Did OKC choose Westbrook over KD and Harden?

Moderators: Domejandro, infinite11285, Harry Garris, ken6199, Dirk, bisme37, KingDavid, bwgood77, zimpy27, cupcakesnake

User avatar
76ciology
RealGM
Posts: 61,070
And1: 23,333
Joined: Jun 06, 2002

Did OKC choose Westbrook over KD and Harden? 

Post#1 » by 76ciology » Sun Jun 28, 2020 8:29 am

We all know the story.

Westbrook, KD and Harden once played for the Thunders at the same time.

One by one they left the team. First Harden was traded, then KD walk then RW was traded.

Did OKC made the wrong bet in RW?

Or was everything just a stroke of bad luck with the players pretty much dictating the fate of the franchise?
There’s never been a time in history when we look back and say that the people who were censoring free speech were the good guys.
Heat4lyf
Rookie
Posts: 1,116
And1: 997
Joined: Aug 20, 2018

Re: Did OKC choose Westbrook over KD and Harden? 

Post#2 » by Heat4lyf » Sun Jun 28, 2020 9:03 am

OKC chose saving a few bucks over keeping Harden

Durant chose an easy ring over trying to win in OKC
User avatar
Sofia
GOTB: Mean Girls
Posts: 28,683
And1: 30,567
Joined: Aug 03, 2008

Re: Did OKC choose Westbrook over KD and Harden? 

Post#3 » by Sofia » Sun Jun 28, 2020 10:50 am

Not OKC’s fault that Durant is a (edit.. nah)
President of the Grady Dick Fanclub - top ****
President of the Pharmcat Fanclub
President of the GreatWhiteStiff Fanclub - go stiffies!
User avatar
C3H6N6O6
Veteran
Posts: 2,992
And1: 3,887
Joined: Feb 04, 2014

Re: Did OKC choose Westbrook over KD and Harden? 

Post#4 » by C3H6N6O6 » Sun Jun 28, 2020 11:13 am

OKC was a real title contender with KD and Westbrook.

If KD wanted to play more team oriented ball then he could have gone to Spurs. They'd be the favorites over KD-less Warriors unless LeBron somehow ended on the Warriors.

The Harden move was the only idiotic move. No one knew he would be this good but people still had him on the trajectory to be the next Manu which is a very valuable player.
JN61
RealGM
Posts: 11,422
And1: 9,019
Joined: Jan 07, 2018
 

Re: Did OKC choose Westbrook over KD and Harden? 

Post#5 » by JN61 » Sun Jun 28, 2020 11:32 am

People forget Cupcake name this fast? I love Durant but come on... OKC didn't choose Westbrook over others. He was just the loyal one...
Pennebaker wrote:And Bird did it while being a defensive liability. But he also made All-Defensive teams, which was another controversial issue regarding Bird and votes.
Prokorov
RealGM
Posts: 43,027
And1: 14,676
Joined: Dec 06, 2013

Re: Did OKC choose Westbrook over KD and Harden? 

Post#6 » by Prokorov » Sun Jun 28, 2020 12:02 pm

76ciology wrote:We all know the story.

Westbrook, KD and Harden once played for the Thunders at the same time.

One by one they left the team. First Harden was traded, then KD walk then RW was traded.

Did OKC made the wrong bet in RW?

Or was everything just a stroke of bad luck with the players pretty much dictating the fate of the franchise?


There was not betting on westbrook.

if they could have kept KD, they would have kept KD
User avatar
76ciology
RealGM
Posts: 61,070
And1: 23,333
Joined: Jun 06, 2002

Re: Did OKC choose Westbrook over KD and Harden? 

Post#7 » by 76ciology » Sun Jun 28, 2020 12:07 pm

Prokorov wrote:
76ciology wrote:We all know the story.

Westbrook, KD and Harden once played for the Thunders at the same time.

One by one they left the team. First Harden was traded, then KD walk then RW was traded.

Did OKC made the wrong bet in RW?

Or was everything just a stroke of bad luck with the players pretty much dictating the fate of the franchise?


There was not betting on westbrook.

if they could have kept KD, they would have kept KD


Would trading Westbrook improve their chance in keeping KD? Did OKC even try to trade Westbrook?
There’s never been a time in history when we look back and say that the people who were censoring free speech were the good guys.
loveandbeer
Pro Prospect
Posts: 869
And1: 1,275
Joined: Dec 27, 2017

Re: Did OKC choose Westbrook over KD and Harden? 

