Opinion/questions from an outsider

[Johnny Kilroy]

The only bad thing I have to say about your franchise is it should still be in Seattle. However, given how f*****d up that city is today, it looks like it miraculously all turned out for the best. And although I've never been to Oklahoma, and your home repeatedly gets abused by the rest of the national media, I do have WONDERFUL friends from there, and irregardless, you deserve as much respect as any other market in this country. Same applies for any other state. I was born and raised on the east coast. And while I've been to most states out west (from Colorado on), middle America such as the Dakotas, Wisconsin, Illinois, even Texas...I have never had a chance to experience/visit. I have great desire to visit your home; Oklahoma and its people are every bit as important to this country as NYers, Floridians, Californians, etc. I also experience a great deal of pain whenever natural tragedies occur in your state...not just because I care for all, or because I have friends from there, but also the lack of national attention you receive any time a tornado or whatever hits. When disasters like these strike on coastal America, its worldwide, massive and prolonged headlines. When it's Oklahoma or other middle America, concern and interest from the rest of the country fades quickly.

Now to my original reason for posting: basketball. I do not know how OKC residents feel about Clay Bennett; I certainly don't have a high opinion on him. Nor do I know how involved he is outside of the business aspect of the thunder. But from the outside looking in, I can draw two conclusions: 1. He is a ruthless businessman, who somehow separated himself from the basketball operations of your franchise, as opposed to being a 100% control freak. 2. In addition to his business personality, he also actually is quite astute at basketball, and thus controls the basketball side of things as well (I am of the opinion the first scenario is more believable/likely, but I am uninformed, so you can tell me).

Here is what I am getting at. I have been quite familiar with presti, long before he came to Seattle/okc, even preceding his days in San Antonio. And in terms of Billy Donovan, let's just say you can't be a lover of college basketball for nearly four decades and not have tremendous respect for him both on his basketball acumen, AND integrity as a human being. People will criticize me for saying this, maybe even some of you. But of the current head coaches right now, I wouldnt take anyone over him with the exception of Carlisle, Kidd, and possibly Doc/SVG (as coach only, NO GM). Obviously Pop is strikingly absent from this list. I am not denying he is one of the top 5/6 coaches in league history, I just believe his time has passed and he has alienated many more players than the media would have you believe. So in summary, I think you have a tier one HC, and a fantastic human being to boot.

