Apparently Sam Presti is Cold-Blooded

[KG215]

As devastated as James Harden might be, the former Thunder star is getting the money he wanted

Harden wanted three days to think about Thunder's offer, but general manager Sam Presti gave him one hour to decide. And Presti stuck to his word.

http://newsok.com/as-devastated-as-james-harden-might-be-the-former-thunder-star-is-getting-the-money-he-wanted/article/3723393?custom_click=pod_headline_oklahoma-city-thunder

In case you don't want to read or didn't read the article, Presti didn't make the 4yr/$52M offer and give Harden one hour. He made his final offer which was either 4y/$53M or 4yr/$55.5M, and then told Harden that was their final offer and Harden had one hour to decide or he was being traded to Houston.

I guess Harden or Harden's agent thought Presti was bluffing and would fold. Apparently not.

[maybeshewill13]

Based Presti :pimp:

[MeLO MvP 15]

OR that Harden rather have had the extra money than stay in OKC so he didn't take the offer.

[tikay0]

I can respect that. No Dwight Howard BS in the locker room.

[SpecialQue]

Goddamn. I really like this attitude of not taking a player's shit.

[IGotACoolStory]

I don't know about you, but this is the exact look of a cold-blooded mother****er when I think of one...

http://www.nba.com/thunder/photos/presti_hp1_111207.jpg

:bowdown:

[macpierce]

So in other words he decided to concede the western conference to another team in 60 minutes

:roll: :roll: :roll:

[outbreak]

More GMs need to act like this. Make your decision and move on.

[SpecialQue]

So in other words he decided to concede the western conference to another team in 60 minutes

:roll: :roll: :roll:

Right, because Durant and Westbrook are trash that can't get it done. :facepalm

[spiegel]

Right, because Durant and Westbrook are trash that can't get it done. :facepalm
And a 20 points per game type player like Martin is chopped liver. Martin isnt half as bad as people think. He looked really good in the preseason and will have a very good year.

Presti told him you got 60 minutes to decide, ooops 59 minutes now bitch.The clocks ticking.

[KG215]

Right, because Durant and Westbrook are trash that can't get it done. :facepalm

Not to mention Ibaka is only 23 and has shown pretty significant improvement each year, and they're also adding Maynor back to the bench.

[macpierce]

Right, because Durant and Westbrook are trash that can't get it done. :facepalm

yeah because kevin martin is as good as harden

:roll:

[KG215]

I don't know about you, but this is the exact look of a cold-blooded mother****er when I think of one...

http://www.nba.com/thunder/photos/presti_hp1_111207.jpg

:bowdown:


I can picture it going down like this...

Presti calls Harden's agent: "Our final offer is 4years/$55.5M. James has one hour to decide or we're trading him to Houston."

And as soon his agent starts to say something, to haggle with him a bit, Presti slams his phone shut, leaving Harden's agent hanging. Oh, and Presti is sitting in his office with the lights turned down low, face sorta hidden by the shadows, and after he hangs up you see a lighter spark, and Presti leans back in his chair just far enough into the light and you see him puffing on a cigar.

That's exactly how it went down dammit, and no one can convince me otherwise.

[Haymaker]

Well, it's not surprising. OKC were already trying to trade Harden for Wizard's pick before the draft. They wanted Bradley Beal.

[Whoah10115]

OP, you're saying he didn't give him a take it or leave it offer and an hour on the clock...but that's exactly what..you say in the next sentence lol.



I mean...Presti understands what he's gonna do. And he did it. But I don't really see what people are so proud of him for. I mean, he might have done the right thing. But the agent asked for 3 days and he says an hour? Can we get to Monday?

[maybeshewill13]

I can picture it going down like this...

Presti calls Harden's agent: "Our final offer is 4years/$55.5M. James has one hour to decide or we're trading him to Houston."

And as soon his agent starts to say something, to haggle with him a bit, Presti slams his phone shut, leaving Harden's agent hanging. Oh, and Presti is sitting in his office with the lights turned down low, face sorta hidden by the shadows, and after he hangs up you see a lighter spark, and Presti leans back in his chair just far enough into the light and you see him puffing on a cigar.

That's exactly how it went down dammit, and no one can convince me otherwise.

