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Summer League Notes

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Summer League Notes 

Post#1 » by Smitty731 » Thu Jul 7, 2016 12:19 am

Hey all!

Not sure how much you venture out to the other forums, but I've been at Orlando Summer League all week. I finally had the chance to talk with some OKC people today (they were a little busy prior!) so I wanted to share some information that I've learned.

None of this may be overly newsworthy or anything, but I felt it was all worth sharing.

If you have questions or want me to respond to something, please quote me so that I can be sure to see it!

1. The KD situation....On Sunday it was a major distraction. Every guy when he came back to the bench during their game asked "KD update?" Cam Payne even asked, "Can we have our phones during Summer League? This doesn't really count right?". He was only half-joking.

2. Guys are said to see him, but the younger guys get it. Or they are being really good actors.

3. Payne should not be here. He's way too good for Summer League. Other than Joe Young from Indiana, he's probably been the most impressive player. No one can keep him in front of them. His passing has improved and the team said his judgement is much better.

4. More Payne, he was drafted with the intention of being the replacement for Westbrook because...

5. 75-80% of the people I have talked to expect Westbrook to end up with the Lakers. Including a large chunk of the OKC contingent. And they think Payne will be a more than capable replacement.

6. Off the record they said they would listen on Russ, but likely would not deal him unless it is a massive overpay. They feel like they can still be a top 4 team without KD and don't want to go the full rebuild route yet.

7. Mitch McGary might be the biggest crybaby I've ever seen. He whines constantly. When I asked the team people about it, they said it was a problem. Apparently it was a big enough issue in the D-League that the team was told to address it. They aren't sold on him having any sort of long term future in the league.

8. They LOVE Oladipo. They feel like getting him was a huge steal and they are really excited to have what they called the most athletic backcourt in the league. And they think he can be a 20 PPG scorer as soon as this year.

9. They also LOVE Sabonis. They feel like he's an excellent pairing with either Adams or Kanter. And there is a chance he ends up the starting PF by the end of the year.

10. They intend to start Russ, Oladipo, Roberson, Ilyasova and Adams to begin the year. But by the end of the year, they would love to have Sabonis starting over Ilyasova and an upgrade at SF.

11. It was over a year ago, but they regret letting Lance Thomas get away. They loved him.

12. Billy Donovan was asked if he regrets leaving UF now that Durant is gone. He of course said now, but then went further "The NBA is the dream for me. I'm really excited about all the guys we have here and think we are building something special."

13. They are admitting that the Huestis pick backfired. Without saying what the exact plan was for that whole situation, they openly admit it did not work.

14. Don't be surprised to see Scottie Wilbekin go to camp and maybe make the team as the third PG. They like what he can do.

15. Unless he asks, Nick Collison will never be traded and has a place on the team/in the organization for as long as he wants. Somewhat related, they know the years for Singler were silly, but it was a reward for what he did for them after they got him and they felt like the low cost offset it.

Bonus: The team does have some guys giving KD the DeAndre Jordan-lite treatment and trying to convince him to return. Russ is not a part of it and he is very hurt by the comments that leaked that he was part of the reason KD left. They know it probably won't work, but they felt like they had one more night, so why not? FWIW, KD says his decision is made and he will not change his mind.

Ok, so maybe nothing you didn't already know, but I wanted to share!
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Re: Summer League Notes 

Post#2 » by Andre Roberstan » Thu Jul 7, 2016 12:35 am

Super interesting, thanks!

Great to hear about Payne. Have been saying since the moment he first got playing time that he looked like he belonged in the league. I love his game.

Not good to hear about Mitch. A few of us have had suspicions that maybe there was more than we had heard, but that's the first time I'd heard anything even close to credible.

Wilbekin...interesting. Could do worse.
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Re: Summer League Notes 

Post#3 » by Old Man Game » Thu Jul 7, 2016 4:13 am

Smitty731 wrote:Hey all!

Not sure how much you venture out to the other forums, but I've been at Orlando Summer League all week. I finally had the chance to talk with some OKC people today (they were a little busy prior!) so I wanted to share some information that I've learned.

