https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1349463753465720836
figure we could use a separate thread for this big news

edit: added some other high line details


Sources: Full current trade:

Rockets: Victor Oladipo, Dante Exum, Rodions Kurucs, 3 BKN first-rounders (22, 24, 26), 1 MIL first (22, unprotected), 4 BKN 1st round swaps (21, 23, 25, 27)

Nets: James Harden

Pacers: Caris LeVert, 2nd-rounder

Cavs: Jarrett Allen, Taurean Prince

<--- Big Baller World Order

Reporting w/ @RamonaShelburne: Brooklyn’s acquiring James Harden in a three-way deal with Cleveland. Caris LeVert, Dante Exum, Rodions Kurucs, four 1st round picks – including Cavs’ 2022 first via Bucks -- and 4 Nets pick swaps to Rockets. Jarrett Allen, Taurean Prince to Cavs.

<--- Big Baller World Order

and Taurean Prince?

Shit, Cavs might just see playoffs!!

breh stuck splitting time w/ Deandre bc of team politics. he'll flourish in cleveland.

<--- Big Baller World Order

It's Drummond insurance, and JaVale is legit happy to be here so I'm cool with these 3 being the line up.

And when everyone's back? Man.

I've been on team Allen and he lines up with the guys you have, age-wise

www.engadgethd.com - the other stuff i'm looking at

My movies: http://russellhainline.com
My movie reviews: https://letterboxd.com/RussellHFilm/
My beer TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thebeertravelguide

www.engadgethd.com - the other stuff i'm looking at

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One Hundred.

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...I'm from the era when A.I. was the answer, now they think ai is the answer - Marlon Craft

https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1349465741347721216?s=20

...I'm from the era when A.I. was the answer, now they think ai is the answer - Marlon Craft

.

...I'm from the era when A.I. was the answer, now they think ai is the answer - Marlon Craft

brogdon has always seemed best as a facilitator and complementary piece to a true scorer. sabonis can't be stopped by anyone lately. IND offense looks great rn

HOU keeps collecting players coming off catastrophic leg injuries. wall, cousins, oladipo, nwaba. fertitta is a miserly fake money loser. i feel bad for silas having to coach this ragtag bunch of misfits. maybe he pulls it off and gets HOU to the play-in. i hope fertitta dies of asphyxiation as he chokes on a chicken bone at one of his shitty chain restaurants when everything opens up again

They're trying to collect every headcase superstar they can.......this shit is going to erupt in nuclear proportions....I'm not the biggest LeBron fan by any means but the way these niggas have been acting has mad my respect for him go way up.

You do it 100/100 times, no question...but...

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17x NBA Champions

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One Hundred.

The fact is, that team had a finals appearance, SHOULD have kept it together and made at least another 2 finals for a ring or two. Hell, it almost happened without Harden!

This...this I do not see working nearly as well.

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17x NBA Champions

Like, all it takes is one ill-timed Anthony Davis ankle sprain, and they'd be in great fucking position to win a title in the next 2-3 years. They certainly have the personnel to win the East for multiple years if everything clicks.

Those 2025/26 picks are going to be BEAUTIFUL for Houston. They're not gonna feel the full impact of this trade for half a decade, but boy will it pay off.

My movies: http://russellhainline.com
My movie reviews: https://letterboxd.com/RussellHFilm/
My beer TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thebeertravelguide

>You do it 100/100 times, no question...but...

I mean if I were them I would’ve fought as hard as possible to keep Allen, but yeah, this is a deal you kinda have to do but it also feels doomed with the personalities involved. Maybe it’s a situation where winning cures all so those personalities won’t clash, but idk. I think this will be REALLY tough for a new coach to keep it all together.

I like what the Rockets, Pacers, and Cavs got out of it though.

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17x NBA Champions

https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1349467665631490050?s=20

...I'm from the era when A.I. was the answer, now they think ai is the answer - Marlon Craft

DJ can't guard errybody...and even he's not what he used to be

Love the trade...for the 6ers

This will not end well for BKN.

cotdayum...they gave it all

---------------------------------------------------------------

If you can't understand it without an explanation

you can't understand it with an explanation

we are going to skullfuck them.