On presti - the best GM in basketball, for quite some time. One could easily make the case for RC Buford, and I admire him tremendously, but I personally believe he does not have as much control running his operation as is to be believed...at the end of the day Pop is still calling the shots. And I am not a fan of centralized power (President/GM and coach should NOT be the same person, 99% of the time this is a recipe for disaster). So presti to me is clear cut #1. And I think his record speaks for itself. Durant was a lucky pick, lucky in the sense that he didn't have to choose between oden and KD, i.e. he benefitted from having the second pick. Westbrook/harden/ibaka, presti deserves all the credit in the world for. I could dig deeper into his other picks, but extremes dominate and so for the sake of brevity, I will not go further. In terms of culture, fostering a winning attitude, relationship with players, dealing with Bennett and his restrictions (personal and monetary), A++. But MOST importantly, having a long term vision and the courage to stick to it, even when things get tough/ugly, that to me is the definition of success. Pretty much every time he's faced adversity, or been forced into a tough decision, he's made the right call, without sacrificing his beliefs or goals. Harden had to go for monetary reasons, as mandated by Bennett (correct me if I'm wrong). But even if you could have kept harden, do you really believe you would have had a championship by now? Two alphas is hard enough by itself, three is unthinkable. And trading harden led to Steven Adams, a fabulous pick, a guy who prioritizes winning above all else, and will be in OKC for at least three more years, unless presti decides to flip him. On KD, the multi-year narrative was that Westbrook held him back. 2017 proved it was the other way around, KD held Westbrook back. And Durant showed his true colors; brand before basketball, me before the we. He may have a ring now, but he should have had one in 2016, and chose the easy way out instead of sticking up for his "family". Russ and KD worst case should have been the third best duo after MJ/Scottie and Shaq/Kobe. Was KD not treated as royalty within the organization? Did anyone there disrespect him? Not that I know of. He bailed just like LeBron did...out of selfishness. Personal brand combined with easiest, most stress-free path to championships. Another virtue signaler in this league. He preached his loyalty and love and honor to OKC, but when free agency arrived, that all went out the window. Russ had every reason to want out after KD jumped without even telling him. And Russ has his flaws too, nobody is perfect. But his word and respect for the organization and the fans of OKC meant something to him. Being a fighter until he gets knocked out means something to him. And in the wake of KD bolting, he recommitted to OKC. And immediately after that, he gave us the greatest season in NBA history. I grew idolizing the bulls, I remember when right up to the moment they beat LA in 91, it was still impossible for a scoring leader to win a championship. It was impossible for a non-big man to win a championship. Jordan shattered 45 years of every preconception the league, it's executives, media, and fans had about winning. I can go toe to toe with almost anyone over anything regarding MJ/Scottie/Phil and the bulls dynasty. I'm not Roland lazenby or Sam Smith or David halberstam, but I'm a damn fine historian. In his playing days Mike often referenced guys he looked up to (David Thompson, dr. j) growing up. But he NEVER compared himself to anyone. Not once. Until last summer that is. When your city decided to honor Russ, Mike personally called the mayor or whoever and asked to present the keys to him without Russ even knowing correct? And that is when Mike told the world, in OKC at russ' ceremony in 2016, that Mike saw himself in westbrook. It was a straight up comparison of MJ and Russ, by MJ. I know Mike believes Kobe to be the best player since Jordan, but he never said when he looks at kobe, it's like looking at himself. It was just one year ago when Westbrook received the highest compliment any athlete could ever receive, from the greatest athlete ever. And that was before this past season! The greatest individual season of all time!

And let's be real for a minute here. The league and players today are a bunch of weak primadonnas. The game has regressed. The players have it better than ever before yet complain about b2bs and 82 games and rest of all this other BS. And they wonder why their predecessors are disgusted by them. Forget the absurd money. These guys are treated like Saudi kings. They fly on planes with seats that are king-sized beds built for 7 footers. They have teams of nutritionists/chefs/therapists/doctors at their every while to cater to all of their desires. Forget I'm material bruises or skinned knees; these guys refuse to play in the name of rest! The season is now almost two months longer than it's been historically. All star weekend has been transformed into a ten day vacation, even for the all stars. Even in the early 2000s nobody bitched about b2bs or good forbid four games in five nights. Then go back to the early 90s where private planes were still practically nonexistent. Now think of the 60s/70s/80s! 82 games in the original format, 7 footers flying coach in seats designed for women and children, zero pampering. Nobody complained. If you could walk, you could play. And except for the stars, the average players were paid very little and certainly did not become rich. Now it's 2017, the league has been flipped over on its head by the players, and ask yourself: Are there any less injuries now than there were 10-20-30 years ago? If you're a long time fan you'd know the answer is no. If not, do the research. You'll be surprised to find out that there are more injuries today than any era before. I'm not talking about fake injuries. I'm talking about blown ACLs, broken bones, torn muscles, etc. Surgical medicine has gotten better, no doubt about that. But many other "medical advancements" have primarily resulted in increased fragility in the players, physically and mentally. This whole rest movement and change in league scheduling in the name of injury prevention has achieved the opposite effect. We've made the players weaker. And this is why the old school players are so upset...they're the ones responsible for players today making the crazy obscene money, and the current generation has basically bitten the hand that feeds them. Oscar Robertson is as old school as one can possibly be. If almost any other player threatened his record, he would just remark how easy the players have it today. Nobody's playing 44 mpg, everyone wants to sit out, etc. But because it was Russ who threatened his records, a person who would die on the court 1000x over just for an opportunity to win, a person who goes all out 110% every day of his life, the Big O actually became russ' biggest fan! And actively rooted for him to take down his unbreakable record. Why? Because Russ is a true throwback. It was another amazing acknowledgement for Westbrook, given how bitter Oscar is towards today's players.

