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Fire Sam Presti - Enough is enough

Posted: Sat Jul 6, 2019 8:57 am
by Pillendreher
That's it. This must be the final straw. I can't deal with this **** anymore.

For years and years, all he did was sit on his ass and go after washed up vets as buyouts. The Derek Fisher, Cameron Butler era. With the Westbrook-Durant-Ibaka core, it didn't hurt that much, but he still didn't make a single move to actually go for a title.

Then he started the "Let me overpay for trash and force it down the Thunder's throat" era. Overpaid for Waiters. Overpaid for Kanter. Overpaid for Grant. Overpaid for Schröder. Again and again and again, he wasted draft picks on guys that were not good players and did not deserve such a trade return. And once those guys were on the roster, they were heavily featured, no matter their skillset and general fit with the guys around them. They treated Waiters like he was a Top 5 guard. Kanter played minutes no matter how much he was killing the defense. Grant has played the 3, the 4 and the 5, simply out of desperation to find consistent minutes for him, regardless of his performance. And last season we got to enjoy the Dennis Schröder as SG season, which did not work at all, but hey: They promised Schröder starter minutes (he said so himself on German TV) and that's what he got, no matter wether it was working or not.

Hiring Donovan without even interviewing anybody else. Why? Because they were buddies prior to the hire. Due to this, we got to enjoy the Donovan era, aka the "He could literally faint and nobody would notice because it would not impact the team's performance at all" era. No offensive system besides featuring single guys heavily. Defensive schemes that fall off a cliff sooner or later. No idea on how to adjust to opposing teams. Two postseasons in a row the Thunder defended the opposing point guard the same way, not really bothering any one at all, even though one was Rubio, one was Lillard. Whne asked about it, Donovan simply said that the Thunder were "an over team".

In Kevin Durant's final season, the biggest season in franchise history, Presti proceeded to hire his buddy and as his great trade deadline, one last push, aquisition, he went after RANDY **** FOYE. No urgency. None whatsoever.

Andre Roberson injured himself in February 2018. Since then, the Thunder didn't aquire a single NBA level wing to make up for the loss. NOT A SINGLE **** ONE.

The Thunder have been a trash shooting team basically the entire time they have been in Oklahoma City. What does its GM have to say for himself?

I'd love for us to have more shooting. I think you look at the team and you say, well, on paper, if we look at these numbers, like this -- totally see that.


The Thunder keep going after raw athletes with no real basketball skills besides jumping. Why you say?

"We like serious basketball players, guys that are serious about the game,” Weaver said. “Guys that work hard. Guys that are good teammates. We can (figure out) all the other stuff, skillset and all that. Those three things are the main pillars.”


But wait, you say. Surely Presti has to see all this. Right?

Outsiders assumed Westbrook should be ringed by floor-spacing snipers, like Harden in Houston, but Presti demands evidence.


Since 2013, Presti has spent about 9 or 10 FRP in trades and in the draft. As of right now, Sabonis is far and away the best of those selections. As for the other ones, the only one with a positive NBA season so far is probably Grant in 18-19. That's it. Payne out of the league. McGary out of the league. Huestis out of the league. Ferguson starting while not being able to dribble as a guard. Waiters is still trash. Kanter still the very same player that always tanks his team's defense. Schröder just a way worse blend of Irving/Westbrook. Now he drafts this kid that went and made money instead of playing competitive basketball.

Apart from the Paul George trade, these are probably his best trades in 12 years:

Getting Perkins while freeing up minutes for Ibaka

And then it's probably the Payne for Gibson trade (which should have happened when they still had KD btw, but he rather went after Randy Foye). Honestly, I can't even come up with another good trade by him.

Here are his best FA signings:

1.Noel
2.Patterson
3.Morrow
4.Fisher

That's it as well.

I'm so tired of this. All of this is a direct result of general incompetence. He more or less lucked into the best draft core in NBA history and all he accomplished was **** things up. James Harden was traded in 2012 and 7 years later, we are still looking for a SG.

If the Thunder are about to tear it all down, the teardown needs to start with him.

Russ wasted four years of his prime for this. **** believable.

Re: Fire Sam Presti - Enough is enough

Posted: Sat Jul 6, 2019 8:59 am
by timO
Presti does what the cheap ownership wants, he do it with Harden and now with PG, they dont want to pay more repeater tax.

More trades incoming.

Re: Fire Sam Presti - Enough is enough

Posted: Sat Jul 6, 2019 9:00 am
by GrindCityHustle
He got lucky drafting 3 generational talents and managed to keep 1.

He is basically like Joe Dumars now at the end of his Pistons GM run. I doubt he makes it 2 more seasons with this team.

Re: Fire Sam Presti - Enough is enough

Posted: Sat Jul 6, 2019 9:08 am
by timO
Ibaka=Oladipo+Sabonis=PG=5 FRP and SGA not bad for a GM.

Lets sign grunfeld, kupchack or AINGE hahahah

Re: Fire Sam Presti - Enough is enough

Posted: Sat Jul 6, 2019 9:11 am
by username_taken
Presti did fine with this deal. He’s made his mistakes but he also has to deal with the constraints of a tough market to sell players on and cheap ownership that forces him to cut salary

Re: Fire Sam Presti - Enough is enough

Posted: Sat Jul 6, 2019 9:23 am
by Pillendreher
username_taken wrote:Presti did fine with this deal. He’s made his mistakes but he also has to deal with the constraints of a tough market to sell players on and cheap ownership that forces him to cut salary


Cheap ownership just paid 200+ million so Presti could trade for Dennis Schröder. He trapped himself with being horrible at his job and now he should get lauded for this deal?

Image

He's like the arsonist trying to swoop in and be the hero. **** that.

