2018-2019 OKC Thunder Regular Season Pt 1: A Renewed Hope

[slick_watts]

What's the consensus here on Roberson coming back? OKC's defense is elite this season without him, so will his return be redundant or will throwing him out there take them to another level? Obviously all of this assumes he can return to form, which I understand is a grand assumption.

they should hold him out this year imo. with re-eval in january, that's what? feb return? what's the point. the only reason i can think of to have him return this year is to show he can still play and potentially increase trade value. but if he can play there's no reason to trade him. so who knows.

[alessandrux]

What's the consensus here on Roberson coming back? OKC's defense is elite this season without him, so will his return be redundant or will throwing him out there take them to another level? Obviously all of this assumes he can return to form, which I understand is a grand assumption.

Consensus (and my opinion also) is to play it safe. Let him rehab calmly and don't even try rushing him back, even if it means to keep him out until next season.

I think the NBA is playing smaller and smaller and our lack of power forward depth means that he can see some minutes there (if I remember correctly he played there in college). His offensive strengths are a fit at that position (rebounding, screen setting, finishing lobs, backdoor-cutting).

My favored line-up is Westbrook, Ferguson, Roberson, George and Adams.

I expect his defense would take us at another level and I would be thrilled to see it at some point in the future.

[getrichordie]

I just wanted to step in and apologize to everyone for being so persistent with the trade ideas.

I know it’s a lot to lay on at once and I understand that they don’t always make sense, but that’s why I post them and try to garner discussion so I can learn how players are valued, which I understand is going to be subjective depending on who I ask and I shouldn’t let that upset me.

I will say though that it can be very frustrating when very few even care to try and understand my personal point of view on things.

We all have bad takes and I admittedly have had my fair share. But I come on these forums to further discussion and I feel like there is a lack of open-mindedness as there are so many people who are set in stone in how they view the game yet criticize me for being the same way when I simply try to further discussion about various things.

Anyways, I apologize if I have offended anyone or rubbed anyone the wrong man way or have upset anyone.

I simply want to talk basketball.


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[getrichordie]

What's the consensus here on Roberson coming back? OKC's defense is elite this season without him, so will his return be redundant or will throwing him out there take them to another level? Obviously all of this assumes he can return to form, which I understand is a grand assumption.

Consensus (and my opinion also) is to play it safe. Let him rehab calmly and don't even try rushing him back, even if it means to keep him out until next season.

I think the NBA is playing smaller and smaller and our lack of power forward depth means that he can see some minutes there (if I remember correctly he played there in college). His offensive strengths are a fit at that position (rebounding, screen setting, finishing lobs, backdoor-cutting).

My favored line-up is Westbrook, Ferguson, Roberson, George and Adams.

I expect his defense would take us at another level and I would be thrilled to see it at some point in the future.

I agree with you. No need to rush Roberson back as of now.

I just wonder if Roberson is too much of a question mark at this point to keep on the roster past this deadline. The NBA landscape is changing quicker than ever and tough decisions need to be made to stay sustainably competitive as I’m sure Presti would like to do.

I think that lineup would fair well defensively most nights but it also might get George in foul trouble against bigger 4s. I think you would certainly miss having Grant’s length and backside defense here.

My favorite lineup is: Schroder/Westbrook/George/Grant/Noel. They give up size, sure, but I would think they make up for it in pace, defensive chaos and a lot of different offensive looks (when Westbrook is playing well).


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[Dn4sty]

What's the consensus here on Roberson coming back? OKC's defense is elite this season without him, so will his return be redundant or will throwing him out there take them to another level? Obviously all of this assumes he can return to form, which I understand is a grand assumption.

Consensus (and my opinion also) is to play it safe. Let him rehab calmly and don't even try rushing him back, even if it means to keep him out until next season.

I think the NBA is playing smaller and smaller and our lack of power forward depth means that he can see some minutes there (if I remember correctly he played there in college). His offensive strengths are a fit at that position (rebounding, screen setting, finishing lobs, backdoor-cutting).

My favored line-up is Westbrook, Ferguson, Roberson, George and Adams.

I expect his defense would take us at another level and I would be thrilled to see it at some point in the future.

I agree with you. No need to rush Roberson back as of now.

I just wonder if Roberson is too much of a question mark at this point to keep on the roster past this deadline. The NBA landscape is changing quicker than ever and tough decisions need to be made to stay sustainably competitive as I’m sure Presti would like to do.

