Re-signing players

[BBen]

Hi. I'm a former Sonics fan and I witnessed the blowing up of this team first hand. This is a team that was created to lose. That said, I'd like to pose the question of how you're going to re-sign your best players. When a team loses 70 games it seems hard to make a case for staying in the same situation.

So here's the question(s):

1: Will the team improve enough by the time their contracts are up to make the case that Durant/Green/Westbrook should re-sign?

2: If not, will they re-sign?

3: If they don't re-sign what will the franchise do?

[london sonic]

Durant,Green and Westbrook are still on rookie contracts which run for 4 years if extended(team options)which they all will .That gives Durant and Green another 2 years after this season and Westbrook 3.with another top 5 pick and the expirings we have a top free agent can be aquired in the offseason or in 2010 theres quite a few quality ones then.The fortune of this team will definately change after this season so Im not worried at all.

[wiff]

I told myself that I would never post in here but I have had a couple of drinks so why not. But I don't think I will make it a habit.

This current team was meant for Seattle. OKC is lucky enough to witness what Clay was hoping to put the fans of Seattle through this season. After all this season and next the Sonics were suppose to be in Seattle. Clay wanted to gut the team so all the Seattle fans would lose interest. Funny how it might happen to backfire on his home town.

Sure I'm jaded and yes I'm very bitter. Not towards any of you fans of the Blunder but he!! yeah I am bitter towards the owners, and Seattle's politicans (and Howard Shultz).

But to the question at hand. I simply don't see how on Earth you will be able to retain Durant.

I know, I know he has said all the right things in OKC, great town, great fans. Friendly people. But be honest what else can he say when they are 1-12? You do know that he called Clay a "Fat Mother f'er" right?
And you remember Clays "Boo-Hoo" comment about the players not wanting to move to your grand city right?

Bottom line losing sucks especially for a guy like Durant who is ultra competitive.

I don't see a top free agent going to OKC. I can see OKC over paying for a mid-tier free agent like the Bucks did for Bobby Simmons.

How many free agents flocked to Minny to play with KG? Heck how many top free agents have flocked to LA to play with Kobe? Or Cleveland for LeBron?

Sure players want to get paid but the serious difference makers in the league will be courted by the New York's, Miami's, LA and Chicago. OKC is quite simply not a big market. And you can see the big markets are clearing cap as I'm writing this to court the super stars of the league.

And seriously I'm not trying to hate but Seattle is much larger than OKC and Seattle has/had a horrible time holding on to top free agents.

I know what you are going to say.

The Blunder can give him "Bird Rights" and pay him more than any other team.

Let me just say Michael Jordan made more money in endorsements than he ever did on the court. Durantula can easily make up the difference in endorsements in a big market.

Honestly what is the hardest part of all of this fiasco that is the Blunder, is that I want to see individual success from all the players but I want the team to go 1-81 on the rest of the season.

I'd love to see Robert Swift become an enforcer who grabs 12 pts, 10 boards and 3 blocks a game. Heck I've been pulling for the kid since they drafted him.

I'd like to see Durant light it up for 25, 6 and 6 nightly.

Heck I even like Westbrook and would be thrilled with 15pts 6 dimes and 2 TO's a game but I would absolutely love to see the Blunders record be a league all time worst at 7 and 75.

Yes I'm bitter and MAN THAT FELT GOOD!

[BBen]

Hahaha, right on Wiff. Glad to see you haven't swallowed a jar of aspirin or jumped off a bridge. It actually feels good to pull for a decent team and I've had a good time pulling for the Blazers. I also love watching OKC lose. Heck, if I watch all their games and root against them I never have to watch my preferred team lose.

I've also never seen a realgm board as dead as this one, even the Sonics forum after Bennett took over and that's saying a lot.

[wizkid27]

I definitely understand your point of view wiff. And yeah, the team sucks right now, small cities have a tough time bringing in guys, etc.

But on the other side, you take guys like Redd, Garnett, etc... they were in small cities on more or less losing teams, really without even much potential to improve, but they were loyal and resigned. Redd could've gone to CLE to be with Lebron, but stayed. Garnett was locked down in MIN forever, and didn't leave until they did him justice and traded him. So yeah, I think that if the Thunder do continue to lose this year (definite) and next year (likely), they'll end up with 2 more top 5 picks... you combine Durant, Green, and Westbrook with 2 more solid very high picks and you start resembling the Blazers with all of their up and coming talent.

I'm not trying to oversimplify it, but I think that in two years, things can really be looking great for this team. As you said, this team was meant to lose for 2 years. Now, we can argue over the motives for that, and I may even agree... but whatever the intentions, this is pretty close to the "normal" NBA rebuilding from scratch type plan. Shed big contracts, lose, get draft picks, develop, use remaining cap to sign guys to fill in the gaps. And I don't see anything that will keep the Thunder from doing this in the next 2 years (it doesn't even have anything to do with guys being willing to sign/resign).

As far as the board being dead... yeah, I agree and wish it was more active. It's more that nobody in OKC really knows what RealGM is. I would say half of the active posters on here are some of the guys from the old Sonics from here (and I do love hearing your points of view). It'll come in time, but I don't feel like it is in any way a reflection of how much the city is behind the team!

[Howler21]

Also take in to consideration that some of us from okc aren't running to the Thunder becuase we already have teams we have followed for ages.I for one am a Timberwolves fan and the thought of pulling for a team that is in our division is ridiculous.

[wizkid27]

Very true, and I would guess that that is the true reason that Cuban was the only owner to vote against the move... because he knows that a lot of the NBA fans in OKC are Mavs fans... cutting into one of his key markets.