Harden To The Rockets
The Thunder acquired guards Kevin Martin and Jeremy Lamb, two first-round picks and a second-round pick in the surprising deal that was completed Saturday night. Oklahoma City also sent center Cole Aldrich and forwards Daequan Cook and Lazar Hayward to Houston.
The trade of James Harden to the Rockets wasn't necessarily a bad move, but it does leave a lot of questions. Wednesday's deadline to extend Harden or allow him to become a restricted free agent next July had been hanging over the Thunder from the moment they reported to training camp, but sources told ESPN.com's Marc Stein late Saturday the Rockets intend to sign the swingman to the max contract extension he was seeking before Wednesday's midnight deadline.
The Thunder offered Harden $55.5 million over four years -- $4.5 million less than the max deal Harden coveted and will get from the Rockets, sources told ESPN The Magazine's Chris Broussard.
"We wanted to sign James to an extension, but at the end of the day, these situations have to work for all those involved. Our ownership group again showed their commitment to the organization with several significant offers," Thunder general manager Sam Presti said in a statement.
"We were unable to reach a mutual agreement, and therefore executed a trade that capitalized on the opportunity to bring in a player of Kevin's caliber, a young talent like Jeremy and draft picks, which will be important to our organizational goal of a sustainable team."
The small-market Thunder had already signed Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka to long-term deals, and apparently realized Harden was going to want a bigger salary than they would offer.
Harden averaged 16.8 points and 3.7 assists last season, and joined Durant and Westbrook on the U.S. men's Olympic team. He struggled badly in Oklahoma City's loss to Miami in the NBA Finals, but the Thunder felt good about their chances of getting back there with another year of experience for their young stars, all 24 or younger.
The Thunder got back a good scorer in Martin, who has averaged 18.4 points in his eight NBA seasons, and a promising young player in Lamb, the No. 12 pick in the draft who helped Connecticut win the 2011 NCAA championship. He led Houston's summer league team in scoring with 20 points per game.
The Rockets rebuilt their roster in the offseason and hoped to land Dwight Howard. Houston traded or released just about every veteran except Martin, who was in the final year of his contract and due about $13 million this season.
Harden More Than Just OK-C
James Harden was a valuable piece of the puzzle for Oklahoma City. His impact on and off the court was seen mostly on offense, where he brought life to the Thunder and was huge from 3-point range per 48 minutes. Here's a look at when he was on and off the court:
Martin averaged 17.1 points and 2.8 assists last year, his eighth in the NBA and third in Houston. He missed the last 26 games last season with a shoulder injury, though he also developed a rift with Houston coach Kevin McHale late in the year.
"While I never like having to send out quality players like Kevin Martin and Jeremy Lamb, this trade gives us a chance to make an immediate impact on the future of our franchise moving forward," Rockets owner Leslie Alexander said.
"James Harden was part of Team USA's gold medal team at the London Olympics and is one of the most skilled shooting guards in the NBA."
New Rockets point guard Jeremy Lin also chimed in about the trade on Twitter.
"Really sad to see Kmart and JLamb go," Lin wrote. "...both class acts and great teammates. Welcome Harden, Cook, Aldrich and Hayward to Houston!!"
Houston collected draft picks while it was making a flurry of deals, part of a package to offer Orlando for Howard. The Rockets traded point guard Kyle Lowry to Toronto for a lottery-protected first-round pick, one of Oklahoma City's acquisitions on Saturday night.
The other first-round pick was acquired by Houston when it traded Jordan Hill to the Los Angeles Lakers last March. The second-round pick came to the Rockets in a deal that sent guard Courtney Lee to Boston
D-Will Choose Felton over Lin
Lin outplayed Williams last Feb. 4 in a stunning performance off the bench, starting a phenomenon that became known as Linsanity. But the Knicks opted not to match the $25.1 million deal Lin signed with Houston, having already completed a sign-and-trade deal with Portland to reacquire Felton.