<--- Big Baller World Order

....no one beating the Lakers still

HOU lost leverage the longer he stayed in HOU

and the day after he threw the whole team under the bus

HOU got THAT!?!

BKN giving up picks for the rest of the decade

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If you can't understand it without an explanation

you can't understand it with an explanation

i mean the only thing that changed from our AD deal over 6 months is that we got to keep kuzma.

<--- Big Baller World Order

Seems like Cavs are in that Nuggets role of the Howard deal of getting something for almost nothing here.

This is the new thing, sell our your entire future for a star. Seven years of either not having a pick or ensuring you have a low first.

That they didn't have to trade Irving may strike some as a huge bonus but I dunno. They gut their bench and now have three guys are ball-dominant.

And you will know MY JACKET IS GOLD when I lay my vengeance upon thee.

*skatin' the rings of saturn*


..and miles to go before i sleep...

I feel sorry for dude....did all that meticulous rehab and show up to see Kyrie standing in front of the stadium like this:


https://media.vanityfair.com/photos/5987f33650a974598a3ccd87/master/w_2560%2Cc_limit/Macall%252520B.%252520Polay%252520-%252520HBO%252520(Photo%2525207).jpg

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One Hundred.

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...I'm from the era when A.I. was the answer, now they think ai is the answer - Marlon Craft

Brogdon-Levert-Warren-Sabonis-Turner.

That’s a squad. That’s a motherfocking squad.

A long climb up for my Bulls. The central just became even harder.

ALL HAIL THE KING of LOSING: LEBRON
Bulls | Bears | White Sox | Yankees | Notre Dame | Illinois | Chelsea | Real Madrid

Is Warren healthy?

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One Hundred.

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...I'm from the era when A.I. was the answer, now they think ai is the answer - Marlon Craft

yeah houston has strip clubs but new york is on a different level with nightlife. dude is already getting fat and this is just going to accelerate the transformation into late stage shawn kemp.

these dudes are going to be able to coast through the regular season and there is no way that harden doesn't show up to work hungover at least 40% of the time.

<--- Big Baller World Order

back when they were actually poppin.

that winny chick at starlets was sending subliminals about him fucking her coworker while he was fucking her yearsss ago.

"at least the Nets jerseys are slimming" and it is spot on.

He's going to have to take a slim paycut for the Nets to extend his current contract, no?

"Sean sparks like John Starks, nah, Sean ball like John Wall" - Rest In Power Forever Sean Price.

Now WILL they? Dunno.

But he's making 41/44/47 over this + the next two if he picks up his option.

Durant is at 39/40/42 with the same player option

Kyrie is at 33/34/36 with the same.

So right today, they're paying 113 for those 3 this year, and 118 next year (125 if they all pick up their options in 2022-23) and the cap is 112 this year. I believe the luxury tax limit is 143, but with ONLY Joe Harris (16), Dinwiddie (11), DJ (10)...they're already at 150 this year.

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17x NBA Champions

With all those picks they gave up, they pretty much have to go all in for Durant, Kyrie, and Harden at this point in terms of re-signing them.

So wild that Brooklyn was able to salvage some relative success after those insane draft pick laden deals to get Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett just to make a similar deal. The Nets have to win at least one ring so this move doesn't blow up in their faces.

"Sean sparks like John Starks, nah, Sean ball like John Wall" - Rest In Power Forever Sean Price.

I wonder if the Nets doubting Kyrie would ever be full-time contributed to this.

Because there is such a thing as diminishing returns- especially considering what they gave up. When their skills overlap like this?

Add in the basket cases, lack of defense, etc?

Ironically, Brooklyn has become the Rockets of the east...just throwing shit at the wall.

I imagine the answer is easily no.

