Taking a step back

[Chalky White]

It's so frustrating because you're just showing an incredible amount of ignorance and tunnel vision in every post. It's not worth the effort anymore. You act like this offseason ("sitting on their ass and doing nothing") is reflective of every off-season, past, present, and future.

I have no problem with your passion and disdain for the OKC FO. What I do have a problem with, though, is your ignorance and unwillingness to reason and understand some of the things you're trying to arguing are just simply flatout wrong.

As for those teams you listed, sure, but the Thunder could just a easily beat any of them in a 7-game series.

His arguments have been strong and his points logical, and so I suspect your accusations of ignorance, wrongness, and rigidness are sourced less in genuine critics of his analysis, but instead are fueled by your own sectarian bias. Which may also explain why you are so willing to wield your sword before a small crowd of those whose opinions align with your own, but yet you shrink before the larger group of opposing thinkers.

[NaturalThunder]

It's so frustrating because you're just showing an incredible amount of ignorance and tunnel vision in every post. It's not worth the effort anymore. You act like this offseason ("sitting on their ass and doing nothing") is reflective of every off-season, past, present, and future.

I have no problem with your passion and disdain for the OKC FO. What I do have a problem with, though, is your ignorance and unwillingness to reason and understand some of the things you're trying to arguing are just simply flatout wrong.

As for those teams you listed, sure, but the Thunder could just a easily beat any of them in a 7-game series.

His arguments have been strong and his points logical, and so I suspect your accusations of ignorance, wrongness, and rigidness are sourced less in genuine critics of his analysis, but instead are fueled by your own sectarian bias. Which may also explain why you are so willing to wield your sword before a small crowd of those whose opinions align with your own, but yet you shrink before the larger group of opposing thinkers.

How so? The foundation for a lot of his arguments are very misinformed. Logical, yes, but he's also basing some of his arguments on wrong information or misguided understanding of the whole situation.

Of course you're just as bitter towards the OKC front-office as he is, so I doubt you'd be able to see that.

As for the whole "shrink in front of a larger crowd" comment....wrong. I've said here several times -- even think I mentioned it once or twice when we were going back-and-forth -- that I can't post on the general board. It has nothing to do with me running to the smaller crowd who agrees with me. I has nothing to do with me being afraid.

[marcusaurelius]

Some people on here seem to have the attitude that anyone who says anything bad about an OKC front office decision HAS to be some kind of a crazed wacko with a vendetta against all that is good in the world. After all, the OKC front office is full of geniuses and they never makes mistakes. Who can question that? Only devil worshipers and communists would question the OKC front office.

Well, sorry, but I question a LOT of their decisions. And I am not a communist or a devil worshiper, am a USAF veteran, and I have always paid my taxes and used to even do volunteer work a few years ago. And, shockingly, I try to take Socrates advice and actually question lots of things. But who is Socrates to question the OKC front office? He should be erased from the history books because he questions the OKC front office, right?

First, Brooks is just not a very good head coach. You will have a hard time winning a championship with him as your head coach.

Second, Perkins was never a good idea. You will not win a championship with Perkins as your starting center. His production could easily be replaced for less money. He is just too weak offensively to ever make it up on the defensive end. And he is just not as good defensively as some of you guys act like. Easily replaced.

Third, they didn't HAVE to trade Harden. Tons of good options. Why not keep Harden and trade Ibaka and Perkins for a real center? Why not look at trading Westbrook instead of Harden? Why not keep Harden and amnesty Perkins? If you love Perkins so much, why not trade Ibaka and keep Harden? Plenty of other things they could have done. {Note: Durant, Westbrook, Harden, and a real center would be WAY better than what you have now.}

They HAVE taken a step back. Many people (including myself) thought they had the makings of a dynasty. Now, unless they get a LARGE upgrade at center, I think they will have a very difficult time ever being the western conference champions again. Oh, and BTW, they weren't going to beat SA last year even if Westbrook isn't hurt.

Sure, they will still have a good regular season record (assuming Westbrook comes back as good as he used to be), but I just don't see them doing much in the playoffs. I see SA, GS, Houston, LAC, and Memphis all improving this offseason. At best, I think OKC will be the third or fourth best playoff team in the west.

That is just my honest opinion, when I take off the rose colored glasses, and use logic and reason to examine the facts. Oh, and the major pharmaceutical companies are not compensating me for saying this stuff.

[sonictecture]

When you're using logic and reason to examine the facts of this team are Durant and Westbrook still playing? As a reminder when they are both playing this team is very good.

You are free to disagree with Presti's choice of Ibaka over Harden, or any other choices Presti has made, but let's be clear it was Presti's decision to make not your or mine. You've made your opinion known, it's in the record book. Now we'll see what happens going forward.