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I would say Raymond Felton is a better point guard than Jeremy Lin, in my opinion.
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Felton played well in a previous stint with the Knicks.
"I would say Raymond Felton is a better point guard than Jeremy Lin, in my opinion," Williams said at the Nets' practice facility.
The Nets host the Knicks on Thursday in their first game at the new Barclays Center.
It would've been hard to imagine Lin not being there after the 10 games that started when he scored 25 points in a 99-92 victory over the Nets at Madison Square Garden. Williams scored 21 points and shot just 7 of 19 that night, though he made amends later in the month when he scored 38 points as the Nets won in their return to New York.
Williams stopped short of saying the Knicks are a better team without Lin as the starting point guard, but said he would rather go with Felton because of what the veteran has accomplished in the league as a starter, especially during his short stay in New York before he was included in the deal that brought Carmelo Anthony over to the Knicks.
Felton averaged 17 points and nine assists in 54 games during the 2010-11 season in New York.
"He is just proven," Williams said.
"You'll have to see Jeremy Lin. He had a heck of a run. The numbers he was putting up were All-Star type numbers when he was starting, so we'll see how he does this year. But going off of track record, you know I'm going to go with Raymond Felton and Ray probably had his best year that half season he was there. I guess he likes the bright lights."
Felton admitted being out of shape last season in Portland after the lockout, but Williams likes what he has seen of Felton, whom he has known since their high school days.
"He looks good. He looks in shape this year," Williams said.
Williams did not practice Saturday but said he will return Sunday. He was given a cortisone shot two days ago for his left ankle that's been bothering him since the Olympics.
"After the season I'm going to have to get it cleaned up. We'll see after that," Williams said. "I don't think it will be a problem. Like I said, the cortisone shots should get me through the season.
French Montana Goes One On One With ESPN
Now, the Moroccan-born and NYC-raised rapper is pumping up his former teammates and competitors -- some of them now in the NBA -- with his single "Pop That," one of the hottest songs in the country. Right now, the club-thumping track, which features Drake, Lil Wayne and Rick Ross, can be heard from NFL stadiums to NBA arenas to the headphones of your favorite players.
Kanye West proclaimed Montana, 27, one of his favorite rappers; Drake tapped him to open up his Club Paradise Tour this year. French has also been in the studio with Nicki Minaj, The Weeknd and Lana Del Rey, and has Diddy and Rick Ross executive-producing his debut, "Excuse My French," which is slated for a winter release.
Last week at Diddy's NYC recording studio, Daddy's House, ESPN Playbook had a chance to sit down with Montana. After about a 45-minute wait -- "Traffic, man," he said -- Montana walked in with a small entourage, holding a Red Bull and wearing his trademark dark vintage Versace sunglasses.
When asked what he was up to in the city, he said: "I came into town to do this ESPN interview!"
After many years removed from competitive sports, he was excited to take a trip down memory lane.
First off, I heard you went back to Morocco for the first time in 15 years to see your entire family, including your father. What was that like?
Man, it was crazy to be reunited with my entire family after that long. It was a blessing. I came over [to NYC] with my mother and my father, and my father made some investments that didn't work, so he left and went back and just left me and my mother. So I had to become a man at an early age. I need to get back out there to do a show. I haven't done one yet there.
So what's going to be the vibe of the album?
It's a certain sound that I can't explain. One day, I wake up feeling f----- up. I make that certain kind of music. I speak from the heart. Certain people follow lyricists and people that put words on a dictionary together, and this and that. I'm more of a rapper that speaks how I feel. I just tell it how it is."
Since "Pop That," you now have more than one million Twitter followers. Surprised how fast success has come?
Nah, I feel like I've been grinding for a long time. Just now, I'm a freshman to the mainstream.
What's been the right equation to get you to this point?
I just feel like I'm finally getting results for everything that I've worked so hard for. When you work so hard and you finally get your break, it just feels good. That's what I feel like happened.
Have you noticed a strong connection between "Pop That," a great pump-up song, and sports?
