OKC Thunder Offseason 2017: The Reshapening

[Thunder Up]

Hayward to Celtics... Hopefully we can get Rudy over the Heat but I doubt it

[ThunderBolt]

Hayward to Celtics... Hopefully we can get Rudy over the Heat but I doubt it

Boston needs to shed salary. I would hope we can find some value there.

[spearsy23]

Hayward to Celtics... Hopefully we can get Rudy over the Heat but I doubt it

Boston needs to shed salary. I would hope we can find some value there.

Smart or rozier please. .

[spearsy23]

Hold up, woj says no decision.

[NaturalThunder]

Back-to-back years where small market, blue collar type franchises get their hearts crushed on July 4th. Losing Hayward isn't as big of a blow as losing Durant, but the Jazz were actually on the rise and some small hope of being a WCF team within the next 2-3 years.

[ThunderBolt]

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[NaturalThunder]

DeAndre Jordan-Gate Part II?

[NaturalThunder]

ESPN still has it up on their home page.

[slick_watts]

'blue-collar type franchises'? lol. what the heck is that?

[NaturalThunder]

'blue-collar type franchises'? lol. what the heck is that?

Do I really need to explain to you what blue collar is?

Am I completely way off-base in thinking both the Jazz and Thunder franchises have that feel about them? Both are small market franchises that come with virtually no flash. I don't know, maybe blue collar, hardworking, put on your hardhat and go to work isn't the best way to put it. Part of my line of thinking, too, is Utah has only one pro sports team to root on, same as Oklahoma. With the very few pro sports franchises that have such a fanbase (lone pro sports team in the state), the entire organization, all the way down to the fanbase, seems to be a lot more passionate and loyal and, with that, comes a more traditional "blue collar, hard working" feel.

[slick_watts]

'blue-collar type franchises'? lol. what the heck is that?

Do I really need to explain to you what blue collar is?

Am I completely way off-base in thinking both the Jazz and Thunder franchises have that feel about them? Both are small market franchises that come with virtually no flash. I don't know, maybe blue collar/hardworking, put on your hardhat and go to work, isn't the best idioms to use to explain them. Part of my line of thinking, too, is Utah has only one pro sports team to root on, same as Oklahoma, so there tends to be a more loyal, hold-strong traditional feel to those fanbases.

i think presti and the thunder exploit that veneer but it's curious how so many players leave the thunder nonplussed (waiters being the latest example).

does being a blue collar team mean you work harder than the other teams? do you think the jazz and the thunder do?

[Pillendreher]

Let's go Jazz!

[NaturalThunder]

'blue-collar type franchises'? lol. what the heck is that?

Do I really need to explain to you what blue collar is?

Am I completely way off-base in thinking both the Jazz and Thunder franchises have that feel about them? Both are small market franchises that come with virtually no flash. I don't know, maybe blue collar/hardworking, put on your hardhat and go to work, isn't the best idioms to use to explain them. Part of my line of thinking, too, is Utah has only one pro sports team to root on, same as Oklahoma, so there tends to be a more loyal, hold-strong traditional feel to those fanbases.

i think presti and the thunder exploit that veneer but it's curious how so many players leave the thunder nonplussed (waiters being the latest example).

does being a blue collar team mean you work harder than the other teams? do you think the jazz and the thunder do?

Of course not. I know that's a silly notion. Every franchise (players, coaches, front office) works roughly as hard as the other 29 franchises.

I mostly think of the fanbases of such teams (small market, lone pro sports franchises) that are blue collar. And, in a way, I think that can vaguely rub off on the team itself. I mean I do think there is still a level of bluecollar-ish work ethic in the front offices of a team like the Thunder and Jazz, because they know they aren't going to lure FAs to their town, so they have to be willing to gamble and strike out more in the draft, with trades, and through non-flashy free agency gambles. However, I do think the "blue collar" persona of the fanbase can sometimes rub off on the players.

[Pillendreher]

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Hopefully we're in the mix.

[Old Man Game]

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What's the famous quote by Peggy Noonan?

Is it irresponsible to speculate? It is irresponsible not to.

[Old Man Game]

Provided we don't get the 4 situation ironed out before the season begins we should give Jarnell Stokes a 10 day contract and give him a look. He was the D League MVP in 15-16 and is still just 23 years old. Not expecting much but the cost to take a look would be low.

[spearsy23]

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Hopefully we're in the mix.

It might bode well for us that nobody knows the teams.

[Atomic Punk]

Star players are interested in 3 things:
Market
Money
Chance to win

Second and third tier players are interested in 3 things:
Money
Market
Chance to win

Aging vets with no rings are interested in 3 things:
Chance to win
Market
Money

The Thunder and other "blue collar" franchises like the Jazz are at a disadvantage when it comes to market (a big damn deal to these players), so they will always have difficulty attracting top level talent. They have to build through the draft and trades and then overpay (sometimes) to retain their talent. At the end of the day, the gravitational pull of top market teams who are willing to pay top dollar will mostly win out (Cavs and Spurs are two exceptions when it comes to market that I can think of).

That means the Thunder are going to have to get very creative here to fill out this roster. Let's assume that they are able to resign Roberson and extend Russ. Let's also assume they don't trade Kanter. Then what? You still have 4 glaring holes to fill:
Competent backup point guard
Power forward, stretch or otherwise
Wing who can shot, create and play a little D
Backup rim protector/rim runner

If anyone thinks that even one of those spots can be filled by anybody playing for the Thunder summer league team, well......
Maybe Huestis but still.....Dakari would be good for 6 fouls on a playoff team but that's about it.

I think there are going to be some very interesting players that may be available in the bargain bin, the FA money is going to dry up quickly (teams running out of space or unwilling to spend if they are relatively certain that they can't compete in the near term). I think Presti and the Thunder need to be patient here, opportunity will come. This team will not likely make any more big or headline grabbing moves. I do think that if they take their time and make opportunistic moves, they will have a very good team next season. I don't think that 50 wins and a top 4 playoff seed is out of the question depending on what additional moves are made. And let's not sleep on Paul George here, there is a reason other contenders wanted him, dude can ball. While he may not be the trancendent player that KD is, he is still damn good and arguably a better fit with Westbrook.

[Pillendreher]

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[Zack M]

Rudy Gay's defensive matchups from the 2015-16 season