Thunder Offseason Thread

[slick_watts]

the way westbrook answers these questions.. man it just seems like he doesn't get it. he talks about shooting and 'other things like rebounding' as if they are equivalent. he's too dismissive for someone who shot the ball so poorly.

[Jstock12]

the way westbrook answers these questions.. man it just seems like he doesn't get it. he talks about shooting and 'other things like rebounding' as if they are equivalent. he's too dismissive for someone who shot the ball so poorly.

Not just poorly, a career low FG% in the playoffs. Rubio looks like Steve Nash in comparison.

[Old Man Game]

the way westbrook answers these questions.. man it just seems like he doesn't get it. he talks about shooting and 'other things like rebounding' as if they are equivalent. he's too dismissive for someone who shot the ball so poorly.

He doesn't get it. I doubt he has anyone in his life or with the team who has the standing to tell him either.

[Old Man Game]

Listened to the Thunder buddies pod from the other day (after series ended). Horne mentioned Presti could never trade Russ because then he's have Durant, Harden and Russ on his tombstone as losing all those guys after drafting them. I'd hope to god worrying about his legacy isn't factoring into decisions like that. If it is he needs to be gone.

[Kizz Fastfists]

then he's have Durant, Harden and Russ on his tombstone as losing all those guys after drafting them. I'd hope to god worrying about his legacy isn't factoring into decisions like that. If it is he needs to be gone.

How would trading Russ at this point be bad? If he still had all three and was winning championships and traded Russ for Ja Morant and other picks and they started losing in the 2nd round and then kd and Harden left it would look bad. At this point it doesn't make him look bad trading the last one to start the rebuild. OKC has ran the course with this core. The race is over, but Presti is running in place at the finish line instead of crossing the finish to start a new race. Get off the fk'n treadmill!!!!!!

[Old Man Game]

then he's have Durant, Harden and Russ on his tombstone as losing all those guys after drafting them. I'd hope to god worrying about his legacy isn't factoring into decisions like that. If it is he needs to be gone.

How would trading Russ at this point be bad? If he still had all three and was winning championships and traded Russ for Ja Morant and other picks and they started losing in the 2nd round and then kd and Harden left it would look bad. At this point it doesn't make him look bad trading the last one to start the rebuild. OKC has ran the course with this core. The race is over, but Presti is running in place at the finish line instead of crossing the finish to start a new race. Get off the fk'n treadmill!!!!!!

Yep. Arrogance is a hell of a drug though. Gotta still be the boy genius. Too clever by half.

[slick_watts]

the time to blow it up was after kd left. they've invested too much, now. what's another two seasons? people who opposed tanking at the time. they're the ones complaining they can't even watch the team the last couple years without getting angry or upset. interesting how that works. we could be 2-3 seasons into a re-build right now.

[Pillendreher]

the time to blow it up was after kd left. they've invested too much, now. what's another two seasons? people who opposed tanking at the time. they're the ones complaining they can't even watch the team the last couple years without getting angry or upset. interesting how that works. we could be 2-3 seasons into a re-build right now.

Yes, very interesting. Tearing it all down with the same idiots running the show would have been an absolute joy to watch. The deficiencies we have at all these decision making level would of course still be here. The Front Office would still be drafting according to this

“We like serious basketball players, guys that are serious about the game,” Weaver said. “Guys that work hard. Guys that are good teammates. We can (figure out) all the other stuff, skillset and all that. Those three things are the main pillars.”

We would pay 20 different athletes that couldn't do anything other than jump and we'd still have this idiot on the bench whose only real skill is giving 5 minute long answers without saying anything.

[Pillendreher]

the way westbrook answers these questions.. man it just seems like he doesn't get it. he talks about shooting and 'other things like rebounding' as if they are equivalent. he's too dismissive for someone who shot the ball so poorly.

He doesn't get it. I doubt he has anyone in his life or with the team who has the standing to tell him either.