I think that lineup would fair well defensively most nights but it also might get George in foul trouble against bigger 4s. I think you would certainly miss having Grant’s length and backside defense here.

My favorite lineup is: Schroder/Westbrook/George/Grant/Noel. They give up size, sure, but I would think they make up for it in pace, defensive chaos and a lot of different offensive looks (when Westbrook is playing well).


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I really really want Roberson to be with this team long term, but I do wonder what will happen if the Thunder are #1 in defense at the deadline. The schedule will have gotten significantly harder and it might be a big enough sample size to consider trading Roberson.

[getrichordie]

Consensus (and my opinion also) is to play it safe. Let him rehab calmly and don't even try rushing him back, even if it means to keep him out until next season.

I think the NBA is playing smaller and smaller and our lack of power forward depth means that he can see some minutes there (if I remember correctly he played there in college). His offensive strengths are a fit at that position (rebounding, screen setting, finishing lobs, backdoor-cutting).

My favored line-up is Westbrook, Ferguson, Roberson, George and Adams.

I expect his defense would take us at another level and I would be thrilled to see it at some point in the future.

I agree with you. No need to rush Roberson back as of now.

I just wonder if Roberson is too much of a question mark at this point to keep on the roster past this deadline. The NBA landscape is changing quicker than ever and tough decisions need to be made to stay sustainably competitive as I’m sure Presti would like to do.

I think that lineup would fair well defensively most nights but it also might get George in foul trouble against bigger 4s. I think you would certainly miss having Grant’s length and backside defense here.

My favorite lineup is: Schroder/Westbrook/George/Grant/Noel. They give up size, sure, but I would think they make up for it in pace, defensive chaos and a lot of different offensive looks (when Westbrook is playing well).


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I really really want Roberson to be with this team long term, but I do wonder what will happen if the Thunder are #1 in defense at the deadline. The schedule will have gotten significantly harder and it might be a big enough sample size to consider trading Roberson.

No doubt, I’d love to keep Roberson as a fan, but if I’m thinking about it from a GM standpoint, I’m trying to move him.

The reason I say that is because it is my opinion that OKC ownership is okay with a high luxury tax bill this season and next.

According to Spotrac, we are $21,849,563 over the luxury tax line and there is no real practical way to shave all of that off next season. Some? Yes. But we are going to have to pay for it.

I can’t see Presti standing pat at the deadline. He has, in my mind, two big windows to make moves: this deadline and this offseason. Those moves should reduce salary commitment beyond next year (i.e. trading Abrines, Adams, Schroder, Roberson) and reduce luxury tax money this year even if it is just $5M (luxury tax calculations not applied.)

With that being said, he needs to be bringing talent back in those deals and I’m confident he can do both. I think we can get young guys with upside that other teams are either low on or doesn’t fit what they are building (aka low on).

I think moving Adams now will be too much of a shock to team chemistry and what they have built this year, so I see them moving Adams in the offseason.

Abrines is just a pot-sweetener at this point. He can be really good or really bad and he lacks the ideal NBA body (he needs muscles) and Presti doesn’t want to pay him. Abrines will be most valuable to a team that wants a relatively cheap shooter that they can sign no matter if they are over the cap. So contenders or potential contenders should be interested.

Roberson is a big question mark. An avulsion fracture does not sound good. The only team I can think of that would want to pay Roberson $10M next year (other than us) is New York. If New York wants a shot at Durant, having Roberson can only help even if he has a bum knee. Even if he can’t play, Roberson effectively turns into an expiring which can be very valuable. No other team in the league should be interested in Roberson, in my opinion. Presti would have to pay a FRP (for sure) to get off of Roberson’s money next year if they wanted to decrease tax bill and I think that’s a non-starter on OKC’s side.




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[alessandrux]

Roberson is a big question mark. An avulsion fracture does not sound good. The only team I can think of that would want to pay Roberson $10M next year (other than us) is New York. If New York wants a shot at Durant, having Roberson can only help even if he has a bum knee. Even if he can’t play, Roberson effectively turns into an expiring which can be very valuable. No other team in the league should be interested in Roberson, in my opinion. Presti would have to pay a FRP (for sure) to get off of Roberson’s money next year if they wanted to decrease tax bill and I think that’s a non-starter on OKC’s side.

I don't understand this part.
How can an injured Roberson be of any help?


I think there are few possibilities regarding Roberson. If he is healthy he has the most value for OKC, if he is not, he is basically untradeable.
We won't be able to take on more money than his contract, and no team is sending out better (regarding the value of their contract) and healthy players for him.
The only possibility is worse players (with cheaper or contracts of the same amount) signed to worse contracts (signed for longer time periods). I don't think there are many of them.

