2024 Playoffs Discussion Thread 2

[Mr.Raptorsingh]

I think Zachary Edey doesn't fall past OKC at 12

[HumbleRen]

their best player was acquired via trade.

Key word asset accumulation. Knowing when to trade guys at the right time for assets that have more value in the future.

Desperately holding on of the remnants of a championship team is why we’re in this crappy position to begin with.

OKC realizing their core of PG and Russ wasn’t going anywhere and selling high on them is what led to a successful rebuild.

well between presti and masai, there's one title...and it aint from presti.

Using one title as a self defence for any criticism lol ? Are we that franchise now ? Pitiful state lol.

I’ll let the Bossman himself say it for me.

[ItsDanger]

Seattle/OKC has had maybe 6 bad seasons in last 37 years. These kind of comments here are bordering on irrational.

[vulture]

Great season by OKC. SGA is absolutely incredible. Can't believe how much he has improved over the past two seasons. This series was an eye opener for OKC. It was a huge wake-up call. There is a lot of work to be done and Presti needs to get to work in the off-season. Not sure how valuable those FRPs are but they should be available along with Giddey. Need to get bigger.

he had the means to get a center this deadline and didnt. costly bc dallas did and that's the difference. theyre now in the ecfs. you cant waste years. okc was totally healthy
...no telling if that'll be the case next year or after.

Yeah I agree. Given the parity this year, they did just waste a year because adding size at the deadline could've put them in the ECF. Would they be good enough to beat Denver or Minnesota? Probably not but with the amount of injuries happening around the league, just staying healthy puts you in a great position.

I think people forget that OKC is going to have re-sign all of these guys and it's not going to be cheap. SGA, Williams and Chet is a lot of money and then you got supporting pieces like Cason, Dort etc. Ship out Giddey and picks and see if you can get some size.

Presti was a big loser at the deadline that's for sure.

He got too cute and traded for a player who scored 0 points in the series. He also facilitated Gafford to the mavs.
People think that OKC is gonna get a 5 year run when the league doesn’t work that way with parity and injuries.
Big time miss by Presti and now he can go to bed with all his picks.

[Pointgod]

Thunder showing why asset accumulation and tanking works. Hope Masai and the front office are taking notes. The Mavs were just the more experienced team despite not playing that great. The WCF is looking to be a classic.

Without SGA, OKC isn't even a playoff team. They didn't get SGA by tanking. They can thank Kawhi for that. I don't know if OKC fans would be super happy with a Giddey/Williams/Chet trio moving forward because that's what they'd have without SGA.

Key word asset accumulation. OKC sold high on Paul George and Williams and Chet will be future allstars. They got Chet because of tanking, Giddey, Cason Wallace all a good core and tradeable players (Giddey, Wallace, other Williams) to compliment Shai. Not to mention they have enough picks to bring in another superstar.

[Los_29]

he had the means to get a center this deadline and didnt. costly bc dallas did and that's the difference. theyre now in the ecfs. you cant waste years. okc was totally healthy
...no telling if that'll be the case next year or after.

Yeah I agree. Given the parity this year, they did just waste a year because adding size at the deadline could've put them in the ECF. Would they be good enough to beat Denver or Minnesota? Probably not but with the amount of injuries happening around the league, just staying healthy puts you in a great position.

I think people forget that OKC is going to have re-sign all of these guys and it's not going to be cheap. SGA, Williams and Chet is a lot of money and then you got supporting pieces like Cason, Dort etc. Ship out Giddey and picks and see if you can get some size.

Presti was a big loser at the deadline that's for sure.

He got too cute and traded for a player who scored 0 points in the series. He also facilitated Gafford to the mavs.
People think that OKC is gonna get a 5 year run when the league doesn’t work that way with parity and injuries.
Big time miss by Presti and now he can go to bed with all his picks.

Exactly. This is what makes the league really fun right now. Guys like Gafford and PJ would have sent OKC to the WCF. Then you never know what happens. In two years they’ll be paying Chet and Williams. He’s got work to do.

Even the Celtics are an interesting team. They got Tatum and Jaylen but their supporting pieces are making a lot of money. This might be their best chance to win it all.

[Basketball_Jones]

Celtics / Mavericks would be really interesting too. I feel the 3 teams in the West can definitely beat them, it’s a matter of finding out which one.

[Los_29]

Thunder showing why asset accumulation and tanking works. Hope Masai and the front office are taking notes. The Mavs were just the more experienced team despite not playing that great. The WCF is looking to be a classic.