The whole season I wanted to destroy the media and every other idiot who called Russ selfish. It reminded me exactly of Jordan before he won his first ring. You want to label them selfish, that's fine, but don't say that without acknowledging they are selfish to win, not selfish for stats. Russ didn't give a damn about the record, and from like the 4th game of the season on he'd go crazy after every game when the media asked him about it. KD leaving without telling anyone (Russ included) decimated your team. The thunder basically became Russell Westbrook and a bunch of 22 and under neophytes. The only thing Russ was gunning for was winning and making the playoffs. He did whatever he had to do to win, whatever presti and Donovan asked him to do. Is there one player or person in the organization who thinks he's selfish or doesn't like him? I'd be shocked. Also, I doubt anyone here needs to be reminded how harden actively campaigned for himself for MVP night after night after night. I honestly wonder whether he would rather have the MVP over a championship. And let's be real...he was only up for discussion because D'antoni arrived and as flawed as Mike D is, no coach in NBA history has made guards produce explosive numbers like MD has. Now that Houston grabbed an aging, winless cp3, who I believe is an awful fit with harden, James can wave goodbye to even being in the running for MVP, at the very least until cp3 gets crippled, traded, or retires. I said all along last year...#2 in MVP should be Kawhi, not harden. His stats were heavily inflated by D'antoni, and to this day D'antoni's offensive brilliance has never even brought him to the finals.

Russ is the best player in the world, hands down.

Sorry to make this so long, but here is my final question. You traded for Paul George. Does it make you alot better, yes. Was it necessary at this moment? Idk. But if that was presti's logic, please tell me he went after Jimmy Butler first. For I truly believe Russ/Jimmy would be a significantly better duo than what you have now. Now maybe it was impossible for prestige get Jimmy. But if you don't at least reach the WCF this season, do you honestly believe Paul George will recommit to OKC and not bolt for a bigger market? Maybe I'm naive, but I don't think Russ wants to leave okc now, next year, or anytime, if at all. As long as the organization does its best to win. And Russ is a sharp dude, he has to know presti/Donovan are as good as gold in their commitment to rings and loyalty to Russ. Now Russ may question Bennett, and rightfully so, idk. But I will go on record that I believe in my heart he will not devastate and cripple the fans of OKC if things can't work out like Durant did.

The other thing is, presti drafted domantis. Idk how familiar you all are with his dad, but if you saw him in his prime, or even after when he arrived in the NBA at 30 with two shredded knees, you should know that he was an all-time great, once in a lifetime player. If he came into the league at the same age as domantis, he'd go down as good as Shaq/Hakeem, maybe even better. I saw nearly every game of domantis' lone year at Gonzaga, he was the best player in college and the best collegiate big man I've seen since Shaq. Absolutely unstoppable. I'm not saying he's his dad, but clearly he learned everything from him, and the IQ appears to have been inherited. He's still a newborn baby, but I valued him more than anyone on your team outside Westbrook. The national media and fans blasted Indiana for getting ripped off, I disagree. I think the pacers acquired someone who at the very least will be better than porzingis, without the headaches. And if he's anything like his father, he will be loyal to Indiana as long as he is treated fairly. Maybe he ends up a bust, but if he becomes a superstar, I don't see him manipulating his way out of Indiana for a more attractive market. Call me crazy...I think he can be the best big man in the NBA...maybe even so good that the league will shift back to realizing big men who know how to play own this game. So I was truly sad to see him leave okc. I know his timeline doesn't exactly fit with westbrook, and Westbrook comes first, second, and last, but if presti was willing to give up damontis, I wish it had been for someone other than Paul George, or at the very least Paul George with more than one year guaranteed. Maybe presti had injury concerns, or maybe presti was not as happy as he thought he would be when he drafted him. I don't see it as a panic move to keep Russ, cause I don't think Russ would bail on you, at the very least not in the short term. Maybe it was a mandate from Bennett, idk. All these questions I'm posing, I'm coming to you for answers...hopefully you can shed some light. I truly wish you the best, hope Russ stays in OKC forever, and hope you all get to have at least one parade in downtown OKC. And I promise you, as soon as I get an opportunity to visit, I will be on this forum asking you guys for vacation plans and sightseeing recommendations.

