It's a good thing Durant and Westbrook are 21

wiff · Post #1 » by **wiff** » Sat Jul 10, 2010 3:14 pm

Looks like rings are going to be really tough to come by considering what Miami has just put together.

LeBron is 25
Bosh is 26
Wade is 28

That's at least 4 years possibly 6 depending on how Wade ages and holds up physically.

But on the flip side I think this offseason has made the West a little easier.

The Suns are done, Amare gone to NY.

Utah loses two key players.
Boozer gone to Chicago
Korver gone to Chicago

Is George Karl coming back to Denver?

Looks like the Nets are looking to offer Scola who is a restricted free agent a boatload, so he could be gone too.

Top to bottom the teams I see that could be in the way of the Thunder are
Dallas
Portland
Obviously the Lakers but Kobe is on the wrong side of his prime.

Getting to the finals is never easy but it looks like the West migh be a little easier.

Of course beating the Heat is going to be damn near impossible for the next 5 years.

Post #2 » by **slick_watts** » Sat Jul 10, 2010 3:25 pm

I'm not too concerned with the Heat. They are in the East. If we were contending for titles with players toward the end of their prime (i.e. LAL, DAL, etc.) then it's probably a concern since it might be tough to beat those guys.

Even still, I think some fans are getting a little too caught up in the hype before we see what this triumverate can accomplish. I've got some questions about how this team will defend, and how this pecking order will work when a game is on the line in the postseason.

The West does look weakened a bit. The good teams are a year older. You never know what's happening with Denver. Portland has question marks all over the place. Utah and Phoenix lost key players.

There are some up and coming teams though. If Yao is healthy I can't see how Houston misses the playoffs. Memphis is a team on the rise. New Orleans might bounce back with a healthy Chris Paul, especially if they get something for Darren Collison. Even the Clippers have assembled some interesting talent.

The Heat don't worry me at all. If we get to the WCF then I'll worry about them some.

fallacy · Post #3 » by **fallacy** » Sat Jul 10, 2010 4:44 pm

They all have ET options after their 3rd year so if one of them isn't happy they can bail quite quickly. This might fall apart before anything happens

KayDee35 · Post #4 » by **KayDee35** » Sat Jul 10, 2010 8:49 pm

I think this Thunder team can compete with the Heat eventually. They'll be more physical, will be better inside, and will have better length.

None of the matchups except for LeBron concern me. Westbrook or Harden will be a tough cover for Chalmers and they along with Thabo can limit Wade. I like Ibaka vs. Bosh. I think Durant will have trouble with LeBron's strength on both ends just as he had with Artest... unless he gets a lot stronger.

JasonDaPsycho · Post #5 » by **JasonDaPsycho** » Sun Jul 11, 2010 7:43 am

Thunder has a chance to defeat Miami Heat now.
Westbrook could potentially lock down Wade
When KD puts on a little more weight and further improves on defense (I know he's trying and commited to doing so), he'll be good enough to hold Lebron to an acceptable level of play.
As for Chris Bosh, he's too soft.

And with a way better bench and role players, the Thunder looks better than the Heat in many aspects. Maybe the major pieces don't look as good as the Heat's, but there's a chance.

lakers16xchamps · Post #6 » by **lakers16xchamps** » Mon Jul 12, 2010 5:30 pm

^ LOL OKC shouldn't even be think about the Heat or any of the elite teams in the NBA, they should just worry about trying to get out of the 1st round.

I guess it's a good thing Durant/Westbrook are young but they are very overrated.

PMONSTER · Post #7 » by **PMONSTER** » Mon Jul 12, 2010 8:25 pm

lakers16xchamps wrote:^ LOL OKC shouldn't even be think about the Heat or any of the elite teams in the NBA, they should just worry about trying to get out of the 1st round.

I guess it's a good thing Durant/Westbrook are young but they are very overrated.