None of this may be overly newsworthy or anything, but I felt it was all worth sharing.

If you have questions or want me to respond to something, please quote me so that I can be sure to see it!

1. The KD situation....On Sunday it was a major distraction. Every guy when he came back to the bench during their game asked "KD update?" Cam Payne even asked, "Can we have our phones during Summer League? This doesn't really count right?". He was only half-joking.

2. Guys are said to see him, but the younger guys get it. Or they are being really good actors.

3. Payne should not be here. He's way too good for Summer League. Other than Joe Young from Indiana, he's probably been the most impressive player. No one can keep him in front of them. His passing has improved and the team said his judgement is much better.

4. More Payne, he was drafted with the intention of being the replacement for Westbrook because...

5. 75-80% of the people I have talked to expect Westbrook to end up with the Lakers. Including a large chunk of the OKC contingent. And they think Payne will be a more than capable replacement.

6. Off the record they said they would listen on Russ, but likely would not deal him unless it is a massive overpay. They feel like they can still be a top 4 team without KD and don't want to go the full rebuild route yet.

7. Mitch McGary might be the biggest crybaby I've ever seen. He whines constantly. When I asked the team people about it, they said it was a problem. Apparently it was a big enough issue in the D-League that the team was told to address it. They aren't sold on him having any sort of long term future in the league.

8. They LOVE Oladipo. They feel like getting him was a huge steal and they are really excited to have what they called the most athletic backcourt in the league. And they think he can be a 20 PPG scorer as soon as this year.

9. They also LOVE Sabonis. They feel like he's an excellent pairing with either Adams or Kanter. And there is a chance he ends up the starting PF by the end of the year.

10. They intend to start Russ, Oladipo, Roberson, Ilyasova and Adams to begin the year. But by the end of the year, they would love to have Sabonis starting over Ilyasova and an upgrade at SF.

11. It was over a year ago, but they regret letting Lance Thomas get away. They loved him.

12. Billy Donovan was asked if he regrets leaving UF now that Durant is gone. He of course said now, but then went further "The NBA is the dream for me. I'm really excited about all the guys we have here and think we are building something special."

13. They are admitting that the Huestis pick backfired. Without saying what the exact plan was for that whole situation, they openly admit it did not work.

14. Don't be surprised to see Scottie Wilbekin go to camp and maybe make the team as the third PG. They like what he can do.

15. Unless he asks, Nick Collison will never be traded and has a place on the team/in the organization for as long as he wants. Somewhat related, they know the years for Singler were silly, but it was a reward for what he did for them after they got him and they felt like the low cost offset it.

Bonus: The team does have some guys giving KD the DeAndre Jordan-lite treatment and trying to convince him to return. Russ is not a part of it and he is very hurt by the comments that leaked that he was part of the reason KD left. They know it probably won't work, but they felt like they had one more night, so why not? FWIW, KD says his decision is made and he will not change his mind.

Ok, so maybe nothing you didn't already know, but I wanted to share!

Smitty this is outstanding. I'm very interested in both the Mitch and the Huestis points.

A local beat reporter said Huestis had looked good defensively down there. But are you saying it's sort of a lost cause in the view of the organization? Are they not picking up his third year option?

Regarding Mitch. Can't say I'm surprised. We knew something had to be up with him. He was benched into oblivion after a promising rookie season so we knew it had to be attitude or off the court stuff.

Thanks again.

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Re: Summer League Notes 

Post#4 » by Old Man Game » Thu Jul 7, 2016 4:18 am

The Westbrook tidbit about going to the Lakers and the team being unwilling to move him unless it's a massive overpay is amazing to me. Guess they have to have that line or people from other teams will just try to underbid us. Hopefully we move him. Not much point in a year rental with no return like we just suffered with Durant.

