Harden Out.

     Shocked.  Eh, maybe slightly less than shocked. More surprised, really.  Yes. Surprised.  I am surprised that the Thunder traded off Harden.  I am not surprised that they would trade him, that seemed inevitable with the new stricter stipulations on salary caps, but I am amazed that they did it so early.
     The early trade has eliminated a lot of potentially more beneficial offers in the future.  Possibly.  Not only that, but pulling the trigger so prematurely also means that all the players involved in the trade will have almost no experience with their new teams before the beginning of the season.    
     This move for sure is going to have a huge impact on The Thunder in the short term, most certainly more of a negative one than a positive.  Durant, Westbrook, and Harden have basically been the big three at Oklahoma city for years now.  The three have played together through some rough times early on, and grown into an efficient workhorse of a team.  This trade could severely impact the fluidity of their game, not only because of how little experience Martin will have in this system, but also because those three have openly expressed just how much they love playing together.  There is nothing quite so gripping as playing basketball with someone for so long and developing a play style that reflects your identities, just to be ripped apart.
   

     Kevin Martin has been a scorer his whole career but has never really developed into that next level that would make him a star.  Harden and Martin both have a similar impact on that level of the game, but not in defense.  Not even close. Harden is much more of a lock down perimeter defender and is more efficient with the ball in his hands, whereas Martin tends to hack and slash and jack up shots on a whim.
     On the long term side of things however, the Thunder seem to have it figured out.  They got a LOT for Harden.  Too much in my opinion, but tell that to a Houston team who would have been lucky to cap .300 this season.  Real lucky.  So now the Thunder have a guard that looks to have a high potential, as well as a fill in shooting guard who can put up points when hes called on.  Oh ya, and also some first round picks from teams that are almost guaranteed to be high.  
     The Rockets don't seem to have things so figured out.  After trying to claw their way into the Dwight Howard trade talks, they jumped ship and started fresh.  So, they dumped off a lot for a piece they think might bring them a building block for a team that I thought was supposed to be rebuilding.  And that building block is used to coming off of the bench and has said many times he prefers it.  I'm not saying that he cant start, but I'm not sure if hes "that guy".  I am also amazed that they dumped off Jeremy Lamb in the deal.  Lamb has shown in the summer league that he can be a more than potent threat with the ball in his grip and has a ton of potential. Come on, guys.
     Well, in the long run, another smart move by the Thunder, another questionable move for the Rockets.  Who would have thought?

       

NBA Fashion Finals

     After hours of intense deliberation and a thick stack of stylish photographs left behind me, I have decided who will receive the coveted Classketball Trophy of the 2012 season.  It was rough, and at times it seemed like there was no end in sight.  But, after many blue raspberry slushies to clear my mind, the answer became clear.

      After the easy sifting and elimination of the obviously unfit candidates (c'mon Glenn Davis) it all came down to the top eight.  The Fashion Playoffs for the East in 2012 were, Carmelo Anthony, Lebron James, Amar'e Stoudemire, and Dwayne Wade.  For the West, Russel Westbrook, Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul, and Andre Iguodala all made the cut.

     

The East was a real challenge to narrow down from the top four.  The first matchup, Melo and King James, was neck and neck for the entire series.  LeBron James has it all, a unique fashion sense, swag, and the skills to back it up.  Melo is the same, and he makes it a point to show up super well dressed for his ads.   Who would have thought that a single accessory would be the thing that led to ones downfall.  LeBron, you may be my favorite and best player in the world , but the thick hipster glasses have really thrown off your whole game. Its just been done too often.  Melo selects when to wear the hipster glasses and prefers shades.  Win for Melo.  

    

     The matchup between Amar'e and Dwayne Wade was not as close.  Amar'e has a pastel look that looks tight, but in the end, the chic and smooth style that Dwayne Wade has exhibited his whole career wins the day.  Advantage D-Wade.

     Down to Dwayne Wade and Carmelo Anthony.  Both have such a classic sense of style and sense of classy that it may have been the hardest match to decide.  But, Melo chooses bright colored suit jackets and undershirts much too often.  D-Wade wears the greys of a classic, everlasting look and makes it look...well, classier.  The champion in the East is Dwayne Wade.

     

     The West was not as hard to decide.  Russel Westbrook made the cut because I thought his Urkel-esque look was a unique statement that showed he was a joker and just an all around cool guy to hang with.  After the same kind of horrid pattern a hundred times, I thought a little less of the style.  An easy win for Kobe Bryant.

     Andre Iguodala, on the other hand, has a sense of style very similar to Melo, crisp and smooth.  Chris Paul is equally well dressed, and shows his calm, savvy nature when photographed.  Then there is the issue of the hats. CP3 loves hats.  He loves to wear hats.  He loves to wear hats higher and higher on his head in every picture taken of him.  Its like skytops for your face.  Not cool, man, not cool.  Iggy wins. He wears hats the right way.

     Iggy versus the Black Mamba in the division finals.   Two powerhouses of chic, towers of style power.  For days in pondered, wondering who would be able to get any lead.  Then I stumbled on the photos of Kobe with those two girls that his wife got mad about.  No shirt and jeans.  That's way too 90's Kobe.  Your'e not Afro Kobe anymore.  Iggy wins again.

     Iggy versus D-Wade in the Fashion Finals.  These two juggernauts have really set the standard for what the classic NBA look should be.  When one of them shows up to a party, it HAS to be like a handful of doves fly through the door behind them and ten scantily clad ladies pop bottles of champagne in a tunnel in front of them.  And there's a tiger.  So how can I choose between two ballers whose off court style matches their on court presence.  It all comes down to simple attitude.  Which player knows he could coax a lady just with a nod of his head?  Which player knows that tiger will listen to him for no apparent reason other than his look?  

     That player...is Dwayne Wade.  Congrats Wade, you've shamed us all with your look.  And for every one of us you've ruined, you've ruined three ladies who will never look at us the way they look at you.