[getrichordie]

Roberson is a big question mark. An avulsion fracture does not sound good. The only team I can think of that would want to pay Roberson $10M next year (other than us) is New York. If New York wants a shot at Durant, having Roberson can only help even if he has a bum knee. Even if he can’t play, Roberson effectively turns into an expiring which can be very valuable. No other team in the league should be interested in Roberson, in my opinion. Presti would have to pay a FRP (for sure) to get off of Roberson’s money next year if they wanted to decrease tax bill and I think that’s a non-starter on OKC’s side.

I don't understand this part.
How can an injured Roberson be of any help?


I think there are few possibilities regarding Roberson. If he is healthy he has the most value for OKC, if he is not, he is basically untradeable.
We won't be able to take on more money than his contract, and no team is sending out better (regarding the value of their contract) and healthy players for him.
The only possibility is worse players (with cheaper or contracts of the same amount) signed to worse contracts (signed for longer time periods). I don't think there are many of them.

I look at it from the standpoint that NYK needs to do everything can to persuade Durant to become a Knick. Durant and Roberson are friends and NYK might be inclined to trade for him for that very reason. If NYK treats Dre well, Durant will hear all about it.

And as I said before, NYK could always trade Roberson (expiring next year) if things go south. It’s tricky and I understand questions surrounding the uncertainty of Knicks acquiring Roberson only to just trade him, but I think there are workarounds to that issue as well. Alternatively, Knicks could decide to extend Roberson on a small team-friendly deal that could make sense for both Roberson and the Knicks at point.

EDIT: I personally think New York and Brooklyn are in a race for Durant and Wall, so I see the Roberson set back as a huge blow to OKC’s chances of getting Beal, since I think Roberson would have been involved in that deal. I think that could be why OKC (and Roberson) was rushing to get him back on the court.

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[SecondTake]

I agree with you. No need to rush Roberson back as of now.

I just wonder if Roberson is too much of a question mark at this point to keep on the roster past this deadline. The NBA landscape is changing quicker than ever and tough decisions need to be made to stay sustainably competitive as I’m sure Presti would like to do.

I think that lineup would fair well defensively most nights but it also might get George in foul trouble against bigger 4s. I think you would certainly miss having Grant’s length and backside defense here.

My favorite lineup is: Schroder/Westbrook/George/Grant/Noel. They give up size, sure, but I would think they make up for it in pace, defensive chaos and a lot of different offensive looks (when Westbrook is playing well).


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I really really want Roberson to be with this team long term, but I do wonder what will happen if the Thunder are #1 in defense at the deadline. The schedule will have gotten significantly harder and it might be a big enough sample size to consider trading Roberson.

No doubt, I’d love to keep Roberson as a fan, but if I’m thinking about it from a GM standpoint, I’m trying to move him.

The reason I say that is because it is my opinion that OKC ownership is okay with a high luxury tax bill this season and next.

According to Spotrac, we are $21,849,563 over the luxury tax line and there is no real practical way to shave all of that off next season. Some? Yes. But we are going to have to pay for it.

I can’t see Presti standing pat at the deadline. He has, in my mind, two big windows to make moves: this deadline and this offseason. Those moves should reduce salary commitment beyond next year (i.e. trading Abrines, Adams, Schroder, Roberson) and reduce luxury tax money this year even if it is just $5M (luxury tax calculations not applied.)

With that being said, he needs to be bringing talent back in those deals and I’m confident he can do both. I think we can get young guys with upside that other teams are either low on or doesn’t fit what they are building (aka low on).

I think moving Adams now will be too much of a shock to team chemistry and what they have built this year, so I see them moving Adams in the offseason.

Abrines is just a pot-sweetener at this point. He can be really good or really bad and he lacks the ideal NBA body (he needs muscles) and Presti doesn’t want to pay him. Abrines will be most valuable to a team that wants a relatively cheap shooter that they can sign no matter if they are over the cap. So contenders or potential contenders should be interested.

Roberson is a big question mark. An avulsion fracture does not sound good. The only team I can think of that would want to pay Roberson $10M next year (other than us) is New York. If New York wants a shot at Durant, having Roberson can only help even if he has a bum knee. Even if he can’t play, Roberson effectively turns into an expiring which can be very valuable. No other team in the league should be interested in Roberson, in my opinion. Presti would have to pay a FRP (for sure) to get off of Roberson’s money next year if they wanted to decrease tax bill and I think that’s a non-starter on OKC’s side.