:lol repped

[maybeshewill13]

OP, you're saying he didn't give him a take it or leave it offer and an hour on the clock...but that's exactly what..you say in the next sentence lol.



I mean...Presti understands what he's gonna do. And he did it. But I don't really see what people are so proud of him for. I mean, he might have done the right thing. But the agent asked for 3 days and he says an hour? Can we get to Monday?

Could have been Houston's deadline for all we know.

[SpecialQue]

Could have been Houston's deadline for all we know.

Gotta get that beard ready for the opener.

[NuggetsFan]

OR that Harden rather have had the extra money than stay in OKC so he didn't take the offer.

I wonder if getting out from the Shadow of Durant\Westbrook factored into it all. Gotta think most NBA players esp of Harden's talent\age think they got what it takes to be "special" in this league. He was always going to be the 3rd wheel in the Thunder, probably used in his same role for awhile which not right now obviously but down the line could affect his payday. Teams probably don't throw the max at a Harden who's 27 coming off the bench doing the sparkplug role, or atleast not as many teams.

Going to Houston not only gives you more money but gives you more individual opportunity. That's probably more important at this stage of Harden's career than winning 50+ games, going deep in the playoffs in his current role for less money.

[alwaysunny]

I can picture it going down like this...

Presti calls Harden's agent: "Our final offer is 4years/$55.5M. James has one hour to decide or we're trading him to Houston."

And as soon his agent starts to say something, to haggle with him a bit, Presti slams his phone shut, leaving Harden's agent hanging. Oh, and Presti is sitting in his office with the lights turned down low, face sorta hidden by the shadows, and after he hangs up you see a lighter spark, and Presti leans back in his chair just far enough into the light and you see him puffing on a cigar.

That's exactly how it went down dammit, and no one can convince me otherwise.

Trying to think of a movie character that fits this post but my mind's goin blank

[KG215]

Could have been Houston's deadline for all we know.

I have a feeling Presti knew that Houston's offer might not be around long and they wanted to make a move for a "face of the franchise" type player (not sure Harden can be that type payer) and wanted to get Harden in time to sign a 5-year deal before the October 31st deadline.

[Whoah10115]

Well, it's not surprising. OKC were already trying to trade Harden for Wizard's pick before the draft. They wanted Bradley Beal.



If you mean Wizards' pick and Nene, I believe you.


Bradley Beal or James Harden...why would Washington say no to this? Money?

[wang4three]

I really like Harden and I'm excited for him to be the man of his own team.. but by no means is he a requisite to a win a championship. The Kevin McHale or Manu super hall-of-fame subs are very rare. Even having players of Jason Terry or Lamar Odom's caliber coming off the bench is not neccessary. You just need guys who can either play championship D or get hot at the right time off the bench. The guys like James Posey, a rookie Sam Cassell, Corliss Williamson, Mike Miller, Steve Kerry, would do just fine. Even an aging PJ Brown was a hero for a game in 2008. Kevin Martin/Lamb can do that.

[KG215]

OP, you're saying he didn't give him a take it or leave it offer and an hour on the clock...but that's exactly what..you say in the next sentence lol.

I mean...Presti understands what he's gonna do. And he did it. But I don't really see what people are so proud of him for. I mean, he might have done the right thing. But the agent asked for 3 days and he says an hour? Can we get to Monday?

Poor wording on my part. They've pretty much been in contract negotiations since July. I don't know if the 4yr/$52M deal was offered Saturday morning, afternoon, or what, but I have a feeling that offer had been out there a little while. I'm guessing Presti had already been on the phone with a few teams, getting a feel for several possible different trades. He must've liked Houston's deal the most, but they also may have said the deal would only be on the table for so long because they wanted to get Harden in time to sign him to a 5-year deal before the October 31st deadline.

[Meticode]

I wonder if Harden will be starting right away?

[Whoah10115]

I really like Harden and I'm excited for him to be the man of his own team.. but by no means is he a requisite to a win a championship. The Kevin McHale or Manu super hall-of-fame subs are very rare. Even having players of Jason Terry or Lamar Odom's caliber coming off the bench is not neccessary. You just need guys who can either play championship D or get hot at the right time off the bench. The guys like James Posey, a rookie Sam Cassell, Corliss Williamson, Mike Miller, Steve Kerry, would do just fine. Even an aging PJ Brown was a hero for a game in 2008. Kevin Martin/Lamb can do that.



