With the start of the season just around the corner, a title contender dealt its third-best player, netting a lot of future value in the process. cheap jerseys from china . Numbers Game looks at the deal sending James Harden to the Rockets, with Kevin Martin heading to Oklahoma City. The Rockets Get: SG James Harden, SG Daequan Cook, C Cole Aldrich and SF Lazar Hayward. Harden, 23, has rapidly ascended in his first three seasons in the NBA, making the U.S. Olympic Team this summer, coming off a year in which he was named the NBAs Sixth Man of the Year, after averaging 16.8 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game. Whats most impressive about Hardens production is the efficiency with which he does it. As the third option behind Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook in Oklahoma City, Harden put up those numbers with only 10.7 field goal attempts per game, leaving him with a True Shooting Percentage of 66.0%, best among all players that had at least 400 attempts from the field. In Houston, Harden becomes the primary offensive option, which will probably cut into his efficiency, but will crank up his per-game production. On a team that already gutted much of its roster (losing Luis Scola, Martin, Kyle Lowry, Courtney Lee and Goran Dragic) in the hopes of landing Dwight Howard in the offseason, the Rockets dont return a player that had more field goal attempts per game than SF Chandler Parsons, at 8.7 per game. With a starting job available to him, Harden may see an uptick in the 31.4 minutes per game he played last season, but he seems assured of getting more looks at the offensive end. If he embraces the lead scorer role for Houston, Harden might get 16-17 attempts per game and while its unlikely that hes as efficient as he was in 2011-2012, he could be ready to jump to 20 points per game for the Rockets. Harden was set to become a restricted free agent at the end of the season and was unable to work out an agreement on an extension with Oklahoma City, prompting the move. Houston is reportedly set to ink Harden to a max money extension, potentially something in the neighbourhood of five years and $80-million. Daequan Cook is a 25-year-old swingman who started a career-high 22 games last season, though he averaged a modest 17.4 minutes per game (5.5 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 1.4 three-pointers per game). Cook takes the majority of his shots from beyond the arc (4.0 of 5.2 per game, 76.9%, last season) and could reasonably fill a spot in Houstons rotation. Hes in the final year of a deal paying him a touch more than $3.09-million (www.hoopshype.com). 23-year-old Cole Aldrich has played sporadically through his first two NBA seasons, never scoring more than six points in a game and reaching double digit minutes in only six games last season. Hes a 6-foot-11 centre who can block shots -- his 3.3 per 36 minutes last season ranked eighth among all NBA players -- but he played so little its difficult to forecast that into production as a regular in the rotation. Aldrich makes $2.445-million this season and the Rockets have a team option for 2012-2013. If he somehow develops into a rotation player, then he would be relatively inexpensive at #3.245M but, if not, its easy enough to let him walk. Hayward, 25, has played a total of 560 minutes in 68 games over his two NBA seasons. He barely saw action with the Thunder last season, but did score in double figures four times for Minnesota in 2010-2011. Like Aldrich, the Rockets hold a team option on him for next season and unless he takes a quantum leap ahead this season, it would seem unlikely that Hayward has that option picked up. The Thunder Get: SG Kevin Martin, SG Jeremy Lamb, two first-round picks and a second-round pick. Martin, 29, has been a productive scorer for much of his NBA career, averaging at least 20 points per game for five straight seasons prior to last years 17.1 points per game. While Martin has been an offensive focal point, for the most part, he wont have that role in Oklahoma City where, even if (unlike Harden) Martin starts, hes going to be the number three option behind Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. Though Martin can score, he doesnt offer much else. His rebounding and defence arent necessarily championship-calibre, so the Thunder will need to accomodate for some of his shortcomings, in addition to benefitting from his ability to shoot. Martin is in the last year of a deal that pays him #12.939-million. A skinny swingman who has ace defensive potential, 20-year-old Jeremy Lamb was the 12th overall pick in the 2012 draft. He averaged 6.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game, while shooting 38.2% from the field in six preseason contests, so hes not yet ready for primetime, least of all for a team that harbours championship aspirations. However, as a long-term asset, Lamb could eventually become a starter in Okllahoma City. The first-round picks come to Oklahoma City via Houston. The first belonged originally to the Toronto Raptors and it is unusually lottery-protected, meaning that it will go to the Thunder if the pick falls in the lottery, but outside the top three picks next season, the top two picks the next two years and the top pick in 2016. Even if it turns out to be a late lottery selection, that can net the Thunder a pretty good player. The other first-round pick belonged to the Los Angeles Lakers, so that one seems much more likely to fall in the late stages of the first round, when the draft becomes