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...Wait, what? Why would we give away Adams? The guy is a beast and has awesome chemistry with WB. He's a GREAT center. Why the heck would we let him go?

[getrichordie]

I really really want Roberson to be with this team long term, but I do wonder what will happen if the Thunder are #1 in defense at the deadline. The schedule will have gotten significantly harder and it might be a big enough sample size to consider trading Roberson.

No doubt, I’d love to keep Roberson as a fan, but if I’m thinking about it from a GM standpoint, I’m trying to move him.

The reason I say that is because it is my opinion that OKC ownership is okay with a high luxury tax bill this season and next.

According to Spotrac, we are $21,849,563 over the luxury tax line and there is no real practical way to shave all of that off next season. Some? Yes. But we are going to have to pay for it.

I can’t see Presti standing pat at the deadline. He has, in my mind, two big windows to make moves: this deadline and this offseason. Those moves should reduce salary commitment beyond next year (i.e. trading Abrines, Adams, Schroder, Roberson) and reduce luxury tax money this year even if it is just $5M (luxury tax calculations not applied.)

With that being said, he needs to be bringing talent back in those deals and I’m confident he can do both. I think we can get young guys with upside that other teams are either low on or doesn’t fit what they are building (aka low on).

I think moving Adams now will be too much of a shock to team chemistry and what they have built this year, so I see them moving Adams in the offseason.

Abrines is just a pot-sweetener at this point. He can be really good or really bad and he lacks the ideal NBA body (he needs muscles) and Presti doesn’t want to pay him. Abrines will be most valuable to a team that wants a relatively cheap shooter that they can sign no matter if they are over the cap. So contenders or potential contenders should be interested.

Roberson is a big question mark. An avulsion fracture does not sound good. The only team I can think of that would want to pay Roberson $10M next year (other than us) is New York. If New York wants a shot at Durant, having Roberson can only help even if he has a bum knee. Even if he can’t play, Roberson effectively turns into an expiring which can be very valuable. No other team in the league should be interested in Roberson, in my opinion. Presti would have to pay a FRP (for sure) to get off of Roberson’s money next year if they wanted to decrease tax bill and I think that’s a non-starter on OKC’s side.




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...Wait, what? Why would we give away Adams? The guy is a beast and has awesome chemistry with WB. He's a GREAT center. Why the heck would we let him go?

When the offseason comes around, I think Adams will be moved due to luxury tax issues. Kind of how Ibaka was moved for young player + role player + a pick (Sabonis).

But I think that could change depending on what happens during the deadline. This team could easily bottom out if Adams isn’t moved in the offseason.


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[SecondTake]

No doubt, I’d love to keep Roberson as a fan, but if I’m thinking about it from a GM standpoint, I’m trying to move him.

The reason I say that is because it is my opinion that OKC ownership is okay with a high luxury tax bill this season and next.

According to Spotrac, we are $21,849,563 over the luxury tax line and there is no real practical way to shave all of that off next season. Some? Yes. But we are going to have to pay for it.

I can’t see Presti standing pat at the deadline. He has, in my mind, two big windows to make moves: this deadline and this offseason. Those moves should reduce salary commitment beyond next year (i.e. trading Abrines, Adams, Schroder, Roberson) and reduce luxury tax money this year even if it is just $5M (luxury tax calculations not applied.)

With that being said, he needs to be bringing talent back in those deals and I’m confident he can do both. I think we can get young guys with upside that other teams are either low on or doesn’t fit what they are building (aka low on).

I think moving Adams now will be too much of a shock to team chemistry and what they have built this year, so I see them moving Adams in the offseason.

Abrines is just a pot-sweetener at this point. He can be really good or really bad and he lacks the ideal NBA body (he needs muscles) and Presti doesn’t want to pay him. Abrines will be most valuable to a team that wants a relatively cheap shooter that they can sign no matter if they are over the cap. So contenders or potential contenders should be interested.

Roberson is a big question mark. An avulsion fracture does not sound good. The only team I can think of that would want to pay Roberson $10M next year (other than us) is New York. If New York wants a shot at Durant, having Roberson can only help even if he has a bum knee. Even if he can’t play, Roberson effectively turns into an expiring which can be very valuable. No other team in the league should be interested in Roberson, in my opinion. Presti would have to pay a FRP (for sure) to get off of Roberson’s money next year if they wanted to decrease tax bill and I think that’s a non-starter on OKC’s side.




