James Harden
I like Harden and I see him gong to OKC at #3. He is not a sure thing, because despite what his combine results suggest, I do not think he is an elite athlete. When he does get by his man, he is usually off balance and does not explode well in the lane. But I don't think anyone in this draft outside of Griffin is a sure thing.
While OKC clearly needs some help in the post, I'm not sold on Thabeet even if he is available. Even if Thabeet does become an all-star it will take him a while to develop and I think the Thunder need help now. Harden is one of the most NBA ready prospects and OKC is in desperate need of some shooters. While Harden is not an elite athlete he is athletic enough to defend the 2 based on his combine numbers and with RW0, Durant, and Green, Harden would not be asked to create his shot very often. He is an excellent passer for a 2 guard (something the Thunder could use as RW is still transitioning into becoming a more pure PG) and he can knock down the open jumper.
Thats why I said they could. I dont see Dallas making it next year unless they make a block buster trade. San Antonio could drop out this year, you've already seen signs of their age with the injuries they had last year and possibly even more coming this year.
He had a rough postseason this past year and by no means am I picking him to be a perennial all star. The point I was trying to make is that he is attractive to the Thunder because he fills a need at the 2 guard spot and his shooting and passing ability fit well with Thabo who is a defensive stopper at the 2 for OKC already. I think he is the most NBA ready and while his ceiling may not be as high as Thabeet he is a much safer pick and I think the Thunder are looking to make some strides as an organization pretty soon as opposed to taking projects who may not fully develop before KD's contract runs up. Needless to say keeping Durant is priority #1 for the organization and while I agree that at #3 you would like to find a superstar, whoever OKC selects there is going to be at best a 2nd option behind KD and more than likely a 3rd option behind KD and RW0. Just my opinion though
Give the man some respect! Everyone remembers him as performing terribly in the tourney, which he did. But people forget that he was droppin 20 something a game and dominating. Any ways i think he should be a top 5 pick. Also, Paul Pierce is my favorite player in the NBA and based on what ive seen from Harden, the comparisons are neccesary. They both score easily and are a bit slow, but can still manage defensively. The thing that was stopping this comaprison previously was Hardens height, but now that he measured out at 6'6'', he is only 1 inch and 15 pound smaller than Pierce. This guy is gonna be good