even more risk-laden. The second-round pick was property of the Boston Celtics. Again, that seems like it will most likely occur late in the second round, so not huge value, but okay as the fifth assset the Thunder acquired to make this trade. Theres no arguing the long-term value that the Thunder acquired in this deal. Even if the last couple picks dont pan out, Martins expiring contract, Lambs potential and the pick that must fall in the lottery all provide potential long-term value for Oklahoma City, perhaps even more than they would have received by holding on to Harden. However, in the short-term, the Thunder appear to be taking a step back -- maybe not a big one, maybe not even a full one -- but as a finalist last year, they were already facing a daunting challenge from the re-loaded Lakers in the Western Conference this season and not having their third-best player could make the difference. That they secured long-term value for a player that might have only been around for one more year makes all kinds of sense for the Thunder, but if they dont get over the championship hump in the next couple seasons, it will get more difficult to justify the risk of dealing a rising star who gave Oklahoma City a legitimate shot at the 2013 NBA Championship. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. Lance Alworth Black Friday Jersey . -- The New England Patriots have signed free agent offensive tackle Will Svitek. cheap jerseys from china . De Caster, 32, suited up in 31 games for the Goldeyes this season, hitting .351 with four home runs and 26 RBI before leaving to join Tabasco of the Mexican League on June 21. http://www.officialnflonlineshop.com/Black-Friday-Washington-Redskins-Alfred-Morris-Jersey-Cyber-Monday/ . -- Matt Pickens reached a personal milestone while shutting down Chivas USA. Jimmy Wilson Black Friday Jersey . -- Tiago Splitter tipped in a rebound with 2. 2014 Black Friday Buccaneers Jerseys Deals . The Japan striker scored in the 89th minute, 10 minutes after coming on as a substitute. He controlled a long crossfield pass with his right foot, cut infield and unleashed an unstoppable 18-meter (yard) shot with his left. (Sports Network) - If the St. Louis Cardinals are going to stay at the top of the National League Central they are going to need Chris Carpenter to start pitching like Chris Carpenter. Tonight the former NL Cy Young Award winner can start reversing his fortunes, as the Cardinals open a three-game interleague set with the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Carpenter has allowed at least eight hits in six of his nine starts, and six runs or more on three occasions. He fell to 1-3 on the year on Sunday in Cincinnati, as the Reds pounded him for eight runs (seven earned) and nine hits in 6 1/3 innings to up his earned run average on the season to 4.95. My job is to go and pitch, said Carpenter. These guys were busting their butts. It was just a crappy day. Balls are taking funny hops. Im not concerned with what the guys around me are doing. Theyre playing their butts off. Ive got to go out there and pitch. Carpenter has faced the Royals 15 times (10 starts) and is 5-5 against them with a 3.86 ERA. Another player who the Cardinals wouldnt mind seeing get off is first baseman Albert Pujols, who is hitting just .264 with seven home runs and 25 RBI this season. Pujols, though, has traditionally done well against the Royals, especially at Kauffman Stadium where he owns a .383 batting average, .464 on- base percentage, .783 slugging percentage, 13 homers and 37 RBI, while striking out just eight times in 138 plate appearances. You cant look at it like that, Pujols told his teams website. Because if you approach it like that, I think you take things for granted. Am I excited playing in front of my friends and family? Yes. But I think its the same as playing everyywhere else -- I dont change my game because of where I play. Cheap Kansas City Royals Jerseys. I respect this game so much, and I play the way Im supposed to play all the time, no matter where it is. St. Louis could use their three-time NL MVP tonight, as it could once again be without Matt Holliday (quad) and Lance Berkman (wrist), both of whom missed Thursdays 4-2 win over the Houston Astros. Of the two, Holliday has the better chance of playing this evening. Berkman, who leads the team with 11 homers and 35 RBI, could sit out the entire series. The victory was the Cardinals fourth in a row. Kansas City, meanwhile, enters tonights tilt on the heels of stopping a five- game losing streak, as Jeff Francoeur hit a game-winning RBI single in the 10th inning to lift the Royals over the Texas Rangers, 2-1, and split the teams two-game set. Thursdays victory was Kansas Citys major league-leading seventh walk-off of the season. Luke Hochevar allowed one run on six hits and two walks in 8 2/3 innings, but Greg Holland (1-0), who was called up from Triple-A Omaha earlier Thursday, earned his first career victory with 1 1/3 scoreless innings. Tonight, the Royals turn to left-hander Jeff Francis, who is still searching for his first American League win. Francis fell to 0-5 on Saturday in Detroit, as the Tigers managed three runs and seven hits in eight innings. The loss actually dropped his ERA to 4.83. Francis is 4-1 lifetime against the Cardinals with a 3.48 ERA in nine games, eight of which have been starts. Kansas City won this I-70 series a year ago, taking two of the three matchups. However, prior to last season St. Louis had won seven of the last eight meetings. ' ' '