OKC is a disgrace

[Dan Z]

What is OKC's plan about the FRPs?

Are they waiting on a superstar with a long contract demanding out?

I'd be surprised if a superstar asked for a trade to OKC.

Another reason that multi year tanks are idiotic. Hell, as a rookie I wouldn't want to go there because you would be competing with a bunch of other rooks & 2nd year guys for time.

That depends on your options. OKC might be a great place for a rookie because there's a chance at playing time. A good team with vets could mean that a rookie is stuck deep on the bench.

[FreeSpiritNY]

How about being the Knicks for 20 years with 0 plan 0 assets 0 picks and burned up way past there time stars with always a losing record. Then you get someone decent snd you trade him.

You guys will be ok you have a plan and it’s about to start. You also have one of the best young players in the league.

Some fans are so greedy. You had a better player than some franchises ever had. The only dumb move was trading harden.

I’ll trade last years 4 seed for all the picks you got.

Knicks have been to the finals in like 30 years or the conference finals. Your teams been bad for only 1 year and still wasn’t even that bad.

[Dr Aki]

I'd be surprised if a superstar asked for a trade to OKC.

The point of a long contract is that they can't ask out

I.e. that have no leverage

Players have leverage despite the length of their contracts. Lets say Damian Liliard does asks to be traded. Do you really think that he won't have some say as to where he wants to go?

Technically speaking, if Lillard doesn't have a no trade clause, he doesn't. He can pine and whine publicly, but he can get sent to NBA Siberia and he technically doesn't have a say.

Now the damage done to the franchise image and player relations, that's a much different story. I'll agree with you there.

Though, the Clippers seem to have done well to reverse that image after trading Griffin.

[Sothron]

I think the NBA should ban teams from "The Process" since all it results in is an unwatchable abomination on the court for season after season. Fans of that team are forced to watch years go by while their GM prays for miracle lotteries to get "the guy". It completely throws off any competitive balance which should be the intention of any sport.

[LakersSoul]

I think the NBA should ban teams from "The Process" since all it results in is an unwatchable abomination on the court for season after season. Fans of that team are forced to watch years go by while their GM prays for miracle lotteries to get "the guy". It completely throws off any competitive balance which should be the intention of any sport.

True but sometimes a true rebuild is necessary. OKC just lost PG and Russ. What do you want to do? Most franchises need 3-5 years to build properly and that’s to make the playoffs as a 7/8 seed. OKC looked yo fast track that. They went and traded for youth cornerstone, Shai. They built their youth while actively trading and facilitating trades to add draft picks.

1-2 more year and they will be a 7/8 seed fighting contender with continued draft picks that they can use or trade for vets. They supersized the rebuild and it should be studied for all teams rebuilding.

[zshawn10]

OKC actually tried to win most of the season and put a respectable product. The real disgrace is Houston

Lo freaking L. Okc’s stock piling and fetish of picks cost them Sengun. Okc took Kemba for the first rounder and was going to trade Kemba to get more out of him. There were rumors of the thunder trying to trade shai to go get Cade. They are just absolutely tanking and hoping they get rewarded

[The Rebel]

I think the NBA should ban teams from "The Process" since all it results in is an unwatchable abomination on the court for season after season. Fans of that team are forced to watch years go by while their GM prays for miracle lotteries to get "the guy". It completely throws off any competitive balance which should be the intention of any sport.

So were you complaining when Schlenk dumped the remainders of the EAstern conference finals team and spent 3 years trading for bad contracts with picks and for guys who were out for the year? While nobody was reporting it, the Hawks literally just spent 3 years doing exactly what the process was trying to do.

[The Rebel]

and their tanking worked by allowing them to amass enough talent to trade for AD.

Considering AD made it clear that he was only going to the Lakers I don't think their young talent was much of a factor.

It don’t think were getting AD without Ingram, Ball and Hart caliber young talent in the deal. And Magic gave away just about every other good young player they drafted.

But I would also argue that it was a 5 year tank/rebuild. 27-55 on the front end and the 35-47 season before signing Bron on the other end.