Re: Fire Sam Presti - Enough is enough

Posted: Sat Jul 6, 2019 9:28 am
by shangrila
GrindCityHustle wrote:He got lucky drafting 3 generational talents and managed to keep 1.

He is basically like Joe Dumars now at the end of his Pistons GM run. I doubt he makes it 2 more seasons with this team.

I wouldn't say it was luck. Durant, maybe, but Westbrook was seen as a HUGE reach at the time (he was late lottery before he shut down workouts IIRC) and Harden had plenty of competition at the time (Tyreke Evans, Ricky Rubio).

I'd say he (or whoever was on his staff at the time) showed the ability to draft the right players with high picks. That's a skill, just look at all the perennial high lotto teams that can't manage that (sadly my Wolves included). But everything else? That's where he's lacking. Team construction, finding value in the FA market (a necessity for a small market team), nailing the late 1sts they do get, etc. I'm also just as mystified as most Thunder fans why Donovan has such a long leash, let alone was hired in the first place. He really wasn't qualified then and hasn't shown anything to disprove that notion yet he's backed completely by management. It's...bizarre.

He reminds me of Pritchard in Portland, though without the draft day trades. Too obsessed with his own successes that he couldn't see and address his flaws. Pritch at least has turned it around in Indiana (he's the GM there, right?) so maybe Presti could do the same. But not in OKC, not after all this.

Re: Fire Sam Presti - Enough is enough

Posted: Sat Jul 6, 2019 9:37 am
by Pillendreher
shangrila wrote:But not in OKC, not after all this.


They need to fire everybody. All the assistants already left. Send Donovan on his merry way. Bring in a complete new FO. Start over.

Re: Fire Sam Presti - Enough is enough

Posted: Sat Jul 6, 2019 5:14 pm
by davidfr94
I have always been impressed by his inability to find a coach that could actually make an impact and a decent two guard.

The second one is almost disturbing they have been playing d league guys (and bad ones) for the last ten years at that spot. I mean is it that hard to find a decent 2 guard? Just decent!

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Re: Fire Sam Presti - Enough is enough

Posted: Sat Jul 6, 2019 5:15 pm
by FNQ
He'll find a healthy market for his services and the OKC job wont be desirable. Careful what you wish for

Re: Fire Sam Presti - Enough is enough

Posted: Sat Jul 6, 2019 5:16 pm
by will
OKC in shambles.

Re: Fire Sam Presti - Enough is enough

Posted: Sat Jul 6, 2019 5:17 pm
by Dirk
Ibaka's expiring contract, eventually turned it into this:

2021 MIA 1st (unprotected)
2022 LAC 1st (unprotected)
2023 Heat 1st (protected)
2023 LAC pick swap
2024 Clips first (unprotected)
2025 LAC pick swap
2026 LAC 1st (unprotected)
Shai-Gilgeous Alexander, Jerami Grant, Gallinari

I guess it depends on how much you want to blame him for roster construction and how much you will blame coaching or the play of your superstar. It's a complex equation, but there is little doubt that Presti will not be out of a job for long.

Re: Fire Sam Presti - Enough is enough

Posted: Sat Jul 6, 2019 5:17 pm
by Hangtime84
And people get mad at Chicago for being mediocre at least most of our bad FRP stay in the league.

Re: Fire Sam Presti - Enough is enough

Posted: Sat Jul 6, 2019 5:18 pm
by Hangtime84
Dirk wrote:Ibaka's expiring contract, eventually turned it into this:

2021 MIA 1st (unprotected)
2022 LAC 1st (unprotected)
2023 Heat 1st (protected)
2023 LAC pick swap
2024 Clips first (unprotected)
2025 LAC pick swap
2026 LAC 1st (unprotected)
Shai-Gilgeous Alexander, Jerami Grant, Gallinari


Just don’t pull a Danny Angie and let these assets waste

Re: Fire Sam Presti - Enough is enough

Posted: Sat Jul 6, 2019 5:19 pm
by WeTheNorth123
Raptors fans probably hate him more than OKC fans right about now

Re: Fire Sam Presti - Enough is enough

Posted: Sat Jul 6, 2019 5:20 pm
by TimRobbins
OKC fans should be happy with the PG trade. They got a good haul of picks.

Re: Fire Sam Presti - Enough is enough

Posted: Sat Jul 6, 2019 5:21 pm
by vancity604
Presti is beyond overrated... he has no clue about how the league evolves... look no further than the bonehead move to use all that cap space on kendrick perkins when centers were evolving. Bonehead also has done a poor job of surrounding westbrook with snipers...its not complicated...you need 3 point shooters and spacing to win in the playoffs. Compare the shooters and spacing Harden has had in Houston to westbrook.

I would always shake my head when anyone would say presti is an elite GM

fire him

Re: Fire Sam Presti - Enough is enough

Posted: Sat Jul 6, 2019 5:24 pm
by heatwillbeback
The picks are good.

Picks are going to have to be how you build OKC. I know George came, but players don’t care to play in Oklahoma. Can’t count on anything in Fa.

Re: Fire Sam Presti - Enough is enough

Posted: Sat Jul 6, 2019 5:26 pm
by Johnny Fontane
They definitely need to blow it up. No one worth keeping at this point. Trade WB, attempt to get more 1st rounders for him

Purge the Front Office & coaches. This franchise needs to hit the reset button completely

Re: Fire Sam Presti - Enough is enough

Posted: Sat Jul 6, 2019 5:31 pm
by Doctor MJ
Chiming in here to say that it probably is time for Presti to go GM another franchise. He will be a hotter prospect than whoever OKC is likely to get, but I think OKC needs fresh eyes on the Westbrook problem.


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