My movies: http://russellhainline.com
My movie reviews: https://letterboxd.com/RussellHFilm/
My beer TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thebeertravelguide

Shaq/Kobe/Malone

Bosh/Wade/Lebron

Baylor/West/Wilt

Harden/KD/Russ

KD/Steph/Thompson

Garnett/Allen/Pierce

Especially SHaq/Kobe/Malone True elite number 1 options
Malone 2nd in career points/ Kobe 4th in career points/ Shaq 8th in career points

ALL HAIL THE KING of LOSING: LEBRON
Bulls | Bears | White Sox | Yankees | Notre Dame | Illinois | Chelsea | Real Madrid

Kyrie, KD, and Harden all have *career* usage rates of over 29. So...

"Bosh/Wade/Lebron

KD/Steph/Thompson

Garnett/Allen/Pierce"

Thompson's never cracked 29. Bosh never cracked 29, not even in Toronto. Allen cracked 29 once, but was well below that for his career. So these are all pretty quickly ruled out as answers to the question.

"Harden/KD/Russ"

Harden's usage barely cracked 20 when he was on this team as a young player. Unless you're arguing the OKC team should count because Harden became a high usage player later. Which, okay... but the OKC didn't play with three 29+ usage rate players. So this also doesn't apply.

"Shaq/Kobe/Malone"

This is the best contemporary example-- although I'd argue that, since Malone was 40 and was below a usage of 29 the last two seasons of his career before LA, that's a very different situation than what's going on in Brooklyn right now.

"Baylor/West/Wilt"

I mean, sure, but Baylor was scoring like 10 PPG at that point. Like the Malone example, it's pretty clear that both Baylor and Wilt were nearing the end, which is different than what's going on now.

So the last two examples I mentioned-- yes, these are teams with three players with usage rates as high as KD/Kyrie/Harden's. Different situations, but they technically check the boxes.

My movies: http://russellhainline.com
My movie reviews: https://letterboxd.com/RussellHFilm/
My beer TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thebeertravelguide

And you weren’t specific. Career usage, season usage, what?

And you said the answer was “easily no”, which is wrong.

If it’s career usage, which is the only thing you could be referring to,
because season usage makes zero sense

So Career Usage: Kobe/Shaq/Malone win hands down.

ALL HAIL THE KING of LOSING: LEBRON
Bulls | Bears | White Sox | Yankees | Notre Dame | Illinois | Chelsea | Real Madrid

____________

DALLAS LAKERICKS LETS GO!!

i understand having to break the news but you aint gotta go into full commentary/opinion.

orlovsky said he hopes the news of a deshaun watson trade breaks during the jump lol.

i dont think ive ever seen them just break in the middle of a show to have the people talk about another sport

kinda strange actually it doesnt feel like theres any buzz for the nfl rn

<--- Big Baller World Order

People were prolly specifically turning on the tv bc of the trade

-The Knicks’ coaching search still includes a lone frontrunner, Kurt Rambis, whose qualifications for the position include a strong relationship with Jackson and a willingness to take the job.

literally what espn has been doing for decades.

*breaking news* then cut to stephen a or woj or whoever talking about what happened. then resume the normal show.

not break it then debate it on a show that covers an entirely other sport lol.

www.engadgethd.com - the other stuff i'm looking at

they cut from the program to schefty/woj/etc in remote locations all the time. its a routine occurrence.

theyve been doing this all through the pandemic. plus they have people in the studio all the time now anyway...like this show and every other one).

thats why *this* particular situation stood out (and why orlovsky took a jab at it). because it was so abnormal compared to what they have been doing.

who plays the "Chris Bosh" of this trio? That's not any kind of joke of pejorative.

...I'm from the era when A.I. was the answer, now they think ai is the answer - Marlon Craft

If all three of those guys are on the floor at the same time KD might never see the ball.

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http://www.last.fm/user/dagu85

KD came to Brooklyn to be unequivocal "Man"; he's not going to be the third option. And I don't see Harden giving up shots. Assuming Kyrie buys in, it's logical he'd take the next step and work to facilitate the other two.