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Re: Summer League Notes 

Post#5 » by bondom34 » Thu Jul 7, 2016 5:00 am

Agreed, thanks for this Smitty. Not sure what to think of Russ, it seriously shocks me about the Lakers. I'm really floored.
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Re: Summer League Notes 

Post#6 » by Pillendreher » Thu Jul 7, 2016 6:37 am

Russ to LA is something I absolutely don't buy. If he were to leave, he wouldn't go to a team that is a dumpster fire and has been basketbally irrelevant since 2010. Iirc he has been on record actually disliking LA.
Russ won't waste his prime waiting on those Lakers 'talents'. In my opinion this is something that the Lakers FO wants and puts out there. They haven't gotten a FA in forever and need to smooth it over with the fans.
I don't believe there's anything to this, no offense Smitty.
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Re: Summer League Notes 

Post#7 » by okcjim » Thu Jul 7, 2016 9:48 am

They aren't going to tell anyone they're going to trade Russ but for the long term viability of the franchise if they think he is gone they have to trade him to get picks and prospects. They don't have a choice. It makes the rebuild 2-3 years faster.
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Re: Re: Summer League Notes 

Post#8 » by Old Man Game » Thu Jul 7, 2016 11:38 am

bondom34 wrote:Agreed, thanks for this Smitty. Not sure what to think of Russ, it seriously shocks me about the Lakers. I'm really floored.

#FashionKing we should've seen it coming.

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Re: Summer League Notes 

Post#9 » by Pillendreher » Thu Jul 7, 2016 12:00 pm

Come on guys he's not going to LA. It's nonsensical.
Russ isn't begging Durant to stay and wanting Horford to come over if he's already out the door. That just doesn't make sense. Russ won't waste the rest of his prime with Mozgov next to him. Come on.
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Re: Re: Summer League Notes 

Post#10 » by spearsy23 » Thu Jul 7, 2016 12:40 pm

Old Man Game wrote:
bondom34 wrote:Agreed, thanks for this Smitty. Not sure what to think of Russ, it seriously shocks me about the Lakers. I'm really floored.

#FashionKing we should've seen it coming.

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75-80 percent of the NBA was sure Durant would re-sign here. They don't actually know, they're just guessing.
“If you're getting stops and you're making threes and the other team's not scoring, that's when you're going to see a huge point difference there,” coach Billy Donovan said.
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Re: Summer League Notes 

Post#11 » by Smitty731 » Thu Jul 7, 2016 12:41 pm

Old Man Game wrote:Smitty this is outstanding. I'm very interested in both the Mitch and the Huestis points.

A local beat reporter said Huestis had looked good defensively down there. But are you saying it's sort of a lost cause in the view of the organization? Are they not picking up his third year option?

Regarding Mitch. Can't say I'm surprised. We knew something had to be up with him. He was benched into oblivion after a promising rookie season so we knew it had to be attitude or off the court stuff.

Thanks again.

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Huestis does play good defense, but even average defense in Summer League can look All-Defense team worthy.

They won't decline his option, because the organization isn't stupid. You only do that if a guy literally can't play. Like he's hurt or just so awful. Related, the Pacers have repeatedly defended their decision to decline Solomon Hill's option, but you can tell they know they screwed up.

In this situation, the team had plans to use Huestis punting a year to do something that never materialized and now they have him instead of someone who might be more useful.

On McGary, I don't know if it is anything off court, but he definitely is a piece of work on the court. Just constant whining.
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Re: Re: Summer League Notes 

Post#12 » by bondom34 » Thu Jul 7, 2016 12:59 pm

Old Man Game wrote:
bondom34 wrote:Agreed, thanks for this Smitty. Not sure what to think of Russ, it seriously shocks me about the Lakers. I'm really floored.

#FashionKing we should've seen it coming.

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I still don't buy it.
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Re: AW: Re: Re: Re: Summer League Notes 

Post#13 » by Pillendreher » Thu Jul 7, 2016 1:02 pm

bondom34 wrote:
Old Man Game wrote:
bondom34 wrote:Agreed, thanks for this Smitty. Not sure what to think of Russ, it seriously shocks me about the Lakers. I'm really floored.

#FashionKing we should've seen it coming.

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I still don't buy it.


We won't get burned again man! In Russ we trust!