It's not a question of having a guy off the bench. He's the 3rd best player on a team led by a clear 3headed monster.


The Thunder have a lot of holes. They get buy on their pure talent. That talent being the perimeter.

[wang4three]

It's not a question of having a guy off the bench. He's the 3rd best player on a team led by a clear 3headed monster.


The Thunder have a lot of holes. They get buy on their pure talent. That talent being the perimeter.


That's a fair point, but you could argue that guys like Ginobili and McHale were the third or 2nd best player on their respective teams. Same with Terry or Odom.

In any event though, they should work on focusing less on talent and more on strategy and execution. I think the Heat in '11 focused purely on talent to win games and then last season came together and played more like a team. So it's definitely achievable to do so.

[RoseCity07]

Presti set up a win win situation for himself. It's like this. If you are going to trade a Harden anyway, why not make him a low ball offer? That way if he accepts then you win. If he doesn't, you get to do the trade you wanted to do in the first place.

This may look cold blooded but it isn't. If the trade for Harden wasn't there then OKC would have been at the mercy of Harden. They just had better options. Harden thought it was a low ball offer and that's why this trade happened.

[IGOTGAME]

http://newsok.com/as-devastated-as-james-harden-might-be-the-former-thunder-star-is-getting-the-money-he-wanted/article/3723393?custom_click=pod_headline_oklahoma-city-thunder

In case you don't want to read or didn't read the article, Presti didn't make the 4yr/$52M offer and give Harden one hour. He made his final offer which was either 4y/$53M or 4yr/$55.5M, and then told Harden that was their final offer and Harden had one hour to decide or he was being traded to Houston.

I guess Harden or Harden's agent thought Presti was bluffing and would fold. Apparently not.
Harden reacted correctly. Whether he had 30 seconds or 1 year, this was still the correct choice.

[KG215]

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nba--inside-look-at-james-harden-s-trade-to-rockets-28301609.html


For months, Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey called on Oklahoma City's Sam Presti, probing him with a simple question: Want to discuss a deal for James Harden yet? Over and over, the response had been an unwavering no. The Thunder wanted to sign Harden to a contract extension, hold together their young core and try to win championships for years and years.


After turning down a $52 million extension several days ago, Harden's agent, Rob Pelinka, flew from Los Angeles to Oklahoma City on Friday for a final sit-down with Presti. He wanted a max contract of four years, $60 million for his client, and had come to Oklahoma City to push management as far as it would go on an offer.


All along, Pelinka and Harden understood: From the Rockets, to the Phoenix Suns, to the Dallas Mavericks, there was a maximum contract offer awaiting him in free agency. Harden's market value wouldn't be dictated on the fact the Thunder planned to pay him as the franchise's third-best player. Less money and a sixth-man role – after a summer with Team USA at the Olympics, this was an impossible sell on Harden.

Found that really interesting. Sounds like playing for Team USA this summer really fed his ego. Who knows what happens if he loses out on that final roster spot to Eric Gordon. Maybe he stays a little humbler and decides he his worth "third option" type money on a championship contender, and settles for a 4yr/$50M-ish deal.


Harden struggled in the NBA Finals, tried too hard and slowly, surely unraveled over the course of the series. When the rest of the Thunder were celebrating a Game 1 victory over Miami in the locker room, Harden could be heard grumbling over too few shots (five), and too few minutes (22).
Don't know how well-known this was among non-OKC fans, but it was a pretty poorly kept secret not too long after; that along with Harden enjoying the Miami night life a little too much during the Finals. Having it confirmed, though, puts me at ease about losing him.


So, Whoah, the 4yr/$52M deal had been on the table for a few days. The final offer was 4yr/$54M

Presti originally inquired about getting:

Kevin Martin
Jeremy Lamb
Chandler Parsons

AND

Three 2013 1st round draft picks, including Houston's. Obviously that's too steep, but Presti had to start by asking for too much an work his way down. Still got a pretty damn good deal in my mind. No GM with a brain would go for the original offer made by Presti for someone like Harden.

[All Net]

Can see he has a spurs background.

[Clippersfan86]

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nba--inside-look-at-james-harden-s-trade-to-rockets-28301609.html

Wow good read, most interesting part is this..