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www.albumism.com

Checkin' Our Style, Return To Zero:

https://www.mixcloud.com/returntozero/

Basically doing what he did in Houston

A bunch of 1-4 flat
____________

DALLAS LAKERICKS LETS GO!!

wins in the playoffs moreso than regular season.

For all the 3 point shooters Golden State had, their defense and rebounding was top level.

Can't say that for Nets.

They should make the Finals tho.

<----

Soundcloud.com/aquil84

(HIP HOP)
http://aquil.bandcamp.com

...they think they can get a Center midseason (Javale McGee?)

Otherwise, this team is going to need to average 125 points a game.

At least Harden looks like he wants to play

But how can these 2 guys co-exist on the same team given the off-court stuff...

Kyrie opted out of the bubble last year
...came in this year...
Refusing to do media
Taking 'personal' time away from the team...apparently w/o notifiying anyone in the organization as to why
and being put in the protocol for SM posts of him violating covid measures

With Harden having done alladat too...don't they have to send a message that that $hit don't play here

I think Harden and KD will work incredibly well together on the court

Does BKN move Kyrie to reup the supporting cast...that will be desperately needed?

Both Kyrie and KD will need some load management this year
Then you're putting all your eggs in that basket for the playoffs

...just some things to consider before the dust settles...

Did Kyrie make himself expendable?

---------------------------------------------------------------

If you can't understand it without an explanation

you can't understand it with an explanation

________________________________________
"Take the surprise out your voice Shaq."-The REAL CP3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2H5K-BUMS0

Harden is the tipping point. They made him the centerpiece of the franchise, mortgaged their future at every turn to satisfy him year over year, and remained nimble in every offseason to placate his needs (CP3, no, Westbrook, no, Wall, no)

he paid them back by acting like a c*nt and brazenly and publicly partying in the days leading up to the season, with wanton disregard for any of his peers. They've got a first year coach there (a black coach mind you) who's earned his position and Harden didn't give a fuck.

How was he punished for his wildly selfish and potentially dangerous behavior? He was shipped to the very team he wanted all along.

This is like AD and Jimmy Butler on steroids. AT least those guys still always played hard. Harden disrespected everyone AND the sport itself by showing up fat and barely trying.

How did it come to this point where guys can just act like brats and get their way? These guys are insufferable man.

look at Beal he out here balling hard and not complaining, and just dying in Washington. he need to throw his temper tantrum and get to a good team.

<--- Big Baller World Order

AD faked injuries to stay off the court, and acted a fool off the court. Kawhi refused to play when he was cleared by Spurs doctors, and he broke off communication at times. He also alienated his teammates, who also questioned his injury.

All of them are guilty for throwing tantrums to get traded.

It’s quite unprofessional.

ALL HAIL THE KING of LOSING: LEBRON
Bulls | Bears | White Sox | Yankees | Notre Dame | Illinois | Chelsea | Real Madrid

yeah

Goat of the crybaby era.

ALL HAIL THE KING of LOSING: LEBRON
Bulls | Bears | White Sox | Yankees | Notre Dame | Illinois | Chelsea | Real Madrid

in fact...he prolly got more hate for playing until his contract expired instead of giving a heads up about his intention in advance so the team could move accordingly.

and nobody can dispute whether he went out there and actually competed to win a title instead of sabotaging a locker room.

.

- for sure. Bron paved the way for all his disciples to follow in his footsteps and take their careers into their own hands. Of course, they aren't doing it as effectively - but if you yearn for the days when franchise owners had all the power - you can always re-play the good old days on NBA TV's legendary nights.

But Bron didn't start the super-team era (this is an oft-repeated misconception) - Boston did. The diff. there was that Ainge orchestrated that move while the players were the passive beneficiaries. Pierce, Ray & KG set off the super-team trend, and Bron faced that superteam with 0 all-stars to his side, and he didn't find it prudent to wait for Dan Gilbert to be competent (particularly after 7 years).

I guess Bron could've been like KG and waited 11 years instead of 7 - but he (correctly) decided to impose his creative will on his basketball future, and rightfully so.

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