I didn't watch it yesterday, but I just watched the part on shooting: To me it's troublesome that he apparently sees similarities between people calling him a ballhog and people criticizing his shooting. Calling him a ballhog was partly just certain people talking about him in a way that was too overboard with the criticism. **** on him for his shooting is nothing like that because he just had one of the worst shooting seasons for a guy with his usage and ball dominance ever. He sounds like he will try to show his critics that they are wrong. They aren't though.

[ThunderBolt]

It seems like he defected criticism by countering with arguments that reflect personals accomplishments. The criticism that comes from “doing so much at a high level” os because the team is a borderline playoff team that can’t get out of the first round. The team isn’t winning at a high level.

[slick_watts]

the time to blow it up was after kd left. they've invested too much, now. what's another two seasons? people who opposed tanking at the time. they're the ones complaining they can't even watch the team the last couple years without getting angry or upset. interesting how that works. we could be 2-3 seasons into a re-build right now.

Yes, very interesting. Tearing it all down with the same idiots running the show would have been an absolute joy to watch. The deficiencies we have at all these decision making level would of course still be here. The Front Office would still be drafting according to this

“We like serious basketball players, guys that are serious about the game,” Weaver said. “Guys that work hard. Guys that are good teammates. We can (figure out) all the other stuff, skillset and all that. Those three things are the main pillars.”

We would pay 20 different athletes that couldn't do anything other than jump and we'd still have this idiot on the bench whose only real skill is giving 5 minute long answers without saying anything.

where's that quote from? it's one of my favorites and i can never find it when i look for it.

[Pillendreher]

George had a +41.6 On/Off NetRtG vs Portland. Not as insane as 16/17 Westbrook (+65.4 On/Off NetRtG vs Houston), but still, this is a massive problem, mainly because Russ w/o George was not a good lineup_ In the regular season, Russ w/o George was 4.95 pp100p below league average offensively. That just can't happen. "You can surround Russ with anybody and he will carry the lineup" was one of Westbrook's best qualities as a floor raiser in these last few years.

Another aspect of this is that George w/o Russ was not all that good either: 2.86 pp100p below league average offensively. If our bench hadn't been good defensively, we would have been even worse overall because we could not score enough save for our two best guys on the floor together at the same time: +5.72 relative to league average with both of them on the floor, -6.02 relative to league average in all the other lineups combined. That's just not good enough.

[slick_watts]

George had a +41.6 On/Off NetRtG vs Portland. Not as insane as 16/17 Westbrook (+65.4 On/Off NetRtG vs Houston), but still, this is a massive problem, mainly because Russ w/o George was not a good lineup_ In the regular season, Russ w/o George was 4.95 pp100p below league average offensively. That just can't happen. "You can surround Russ with anybody and he will carry the lineup" was one of Westbrook's best qualities as a floor raiser in these last few years.

Another aspect of this is that George w/o Russ was not all that good either: 2.86 pp100p below league average offensively. If our bench hadn't been good defensively, we would have been even worse overall because we could not score enough save for our two best guys on the floor together at the same time: +5.72 relative to league average with both of them on the floor, -6.02 relative to league average in all the other lineups combined. That's just not good enough.

by the end of the year (march / april) the starters were basically neutral, too. it's difficult to know where to start with this team, really. we know the bench sucks and we know as constructed westbrook can't carry lineups anymore. but the starters really petered out as the season went on as well.

among everything else they desperately need a year three terrance ferguson leap.

[Old Man Game]

the time to blow it up was after kd left. they've invested too much, now. what's another two seasons? people who opposed tanking at the time. they're the ones complaining they can't even watch the team the last couple years without getting angry or upset. interesting how that works. we could be 2-3 seasons into a re-build right now.

While I agree with you that the optimal time to blow it up was the summer durant left I disagree that there'd be no point now. No one is getting any younger here.

[Pillendreher]

the time to blow it up was after kd left. they've invested too much, now. what's another two seasons? people who opposed tanking at the time. they're the ones complaining they can't even watch the team the last couple years without getting angry or upset. interesting how that works. we could be 2-3 seasons into a re-build right now.