You have been on this board and following the NBA way too long to believe that when a star player decides that he is only going to 1 team that the assets that team has matters in the least bit. Even when Popovich refused to trade Kawhi to the Lakers it had nothing to do with young talent and everything to do with Pop refusing to do anything to help Kawhi or the Lakers.

[SharpyShuffle]

I think the NBA should ban teams from "The Process" since all it results in is an unwatchable abomination on the court for season after season. Fans of that team are forced to watch years go by while their GM prays for miracle lotteries to get "the guy". It completely throws off any competitive balance which should be the intention of any sport.

True but sometimes a true rebuild is necessary. OKC just lost PG and Russ. What do you want to do? Most franchises need 3-5 years to build properly and that’s to make the playoffs as a 7/8 seed. OKC looked yo fast track that. They went and traded for youth cornerstone, Shai. They built their youth while actively trading and facilitating trades to add draft picks.

1-2 more year and they will be a 7/8 seed fighting contender with continued draft picks that they can use or trade for vets. They supersized the rebuild and it should be studied for all teams rebuilding.

...they ALREADY made the playoffs as better than a 7/8 seed and came incredibly close to the second round. They have a star who is 90% likely better than anything they'll get in the draft over the next few years, and who is just as good as young star guards going far in the playoffs like Trae and Booker. Speaking of Booker, the Thunder had CP3 as well and let him go.

I get the rationale. That team a year ago was a fun surprise and overachieved. But even if they didn't stick with that exact team, there was no need to tank as hard as they did, taking on bloated contracts for picks. Those kind of moves are for true bottom feeders, ones who are desperate, just like the Sixers were after Bynum collapsed into a thousand pieces of shattered glass. Not teams that were 2 games back from the #3 seed.

The Thunder should be retooling around SGA, who IMO looks like a classic 'guy who gets you the guy' second-tier star, trying to prove themselves as a worthy destination for other stars who want out, who they can then trade for with their pile of picks. But instead they'd rather stall, and keep kicking the can down the road so nobody gets fired.

Here's my bold prediction: being 3 points or whatever it was away from the second round last year is the furthest SGA ever goes in a Thunder uniform. He'll get pissed with tanking, go to another team to be their #2 star, and the Thunder will get even more picks for the mountain and kick the can indefinitely.

[matt6715]

OKC ended up with pick 6 in what might be a 5 player draft. Tough break for the beginning of their tank era

[DroseReturnChi]

I think the NBA should ban teams from "The Process" since all it results in is an unwatchable abomination on the court for season after season. Fans of that team are forced to watch years go by while their GM prays for miracle lotteries to get "the guy". It completely throws off any competitive balance which should be the intention of any sport.

well this is the only thing small markets can do to defeat lakers fa.
overwhelm them with talent to the point you draft 3mvps. okc has cheap owner too so its not like they can compete.
i recommend this process to every team that cannot get all stars in fa and sacrifice for the greater good. hinkie abused it so well he was vanished from the league. Dallas and Atlanta didnt have to do it only bc they lucked out not bc they were geniuses.

[DudetheObscure]

OKC actually tried to win most of the season and put a respectable product. The real disgrace is Houston

Lo freaking L. Okc’s stock piling and fetish of picks cost them Sengun. Okc took Kemba for the first rounder and was going to trade Kemba to get more out of him. There were rumors of the thunder trying to trade shai to go get Cade. They are just absolutely tanking and hoping they get rewarded

Lost them Sengun? That's hilarious. Houston fans should be worried that Presti could've drafted Sengun, but chose to take 2 future FRPs that will likely be in the no. 16 range. If Presti thought Sengun could defend the pick and roll in the NBA he would've drafted him.

The Shai + no. 6 for Cade is equally ridiculous. It never happened. If Presti proposed that trade he should be fired. If Weaver turned it down he should be fired as well.

[ThunderBolt]

It's always funny reading other people's comments on your own team. It makes me cautious about when I comment on other teams so I don't sound as dumb as some of the people do when they talk about OKC being cheap and how they are similar to philly.

[Statlanta]

OKC actually tried to win most of the season and put a respectable product. The real disgrace is Houston

Lo freaking L. Okc’s stock piling and fetish of picks cost them Sengun. Okc took Kemba for the first rounder and was going to trade Kemba to get more out of him. There were rumors of the thunder trying to trade shai to go get Cade. They are just absolutely tanking and hoping they get rewarded

It’s still Summer League. Segue could bust against NBA players.

