Carmelo Anthony to OKC for Enes Kanter, Doug McDermott and a draft pick

[Andre Roberstan]

paul george was one thing, but i don't think carmelo would have ever been a sam presti target at any price in years past.

There was a rumor when things first started to break down in New York, and I think Weaver's been recruiting him since before that.

oh, i buy that. life began to move fast for sam and the org. since kd left. there's a loss of innocence type of vibe coming from sam, even, the last year or so. i like it.

I kind of agree with this.

[ThunderBolt]

There was a rumor when things first started to break down in New York, and I think Weaver's been recruiting him since before that.

oh, i buy that. life began to move fast for sam and the org. since kd left. there's a loss of innocence type of vibe coming from sam, even, the last year or so. i like it.

I kind of agree with this.

He basically said as much today. He made some comments today that even though sustainability is important, the window they have won’t stay open forever.

[Rotten Apple]

What Piece? Singler? Huestis? Christin? 2022 First?

Y'all are really talking like we didn't just hold up two teams at gunpoint.

Be prepared, put the offers on the table, and capitalize when the opportunity presents itself.

paul george was one thing, but i don't think carmelo would have ever been a sam presti target at any price in years past.

Woj said Presti has been after Melo for the past year or two.

[HarthorneWingo]

For this stage in his career you'll be getting the best version of Melo possible. Motivated for the first time in years to be a part of something special, spotting up and playing off ball enough to keep him happy while also getting some post/iso touches. An efficient 18-20 PPG with decent defense is what I'd expect.

Good luck with that. We were expecting that too.

[Patches Perry]

oh, i buy that. life began to move fast for sam and the org. since kd left. there's a loss of innocence type of vibe coming from sam, even, the last year or so. i like it.

I kind of agree with this.

He basically said as much today. He made some comments today that even though sustainability is important, the window they have won’t stay open forever.

Some of that is natural given the age of their best players though. When KD and Westbrook are 24 and 25 years old, you can be calculated with your moves because you have a 5+ year window. Westbrook is going to be 29 in a couple months. Of course it's win now time. I'm not convinced Presti wouldn't revert back to being more calculated if his franchise guy(s) were 23 years old.

That said, we're definitely seeing NBA superstars who need instant gratification and don't want to develop anything with a team. They want ready-built 1st year contenders. As a GM, that will definitely change your strategy. Gone are the days of the Duncan and Dirk.

[bondom34]

There was a rumor when things first started to break down in New York, and I think Weaver's been recruiting him since before that.

oh, i buy that. life began to move fast for sam and the org. since kd left. there's a loss of innocence type of vibe coming from sam, even, the last year or so. i like it.

I kind of agree with this.

Actually I do too. But I disagree vehemently he was ever "bad". Hell I had to argue with people he was better than GarPax and shouldn't be fired. I don't think any other GMs would pull this summer off if many. He's as good as he's ever been and he's always been great.

[bondom34]

Kinda did.

No, he really did not. What kind of moves did Presti make since 2012 that pointed to really going all in? Hint: His best free agent signing was Anthony Morrow and the most notable players he traded for were Enes Kanter and Dion Waiters.

ould have won if they werw ever...ya know...healthy. Go to other team subs and ask if they'd take Presti.

Yes, they could have. But that's because the core got better over the years, not the cast around it. Presti not once really went for it. Instead he either went with way past their prime vets (Fisher, Butler) or tried to get cute with getting bad players to turn them into good players. Little hint: It didn't work once. Not once.

Instead of maximizing what you have and go for it, Presti wanted to have his cake and eat it as well. He wanted to win it all, but he also wanted to get help by means which hindered the goal to a title. You can't say 'Let's win it all' and also go 'Let's get trash players and hope they'll turn out better in a couple of years'. You can't be a contender and also a D-League development team at the same time.

His approach towards Waiters and Kanter isn't bad per se. But you do that with guys who don't play big roles. You could trade for Stanley Johnson and see if you could turn him into a decent player. But no contender in their right mind would do that and give him the 4th most minutes per game. That's just not how it's done.

EDIT: Look at the Taj GIbson trade. That's exactly the kind of trade that would have helped us get past vs the Warriors. What did Presti do? He traded for a completely washed up Randy Foye.

And yes, I possibly would have been shocked because I really, really iked Payne. But that's something a contender does. Fix a weakness and improve the team.

So like you said, they could have won. He didn't trade for Melo and PG because he didn't have GMs willing to do it then. He made moves that were available and if you had your way he'd have been fired and this team would be in shambles instead of having PG and Melo with a legitimately great starting 5.

[slick_watts]

So like you said, they could have won. He didn't trade for Melo and PG because he didn't have GMs willing to do it then. He made moves that were available and if you had your way he'd have been fired and this team would be in shambles instead of having PG and Melo with a legitimately great starting 5.

sam's had a killer offseason, his best ever--no argument from me. i don't think that means a different direction wouldn't have worked, either, though.

in the end, we're still going up against the warriors. we still have at least george and carmelo, and probably westbrook, as ufa next summer.