Yes, very interesting. Tearing it all down with the same idiots running the show would have been an absolute joy to watch. The deficiencies we have at all these decision making level would of course still be here. The Front Office would still be drafting according to this

“We like serious basketball players, guys that are serious about the game,” Weaver said. “Guys that work hard. Guys that are good teammates. We can (figure out) all the other stuff, skillset and all that. Those three things are the main pillars.”

We would pay 20 different athletes that couldn't do anything other than jump and we'd still have this idiot on the bench whose only real skill is giving 5 minute long answers without saying anything.

where's that quote from? it's one of my favorites and i can never find it when i look for it.

https://newsok.com/article/5552401/okc-thunder-draft-night-prep-a-year-round-affair

[Pillendreher]

George had a +41.6 On/Off NetRtG vs Portland. Not as insane as 16/17 Westbrook (+65.4 On/Off NetRtG vs Houston), but still, this is a massive problem, mainly because Russ w/o George was not a good lineup_ In the regular season, Russ w/o George was 4.95 pp100p below league average offensively. That just can't happen. "You can surround Russ with anybody and he will carry the lineup" was one of Westbrook's best qualities as a floor raiser in these last few years.

Another aspect of this is that George w/o Russ was not all that good either: 2.86 pp100p below league average offensively. If our bench hadn't been good defensively, we would have been even worse overall because we could not score enough save for our two best guys on the floor together at the same time: +5.72 relative to league average with both of them on the floor, -6.02 relative to league average in all the other lineups combined. That's just not good enough.

by the end of the year (march / april) the starters were basically neutral, too. it's difficult to know where to start with this team, really. we know the bench sucks and we know as constructed westbrook can't carry lineups anymore. but the starters really petered out as the season went on as well.

among everything else they desperately need a year three terrance ferguson leap.

As derivative as it may sound, those horrible performances in the 1st quarters of games had a lot to do with the starters' struggles to end the season. That whole thing started after the OT win against Utah (if you look at their numbers in 1st quarters). Over their last 24 games, the Thunder had the 2nd worst NetRtG in 1st quarters at -15.0. The starters had a -17.8 NetRtG in the 1st quarter during that stretch.

Quarter 1: 101.5 ORtG | 119.3 DRtG | -17.8 NetRtG
Quarters 2-4: 113.3 ORtG | 99.2 DRtG | +14.1 NetRtG

I still don't understand it. If they simply didn't care, they'd probably play like garbage the rest of the way too.

[ThunderBolt]

Read on Twitter

He's so raw but he really needs to get better quickly.

Read on Twitter

Good.

[ThunderBolt]

Do we have any idea when Presti speaks?

[Dadouv47]

Do we have any idea when Presti speaks?

Maybe he gets fired before so it won't be needed (I know it won't happen)

[wco81]

the time to blow it up was after kd left. they've invested too much, now. what's another two seasons? people who opposed tanking at the time. they're the ones complaining they can't even watch the team the last couple years without getting angry or upset. interesting how that works. we could be 2-3 seasons into a re-build right now.

While I agree with you that the optimal time to blow it up was the summer durant left I disagree that there'd be no point now. No one is getting any younger here.

The only thing with blowing it up then would have meant no extension for WB? Seems like after the trauma and anger of KD leaving, the team wanted to retain WB at all costs which means accommodating him in any way. That meant having him go on that MVP run and no OkC fan here would entertain that he shot too much, which was one of the problems when KD was there.

Also meant with Oladipo and Sabonis, they believed they could contend in WBs MVP season. Plus they wanted him to sign that extension as opposed to possibly go home to one of the LA teams.

Then the following year, they won the PG13 sweepstakes.

But I can see why the team didn’t want to blow it up s8nce they still had a multiple all star — not sure if he had made all NBA by that point. And they wanted to keep him at all costs after losing KD for nothing.