I might have been wrong but even if OKC tried harder to tank they still ended with a better record than Houston. You replied to a comment during the season before OKC pivoted into getting more draft assets

[Sothron]

I think the NBA should ban teams from "The Process" since all it results in is an unwatchable abomination on the court for season after season. Fans of that team are forced to watch years go by while their GM prays for miracle lotteries to get "the guy". It completely throws off any competitive balance which should be the intention of any sport.

So were you complaining when Schlenk dumped the remainders of the EAstern conference finals team and spent 3 years trading for bad contracts with picks and for guys who were out for the year? While nobody was reporting it, the Hawks literally just spent 3 years doing exactly what the process was trying to do.

That team had reached its apex and was on the way down. Our idiot GM (coach Bud) before him let Horford and Millsap walk for nothing. That is not how you run a franchise. Schlenk started a rebuild and stopped before last season. That was what 2 or 3 seasons. That is hardly the process where teams don't even try. OKC had a team that even made the playoffs and that wasn't good enough for Presti so he had to get rid of those players as well as hold out SAG and Horford last season. The Hawks never did that.

What OKC is doing and what Philly did should be banned. When OKC actually made the playoffs with a solid team and that got torn up as well that is a problem.

[Sothron]

I think the NBA should ban teams from "The Process" since all it results in is an unwatchable abomination on the court for season after season. Fans of that team are forced to watch years go by while their GM prays for miracle lotteries to get "the guy". It completely throws off any competitive balance which should be the intention of any sport.

True but sometimes a true rebuild is necessary. OKC just lost PG and Russ. What do you want to do? Most franchises need 3-5 years to build properly and that’s to make the playoffs as a 7/8 seed. OKC looked yo fast track that. They went and traded for youth cornerstone, Shai. They built their youth while actively trading and facilitating trades to add draft picks.

1-2 more year and they will be a 7/8 seed fighting contender with continued draft picks that they can use or trade for vets. They supersized the rebuild and it should be studied for all teams rebuilding.

...they ALREADY made the playoffs as better than a 7/8 seed and came incredibly close to the second round. They have a star who is 90% likely better than anything they'll get in the draft over the next few years, and who is just as good as young star guards going far in the playoffs like Trae and Booker. Speaking of Booker, the Thunder had CP3 as well and let him go.

I get the rationale. That team a year ago was a fun surprise and overachieved. But even if they didn't stick with that exact team, there was no need to tank as hard as they did, taking on bloated contracts for picks. Those kind of moves are for true bottom feeders, ones who are desperate, just like the Sixers were after Bynum collapsed into a thousand pieces of shattered glass. Not teams that were 2 games back from the #3 seed.

The Thunder should be retooling around SGA, who IMO looks like a classic 'guy who gets you the guy' second-tier star, trying to prove themselves as a worthy destination for other stars who want out, who they can then trade for with their pile of picks. But instead they'd rather stall, and keep kicking the can down the road so nobody gets fired.

Here's my bold prediction: being 3 points or whatever it was away from the second round last year is the furthest SGA ever goes in a Thunder uniform. He'll get pissed with tanking, go to another team to be their #2 star, and the Thunder will get even more picks for the mountain and kick the can indefinitely.

All of this. This is exactly what I am talking about. OKC had a good team and still decided to blow things up to get as putrid as possible.

[The Rebel]

I think the NBA should ban teams from "The Process" since all it results in is an unwatchable abomination on the court for season after season. Fans of that team are forced to watch years go by while their GM prays for miracle lotteries to get "the guy". It completely throws off any competitive balance which should be the intention of any sport.

So were you complaining when Schlenk dumped the remainders of the EAstern conference finals team and spent 3 years trading for bad contracts with picks and for guys who were out for the year? While nobody was reporting it, the Hawks literally just spent 3 years doing exactly what the process was trying to do.