[bondom34]

I'm pretty sure I like this guy.

[ThunderBolt]

Presti said they made the phone calls all the fans wanted them to make. I don't think OKC had what Chicago was looking for. I hated to move Sabonis but he's just not on the same time line as Russ.

[Johnny Kilroy]

Chicago is toast, I wish pax would retire and unaffiliate himself with the bulls. Reinsdorf was always impossible but these past five years he's been unbearable. Always making money though, when it comes to annual profits he's always at the top of heap.

So are you saying the fans generally preferred Butler over George? I'm sure presti tried to deal, but Jerry/Michael/Gar are idiots. I like lavine alot, but life changes for players after they lose thibs. And the ACL will always be a concern.

I would have snapped up damontis and every piece of cash/picks I could get from OKC.

Bennett determines the budget, as he should. But beyond that, does presti have full reign over how to spend it as well as full control over basketball ops?

Did you guys see greatness down the road for Sabonis?

The timeline was far from ideal, but if he becomes an all star in two years (and I hope he does), it will sting.

I guess it's pointless to even bring up though. I'm sure Russ gave the green light...and that's all that really matters.

[ThunderBolt]

Chicago is toast, I wish pax would retire and unaffiliate himself with the bulls. Reinsdorf was always impossible but these past five years he's been unbearable. Always making money though, when it comes to annual profits he's always at the top of heap.

So are you saying the fans generally preferred Butler over George? I'm sure presti tried to deal, but Jerry/Michael/Gar are idiots. I like lavine alot, but life changes for players after they lose thibs. And the ACL will always be a concern.

I would have snapped up damontis and every piece of cash/picks I could get from OKC.

Bennett determines the budget, as he should. But beyond that, does presti have full reign over how to spend it as well as full control over basketball ops?

Did you guys see greatness down the road for Sabonis?

The timeline was far from ideal, but if he becomes an all star in two years (and I hope he does), it will sting.

I guess it's pointless to even bring up though. I'm sure Russ gave the green light...and that's all that really matters.

I just meant that Presti said they call on all the players fans want them to have on their team- Butler, George, Portzingis, Greek Freak, etc. Just because OKC doesn't land a big fish doesn't mean they aren't trying. I'm sure they tried to get butler, I just don't know if we had what Chicago wanted. We somewhat lucked out with Oladipo being from Indiana and the pacer management thinking he keeps them relevant and generates ticket sales.

What I've always heard is the Bennett lets Presti call the shot. I know Bennet was in the Hamptons last year trying to re-sign Durant but aside from that, I seldom hear of him being involved in any operations. Normally they show him sitting with the fans at the games but that's about it.

It's hard for to say about Sabonis. There are a lot of allstars who don't really take off until year three. Sabonis had times he looked good but also really struggled. It seemed like the last half of the year he couldn't catch a break. He would make a great post move and go up for the shot, the ball would roll all over the rim and go 3/4 of the way down but not go in. He seems to have a high basketball IQ. I think he can be a solid NBA starter but not necessarily a star but you never know. That's why assets are all valuable. Everyone is a potential star until they aren't anymore. I know you spoke highly of Donovan, most OKC fans aren't in love with him and aren't sure about his ability to develop NBA talent and figure out rotations that put guys in the best spots to succeed.