Oh yeah, definitely. A lot of NFL stadiums play it. I look at Twitter all the time and I'm like, "Giants versus the 49ers playing 'Pop That' to open up the game." Every time I look, there's always people talking about the song, like Blake Griffin was on Twitter talking that it's his favorite song. Every time I look at Twitter, there's always somebody showing support.
Will you integrate sports into your upcoming album?
Definitely. I definitely feel like it's just like a sport, music. I just feel like it's a sport and everybody got their own team. At the end of the year, whoever sells the most records is the championship winner.
What sports did you play growing up?
I used to play soccer when I was in Morocco, but I was more of a basketball player. I played high school basketball, I played AAU basketball. I used to play for Gauchos and Riverside [in New York City]. I know Kemba Walker from my block, from around my neighborhood. I definitely used to play in all the tournaments, all the neighborhood tournaments, Kingdome to Rucker Park.
Gauchos and Riverside are pretty competitive, so you must have traveled a lot.
Yeah, definitely. We went to all the big tournaments down south. But once I got grown and it stopped paying the bills for me, I was like, "This is not a job." I'm coming home sweating every day.
Who are some of the more famous guys you played against?
We played against Luol Deng [of the Chicago Bulls], we played against Jarrett Jack [of the Golden State Warriors]. I was going against them, then three or four years later they're in the NBA. I said, "Wow." It was around the same time Sebastian Telfair was doing his thing.
Ever think about taking hoops to the next level?
At that time, me coming from another country, I couldn't really go to college or get a scholarship because my paperwork wasn't straight. So I played AAU ball and this and that. When my college didn't go through, I kind of just like sat back and started playing streetball after that in big tournaments. And then in the midst of that, I started rapping. That kind of took off faster than anything.
Do you have a group of friends you still play with?
Sometimes. I'll pass out if I run full court. I don't think I could do that. Halfcourt, I'll play. I'll cross you over once or twice.
What pro teams do you root for?
I'm almost like with the underdogs. I kind of like Kevin Durant and them, I like the Celtics --
Those are underdogs? You're talking about two championship-contending teams.
But they are underdogs. Kevin Durant is an underdog because they always lose in the playoffs. I would definitely like to see Kevin Durant and them win a championship because I feel like they came so close last year, and I feel like he's active. When the season is not on, he really comes over here and plays Dyckman, and plays everywhere. Every tournament he would suit up and play, and light your a-- up. He played in every tournament and he always keeps his game up. I don't see a lot of these players do that. And he reminds me of me. He's young and just at it, and dealing with all these teams that got five All-Star players, and he's kind of like the only one.
Have you ever met KD?
Yeah, I met him in LA at the Roxbury.
So what's your greatest sports memory, period?
My greatest sports memory would be when Vince Carter jumped over that guy in the Olympics [in 2000]. Oh my god. When you were watching it, you were like, "He did not just do that." You didn't expect it and the guy that he jumped over didn't expect it. He almost fainted after. To me, it was the biggest dunk ever -- either that or when John Starks dunked it on [Michael] Jordan [in the 1993 NBA playoffs]. No one saw that coming. Also, Shawn Kemp, Clyde Drexler, all the crazy moments, like when Jordan first threw it down from the foul line.
What's your most prized piece of sports memorabilia?
I probably got a couple trophies laying around. I got this one picture of me with the six-pack when I used to play ball. I was like, "Man, look how I used to be." I look at myself in the mirror now and I feel ashamed. I'm working back at it. I've got a little four-pack now.
Who was your childhood sports idol?
At one time, I used to love Steve Francis. He had the handle. At one time, I used to love Kobe [Bryant] when he first came into the league and it was him and Shaq [Shaquille O'Neal]. I used to love Vince Carter when he first came into the league and he was jumping out of the gym. And I used to love Jason Williams when he first came in. He had the crossovers and just everything. He was killing it.
Which modern athlete do you love to hate?