That team had reached its apex and was on the way down. Our idiot GM (coach Bud) before him let Horford and Millsap walk for nothing. That is not how you run a franchise. Schlenk started a rebuild and stopped before last season. That was what 2 or 3 seasons. That is hardly the process where teams don't even try. OKC had a team that even made the playoffs and that wasn't good enough for Presti so he had to get rid of those players as well as hold out SAG and Horford last season. The Hawks never did that.

What OKC is doing and what Philly did should be banned. When OKC actually made the playoffs with a solid team and that got torn up as well that is a problem.

So the difference is that you follow one team and not the others? Because the results are the same, the actions during those years. Are the same, the only difference is how you perceive those actions.

[cjmcallist]

Wow. So much astounding ignorance in one thread. It makes me wonder if it's actually on purpose.

If you don't like the idea of tanking - that's fine. But making up blatantly false narratives to prove a point isn't necessary to debate tanking. Or, if it is necessary to make something up, maybe you don't have a reasonable argument against tanking.

okc has cheap owner too so its not like they can compete.

OKC owners paid the tax in 17, 18, 19. They also had the highest luxury tax payment in history until recently - might still have it. You can check it here: https://www.spotrac.com/nba/cba/tax/

OKC had a good team and still decided to blow things up to get as putrid as possible.

Chris Paul wanted out of OKC. I personally suspect it was mutual, but it was clearly not an OKC decision to blow it up. You can read it here: https://theathletic.com/2535983/2021/04/23/chris-paul-lets-us-in-on-how-hes-still-balling-for-the-suns-and-why-you-just-dont-know-him-if-you-are-surprised-by-it/

Here's a quote: "Beyond the obvious message of gratitude, sources say the Thunder believed he was making this much clear too: It was time to figure out where his next stop would be."

[Sothron]

So were you complaining when Schlenk dumped the remainders of the EAstern conference finals team and spent 3 years trading for bad contracts with picks and for guys who were out for the year? While nobody was reporting it, the Hawks literally just spent 3 years doing exactly what the process was trying to do.

That team had reached its apex and was on the way down. Our idiot GM (coach Bud) before him let Horford and Millsap walk for nothing. That is not how you run a franchise. Schlenk started a rebuild and stopped before last season. That was what 2 or 3 seasons. That is hardly the process where teams don't even try. OKC had a team that even made the playoffs and that wasn't good enough for Presti so he had to get rid of those players as well as hold out SAG and Horford last season. The Hawks never did that.

What OKC is doing and what Philly did should be banned. When OKC actually made the playoffs with a solid team and that got torn up as well that is a problem.

So the difference is that you follow one team and not the others? Because the results are the same, the actions during those years. Are the same, the only difference is how you perceive those actions.

Almost every word in your post is so wrong it is hard to respond without laughter.

OKC intentionally holds healthy players out to lose games. Atlanta does not.

OKC trades away a team that makes the playoffs after trying to tank. Atlanta does not do that.

OKC buckles down on tanking after making the playoffs despite trying to tank and trades away all players of value except one. Atlanta does not do that.

So the difference is pretty stark between Atlanta and OKC. If you don't see that you are just disagreeing to disagree.

[zshawn10]

OKC actually tried to win most of the season and put a respectable product. The real disgrace is Houston

Lo freaking L. Okc’s stock piling and fetish of picks cost them Sengun. Okc took Kemba for the first rounder and was going to trade Kemba to get more out of him. There were rumors of the thunder trying to trade shai to go get Cade. They are just absolutely tanking and hoping they get rewarded

Lost them Sengun? That's hilarious. Houston fans should be worried that Presti could've drafted Sengun, but chose to take 2 future FRPs that will likely be in the no. 16 range. If Presti thought Sengun could defend the pick and roll in the NBA he would've drafted him.

The Shai + no. 6 for Cade is equally ridiculous. It never happened. If Presti proposed that trade he should be fired. If Weaver turned it down he should be fired as well.

Actually a couple of teams were supposed to take him; he was a top 10 pick in most mock drafts. He's an analytical wet dream; seriously he topped out in Pelton's model and many others.

Those picks he got are so heavily protected; they are almost worthless.

What is Presti's plans for all these picks anyway? Trading for a disgruntled star or will he actually want to move up in next year's draft? How many picks does this guy need?