AS EXPECTED, JAMES HARDEN IS GETTIN’ PAID, SON

Houston Rockets General Manager Daryl Morey announced today that the team has signed newly acquired guard James Harden to a multi-year contract extension. According to the Houston Chronicle, deal is for five years, $78.6 million.

“James Harden is the foundational-type player we have been looking to add,” said Rockets Owner Leslie Alexander. “He is a tremendous, young player with the ability and skill set to be an All-Star. He is ready to make the next move up to join the elite players in the NBA. As I said when we traded for James, he along with the mix of young players we already have in place, such as Jeremy Lin, Chandler Parsons and Omer Asik, gives us a solid group of young, talented players who will help get us back to a championship level.”

Harden (6-5, 225, Arizona State) has averaged 12.7 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.06 steals in 220 regular season games (seven starts) with Oklahoma City. Additionally, he has averaged 13.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 43 career playoff games. An Olympic gold medalist and the NBA’s reigning Sixth Man of the Year, Harden enjoyed a breakout season in 2011-12 by establishing career-high averages in points (16.8), rebounds (4.1), assists (3.7), shooting percentage (.491), 3-point field goal percentage (.390) and free throw percentage (.846), as well as playing in a career-most 31.4 minutes per game. After leading all NBA reserves in scoring average last season, Harden became the youngest recipient of the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year Award. Selected by the Thunder with the third overall pick of the 2009 NBA Draft, Harden also earned NBA All-Rookie Second Team honors in 2009-10.