"When the rest of the Thunder were celebrating a Game 1 victory over Miami in the locker room, Harden could be heard grumbling over too few shots (five), and too few minutes (22).

Veterans Derek Fisher and Perkins laid into Harden, telling him essentially: We just won an NBA Finals game and the last thing in the world that ought to worry you are your individual statistics. Harden apologized, but it was clear his mindset wasn't right."

I kind of figured he seemed to be about the fame and numbers. He's always been the one douchebag on that team.

[Dr. Cheesesteak]

More GMs need to act like this. Make your decision and move on.

Goddamn. I really like this attitude of not taking a player's shit.

I can respect that. No Dwight Howard BS in the locker room.
qft's

Some could say that you should take longer to evaluate trade offers or long-term scenarios, etc. But you gotta respect someone that deals with player personnel appropriately. The players frequently make a big deal about the business aspect of sports. So why shouldn't a GM? Treat the player like a business asset, if that's how they want to be treated.

[maybeshewill13]

Wow good read, most interesting part is this..

"When the rest of the Thunder were celebrating a Game 1 victory over Miami in the locker room, Harden could be heard grumbling over too few shots (five), and too few minutes (22).

Veterans Derek Fisher and Perkins laid into Harden, telling him essentially: We just won an NBA Finals game and the last thing in the world that ought to worry you are your individual statistics. Harden apologized, but it was clear his mindset wasn't right."

I kind of figured he seemed to be about the fame and numbers. He's always been the one douchebag on that team.

To be honest it kind of doesn't surprise me (regardless if it's true or not).. I loved watching him (can see why fans of other teams didn't), but he did strike me as the type to chase the money and not sacrifice for the good of the team. I knew it was only a matter of time before he got sick of the sixth man role.. didn't want to believe it though.

Ah well, now he has to prove himself as a legitimate star and starter in Houston. Hopefully this all pans out for us.. I have faith in our front office and I'm pretty certain we'll have a nice big man filling out the roster by this time next year.

Edit: In no way am I saying he's selfish on the court, because he certainly isn't.

[IGOTGAME]

Wow good read, most interesting part is this..

"When the rest of the Thunder were celebrating a Game 1 victory over Miami in the locker room, Harden could be heard grumbling over too few shots (five), and too few minutes (22).

Veterans Derek Fisher and Perkins laid into Harden, telling him essentially: We just won an NBA Finals game and the last thing in the world that ought to worry you are your individual statistics. Harden apologized, but it was clear his mindset wasn't right."

I kind of figured he seemed to be about the fame and numbers. He's always been the one douchebag on that team.
Just irresponsible journalism IMO. People are jumping on Harden for not wanted to be an underpaid bench player....

No sources, just trust the writer huh. I watched a lot of Harden and one thing he isn't is selfish. The media is just absurd right now. Shame on Harden for making a better career move for himself. What a joke.

I couldn't stand Harden last year but there is no reason to pile on the man because he rated in his best interest.

[KG215]

Just irresponsible journalism IMO. People are jumping on Harden for not wanted to be an underpaid bench player....

No sources, just trust the writer huh. I watched a lot of Harden and one thing he isn't is selfish. The media is just absurd right now. Shame on Harden for making a better career move for himself. What a joke.

There were rumblings about this during the Finals. That and apparently Harden was out enjoying the Miami night life a little too much during the Finals.

[KG215]

I'm making a new thread for that article. I think it's discussion worthy enough for it's own thread and, to be honest, more insightful to me than the article I made this thread for.

[Graviton]

Wow good read, most interesting part is this..

"When the rest of the Thunder were celebrating a Game 1 victory over Miami in the locker room, Harden could be heard grumbling over too few shots (five), and too few minutes (22).

Veterans Derek Fisher and Perkins laid into Harden, telling him essentially: We just won an NBA Finals game and the last thing in the world that ought to worry you are your individual statistics. Harden apologized, but it was clear his mindset wasn't right."

I kind of figured he seemed to be about the fame and numbers. He's always been the one douchebag on that team.
This part was golden...

"If nothing else, Westbrook and Kevin Durant have long learned to trust the judgment of Presti and Weaver. When the Thunder couldn't get an extension done with Jeff Green, they turned him into a piece the franchise desperately needed: Perkins."