Post#8 » by loveandbeer » Sun Jun 28, 2020 12:07 pm

Nah, they definitely saved bucks over Harden, but losing Durant wasn't really their fault.

No one could've possibly expected KD to make the weakest move in all of sports history.

For a top player to leave a top team that was one game away from potentially winning a title is unprecedented. Especially after choking a 3-1.
JN61
RealGM
Posts: 11,422
And1: 9,019
Joined: Jan 07, 2018
 

Re: Did OKC choose Westbrook over KD and Harden? 

Post#9 » by JN61 » Sun Jun 28, 2020 12:09 pm

76ciology wrote:
Prokorov wrote:
76ciology wrote:We all know the story.

Westbrook, KD and Harden once played for the Thunders at the same time.

One by one they left the team. First Harden was traded, then KD walk then RW was traded.

Did OKC made the wrong bet in RW?

Or was everything just a stroke of bad luck with the players pretty much dictating the fate of the franchise?


There was not betting on westbrook.

if they could have kept KD, they would have kept KD


Would trading Westbrook improve their chance in keeping KD? Did OKC even try to trade Westbrook?

No. It's all made up nonsense by media. Durant and Westbrook had no beef before Durant left and even Durant said so himself. Even though he might have went back and forth on this like 10 times already so who knows how he feels in this exact moment, but Westbrook wasn't the issue. Had they traded Westbrook Durant would have left not even thinking twice, when in this case it was very hard decision on him apparently.
Pennebaker wrote:And Bird did it while being a defensive liability. But he also made All-Defensive teams, which was another controversial issue regarding Bird and votes.
User avatar
Lalouie
RealGM
Posts: 19,347
And1: 10,010
Joined: May 12, 2017

Re: Did OKC choose Westbrook over KD and Harden? 

Post#10 » by Lalouie » Sun Jun 28, 2020 12:11 pm

okc chose not to pay harden and felt they were solid w/ rw and kd.

rw was an alpha, and kd was a spineless weenie. we all know this now

and no okc didn't make the wrong call. at the time it was the right call. you can't go back an rewrite history
Prokorov
RealGM
Posts: 43,027
And1: 14,676
Joined: Dec 06, 2013

Re: Did OKC choose Westbrook over KD and Harden? 

Post#11 » by Prokorov » Sun Jun 28, 2020 12:18 pm

76ciology wrote:
Prokorov wrote:
76ciology wrote:We all know the story.

Westbrook, KD and Harden once played for the Thunders at the same time.

One by one they left the team. First Harden was traded, then KD walk then RW was traded.

Did OKC made the wrong bet in RW?

Or was everything just a stroke of bad luck with the players pretty much dictating the fate of the franchise?


There was not betting on westbrook.

if they could have kept KD, they would have kept KD


Would trading Westbrook improve their chance in keeping KD? Did OKC even try to trade Westbrook?


No. KD wanted a title. moving westbrook would have taken OKC further from that possibility.

it was inevitable. KD as a top 2 player in his prime. those guys dont stay in places like OKC. they go to Cali/NY/Florida/Chicago huge cities.

they had no shot to keep KD.
yitur
Sixth Man
Posts: 1,932
And1: 859
Joined: Sep 11, 2011
   

Re: Did OKC choose Westbrook over KD and Harden? 

Post#12 » by yitur » Sun Jun 28, 2020 12:49 pm

The forgotten part about 2012-2016 OKC run is the injuries. In 2013 Playoffs Westbrook was injured in Rockets series. In 2014 Westbrook came back mid season and then Thabo and Ibaka was injured. Ibaka came back in the Spurs series but it wasn't enough after going back 2-0 against Spurs and Spurs defeated them 4-2. In 2015 Durant was injured and Davis' miracelous shot sent them out of Playoffs.

2016 was the only real shot OKC had after Harden trade. And Durant mocked it up.
User avatar
Scalabrine
RealGM
Posts: 17,430
And1: 7,275
Joined: Jun 02, 2004
Location: NorCal
     

Re: Did OKC choose Westbrook over KD and Harden? 

