Stephen A. BREAKING: Thunder signs Isaiah Hartenstein; Tobias Harris lands with Pistons | FIRST TAKE

Stephen A. BREAKING: Thunder signs Isaiah Hartenstein; Tobias Harris lands with Pistons | FIRST TAKE

breaking news right here over first take Mr hartenstein himself Isaiah hartenstein for formally of the New York Knicks is now a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder courtesy of a three-year $87 million deal with Oklahoma City happy for him sad for my Knicks make no mistake about it I think it’s going to be a huge loss but the priority was acquiring Mel Bridges and keeping OG an anobi I am not happy about the department ER of hartstein from the New York Knicks big perk but I will say this he was not the priority the first two priorities the Knicks took care of I’m sad they couldn’t take care of this one but I understand your thoughts well one Sam Prest is doing his thing over there in Oklahoma City right now he’s on the mission but number two it’s a it’s a blow for the New York Knicks and Mitchell Robinson is going to have to elevate his game and I’m not just talking about from a rebounding aspect or being a lobst at the at the rim I’m talking about his IQ Isaiah hardenstein that’s what he brought to the table a real high IQ knowing when the uh you know go dribble handoffs knowing certain things to do in the offensive sets to how to read and find backo Cutters it’s a serious blow but at the end of the day you got Julius rer come back I think Tom Tibido will use him a lot at the five position late in the game but they’re they’re going to miss this man Shannon before you chime in before you chime in Shannon before you chime in Shannon perk That was supposed to be a quick take that was warning number one Shannon go ahead go ahead go ahead but perk but perk is Right Stephen A because you lose hardenstein 3 years 87 29 million a year Klay Thompson say hold on wait a me never mind but I do believe it is a little blow because he’s the guy that comes in for Mitchell Robinson he gives you extra possessions think about all those extra possessions that he gave them even even though it didn’t play off because they ended up losing to the Pacers in seven Stephen A that was a guy he’s going to be a big benefit to P play alongside Chad in OKC this they this is going to hurt Stephen A this going to hurt you I know you got off Villanova I know it’s the Villanova Knicks but you go you’re gonna miss this big guy I am going to miss the big guy I can’t even deny it and by the way very proud of you Shannon you were concise and clear right to the point way to go way to go let’s move on to the big subject for this segment right here we got to get in there as veteran leadership onto the um Detroit Pistons I feel badly you’re waving him off Tobias Harris is a good guy I feel badly for Tobias Harris because he is just absolutely annihilated because of the contract that was given to him in Philadelphia it was almost impossible to live up to that that deal so obviously in that spot he goes to Detroit veteran leadership on that team they are now down to about $24 million of cap space so from a Lakers perspective when everybody’s talking about maybe the Lakers shedding salary and dumping it off somewhere Detroit’s running out of room so you may want to move quickly on that one but they lose Tobias Harris but they do gain obviously Paul George the story of the last 24 hours in the NBA a fouryear $212 million deal with the Philadelphia 76ers they also max out Tyrese Maxi five for 204 as W reported they bring back Kelly UB on a good deal they bring Andre Drummond who was there a couple of years ago they bring in um Eric Gordon from the Suns who was with Daryl Mur their executive in Houston so they’ve made a lot of moves you are a Sixers fan hembo your reaction to all of this unbridled optimism not tepid optimism like so many of my brethren unbridled optimism and the reason for it is because this gives Philly the best big three in the NBA the best big three in the NBA with perfect with ideal rooll definition I’m all about it and these guys can pull it off you’ve got the generational first ballot Hall of Fame MVP Center who now finally has an elite Wing to play with or at least for the first time in 5 years when Jimmy Butler was there for a short time you’ve got yourself the point guard the emerging star who averaged 25 points a game last year in the regular season 30 a game in the playoffs who was outstanding in transition passable on defense whom they just gave a Max contract to and now you have the one thing that you really really lacked the off the- ball star the low usage highly efficient shooter who can defend multiple positions on the wing and that’s the one thing that the Sixers have not had and the one thing that you need to get through the playoffs in the Eastern Conference will it work I don’t know it’s going to be so incredibly dependent upon Health like most everything in sports like most everything in the NBA but I’m going to choose to be optimistic today because at least the Sixers have a chance have a chance to get to the Conference finals for the first time since 2001 and have an outside chance at getting to the NBA finals because if all this thing hits if it clicks if they they 80th percentile they can actually pull it off you said you have unbridled optimism and follow that up by will it work I don’t know and who knows about health that’s not really unbridled optimism that’s you have absolutely no idea if this is going to work this was all about darl muray their their GM executive or whatever you want to call him actually backing up his moves because he made a horrible move initially in inquiring James Harden oh that’s not true you mischaracterized that move why would I car mischaracterize that move you turned a non-asset radioactive asset in Ben Simmons into someone that gave you at least a chance to advance past the Celtics and get to the Conference finals last year you may want to go look back at some of the players they could have acquired that they did not namely Tyrese halberton when he was on the Sacramento Kings it’s a fair point okay um some of the reporting around that was a little bit sketchy but I would have much preferred Tyrese halberton to James Harden of that there’s no question okay so it was a move that let’s call it this way did not work out with James Harden and ended in a nasty sort of way horribly he then gets off of the James Harden contract in order to make sure that this summer was perfect not that last season was perfect that this summer was perfect but by doing that you are wasting a season of embiid’s prime you now have uh Paul George you have Paul George because he didn’t get a deal he wanted in La Paul George is not in Philadelphia because he wants to be in Philadelphia let’s be really clear about that that’s right it’s the fourth year which by the way if he’s awesome there will be no fourth year because he will decline the player option and hit free agency again right he will hit free agency again at a much older age and he will do it for years in that case instead of just money in the annual annual average value but this is a team that with Joel embiid there while he’s a first ballot Hall of Famer and an MVP has had five different versions of co-stars I can’t think of another NBA player as Elite as embiid that has ever had five different versions of coach stars on the same team we’re talking about this initially starting with Simmons and embiid failed right then we’re talking about Simmons Butler and embiid they chose Harris now a piston then we’re talking about Harden and embiid failed then we’re talking about Maxi and embiid you know what it didn’t fail but it needed more and it didn’t get past the first round now we are talking about Paul George Maxi and embiid okay and so the four previous minations of this did not work I am giving this all of one year hembo one year one year tell me why if this does not work this year at some point you have to look at Joel embiid and say well he is a perfect citizen of Philadelphia he loves Philly and Philly loves him at some point I think all of the previous losing the trust the process the tanking has has seeped into him where I’m not sure that he understands how to win I’m not sure that he understands what winning actually looks and feels like and what you need to do to get there and by the way the guy that you love Daryl mury is the executive version of Joel embiid It’s I’m going to build this great team perform really well and always fall short he is most known for talking not caring about human emotions only now this is Mory not hembo by that’s why he’s my boy by the way what he’s most known for saying a lot of things having no human emotion and relying on numbers he is literally your twin yeah he’s my boy for for for for spe foreign spee foreign speech [Music] for w for for for for [Music] for for

Stephen A. BREAKING: Thunder signs Isaiah Hartenstein; Tobias Harris lands with Pistons | FIRST TAKE