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Re: Summer League Notes 

Post#14 » by Smitty731 » Thu Jul 7, 2016 1:42 pm

FWIW, a lot of the Thunder guys think Russ will be there for the whole season. But several of them do believe he'll eventually head for LA. He loves LA. Loved his time at UCLA. Spends a ton of time there each offseason. And he also would love to team up with Kevin Love, who most people think will eventually end up in LA as well.

I had one guy who I trust, say if the Lakers called the offer would have to start with Ingram. If the Lakers weren't willing to talk Ingram, the conversation would end right there.

And many people believe the Lakers are the one team that Russ would do an extension with. But he fully intends to hit the FA market in the summer and see where things go.
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Re: Summer League Notes 

Post#15 » by bondom34 » Thu Jul 7, 2016 2:06 pm

Smitty731 wrote:FWIW, a lot of the Thunder guys think Russ will be there for the whole season. But several of them do believe he'll eventually head for LA. He loves LA. Loved his time at UCLA. Spends a ton of time there each offseason. And he also would love to team up with Kevin Love, who most people think will eventually end up in LA as well.

I had one guy who I trust, say if the Lakers called the offer would have to start with Ingram. If the Lakers weren't willing to talk Ingram, the conversation would end right there.

And many people believe the Lakers are the one team that Russ would do an extension with. But he fully intends to hit the FA market in the summer and see where things go.

Is any of it from his camp or just people? Because a ton of guys seem to love LA, and I don't doubt it, and honestly don't really mind if he leaves, but I don't get it at all given their situation. Just my opinion though and you've been pretty spot on w/ this stuff so far.

Also wanted to ask, any thoughts on Dakari Johnson? He seems to put up solid numbers but I don't know if they think it will translate.
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Re: Summer League Notes 

Post#16 » by thedoppelganger » Thu Jul 7, 2016 2:12 pm

Smitty731 wrote:Hey all!

Not sure how much you venture out to the other forums, but I've been at Orlando Summer League all week. I finally had the chance to talk with some OKC people today (they were a little busy prior!) so I wanted to share some information that I've learned.

None of this may be overly newsworthy or anything, but I felt it was all worth sharing.

If you have questions or want me to respond to something, please quote me so that I can be sure to see it!

1. The KD situation....On Sunday it was a major distraction. Every guy when he came back to the bench during their game asked "KD update?" Cam Payne even asked, "Can we have our phones during Summer League? This doesn't really count right?". He was only half-joking.

2. Guys are said to see him, but the younger guys get it. Or they are being really good actors.

3. Payne should not be here. He's way too good for Summer League. Other than Joe Young from Indiana, he's probably been the most impressive player. No one can keep him in front of them. His passing has improved and the team said his judgement is much better.

4. More Payne, he was drafted with the intention of being the replacement for Westbrook because...

5. 75-80% of the people I have talked to expect Westbrook to end up with the Lakers. Including a large chunk of the OKC contingent. And they think Payne will be a more than capable replacement.

6. Off the record they said they would listen on Russ, but likely would not deal him unless it is a massive overpay. They feel like they can still be a top 4 team without KD and don't want to go the full rebuild route yet.

7. Mitch McGary might be the biggest crybaby I've ever seen. He whines constantly. When I asked the team people about it, they said it was a problem. Apparently it was a big enough issue in the D-League that the team was told to address it. They aren't sold on him having any sort of long term future in the league.

8. They LOVE Oladipo. They feel like getting him was a huge steal and they are really excited to have what they called the most athletic backcourt in the league. And they think he can be a 20 PPG scorer as soon as this year.

9. They also LOVE Sabonis. They feel like he's an excellent pairing with either Adams or Kanter. And there is a chance he ends up the starting PF by the end of the year.

10. They intend to start Russ, Oladipo, Roberson, Ilyasova and Adams to begin the year. But by the end of the year, they would love to have Sabonis starting over Ilyasova and an upgrade at SF.

11. It was over a year ago, but they regret letting Lance Thomas get away. They loved him.

12. Billy Donovan was asked if he regrets leaving UF now that Durant is gone. He of course said now, but then went further "The NBA is the dream for me. I'm really excited about all the guys we have here and think we are building something special."

13. They are admitting that the Huestis pick backfired. Without saying what the exact plan was for that whole situation, they openly admit it did not work.

