OKC is a disgrace

[Big J]

That’s kinda my point.

OKC is run by one of the top 5 GM’s in the league. He knows what he’s doing so they won’t be down for long. Saying that a couple of blowouts will stay with them for years was just a dumb statement. Losing for 15 years? That stench is much harder to wash off.

He's not a top 5 GM. He may have had some good draft picks in the past, but he also traded away Harden for trash when he could have had a dynasty.

Top 5 GM. Maybe even top 3. Even if you hate the guy and downgrade him for silly reasons he’s what? 7th at worst?

He’s had one of the smallest markets in the league in the playoffs 11 years now. They were legit contenders for much of that period. And when it was time to rebuild, he absolutely killed the Clippers and Rockets in trades setting them up perfectly for the future.

Can you come up with anything negative other that the Harden trade? Which happened 8-9 years ago and was partially forced because ownership refused to meet his FA asking price? That’s all you got?

I’m honestly not sure what you think makes a GM worthy of top 5 status if it’s not Presti.

Blame ownership all you want, but he is partially responsible for what happened with Harden. He easily could have A. Not given Perkins the extension and paid Harden his asking price, or B. amnestied Perkins and given Harden his asking price.

[Jadoogar]

OKC playing TOR tonight. Pretty sure I saw some Raptors fans in here condemning tanking? Ya’ll must not be watching your own team.

still wanna talk about tanking?

Ummm.... yes? My first thought was, "Oh, TOR must have won a few in a row". Nope. Pretty sure Lowry is still out, Trent is sitting, and you've lost two in a row.

Not sure what you meanby this post, exactly? Other than TOR is trying to win, but can't because they suck? As if that's somehow better than choosing to lose. hehe

EDIT: bad at grammar

LOL isn't that what tanking is? you were bragging that toronto was sitting players while OKC just went out and lost by 60.
Good work?

[Raps in 4]

I hope OKC ownership learned their lesson and don't cheap out to retain the talent that will be incoming with all these picks.

[cjmcallist]

still wanna talk about tanking?

Ummm.... yes? My first thought was, "Oh, TOR must have won a few in a row". Nope. Pretty sure Lowry is still out, Trent is sitting, and you've lost two in a row.

Not sure what you meanby this post, exactly? Other than TOR is trying to win, but can't because they suck? As if that's somehow better than choosing to lose. hehe

EDIT: bad at grammar

LOL isn't that what tanking is? you were bragging that toronto was sitting players while OKC just went out and lost by 60.
Good work?

It is good work. I'm glad OKC is tanking.

Maybe I misunderstood what you were saying.

I was trying to point out that TOR fans were condemning tanking, while their team is actively tanking! If TOR is trying to lose games, then they're also doing good work.

[The Rebel]

It’s amazing how people defend the behavior of okc. If Lakers blatantly tanked the whole league would be up in arms. Double standards

Considering they tanked for 4 years and nobody said a word I guess you are right, you have a huge double standard.

[thelead]

It’s amazing how people defend the behavior of okc. If Lakers blatantly tanked the whole league would be up in arms. Double standards

Considering they tanked for 4 years and nobody said a word I guess you are right, you have a huge double standard.

and their tanking worked by allowing them to amass enough talent to trade for AD.

[The Rebel]

It’s amazing how people defend the behavior of okc. If Lakers blatantly tanked the whole league would be up in arms. Double standards

Considering they tanked for 4 years and nobody said a word I guess you are right, you have a huge double standard.

and their tanking worked by allowing them to amass enough talent to trade for AD.

Considering AD made it clear that he was only going to the Lakers I don't think their young talent was much of a factor.

[HabsAndDubs]

Fallacious analogy. It was LeBron’s signing, followed by his recruitment of AD, that turned the Lakers around. OKC, which I’m sure is a very nice little town (sadly, I’ve never been), is unlikely to be a hotbed for the next crop of superstar free agents.