Post#13 » by Scalabrine » Sun Jun 28, 2020 2:05 pm

C3H6N6O6 wrote:OKC was a real title contender with KD and Westbrook.

If KD wanted to play more team oriented ball then he could have gone to Spurs. They'd be the favorites over KD-less Warriors unless LeBron somehow ended on the Warriors.

The Harden move was the only idiotic move. No one knew he would be this good but people still had him on the trajectory to be the next Manu which is a very valuable player.


The Warriors play team oriented ball, no?
Go Knicks!
birdlives_ma
Senior
Posts: 650
And1: 779
Joined: Aug 17, 2017
   

Re: Did OKC choose Westbrook over KD and Harden? 

Post#14 » by birdlives_ma » Sun Jun 28, 2020 2:25 pm

I think Billy Donovan doesn't get enough flak for this. His offense with KD and Russ was basically "one of you go get a bucket, idk." Russ was a force of nature and KD's maybe the best pure scorer ever, so it got them by. But they were nowhere near where they could have been, especially after the Harden trade, and I don't really put that on either player.
User avatar
Baski
Lead Assistant
Posts: 4,532
And1: 3,950
Joined: Feb 09, 2017
   

Re: Did OKC choose Westbrook over KD and Harden? 

Post#15 » by Baski » Sun Jun 28, 2020 2:35 pm

They chose him over Harden but they didn't have a choice with KD. They wouldn't have had to choose between them if he stayed
User avatar
Lunartic
Lead Assistant
Posts: 5,766
And1: 9,254
Joined: Nov 28, 2015

Re: Did OKC choose Westbrook over KD and Harden? 

Post#16 » by Lunartic » Sun Jun 28, 2020 2:39 pm

By virtue of not getting a better coach, looking at trades for Westbrook and letting Harden go, you can make an argument that the FO didn't do much to keep Durant

OKC big 3 is the arguably the greatest amount of talent to never win a thing

Westbrook should have been moved for Chris Paul
OfficialRef
Sixth Man
Posts: 1,980
And1: 2,387
Joined: May 05, 2014

Re: Did OKC choose Westbrook over KD and Harden? 

Post#17 » by OfficialRef » Sun Jun 28, 2020 3:01 pm

They chose to build around Westbrook over Durant.

Often times Durant would be the only above average shooter on the Thunder so he was more like the decoy on offense for the offense to be able to properly flow.

Also Donovans system was to play to Westbrooks strengths over Durants. The offense would be initiated by him.
User avatar
C3H6N6O6
Veteran
Posts: 2,992
And1: 3,887
Joined: Feb 04, 2014

Re: Did OKC choose Westbrook over KD and Harden? 

Post#18 » by C3H6N6O6 » Sun Jun 28, 2020 5:17 pm

Scalabrine wrote:
C3H6N6O6 wrote:OKC was a real title contender with KD and Westbrook.

If KD wanted to play more team oriented ball then he could have gone to Spurs. They'd be the favorites over KD-less Warriors unless LeBron somehow ended on the Warriors.

The Harden move was the only idiotic move. No one knew he would be this good but people still had him on the trajectory to be the next Manu which is a very valuable player.


The Warriors play team oriented ball, no?

KD said that he went to Warriors because of team ball when Spurs play team ball too. Talent was the only reason and it wasn't like he wasn't on a true contender in OKC anyways.
Jonny Blaze
Veteran
Posts: 2,780
And1: 1,409
Joined: Jun 20, 2011

Re: Did OKC choose Westbrook over KD and Harden? 

Post#19 » by Jonny Blaze » Sun Jun 28, 2020 5:18 pm

loveandbeer wrote:Nah, they definitely saved bucks over Harden, but losing Durant wasn't really their fault.

No one could've possibly expected KD to make the weakest move in all of sports history.

For a top player to leave a top team that was one game away from potentially winning a title is unprecedented. Especially after choking a 3-1.


The 2016 Thunder were 5 games away from winning a title....not one.
User avatar
celticfan42487
RealGM
Posts: 27,426
And1: 15,276
Joined: Jul 22, 2005
Location: Billerica, MA
       

Re: Did OKC choose Westbrook over KD and Harden? 

Post#20 » by celticfan42487 » Sun Jun 28, 2020 5:23 pm

This is just a troll thread isn't it
Image

Return to The General Board