2018-2019 OKC Thunder Regular Season Pt 1: A Renewed Hope

[SecondTake]

Portland winning at Boston...they are on fire right now. Given our tough schedule is fair to say that they are favored to get the 3rd seed

No way. We're more likely to get second than POR third. We almost won against DEN@ DEN with PG shooting like trash, Ferg being in foul trouble and Morris still acclimating.

Russ's shot has come back. He's been super efficient since the ASB. PG will (hopefully) get back to shooting like did before the break. Morris has shown he's already better than 2Pat and he's still getting in to shape and learning the scheme. Ferg needs to clean up his defense, but we're ready to go.

We're going to spank 76ers tonight and start a new streak.

If somehow Denver has a bad end of regular season (let's say they are going to win 12 and lose 10, which is pretty bad for a .700 team) we would need to win 17 and lose 5 games. Good luck with that.

New streak of how many wins considering we are going to play @Spurs, @Portland, @Utah and the Warriors in the next 10 games?

17 and 5 is no problem. We're definitely beating 3 of the teams you mentioned - only POR is going to give us a loss there. We're going on a 11-1 streak in our next 12, with a loss at Toronto. I then expect we lose to the Buck. 19-3 is possible, but I'll add some buffer there, so 17-5 sounds about right. I expect DEN to drop enough games to make it competitive.

[Pillendreher]

You just can't expect to win games if you're this inconsistent. They don't need to lock teams up for the full 48 minutes, but show some **** urgency and composure.

[hardenASG13]

Also, way to ignore the main point, in that Adams is very slow and stuck to the ground defensively. The layup line at the rim is a problem, whether you are willing to admit it or not, especially at Adams price tag.

I'm not wasting my time addressing things that only exist in your imagination.

Soooo.......you guys seeing this yet or still only in my imagination. "Lol I guess defense is only based on blocked shots now". Nah, just open your eyes for once.

[Pillendreher]

Also, way to ignore the main point, in that Adams is very slow and stuck to the ground defensively. The layup line at the rim is a problem, whether you are willing to admit it or not, especially at Adams price tag.

I'm not wasting my time addressing things that only exist in your imagination.

Soooo.......you guys seeing this yet or still only in my imagination. "Lol I guess defense is only based on blocked shots now". Nah, just open your eyes for once.

Adams is the least of our problems with Raymond Felton giving the most effort on defense.

[hardenASG13]

I'm not wasting my time addressing things that only exist in your imagination.

Soooo.......you guys seeing this yet or still only in my imagination. "Lol I guess defense is only based on blocked shots now". Nah, just open your eyes for once.

Adams is the least of our problems with Raymond Felton giving the most effort on defense.

Isn't adams paid 25 mil a season to be a defensive presence? Or did they want him to carry the offense with his 2 moves? He's a massive problem. His game is suited terribly for today's NBA (doesn't contest shots, can't move his feet on the perimeter, can't shoot outside the lane). But I guess that's only in my imagination

Put down the calculators and open your eyes, guys. Hard to take you and others serious when you deny notions like this and say I'm crazy, citing defensive lineups, ratings, etc. rather than simply observing this problem with your eyes. Glad others are finally seeing it tho.

[CROklahoma]

Adams should be in a discussion, not because of his long bad stretch, not because he is still young, but because he is paid a lot to not perform and put out numbers. It is worrysome that his presence could be replicated in majority by our backup big paid veteran money, and that shouldnt be the case.

Currently, Adams is a terrible defender, he is not scoring off of pick and roll playing with best passer in NBA, he is not efficient attacking in post, he is not shooting well on the FT line, he doesnt posses outside shooting skill. He is only hitting his floaters and grabs offensive boards, which means we are getting Enes Kanter lite on our starting LU.

Our whole defensive trouble is definately tied with Adams having trouble doing anything on the court.

Any intel on what is going on with him should start with press asking Billy ...

[hardenASG13]

I have been following this discussion about Adams with interest. Particularly this discussion around his block numbers. This is from his book ...

“I’d noticed that while all my stats were going up ... minutes, points, rebounds ... my block numbers were going down. And that’s because I was learning how to make stops before a block was required. Nick had been working with me a lot that season, helping me read movements on the court and shut down a shot before it’s even in motion.”