On the other hand, maybe Cade will be the next Durant, and OKC’s high lottery pick in the 2022 draft will be the next Westbrook, and then the next Harden will be OKC’s top 5 pick in 2023. I guess lightning can strike twice after all?

Even so, just when the intentional tanking is complete and OKC is finally ready to start playing winning basketball again, SGA will probably demand a trade to a big market, with this year’s top pick signaling he is likely to soon follow suit. Then the cycle of blatant tanking and rebuilding through the draft will resume. Rinse and repeat.

Perhaps I’m wrong and OKC can overcome the dynamics that drive today’s NBA and the players who now command all the leverage. I hope so.

Lakers tanked a lot, so they get diangelo, randle, ingram and ball, they got Lebron on FA because they are a big market, and get AD for all of them

Yes, but if they don’t get LeBron, they don’t get AD whether they had the assets to trade for him or not. And as you noted, LeBron only signed there because they are the glitzy big market Lakers.

Hence, my point still stands, and I suspect OKC will, unfortunately, have a tough time competing in an increasingly star-driven league, especially if they continue to cement a losing culture.

Lebron would not join a team that wasn’t able to become a championship contender within 2 seasons, and the only reason why the Lakers were able to dramatically turn things around is because they yanked/were hot garbage for years and amassed a ton of young assets. LA is a great place for Lebron’s career and business interests, but if the Knicks or Clippers or whoever had a more favourable situation, that’s where he’d go. Can’t possibly imagine a scenario where Lebron joins a mediocre Lakers team that he carries to the 4th seed and a second round exit every year until he retires.

It seems like forever ago, but we’re only 2 years removed from rumours of AD going to like 5 different teams, so it’s not like he was traded there purely for the magnetism of Lebron.

[JayMKE]

In the end their tanking and asset collection isnt going to work

[MoneyTalks41890]

I hope OKC ownership learned their lesson and don't cheap out to retain the talent that will be incoming with all these picks.

Had among the highest payroll in the league before this year. Keep up.

[cjmcallist]

For all the Raps fans out there - feel free to come down off your high horse now. hehehe

https://theathletic.com/2572979/2021/05/06/koreen-the-play-in-tournament-wasnt-intended-for-a-team-like-these-raptors/

The Raptors, on the other hand, have weighed the pros and cons of competing for the play-in tournament, and they have obviously decided for something considerably less than an all-in push. It is understandable. Lowry, who is still so good that he has had to be liberally rested in their “efforts,” is 35, and will be a free agent in August. The most important players on the team — Siakam, VanVleet and Anunoby — have already had a good chunk of high-leverage experience in their careers. It might be helpful, but it is not necessary to get them more reps. The temptation of extra revenue from home playoff games certainly isn’t overwhelming.

They have concluded that opportunities to evaluate some of the players further down the depth chart, and the better lottery odds that potentially come with that decision, are more valuable than prioritizing amassing as many wins as possible, and maybe playing more than the scheduled 72 games.

[MoneyTalks41890]

OKC currently holding down the 4th lotto position. Need Cleveland and Orlando to win tonight.

[baldur]

lol again. imagine a team that loses every second game by 50. no worse team in the entire nba history.

[timO]

lol again. imagine a team that loses every second game by 50. no worse team in the entire nba history.

only one will be the worse team in nba history, the actual champions kicked out of playoffs in the play in

curry>LA
then grizz > LA

[Mr Loggins]

as a cavs fan, all i can do is look at okc and say “kudos”.

But thanks, Boston, for getting them that 21st win!

[Trey24]

They should automatically receive no higher than the 5th pick.

[ciueli]

For all the Raps fans out there - feel free to come down off your high horse now. hehehe

https://theathletic.com/2572979/2021/05/06/koreen-the-play-in-tournament-wasnt-intended-for-a-team-like-these-raptors/

The Raptors, on the other hand, have weighed the pros and cons of competing for the play-in tournament, and they have obviously decided for something considerably less than an all-in push. It is understandable. Lowry, who is still so good that he has had to be liberally rested in their “efforts,” is 35, and will be a free agent in August. The most important players on the team — Siakam, VanVleet and Anunoby — have already had a good chunk of high-leverage experience in their careers. It might be helpful, but it is not necessary to get them more reps. The temptation of extra revenue from home playoff games certainly isn’t overwhelming.