Hope they enjoy that useless waste that cost them Harden, they will never beat Miami with Perkins on the court.

[Walker]

Just irresponsible journalism IMO. People are jumping on Harden for not wanted to be an underpaid bench player....

No sources, just trust the writer huh. I watched a lot of Harden and one thing he isn't is selfish. The media is just absurd right now. Shame on Harden for making a better career move for himself. What a joke.

I couldn't stand Harden last year but there is no reason to pile on the man because he rated in his best interest.
How on earth do you consider 53 million underpaid.

WTF is wrong with you :facepalm

[maybeshewill13]

This part was golden...

"If nothing else, Westbrook and Kevin Durant have long learned to trust the judgment of Presti and Weaver. When the Thunder couldn't get an extension done with Jeff Green, they turned him into a piece the franchise desperately needed: Perkins."

Hope they enjoy that useless waste that cost them Harden, they will never beat Miami with Perkins on the court.

I ****ing LOATHE Perkins, though I do find his terrible ball-handling to be comical and give me a good chuckle.

[KG215]

This part was golden...

"If nothing else, Westbrook and Kevin Durant have long learned to trust the judgment of Presti and Weaver. When the Thunder couldn't get an extension done with Jeff Green, they turned him into a piece the franchise desperately needed: Perkins."

Hope they enjoy that useless waste that cost them Harden, they will never beat Miami with Perkins on the court.

Perkins doesn't and didn't have to be on the floor in that series. After out coaching Greg Popovich in the WCF, Brooks gets outcoached by freaking Eric Spoelstra in the Finals.

OKC has Nick Collison, Serge Ibaka, Kevin Durant, and now Perry Jones that they can mix and match to put a quicker more athletic smallball lineup on the floor.

[Graviton]

I ****ing LOATHE Perkins, though I do find his terrible ball-handling to be comical and give me a good chuckle.
Lol nice avatar, I was just googling Goatbrook icons. He is my 2nd favorite player behind Rose.

Perkins is walking disaster, every time he tries to post up or touches the ball he travels, goes out of bounds or dribbles off his foot. I remember one time OKC was moving the ball and once Perk got it he struggled to even hang on to it without his defender even doin shit. WB/Durant were yelling at him to pass but Mr. Perkeem decided to do magic and lost the ball out of bounds.

His defense is so amazing he shuts himself down. His shadow is the real "Dwight stopper". Why doesn't Brooks just play Ibaka at 5 and Collison at 4? Nick's impact is always positive.

[Xiao Yao You]

I really like Harden and I'm excited for him to be the man of his own team.. but by no means is he a requisite to a win a championship. The Kevin McHale or Manu super hall-of-fame subs are very rare. Even having players of Jason Terry or Lamar Odom's caliber coming off the bench is not neccessary. You just need guys who can either play championship D or get hot at the right time off the bench. The guys like James Posey, a rookie Sam Cassell, Corliss Williamson, Mike Miller, Steve Kerry, would do just fine. Even an aging PJ Brown was a hero for a game in 2008. Kevin Martin/Lamb can do that.

An unselfish Lamar Odom was certainly necessary next to a selfish prick like Kobe.

[maybeshewill13]

Lol nice avatar, I was just googling Goatbrook icons. He is my 2nd favorite player behind Rose.

Perkins is walking disaster, every time he tries to post up or touches the ball he travels, goes out of bounds or dribbles off his foot. I remember one time OKC was moving the ball and once Perk got it he struggled to even hang on to it without his defender even doin shit. WB/Durant were yelling at him to pass but Mr. Perkeem decided to do magic and lost the ball out of bounds.

His defense is so amazing he shuts himself down. His shadow is the real "Dwight stopper". Why doesn't Brooks just play Ibaka at 5 and Collison at 4? Nick's impact is always positive.

They've done this. It works against certain matchups, but teams like Lakers last year with Bynum in exploit it. Dwight will probably do the same against that line-up.

[Graviton]

Perkins doesn't and didn't have to be on the floor in that series. After out coaching Greg Popovich in the WCF, Brooks gets outcoached by freaking Eric Spoelstra in the Finals.

OKC has Nick Collison, Serge Ibaka, Kevin Durant, and now Perry Jones that they can mix and match to put a quicker more athletic smallball lineup on the floor.
If you guys get Josh Smith somehow...