[bondom34]

So like you said, they could have won. He didn't trade for Melo and PG because he didn't have GMs willing to do it then. He made moves that were available and if you had your way he'd have been fired and this team would be in shambles instead of having PG and Melo with a legitimately great starting 5.

sam's had a killer offseason, his best ever--no argument from me. i don't think that means a different direction wouldn't have worked, either, though.

in the end, we're still going up against the warriors. we still have at least george and carmelo, and probably westbrook, as ufa next summer.

You know my stance on the direction and I'm just here for the show. Just a note on the direction though, without Russ those other guys aren't happening. And the beauty of this offseason is the "worst" case is everyone leaves and they're in a better spot long term salary wise as well.

[slick_watts]

So like you said, they could have won. He didn't trade for Melo and PG because he didn't have GMs willing to do it then. He made moves that were available and if you had your way he'd have been fired and this team would be in shambles instead of having PG and Melo with a legitimately great starting 5.

sam's had a killer offseason, his best ever--no argument from me. i don't think that means a different direction wouldn't have worked, either, though.

in the end, we're still going up against the warriors. we still have at least george and carmelo, and probably westbrook, as ufa next summer.

You know my stance on the direction and I'm just here for the show. Just a note on the direction though, without Russ those other guys aren't happening. And the beauty of this offseason is the "worst" case is everyone leaves and they're in a better spot long term salary wise as well.

i'm ok with the summer and i like the trades- as much as for the 2018-19 cap relief than anything. i don't think this summer disproves or says anything about what could have been going the other way. other than sam really pulling off an offseason that was at the top of his range.

[bondom34]

sam's had a killer offseason, his best ever--no argument from me. i don't think that means a different direction wouldn't have worked, either, though.

in the end, we're still going up against the warriors. we still have at least george and carmelo, and probably westbrook, as ufa next summer.

You know my stance on the direction and I'm just here for the show. Just a note on the direction though, without Russ those other guys aren't happening. And the beauty of this offseason is the "worst" case is everyone leaves and they're in a better spot long term salary wise as well.

i'm ok with the summer and i like the trades- as much as for the 2018-19 cap relief than anything. i don't think this summer disproves or says anything about what could have been going the other way. other than sam really pulling off an offseason that was at the top of his range.

Given what we saw stars traded for this offseason, I'd take a stab that the other way wouldn't have been so great.

[KnickXxxx]

This is going to be one hell of an experiment. I wonder which guy is going to defer and be #3 and how they will embrace that.

[ThunderBolt]

This is going to be one hell of an experiment. I wonder which guy is going to defer and be #3 and how they will embrace that.

As far as scoring goes, I think Westbrook is still the alpha dog. I don’t know that either George or Melo will be a clear cut number two scoring option. Several guys at media day said it really comes down to who has the hot hand. I personally expect Melo to get his iso-time with Russ and George on the bench and then benefit from open looks when all three are on the floor.

[spearsy23]

None of the three are transcendent scorers, we're best off if they all shoot like second options.

[retrobro90]

None of the three are transcendent scorers, we're best off if they all shoot like second options.

The disrespect...

[spearsy23]

None of the three are transcendent scorers, we're best off if they all shoot like second options.

The disrespect...

I mean that's not even debatable. They're all great but none are on the level of cupcake/harden/lebron/curry when it comes to getting points.

[Rotten Apple]

None of the three are transcendent scorers, we're best off if they all shoot like second options.

The disrespect...

I mean that's not even debatable. They're all great but none are on the level of cupcake/harden/lebron/curry when it comes to getting points.

That's not necessarily true.

LeBron has had the help around him to allow him to score efficiently

Harden lives at the free throw line

Curry is an other worldly jump shooter but also benefits from the GSW system

Cupcake(Durant) has elite physical tools with a stroke to score effortlessly and also benefits now from the GSW system.

Gone are the days of George playing off of George Hill or Lance Stephenson or Melo playing off of Jose Calderon and Derrick Rose along with Brodie having to kick it out to Roberson or Oladipo.

If Donovan creates the right system, the 3 of them all buy in and see how they can all benefit and the role players just provide the consistency you'll see efficient and effective offense and some really damn good defense.

[Andre Roberstan]

None of the three are transcendent scorers, we're best off if they all shoot like second options.

The disrespect...

I mean that's not even debatable. They're all great but none are on the level of cupcake/harden/lebron/curry when it comes to getting points.

Bron and Harden are transcendent playmakers and very, very good scorers. Curry and Durant are transcendent scorers.

[spearsy23]

The disrespect...

I mean that's not even debatable. They're all great but none are on the level of cupcake/harden/lebron/curry when it comes to getting points.

Bron and Harden are transcendent playmakers and very, very good scorers. Curry and Durant are transcendent scorers.

Harden and Curry are basically equivalent scorers for their careers. Lebron is penalized for not being a shoot first guy, but he's shown the ability to carry an entire offense with his scoring against some elite defenses in the playoffs and so it on superb efficiency.

[Patches Perry]

I'm not sure where a player crosses the line into being transcendent vs. being non-transcendent, but Westbrook has led the league in scoring twice. Westbrook averaged 31.6ppg last year, of which only maybe a dozen guys in league have ever done, and Curry/Harden aren't one of them.

That said, I do think all three OKC guys should share scoring responsibility nearly equally. Westbrook should be looking to create for others primarily, and picking his spots as a scorer (fast breaks, scoring droughts, etc).