Wow how rude....Im a thunder fan using my brother SN (he's a bulls fan) but when i seen this outragous display of freedom of speech by this laker guy i had to write something...OVERRATED PLAYERS dont battle the champs to the brink of a game seven that wasnt so due to a OVERRATED TIP IN...OVERRATED PLAYERS dont lead the league in scoring OVERRATED PLAYERS dont score 40 points respectively in allstar games (it was the rookie/soph challenge) but still an allstar game....and the final point i'll make is, as a team and as the champs u dont make defensive adjustment for OVERRATED PLAYERS...

Canomad · Post #8 » by **Canomad** » Tue Jul 13, 2010 1:26 am

lakers16xchamps wrote:^ LOL OKC shouldn't even be think about the Heat or any of the elite teams in the NBA, they should just worry about trying to get out of the 1st round.

I guess it's a good thing Durant/Westbrook are young but they are very overrated.

no sir.......no they are not overrated.

SOUP · Post #9 » by **SOUP** » Tue Jul 13, 2010 5:35 am

lakers16xchamps wrote:^ LOL OKC shouldn't even be think about the Heat or any of the elite teams in the NBA, they should just worry about trying to get out of the 1st round.

I guess it's a good thing Durant/Westbrook are young but they are very overrated.

Typical illogical bandwagon Lakers fan.

You guys are doing it right, will be rooting for you in the West.

Post #10 » by **kyphi** » Tue Jul 13, 2010 4:43 pm

lakers fans are spoiled. OKC is the team of the future (hopefully next year) in the West.

houston911 · Post #11 » by **houston911** » Wed Jul 14, 2010 1:01 am

im still pissed about drafting harden. hated it on draft night hate it even more after what the heat did this offseason. evans should have been the pick. people say evans doesnt fit, but i think evans will be better than westbrook. thunder werent in a position to pass on the superior talent for fit in my opinion

Post #12 » by **sonictecture** » Wed Jul 14, 2010 3:23 am

houston911 wrote:im still pissed about drafting harden. hated it on draft night hate it even more after what the heat did this offseason. evans should have been the pick. people say evans doesnt fit, but i think evans will be better than westbrook. thunder werent in a position to pass on the superior talent for fit in my opinion

Evans over Harden, Whiteside over Pleiss. I get the feeling that Presti is going to piss you off on a regular basis on draft night or with transactions in general. Like it or not Presti has a vision for how he wants to build this team and to date has shown amazing discipline in staying with that plan.

My observations are that Presti isn't just assembling some talent to see how it plays together and looking to make moves down the road. His tact seems much more of a chess player than a gambler. Presti is looking several moves ahead of the current move and from the beginning has valued fit as much and in some cases more than talent. As fans we rarely get to see a GM build a team so methodically and with so much attention to how each player fits with the other.

Time and results will show whether Presti is the smartest man in the room or blinded by his own master vision for this team.

dream_catcher_9 · Post #13 » by **dream_catcher_9** » Wed Jul 14, 2010 4:17 am

sonictecture with another great post. He gets Presti just like me. come on board slick

Post #14 » by **slick_watts** » Wed Jul 14, 2010 4:59 am

Evans was more productive than Harden but I still think Harden was the correct pick. Russ and Evans just would not work together. Presti in the last three drafts went for fit rather than BPA. It worked out with Westbrook, so I'm thinking it will work out with Harden too.

dream_catcher_9 wrote:sonictecture with another great post. He gets Presti just like me. come on board slick

I understand Presti's methods just fine. I question whether or not the team will be able to win a title with just the assembled talent, that's all, without adding a significant piece in free agency or trade. As sonictecture said, Presti will probably stick to the plan for better or worse, so my question will be answered one way or another.

