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Topic subjectthey also had a spacing problem that Kevin Martin directly addresses
Topic URLhttp://board.okayplayer.com/okp.php?az=show_topic&forum=8&topic_id=2058091&mesg_id=2059948
2059948, they also had a spacing problem that Kevin Martin directly addresses
Posted by celery77, Tue Oct-30-12 10:35 AM
Kevin Martin should make life easier for Westbrook and Durant by being a one of the best NBA knockdown shooters from any spot on the floor outside the key, which OKC hasn't had, and if need be Martin can help the 2nd unit offense by running off screens to get the defense moving and hopefully still open up gaps for the other four guys on the floor. no more collapsing to the key on Westbrook if it means giving Martin the space to hurt you.

but besides that, yes, they sacrifice bench unit offense, but considering today's NBA where title favorites are currently Lakers and Heat, two teams with "passable" bench units at best, perhaps the bench production loss is a bit overstated. as long as they have enough pros willing to maintain the score, not necessarily grow it, I think it's perfectly reasonable to expect the OKC starting unit to still be able to win games without the bench making runs for them.

and with their athletes, there's still no reason to think they couldn't just reinvent the bench unit as a defensive nightmare -- with guys like Sefalosha, Ibaka, Collison, Perkins -- that just frustrates other teams while Russy + KD get their rest.

and Jeremy Lamb might not suck, who knows.

either way, I just don't see this as a massive downgrade for OKC and the void that Harden leaves is being massively overstated. he had a redundant skill set and was potentially an unsettling presence with the schism between his goals and the organization's utilization of him.

OKC can still compete for a title even with his departure and anyone saying otherwise is either overvaluing Harden, undervaluing Martin, misunderstanding the importance of the bench in the current NBA, or all three of those things imo.