I was always mad at Reggie Miller for upsetting my team, the Knicks, and my city. Spike Lee wanted to strangle him. I think the day that Spike Lee won't be there, it's going to look like something is wrong with the Knicks.
By the way, what do you think about Carmelo Anthony? Think he gets too much unfair criticism?
Yeah, man. I feel like he's a great player, man, but I just feel like it's not his time to win. I feel like every dog gets his day. There are some people that never win, but Jordan and Kobe were able to do it because they were great leaders. I feel like Melo's a leader, but he needs to lead more.
Before I let you go, I know you're big into colorful fashion. Now that it's taking over the NBA, what do you think about that?
They're biting my swag. I gotta tell them to stand down. Nah. I feel like, you know, some people like to wear colorful stuff. Some people like to be blacked down and some people just want to be colorful. Some people just have weird problems. I'm never going to wear a pink sweater. Some people just do it because they feel like they can do it.
The Rematch Giants V.S. Cowboys
They are 3-0 at Jones’ $1.2 billion stadium. If the Giants can make it four straight, they’ll not only disappoint Jones -- who told Dallas fans to come watch the Cowboys "beat the New York Giants' ass" earlier this summer -- but they will put themselves in solid position heading into the second half of the regular season.
Here are five things to watch for on Sunday in Dallas:
Stay the Mann: Eli Manning saves some of his best games for the Cowboys, especially in Dallas. He has won four of his last five games in Dallas, and has six 300-yard games in his career against the Cowboys -– more than he has against any other team.
In the new Cowboys Stadium, Manning has passed for at least 306 yards and two touchdowns in all three of his games. Dallas did hold Manning to 213 yards and one touchdown in the season opener. If the Cowboys’ improved secondary is the real deal, it will find a way to slow down Manning in Dallas.
Get Romo: The Giants sacked Tony Romo twice in the season opener, but defensive ends Jason Pierre-Paul, Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora were shut out, as Romo was able to elude the rush for the most part.
The Giants can’t afford to let Romo make plays with his legs and right arm. Romo burned the Giants with three touchdowns back in September.
No more big plays: Kevin Ogletree introduced himself to the Giants and the country with eight catches for 114 yards and two touchdowns in the season opener.
The Giants’ secondary struggled in that game, and has allowed big plays throughout the season. Santana Moss scored twice against the Giants last Sunday.
Prince Amukamara has been solid, and he will play against the Cowboys for the first time this season after missing the opener due to injury. Corey Webster is getting healthier as well.
The Giants have to find a way to slow down Dez Bryant, Miles Austin and Jason Witten and limit the big plays. The secondary has allowed seven touchdowns of 26 yards or longer this season.
The Black Unicorn returns: Martellus Bennett did his best to downplay his first game in Dallas against his former team. But he can definitely come up big for the Giants.
Bennett had four catches for 40 yards and a touchdown against Dallas in the first meeting of the year, and had five catches for 79 yards last Sunday against Washington. Bennett will be going up against a Cowboys defense that has lost linebacker Sean Lee for the season. He can potentially help open up things for Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks against the Cowboys' corners.
Get even: A win in Dallas would be big for the Giants. They can even the series with the Cowboys, which would help if there is a need for tiebreakers at the end of the season. They would extend their winning streak to four games and be 6-2 heading into the second half of the season.
And the Giants (5-2) can create an early cushion between themselves and the Cowboys (3-3), Eagles (3-3) and Redskins (3-4) in the overall standings.
The Giants say they owe Dallas one. Winning this game would give them a boost they can use going into a challenging second half of the season that is filled with tough games against Pittsburgh, at Cincinnati, Green Bay, at Washington, New Orleans, at Atlanta, at Baltimore and Philadelphia.
At 6-2, the Giants would have some room for error in the case that they go into one of their almost-annual midseason swoons.
FlashBack Fridays Full Force - Aint My Type Of Hype 'Kid N Play' Edition
This is a real house party !!
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