Thunder Made Right Choice Re-signing Serge Ibaka, Even if it Costs James Harden

By signing Ibaka to a four year extensionthe Thunder ensure they have three out of their core four in place for the foreseeable future.

The good news for Harden hopefuls? Ibaka’s deal is less than a max-salaried one, so it did provide Oklahoma City with a bit of an unforeseen discount. The bad news? The Thunder still have a lot of money tied up in a few players, and Harden could ultimately prove to be the odd man out.

While such a reality will prove difficult for some to accept, Harden’s departure would not cripple the Thunder. Sure, they would miss his scoring, but his absence may force Russell Westbrook to become more of a bona fide floor general in addition to his aggressive offensive attack.

But that’s not why were here. If Harden—who may command a max contract—leave, it will be because Oklahoma City essentially chose Ibaka over him. And that’s not only okay, it’s the right move.

Ibaka is one of the most talented defenders in the league. He’s a shot-blocking connoisseur who can play above the rim or step back and hit a mid range jumper on offense. His skills, on both ends of the floor, are in need of some refining, but long story short, he’s got All-Star potential.

While Harden presents much of the same upside—in terms of star power—the Thunder simply need Ibaka more. Kendrick Perkins has been underwhelming in the low post, to say the least, and Nick Collison is hardly a prolific talent. And cemented in a Western Conference that just saw the addition of Dwight Howard, Oklahoma City needs an athletic big, who can hold his own against anyone.

And Ibaka can hold his own against anyone. He may not be as dominant an athlete as Howard, but he gives the Thunder a fighting chance in the low post when they play powerhouse like the Lakers or the Clippers. Plus, there comes a point when Oklahoma City cannot relyon on out-gunning every opponent; defense is going to have become more of a focus, especially with Perkins falling as far as he has.

That’s where Ibaka comes in. He has the potential to not just lead the defensive charge statistically, but vocally and from an intangibles standpoint as. His teammates stand to learn a lot more from him—a big man who can defend on the inside and out—than a perimeter-shooting savant in Harden.

The Thunder are laden with scorers, even should they find themselves down Harden. On defense, though? That’s another story; their bag of tricks isn’t as deep there.

But it is stocked with plenty of Ibaka, for the next five years.

And as painstaking as it may be to admit, that’s much more important than locking the NBA’s reigning Sixth Man of the Year.