Without SGA, OKC isn't even a playoff team. They didn't get SGA by tanking. They can thank Kawhi for that. I don't know if OKC fans would be super happy with a Giddey/Williams/Chet trio moving forward because that's what they'd have without SGA.

Key word asset accumulation. OKC sold high on Paul George and Williams and Chet will be future allstars. They got Chet because of tanking, Giddey, Cason Wallace all a good core and tradeable players (Giddey, Wallace, other Williams) to compliment Shai. Not to mention they have enough picks to bring in another superstar.

They didn’t sell high. Kawhi wanted to team up with George. Presti was just in the right place at the right time. And he sold extremely low on Westbrook. He traded Westbrook when the whole league knew he couldn’t lead a team.

Giddey was a lottery pick that barely played the past few games because he was a liability.

Asset accumulation is great but Presti hasn’t taken advantage of it. He packaged three FRPs for Ousmane Dieng. That didn’t work out so well. Traded Sengun for a future FRP. That didn’t turn out well either.

[Los_29]

Thunder showing why asset accumulation and tanking works. Hope Masai and the front office are taking notes. The Mavs were just the more experienced team despite not playing that great. The WCF is looking to be a classic.

their best player was acquired via trade.

Key word asset accumulation. Knowing when to trade guys at the right time for assets that have more value in the future.

Desperately holding on of the remnants of a championship team is why we’re in this crappy position to begin with.

OKC realizing their core of PG and Russ wasn’t going anywhere and selling high on them is what led to a successful rebuild.

Didn’t Presti give a Westbrook led team 4 years before tearing it down?

You know what’s funny? Presti would have continued with that same roster had Kawhi not chosen to team up with George. Once George was dealt, Westbrook was dealt just days later. OKC maxed out George a year earlier.

Kawhi has done more for OKC than the Clippers.

[ArthurVandelay]

he had the means to get a center this deadline and didnt. costly bc dallas did and that's the difference. theyre now in the ecfs. you cant waste years. okc was totally healthy
...no telling if that'll be the case next year or after.

Yeah I agree. Given the parity this year, they did just waste a year because adding size at the deadline could've put them in the ECF. Would they be good enough to beat Denver or Minnesota? Probably not but with the amount of injuries happening around the league, just staying healthy puts you in a great position.

I think people forget that OKC is going to have re-sign all of these guys and it's not going to be cheap. SGA, Williams and Chet is a lot of money and then you got supporting pieces like Cason, Dort etc. Ship out Giddey and picks and see if you can get some size.

Presti was a big loser at the deadline that's for sure.

He got too cute and traded for a player who scored 0 points in the series. He also facilitated Gafford to the mavs.
People think that OKC is gonna get a 5 year run when the league doesn’t work that way with parity and injuries.
Big time miss by Presti and now he can go to bed with all his picks.

Hayward trade was also about clearing off guaranteed money and roster spots for next year. OKC are going into the summmer with $35m in cap space.

[vulture]

Yeah I agree. Given the parity this year, they did just waste a year because adding size at the deadline could've put them in the ECF. Would they be good enough to beat Denver or Minnesota? Probably not but with the amount of injuries happening around the league, just staying healthy puts you in a great position.

I think people forget that OKC is going to have re-sign all of these guys and it's not going to be cheap. SGA, Williams and Chet is a lot of money and then you got supporting pieces like Cason, Dort etc. Ship out Giddey and picks and see if you can get some size.

Presti was a big loser at the deadline that's for sure.

He got too cute and traded for a player who scored 0 points in the series. He also facilitated Gafford to the mavs.
People think that OKC is gonna get a 5 year run when the league doesn’t work that way with parity and injuries.
Big time miss by Presti and now he can go to bed with all his picks.

Hayward trade was also about clearing off guaranteed money and roster spots for next year. OKC are going into the summmer with $35m in cap space.

Sure they had cap space last year too and they chose to take on the deadweight of Bertans.
They legit could have had pj Washington at the 4 to replace giddey.

The day Presti wins a championship is the day he should he lauded. Right now he’s just collecting assets and shuffling the deck while SGA is being guarded by 4 dudes in a playoff series.

[djsunyc]

Key word asset accumulation. Knowing when to trade guys at the right time for assets that have more value in the future.

Desperately holding on of the remnants of a championship team is why we’re in this crappy position to begin with.