Yep. Blocks are the last line of defense. When you are the Center on 2 of the 5 best defensive lineups you shouldnt need to block alot.

But hey.. guys like to watch highlights and boxscores then draw conclusions.. while most of us watch 48 minutes and understand whats going on

this didn't age well. Most of you have no clue what you are watching.when relying on stats goes wrong. Adams is a joke for what he's paid.

[hardenASG13]

Adams should be in a discussion, not because of his long bad stretch, not because he is still young, but because he is paid a lot to not perform and put out numbers. It is worrysome that his presence could be replicated in majority by our backup big paid veteran money, and that shouldnt be the case.

Currently, Adams is a terrible defender, he is not scoring off of pick and roll playing with best passer in NBA, he is not efficient attacking in post, he is not shooting well on the FT line, he doesnt posses outside shooting skill. He is only hitting his floaters and grabs offensive boards, which means we are getting Enes Kanter lite on our starting LU.

Our whole defensive trouble is definately tied with Adams having trouble doing anything on the court.

Any intel on what is going on with him should start with press asking Billy ...

Yea, adams would be getting killed in a major media market. Insane to me that people can't see how big of a problem he is on D with his cement feet, But stats say he's in top defensive lineups, so he has to be good

[hardenASG13]

Yea I'm sure they wouldn't blow right by him when he pulled the adams switch at the three point line and just put up a hand a prayed. Russ could finish on him at will at the rim, the guy is not much of a factor bothering shots there, since he can barely move or jump. Very slow off his feet compared to other modern day centers. I'd take javale mcgee for him tbh.

keep digging.

You see it yet?

[Pillendreher]

Soooo.......you guys seeing this yet or still only in my imagination. "Lol I guess defense is only based on blocked shots now". Nah, just open your eyes for once.

Adams is the least of our problems with Raymond Felton giving the most effort on defense.

Isn't adams paid 25 mil a season to be a defensive presence?

Adams is a defensive presence. Since Steven Adams became a starter for the Thunder, the Thunder have been among the best teams in the league defesively every season save for 14/15 where the whole team was injured.

He's a massive problem.

No, he's not.

His game is suited terribly for today's NBA

So a guy who routinely covers a whole bunch of space on the defensive end (because certain players on this team prefer avoiding sticking with their man) and is a very efficient offensive player with great hands is "suited terribly for today's NBA"? Got ya.

(doesn't contest shots

He's 6th overall in shot contests per game.

can't move his feet on the perimeter

Of course he can.

can't shoot outside the lane)

So what? The guy is shooting 60 % from the field, has a 122 ORtG and 60.6 TS%. That's excellent.

But I guess that's only in my imagination

I don't think stupidity equals imagination.

Put down the calculators and open your eyes, guys. Hard to take you and others serious when you deny notions like this and say I'm crazy, citing defensive lineups, ratings, etc. rather than simply observing this problem with your eyes.

Just stop talking. You're embarassing yourself. You can try to hide your own lack of understanding behind this failed attempt at mocking the use of data and facts all you want, but nobody is falling for it.

Glad others are finally seeing it tho.

Watch on YouTube

[hardenASG13]

Adams is the least of our problems with Raymond Felton giving the most effort on defense.

Isn't adams paid 25 mil a season to be a defensive presence?

Adams is a defensive presence. Since Steven Adams became a starter for the Thunder, the Thunder have been among the best teams in the league defesively every season save for 14/15 where the whole team was injured.

He's a massive problem.

No, he's not.

His game is suited terribly for today's NBA

So a guy who routinely covers a whole bunch of space on the defensive end (because certain players on this team prefer avoiding sticking with their man) and is a very efficient offensive player with great hands is "suited terribly for today's NBA"? Got ya.

(doesn't contest shots

He's 6th overall in shot contests per game.

can't move his feet on the perimeter

Of course he can.

can't shoot outside the lane)

So what? The guy is shooting 60 % from the field, has a 122 ORtG and 60.6 TS%. That's excellent.

But I guess that's only in my imagination

I don't think stupidity equals imagination.

Put down the calculators and open your eyes, guys. Hard to take you and others serious when you deny notions like this and say I'm crazy, citing defensive lineups, ratings, etc. rather than simply observing this problem with your eyes.