Westbrook
Sefa
Durant
Smith
Ibaka

Most athletic line up of all time lol. Brooks ****ed up badly, Should have tried Collison more, but the problem was Bosh making both Ibaka and Perk useless with his pump fakes and speed, Lebron just overpowered everyone and got them into foul trouble. Durant really struggled defensively, he wasn't strong enough for Lebron, so Brooks put him on Chalmers/Battier but they still went ham from 3.

Guy like Marion/Smith would be nice to single cover Lebron and stop open 3s.

[maybeshewill13]

If you guys get Josh Smith somehow...

Westbrook
Sefa
Durant
Smith
Ibaka

Most athletic line up of all time lol. Brooks ****ed up badly, Should have tried Collison more, but the problem was Bosh making both Ibaka and Perk useless with his pump fakes and speed, Lebron just overpowered everyone and got them into foul trouble. Durant really struggled defensively, he wasn't strong enough for Lebron, so Brooks put him on Chalmers/Battier but they still went ham from 3.

Guy like Marion/Smith would be nice to single cover Lebron and stop open 3s.

That would be an incredibly fun line-up to watch :bowdown: Not sure how it would pan out though.. could go either way.

[Graviton]

They've done this. It works against certain matchups, but teams like Lakers last year with Bynum in exploit it. Dwight will probably do the same against that line-up.
Last season Perkins wasn't even the reason for that Lakers win, Westbrook just went ham and Kobe gave away 2 games. Russell was the biggest reason for the Dallas/Lakers win, shut down Parker in 3rd/4th Qs vs SA, played his heart out vs Heat and defended Wade quite well. Durant just couldn't make enough impact with just his offense, his D was great vs Kobe in late games because of his length. But Lebron was just a different beast that required more strength to stop.

But I like how everyone has LA winning vs OKC when Thunder are strongest vs Lakers weaknesses. Westbrook will rape Nash/Blake badly, Durant will destroy slowass Artest, Kobe can shoot jumpers all day vs Durant's arms lol, Sefa gets posted up and owned though. Howard is the biggest problem but he is a liability in late games with his free throws.

[maybeshewill13]

Last season Perkins wasn't even the reason for that Lakers win, Westbrook just went ham and Kobe gave away 2 games. Russell was the biggest reason for the Dallas/Lakers win, shut down Parker in 3rd/4th Qs vs SA, played his heart out vs Heat and defended Wade quite well. Durant just couldn't make enough impact with just his offense, his D was great vs Kobe in late games because of his length. But Lebron was just a different beast that required more strength to stop.

But I like how everyone has LA winning vs OKC when Thunder are strongest vs Lakers weaknesses. Westbrook will rape Nash/Blake badly, Durant will destroy slowass Artest, Kobe can shoot jumpers all day vs Durant's arms lol, Sefa gets posted up and owned though. Howard is the biggest problem but he is a liability in late games with his free throws.

Oh trust me I agree.. I still think we have Lakers covered, though it will be tougher than last year. Agree with pretty much everything you said. Of course Perkins isn't the sole reason we beat the Lakers, he'll never be the sole reason for a win, but he did contribute something that was of importance. I think Westbrook and Durant are just too much for the Lakers. You're right in regards to Dwight too. I think he'll give us trouble, especially I see us getting into foul trouble, but close games in the last quarter he could turn out to be a liability.

[Eric Cartman]

Guy like Marion/Smith would be nice to single cover Lebron and stop open 3s.

No one in the league can single cover Lebron.

[spiegel]

I wonder if Harden will be starting right away?
Yes he will be because our Coach Kevin McHale confirmed it.

[Graviton]

No one in the league can single cover Lebron.
They just need to hold him off and stop paint penetration, Lebron is noticeably bigger but slower than his Cavs version. Just keep him out of the paint and let him shoot jumpers. If you double, Allen/Battier/Chalmers/Miller/Cole/Lewis/Bosh will rape you with 3s.

[I<3NBA]

it is better to double Lebron than to guard lower percentage three's. you take chances with lower percentage shots than with Lebron coasting to the paint for an easy two. d fq r you retarded? all of these is just playing the odds. it is better to allow 3's than 2's.