14. Don't be surprised to see Scottie Wilbekin go to camp and maybe make the team as the third PG. They like what he can do.

15. Unless he asks, Nick Collison will never be traded and has a place on the team/in the organization for as long as he wants. Somewhat related, they know the years for Singler were silly, but it was a reward for what he did for them after they got him and they felt like the low cost offset it.

Bonus: The team does have some guys giving KD the DeAndre Jordan-lite treatment and trying to convince him to return. Russ is not a part of it and he is very hurt by the comments that leaked that he was part of the reason KD left. They know it probably won't work, but they felt like they had one more night, so why not? FWIW, KD says his decision is made and he will not change his mind.

Ok, so maybe nothing you didn't already know, but I wanted to share!


3 - It's been very good to see him perform so well, just needs to continue to hit the gym this summer since he'll be getting 20-25 minutes a night this season most likely.

5 & 6 - Not too surprising that seems to be the consensus among players and other personnel. I'm sure they aren't going to admit they're openly fielding offers, but if he really does have his sights set on LA, cannot let him walk for nothing like KD did this summer.

7 - Disappointing but matches up with the whispers we've heard among the local media over the past year. Guy definitely has talent but seems immature on and off the court, can't see the organization holding on to him past the trade deadline if he doesn't change it up.

9 & 10 - Gathered from Zach Lowe's piece that Sabonis had been on their radar for a while, but very interesting they think he could be ready to start by the end of the year. If he's going to start in that lineup he better be able to have a good shooting touch since spacing will be at a minimum.

13 - Yea Huestis seems like a good guy, hard worker, all that stuff Presti loves. Problem is he just does not have the talent to make up for it. If you look at his DLeague stats last year, he rated out very poorly which is a big concern. I know people saw him hit a couple open 3's at the end of the year in meaningless games for the Thunder, but I'm afraid he does not have it.

Smitty - did you hear anything on whether Dakkari is in the teams plans at all? He's the only guy not mentioned that seems like he could have a future.
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Re: Summer League Notes 

Post#17 » by Pillendreher » Thu Jul 7, 2016 2:15 pm

Like I said: Presti will talk with him and we'll go from there. I fully believe Woj and JVG when they say 'This will make him even more adamant to stay'. Russ isn't a quitter.
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Re: Summer League Notes 

Post#18 » by Smitty731 » Thu Jul 7, 2016 2:32 pm

No one mentioned anything about Dakari Johnson at all. That usually isn't a great thing. Better than being called terrible, but not by much.

My personal opinion is that I don't think he has the quickness to make it in the NBA. But you never know. The problem in OKC is that they now have about 5-6 bigs in front of him. Maybe a trade frees something up.
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Re: Summer League Notes 

Post#19 » by thedoppelganger » Thu Jul 7, 2016 2:40 pm

Smitty731 wrote:No one mentioned anything about Dakari Johnson at all. That usually isn't a great thing. Better than being called terrible, but not by much.

My personal opinion is that I don't think he has the quickness to make it in the NBA. But you never know. The problem in OKC is that they now have about 5-6 bigs in front of him. Maybe a trade frees something up.


Since no one has brought up this name - any mention of what Kanter's future on the team is at all? He does seem to be happy in OKC, but sounds like they aren't considering him at the 4 which is for the best.
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Re: Summer League Notes 

Post#20 » by Smitty731 » Thu Jul 7, 2016 2:43 pm

thedoppelganger wrote:
Smitty731 wrote:No one mentioned anything about Dakari Johnson at all. That usually isn't a great thing. Better than being called terrible, but not by much.

My personal opinion is that I don't think he has the quickness to make it in the NBA. But you never know. The problem in OKC is that they now have about 5-6 bigs in front of him. Maybe a trade frees something up.


Since no one has brought up this name - any mention of what Kanter's future on the team is at all? He does seem to be happy in OKC, but sounds like they aren't considering him at the 4 which is for the best.


I can ask around more, but the general feeling is that they like him a lot. They don't see him as a bad contract at all. And they definitely feel like he should have gotten more pub for 6th MOY. They are very happy to have him.

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