vevima's Houston Rockets

[vevima]

NBA 2K13
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[vevima]

Kevin Martin traded to OKC, Harden shipped to HOU



With the rest of the basketball world fixated on resting up and getting ready for the start of the regular season, the Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder pulled off an absolute blockbuster of a deal, sending James Harden, Cole Aldrich, Daequan Cook, and Lazar Haywood to Houston in exchange for Kevin Martin, Jeremy Lamb, two first round picks and a second rounder.

Stunning is one word for it. Game-changer is another.

After spending the past two years rebuilding on the fly and searching for an All-Star caliber player to serve as a foundation piece, the Rockets finally got their man Saturday night. What do they have in Harden? A 23-year-old shooting guard coming off a season in which he was a gold medal-winning Olympian and named the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year.

[vevima]

Can Harden be the next great Rocket?



As time passes, the memories of an enticing and flamboyant one-two punch of McGrady fade, but so has Houston's relevance - until now, bolstering the NBA with a blockbuster trade for guard Harden. With Martin going out, Lin and Harden in, the youth movement is easily seen here in Houston.

Harden is unlike either Yao or Tracy, playing more like a Joe Johnson, a Manu, the passing all-around type. The type that isn't a scoring load, but a presence on the floor, giving advanced stat lovers something to drool over. With Lin basically being a slower Westbrook, chemistry should strike quick, depending on how well McHale manages the squad.

With a log-jam at the power forward spot, Houston will have to go over some changes, and are expected to be active at the deadline. With no outstanding rookies, and one high risk one in Royce White, the rest of the team is up for grabs. Harden plans on resigning with the Rockets, and is optimistic - "It happened so fast, it happened very fast," Harden said. "But this is the position I'm in in now. Just have to make the best out of it. I'm with Houston now. I just have to come in here and play hard and win games."