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...Wait, what? Why would we give away Adams? The guy is a beast and has awesome chemistry with WB. He's a GREAT center. Why the heck would we let him go?

When the offseason comes around, I think Adams will be moved due to luxury tax issues. Kind of how Ibaka was moved for young player + role player + a pick (Sabonis).

But I think that could change depending on what happens during the deadline. This team could easily bottom out if Adams isn’t moved in the offseason.


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How would they bottom out? I don't get it. He's expensive, but extremely valuable to the team. He's an elite defender who scores 15-20 on a ridiculous percentage. And he could easily score more if his teammates wouldnt sotp feeding him after the first quarter (which I never understand).

Look at Ibaka now...That move was terrible. If anything, OKC should learn from that.

[getrichordie]

...Wait, what? Why would we give away Adams? The guy is a beast and has awesome chemistry with WB. He's a GREAT center. Why the heck would we let him go?

When the offseason comes around, I think Adams will be moved due to luxury tax issues. Kind of how Ibaka was moved for young player + role player + a pick (Sabonis).

But I think that could change depending on what happens during the deadline. This team could easily bottom out if Adams isn’t moved in the offseason.


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How would they bottom out? I don't get it. He's expensive, but extremely valuable to the team. He's an elite defender who scores 15-20 on a ridiculous percentage. And he could easily score more if his teammates wouldnt sotp feeding him after the first quarter (which I never understand).

Look at Ibaka now...That move was terrible. If anything, OKC should learn from that.

We essentially were able to get Grant and George because of that trade. How is that terrible?

I think Russ is declining (no one wants to hear that, it seems) and we need help on the wing and we are headed into luxury tax hell fast. No guarantee Roberson is coming back and no guarantee that Ferguson/Diallo is going to develop into a good shooter.

If you accept the fact that the basketball we’ve seen this year is what it is and this is how good the Thunder are this year and they have peaked on the season (up and down as Westbrook goes), then you have to ask either how do Thunder get better within luxury tax hell or how do we start tearing it down.

I think Adams is the key to re-tooling for next year like we re-tooled with Ibaka.


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[SecondTake]

When the offseason comes around, I think Adams will be moved due to luxury tax issues. Kind of how Ibaka was moved for young player + role player + a pick (Sabonis).

But I think that could change depending on what happens during the deadline. This team could easily bottom out if Adams isn’t moved in the offseason.


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How would they bottom out? I don't get it. He's expensive, but extremely valuable to the team. He's an elite defender who scores 15-20 on a ridiculous percentage. And he could easily score more if his teammates wouldnt sotp feeding him after the first quarter (which I never understand).

Look at Ibaka now...That move was terrible. If anything, OKC should learn from that.

We essentially were able to get Grant and George because of that trade. How is that terrible?


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We got Sabonis and Victor, both of whom were useless and now gone. He would be an excellent 4 either as a starter or off the bench right now. Great defender, can make shots. If you replaced Patterson with him, you have a serious western conference threat.

I still want to know whats your issue with Adams? do you think he's a bum or something?

[getrichordie]

How would they bottom out? I don't get it. He's expensive, but extremely valuable to the team. He's an elite defender who scores 15-20 on a ridiculous percentage. And he could easily score more if his teammates wouldnt sotp feeding him after the first quarter (which I never understand).

Look at Ibaka now...That move was terrible. If anything, OKC should learn from that.

We essentially were able to get Grant and George because of that trade. How is that terrible?


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We got Sabonis and Victor, both of whom were useless and now gone. He would be an excellent 4 either as a starter or off the bench right now. Great defender, can make shots. If you replaced Patterson with him, you have a serious western conference threat.

I still want to know whats your issue with Adams? do you think he's a bum or something?

I have zero issues with Adams. I think he’s playing his best basketball right now. I just think that Presti and the Thunder are going to have to make hard decisions due to being deep in the luxury tax.

Victor and Sabonis are great players, but let’s not forget we were able to George out of that. Sabonis has been out-performing expectations. Where he was drafted was an indicator of that. I’m not sure Oladipo and Westbrook would be a good fit together. We need George and Grant for the defense as it helps cover up a lot of Westbrook’s defensive weaknesses. As great as Oladipo/Sabonis are, they aren’t George and Grant when it comes to defense, respectively.