Post #15 » by **sonictecture** » Wed Jul 14, 2010 5:57 am

I agree with the question that Slick posses. We're observing something very unusual with Presti and periodic questioning or bewilderment seem to go along with the ride. Presti keeps it interesting.

houston911 · Post #16 » by **houston911** » Wed Jul 14, 2010 8:56 am

sonictecture wrote:
houston911 wrote:im still pissed about drafting harden. hated it on draft night hate it even more after what the heat did this offseason. evans should have been the pick. people say evans doesnt fit, but i think evans will be better than westbrook. thunder werent in a position to pass on the superior talent for fit in my opinion

Evans over Harden, Whiteside over Pleiss. I get the feeling that Presti is going to piss you off on a regular basis on draft night or with transactions in general. Like it or not Presti has a vision for how he wants to build this team and to date has shown amazing discipline in staying with that plan.

My observations are that Presti isn't just assembling some talent to see how it plays together and looking to make moves down the road. His tact seems much more of a chess player than a gambler. Presti is looking several moves ahead of the current move and from the beginning has valued fit as much and in some cases more than talent. As fans we rarely get to see a GM build a team so methodically and with so much attention to how each player fits with the other.

Time and results will show whether Presti is the smartest man in the room or blinded by his own master vision for this team.

like i said, i agree with drafting for fit in most places, but when you have a chance to draft a guy who could be the 2nd best player on your team, you don't pass on him because of a fit....thats just common sense.

has presti drafted anyone with a tattoo yet? :lol:

thunder would have been so much better with reke. i've never seen a player miss as many layups as harden did this season.

Post #17 » by **slick_watts** » Wed Jul 14, 2010 2:18 pm

houston911 wrote:like i said, i agree with drafting for fit in most places, but when you have a chance to draft a guy who could be the 2nd best player on your team, you don't pass on him because of a fit....thats just common sense.

has presti drafted anyone with a tattoo yet? thunder would have been so much better with reke. i've never seen a player miss as many layups as harden did this season.

Tyreke Evans and Russell Westbrook would not work. They are too similar. They need the ball in their hands to be effective, neither of them has much range, and they both want to attack the rim. James Harden can shoot the 3, he defends well (better than Evans, IMO) and he doesn't need the ball in his hands to be an effective player offensively. Teams will still pay attention to him when he's behind the 3pt line spotting up. Nobody cares about Evans out there.

Evans and Harden are both very young and neither is through with their development. This is too early to settle either way, no matter what your opinion is. A good example is Westbrook over Brook Lopez. After their rookie seasons it looked like a stupid thing that Presti did. Now it looks a lot less stupid.

houston911 · Post #18 » by **houston911** » Wed Jul 14, 2010 3:22 pm

I hated brook lopez, i can't believe he ended up being this good. we'll see what happens with reke, like you said he's only 20, who knows how his shot will develop. i'm not really feeling aldrich either. how did yall like that pick?

fallacy · Post #19 » by **fallacy** » Wed Jul 14, 2010 5:48 pm

houston911 wrote:I hated brook lopez, i can't believe he ended up being this good. we'll see what happens with reke, like you said he's only 20, who knows how his shot will develop. i'm not really feeling aldrich either. how did yall like that pick?

yes. A 6'11" Center who WANTS to play defense and can block shots and be an intimidater down low. We led the league in blocked shots last year (im pretty sure) and we're only going to get better with him down there. can you imagine Aldrich and Ibaka in at the same time? I'd be terrified to drive that lane

Jimmy76 · Post #20 » by **Jimmy76** » Wed Jul 14, 2010 8:45 pm

fallacy wrote:
houston911 wrote:I hated brook lopez, i can't believe he ended up being this good. we'll see what happens with reke, like you said he's only 20, who knows how his shot will develop. i'm not really feeling aldrich either. how did yall like that pick?

yes. A 6'11" Center who WANTS to play defense and can block shots and be an intimidater down low. We led the league in blocked shots last year (im pretty sure) and we're only going to get better with him down there. can you imagine Aldrich and Ibaka in at the same time? I'd be terrified to drive that lane

ibaka/aldrich starting and playing starter minutes :pray:

we could be a hell of a defensive team