Just stop talking. You're embarassing yourself. You can try to hide your own lack of understanding behind this failed attempt at mocking the use of data and facts all you want, but nobody is falling for it.

Glad others are finally seeing it tho.

Watch on YouTube

Hahaha. You said I was imagining that he's extremely slow on defense. You honestly think otherwise? Do you watch at all?

So hes 6th in shot contests per game huh? That's nice. How much does he bother guys on those contests? That's the more important thing. The answer is not very much. Who cares where he ranks in number. So you are happy with guards getting anything they want at the rim night after night, as long as he's "contesting" them. They aren't bothered by his contests which is the problem.

The thunder are good on D every year, yes. They have Westbrook, had Durant, ibaka, have Paul George, and are the 1 NBA that starts a one way defensive player at the 2 historically. Of course they've been a good defensive team.

Those shooting percentages are nice, very impressive. I can see how you'd try to use them to say he's efficient. But of course you'd have to ignore that most of his shots are easy looks created by others. How much of his offense does he create himself? Just about any center can catch lobs and convert dump offs. Alot of them do it for way less than 25 mill per year. When you're whole offensive game is converting easy looks created by others at an efficient rate, at his price tag, it's not enough.

I have a hard time accepting your view of when a guy is a good fit in today's game. You said grant was as bad a fit as it gets......this season......after like 15 games. Hate to tell you, but the big lumbering center who can't shoot from outside the lane is a dying breed, since nobody runs their offense through the post. It minimizes post defense and has made agility, in which he's lacking significantly for a starting center, a much more important trait. So you think slow centers who don't bother shots and can't shoot outside 10 feet or hit foul shots are the way things are headed, huh?

[Pillendreher]

The thunder are good on D every year, yes. They have Westbrook, had Durant, ibaka, have Paul George, and are the 1 NBA that starts a one way defensive player at the 2 historically. Of course they've been a good defensive team.

Did I just get you to admit that Andre Roberson is a great defender?

Those shooting percentages are nice, very impressive. I can see how you'd try to use them to say he's efficient. But of course you'd have to ignore that most of his shots are easy looks created by others. How much of his offense does he create himself? Just about any center can catch lobs and convert dump offs. Alot of them do it for way less than 25 mill per year.

Check the facts before you talk; I don't have enough free time on my hands to do this for you all the damn time:

-Just 18.4 % of his field goal attempts have been dunks. For comparison, Gobert attempts a dunk on 46 % of his shots, Capela on 35 % of his shots.
-Just 46.7 % of his layups have been assisted. Among those with at least 200 layup attempts on the season, that's pretty high for a non-wing.

Steven Adams this season is not Rudy Gobert or Deandre Jordan, just catching lobs or dunking on putbacks. The guy has been working for his points and has still remained very efficient, even with not being a good FT shooter, at all.

I have a hard time accepting your view of when a guy is a good fit in today's game. You said grant was as bad a fit as it gets......this season......after like 15 games. Hate to tell you, but the big lumbering center who can't shoot from outside the lane is a dying breed, since nobody runs their offense through the post. It minimizes post defense and has made agility, in which he's lacking significantly for a starting center, a much more important trait. So you think slow centers who don't bother shots and can't shoot outside 10 feet or hit foul shots are the way things are headed, huh?

Adams is not slow, especially not for his size.

Either way, I'm done. I'm not going to entertain this any longer. Find somebody who cares about this constant bull. Maybe write Enes Kanter a letter of encouragement. Whatever.

[acheema0]

Whats the rule on buy out players? As long as they are not on someones roster by March 1 then they are available to play on the playoff roster?

Afaik they need to be signed by March 1st in order to be able to play in the Playoffs.

Just been perusing the board, a player does not need to be signed by March 1st to be playoff eligible, but they have to be released by March 1st. Marc Stein explains it well in this tweet:

Read on Twitter

[Dn4sty]

Read on Twitter

?s=21

According to translation Abrines is going to issue a statement soon on why he missed so much time

[Thunder Up]

Just for **** and giggles without doing any research...