They have concluded that opportunities to evaluate some of the players further down the depth chart, and the better lottery odds that potentially come with that decision, are more valuable than prioritizing amassing as many wins as possible, and maybe playing more than the scheduled 72 games.

We've gone into this before. Tanking for half a season when injury or bad luck strike is fine, if unfortunate. Building a team from the ground up to tank for 3+ years isn't. Raps doing the the former, OKC doing the latter (again, after they already did it to get KD, Westbrook, and Harden).

[MoneyTalks41890]

For all the Raps fans out there - feel free to come down off your high horse now. hehehe

https://theathletic.com/2572979/2021/05/06/koreen-the-play-in-tournament-wasnt-intended-for-a-team-like-these-raptors/

The Raptors, on the other hand, have weighed the pros and cons of competing for the play-in tournament, and they have obviously decided for something considerably less than an all-in push. It is understandable. Lowry, who is still so good that he has had to be liberally rested in their “efforts,” is 35, and will be a free agent in August. The most important players on the team — Siakam, VanVleet and Anunoby — have already had a good chunk of high-leverage experience in their careers. It might be helpful, but it is not necessary to get them more reps. The temptation of extra revenue from home playoff games certainly isn’t overwhelming.

They have concluded that opportunities to evaluate some of the players further down the depth chart, and the better lottery odds that potentially come with that decision, are more valuable than prioritizing amassing as many wins as possible, and maybe playing more than the scheduled 72 games.

We've gone into this before. Tanking for half a season when injury or bad luck strike is fine, if unfortunate. Building a team from the ground up to tank for 3+ years isn't. Raps doing the the former, OKC doing the latter (again, after they already did it to get KD, Westbrook, and Harden).

Besides being factually incorrect this just makes no sense

[ciueli]

For all the Raps fans out there - feel free to come down off your high horse now. hehehe

https://theathletic.com/2572979/2021/05/06/koreen-the-play-in-tournament-wasnt-intended-for-a-team-like-these-raptors/

We've gone into this before. Tanking for half a season when injury or bad luck strike is fine, if unfortunate. Building a team from the ground up to tank for 3+ years isn't. Raps doing the the former, OKC doing the latter (again, after they already did it to get KD, Westbrook, and Harden).

Besides being factually incorrect this just makes no sense

OKC intentionally sabotaging their team at the start of the season is exactly what happened. Maybe you could accuse Toronto of the same thing if they had traded Kyle Lowry at the start of the season the way OKC did Chris Paul.

[shangrila]

For all the Raps fans out there - feel free to come down off your high horse now. hehehe

https://theathletic.com/2572979/2021/05/06/koreen-the-play-in-tournament-wasnt-intended-for-a-team-like-these-raptors/

The Raptors, on the other hand, have weighed the pros and cons of competing for the play-in tournament, and they have obviously decided for something considerably less than an all-in push. It is understandable. Lowry, who is still so good that he has had to be liberally rested in their “efforts,” is 35, and will be a free agent in August. The most important players on the team — Siakam, VanVleet and Anunoby — have already had a good chunk of high-leverage experience in their careers. It might be helpful, but it is not necessary to get them more reps. The temptation of extra revenue from home playoff games certainly isn’t overwhelming.

They have concluded that opportunities to evaluate some of the players further down the depth chart, and the better lottery odds that potentially come with that decision, are more valuable than prioritizing amassing as many wins as possible, and maybe playing more than the scheduled 72 games.

What I still don't get is why they didn't trade Lowry if this was the plan. Unless your only offer was Andrew Wiggins, surely you could have gotten something for him before he presumably walks.