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[bondom34]

Never posted this earlier:

https://theathletic.com/711859/2018/12/13/takeaways-from-the-thunders-118-114-loss-at-new-orleans/

Staying small. Given the issues inside and on the board, Donovan conceded, it was fair to ask why he didn’t try a lineup with Adams and Nerlens Noel together.

There were a couple of reasons for it.

Noel can handle “some of” the defensive coverages he’d be asked to at power forward, Donovan said, but he hasn’t been asked to this season. He and Adams haven’t played together yet.

That doesn’t mean Donovan wouldn’t try that combination. He said he “wouldn’t be afraid to throw it out there.”

But it’s a pretty radical departure from the Thunder’s standard rotations, and the game, Donovan said, didn’t seem to merit anything quite so drastic. As poorly as the Thunder played — they missed 30 of 43 3-point attempts and shot 17 of 27 from the free-throw line — they never trailed by more than nine.

Donovan figured something closer to his regular rotation — with some small-ball adjustments for Grant’s absence — could keep the Thunder within striking distance, and OKC had a shot in the air in the final seconds for the lead.

That doesn’t rule out the possibility of playing his centers together somewhere down the road, Donovan said.

“It’s probably something that, to be honest, I need to look a little bit more at when we get time to do it,” Donovan said.

[RalphSampsonJr]

Never posted this earlier:

https://theathletic.com/711859/2018/12/13/takeaways-from-the-thunders-118-114-loss-at-new-orleans/

Staying small. Given the issues inside and on the board, Donovan conceded, it was fair to ask why he didn’t try a lineup with Adams and Nerlens Noel together.

There were a couple of reasons for it.

Noel can handle “some of” the defensive coverages he’d be asked to at power forward, Donovan said, but he hasn’t been asked to this season. He and Adams haven’t played together yet.

That doesn’t mean Donovan wouldn’t try that combination. He said he “wouldn’t be afraid to throw it out there.”

But it’s a pretty radical departure from the Thunder’s standard rotations, and the game, Donovan said, didn’t seem to merit anything quite so drastic. As poorly as the Thunder played — they missed 30 of 43 3-point attempts and shot 17 of 27 from the free-throw line — they never trailed by more than nine.

Donovan figured something closer to his regular rotation — with some small-ball adjustments for Grant’s absence — could keep the Thunder within striking distance, and OKC had a shot in the air in the final seconds for the lead.

That doesn’t rule out the possibility of playing his centers together somewhere down the road, Donovan said.

“It’s probably something that, to be honest, I need to look a little bit more at when we get time to do it,” Donovan said.

If there was a game to try it, last night was it.

[Dn4sty]

How would they bottom out? I don't get it. He's expensive, but extremely valuable to the team. He's an elite defender who scores 15-20 on a ridiculous percentage. And he could easily score more if his teammates wouldnt sotp feeding him after the first quarter (which I never understand).

Look at Ibaka now...That move was terrible. If anything, OKC should learn from that.

We essentially were able to get Grant and George because of that trade. How is that terrible?


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We got Sabonis and Victor, both of whom were useless and now gone. He would be an excellent 4 either as a starter or off the bench right now. Great defender, can make shots. If you replaced Patterson with him, you have a serious western conference threat.

So let me repeat this. Sabonis and Oladipo got OKC Paul George (and to a lesser extent Jerami Grant).

You are attempting to make the point that you’d rather have Ibaka over them? You said the Ibaka trade was bad...right?

I just want to make sure I’m understanding this correctly, because if that’s the point you are arguing, then I am speechless.

[ThunderBolt]

I still have a very bad taste in my mouth from the pelicans game. I think in the back of my mind I just keep waiting for things to fall apart and revert to the team we were last year. I know we are better than last year but i worry the tougher schedule will start a downward spiral, especially with Russ playing so poorly.

[Pillendreher]

especially with Russ playing so poorly.

I was listening to the Game Theory podcast with Sam Vecenie earlier and iirc they called Russ' season something along the lines of "great". And Maddie Lee said he was getting to the rim just fine in the last Thunder Buddies.

Are we watching different games?

[bondom34]

especially with Russ playing so poorly.

I was listening to the Game Theory podcast with Sam Vecenie earlier and iirc they called Russ' season something along the lines of "great". And Maddie Lee said he was getting to the rim just fine in the last Thunder Buddies.

Are we watching different games?

I think some people are expecting a lot, and being alittle overly critical. I don't think great but he's not the declining thing everyone's calling out right now. He's been mostly as expected with the most 2 recent games being bad until the 4th quarter.