1. Roberson when healthy >> Ferguson on the defensive end
2. Roberson >> Ferguson scoring efficiency offensively
3. Overall offensive efficiency is the same with Roberson as Ferguson
4. Teams do not guard the perimeter any differently vs Ferguson than they did Roberson in their sets, they simply actually close out harder when he is wide open for three off the passes
5. The team is better on both sides of the floor with a healthy Roberson, but having this year's Ferguson with a healthy Roberson would be excellent and make this into a generally complete team

Are any of these false statements as of this season

[slick_watts]

Just for **** and giggles without doing any research...

1. Roberson when healthy >> Ferguson on the defensive end
2. Roberson >> Ferguson scoring efficiency offensively
3. Overall offensive efficiency is the same with Roberson as Ferguson
4. Teams do not guard the perimeter any differently vs Ferguson than they did Roberson in their sets, they simply actually close out harder when he is wide open for three off the passes
5. The team is better on both sides of the floor with a healthy Roberson, but having this year's Ferguson with a healthy Roberson would be excellent and make this into a generally complete team

Are any of these false statements as of this season

it's a good summary but most likely moot given the chances of a healthy roberson ever returning to the court.

[slick_watts]

Yea I'm sure they wouldn't blow right by him when he pulled the adams switch at the three point line and just put up a hand a prayed. Russ could finish on him at will at the rim, the guy is not much of a factor bothering shots there, since he can barely move or jump. Very slow off his feet compared to other modern day centers. I'd take javale mcgee for him tbh.

keep digging.

You see it yet?

adams has been worse the last two or so months imo due to the extreme number of possessions he has to play and the manner in which he plays them. i believe he leads the league among centers in possessions played. probably not a good thing.

but what i see is a defense that, sans andre roberson, has seen its ceiling come down from all-time great to just elite to decent. the gap between andre roberson on defense and someone like terrance ferguson is far greater than the gap between adams and diminished adams.

[RalphSampsonJr]

Adams is the least of our problems with Raymond Felton giving the most effort on defense.

Isn't adams paid 25 mil a season to be a defensive presence?

Adams is a defensive presence. Since Steven Adams became a starter for the Thunder, the Thunder have been among the best teams in the league defesively every season save for 14/15 where the whole team was injured.

He's a massive problem.

No, he's not.

His game is suited terribly for today's NBA

So a guy who routinely covers a whole bunch of space on the defensive end (because certain players on this team prefer avoiding sticking with their man) and is a very efficient offensive player with great hands is "suited terribly for today's NBA"? Got ya.

(doesn't contest shots

He's 6th overall in shot contests per game.

can't move his feet on the perimeter

Of course he can.

can't shoot outside the lane)

So what? The guy is shooting 60 % from the field, has a 122 ORtG and 60.6 TS%. That's excellent.

But I guess that's only in my imagination

I don't think stupidity equals imagination.

Put down the calculators and open your eyes, guys. Hard to take you and others serious when you deny notions like this and say I'm crazy, citing defensive lineups, ratings, etc. rather than simply observing this problem with your eyes.

Just stop talking. You're embarassing yourself. You can try to hide your own lack of understanding behind this failed attempt at mocking the use of data and facts all you want, but nobody is falling for it.

Glad others are finally seeing it tho.

Watch on YouTube

Funny how this dude only turns up on here when the team isnt doing well then trys to make everyone look silly.. yet only does that to himself

[RalphSampsonJr]

I have been following this discussion about Adams with interest. Particularly this discussion around his block numbers. This is from his book ...

“I’d noticed that while all my stats were going up ... minutes, points, rebounds ... my block numbers were going down. And that’s because I was learning how to make stops before a block was required. Nick had been working with me a lot that season, helping me read movements on the court and shut down a shot before it’s even in motion.”

Yep. Blocks are the last line of defense. When you are the Center on 2 of the 5 best defensive lineups you shouldnt need to block alot.

But hey.. guys like to watch highlights and boxscores then draw conclusions.. while most of us watch 48 minutes and understand whats going on

this didn't age well. Most of you have no clue what you are watching.when relying on stats goes wrong. Adams is a joke for what he's paid.

Didnt age well how? Adams has been ****. No1s denying that.
This whole come on here when the teams playing poorly and act like you know better act is very sad.

[Pillendreher]

You just can't expect to win games if you're this inconsistent. They don't need to lock teams up for the full 48 minutes, but show some **** urgency and composure.

They must have missed this.