The Thunder
reach The NBA Finals for the first time last season since the franchise
relocated from Seattle. After the season Harden looked for an extension
with Oklahoma City, but Thunder general manager Sam Presti held his
ground by only offering Harden a four-year extension between $52 and $55
million. Harden was seeking more money, but Presti knows that the
contracts of Durant and Westbrook will be coming up soon and in the new
NBA you cannot pay everyone.
Presti knew that Harden had value and he shipped him to The Houston
Rockets just prior to the start of this season. In return The Thunder
received forward Jeremy Lamb, shooting guard Kevin Martin, a
second-round pick and a pair of first-round picks. Harden didn’t go to
Houston alone as Dequan Cook, Cole Aldrich, and Lazar Hayward were all
apart of the trade. Harden received the finances that he was looking for
as Rockets general manager Daryl Morey gave Harden a five-year deal
worth $80 million.
spotlight was totally on him as he was now out of the shadow of Durant
and Westbrook. Harden didn’t waste anytime in proving his skeptics
wrong. In his first game with The Rockets, Harden dropped 37 points on
The Detroit Pistons. Harden followed this up by scoring 45 points
against The Atlanta Hawks. Harden hasn’t just been showcasing his
scoring ability against the also-rans of The NBA. In two games this
season against The New York Knicks, Harden is averaging over 30 points
per game. Harden has enjoyed nine games this season where he has scored
30 or more points. Only Harden’s former Thunder teammate Durant, Knicks
forward Carmelo Anthony, and Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant are
averaging more points per game this season than Harden who is currently
averaging 25.8 points per game.
in they were looking for a guy whom they could make the centerpiece of
their team. Besides Harden, The Rockets have other new players in point
guard Jeremy Lin and center Omir Asik. Asik is enjoying career highs in
points per game (10.9) and rebounds per game (11.8). Asik currently tied
for third in NBA in rebounds with Lakers center Dwight Howard. Lin,
Asik, and the rest of Harden’s teammates in Houston are benefiting from
him in the same way that he benefited from playing with Durant and
Westbrook.
was highlighted a 120-97 throttling of The Chicago Bulls on Christmas
Day. In those four games, Harden has scored over 30 points on three
occasions including a 30-point performance last night against The
Minnesota Timberwolves. With Harden’s leadership and the return of
McHale after a brief leave of absence in the wake of his daughter’s
passing, this team is quickly ascending themselves in The Western
Conference. The Rockets took a chance on making Harden their guy and he
has not disappointed a third of a way through The NBA season.
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