OKC realizing their core of PG and Russ wasn’t going anywhere and selling high on them is what led to a successful rebuild.

well between presti and masai, there's one title...and it aint from presti.

Using one title as a self defence for any criticism lol ? Are we that franchise now ? Pitiful state lol.

I’ll let the Bossman himself say it for me.

i think you missed the point. everyone here is so damn upset that they'll use any example to get in another jab at masai when it was masai that actually delivered the chip when the chance presented itself. the post i responded to was about masai trying to learn from what presti did which is just more recency bias to say something bad about masai.

if there's any lesson, it's that presti should've made a gasol trade this deadline (and he wouldn't have even had to give up alot of his rotation to do it!)

he's gonna continue to make moves - some will work out and some won't. he made a huge change midway through last year so as long as he's here, we have to see how it plays out. if it doesn't work...then he'll be gone. but the only thing i do know is that he did what should really be considered the impossible in the nba and that's deliver a championship to a team in toronto. so he has alot of built up equity with me.

[Pointgod]

Without SGA, OKC isn't even a playoff team. They didn't get SGA by tanking. They can thank Kawhi for that. I don't know if OKC fans would be super happy with a Giddey/Williams/Chet trio moving forward because that's what they'd have without SGA.

Key word asset accumulation. OKC sold high on Paul George and Williams and Chet will be future allstars. They got Chet because of tanking, Giddey, Cason Wallace all a good core and tradeable players (Giddey, Wallace, other Williams) to compliment Shai. Not to mention they have enough picks to bring in another superstar.

They didn’t sell high. Kawhi wanted to team up with George. Presti was just in the right place at the right time. And he sold extremely low on Westbrook. He traded Westbrook when the whole league knew he couldn’t lead a team.

Giddey was a lottery pick that barely played the past few games because he was a liability.

Asset accumulation is great but Presti hasn’t taken advantage of it. He packaged three FRPs for Ousmane Dieng. That didn’t work out so well. Traded Sengun for a future FRP. That didn’t turn out well either.

He absolutely sold high on Paul George who had come off an all NBA first team season, all defensive first team and had finished top 3 in MVP voting. Presti was under no obligation to trade George and they were a playoff team with him.

He got 5 first round picks, 2 pick swaps and SGA in the deal. On of those picks turned out to be Jalen Williams and they’ll still be getting picks from the Clippers in 2 years.

He also sold high on Westbrook who was coming off of his third straight triple double season and was 30 years old at the time. Most front offices will wait until the guy shows obvious signs of decline. He got Chris Paul, 2 future picks (the Rockets lottery pick this year) and 2 future swaps (which they’re almost certain to take advantage of in next year’s draft)

He also traded Chris Paul, Schroeder, a bunch of vets for more picks and utilized his capspace to take on more assets. Yes he missed on Sengun, Giddey and Usman Dieng but that’s the point of having multiple assets it gives you a lot of outs. OKC was a top team in the West and 2 games from the WCF with an average age of 23. I’ve been a massive Presti critic over the years and he proved me wrong. His strategy has absolutely been successful even if Shai didnt develop into a MVP, they’d still be able to trade for a superstar.

[djsunyc]

presti is a great exec. so is masai.

any team would be lucky to have both. there's no need to compare either since both operate in different markets with different mandates from ownership.

[ArthurVandelay]

presti is a great exec. so is masai.

any team would be lucky to have both. there's no need to compare either since both operate in different markets with different mandates from ownership.

I’m not getting the Presti hate here

He has one of the youngest teams in the league, all kinds of cap space, a boat load of picks, 2 likely all-star talents, and the runner up to MVP.

[Badonkadonk]

presti is a great exec. so is masai.

any team would be lucky to have both. there's no need to compare either since both operate in different markets with different mandates from ownership.

I’m not getting the Presti hate here

He has one of the youngest teams in the league, all kinds of cap space, a boat load of picks, 2 likely all-star talents, and the runner up to MVP.

I think the team "arrived" a year ahead of schedule, he hasn't even begun trying to consolidate into large win-now trades.

Now that Shai has risen all the way to MVP contending status, Chet has shown he's a real piece and the team is a year older, I'm sure we'll see the beginning of a pivot. Any hate on him is just weird.

[tecumseh18]

presti is a great exec. so is masai.

any team would be lucky to have both. there's no need to compare either since both operate in different markets with different mandates from ownership.

I’m not getting the Presti hate here

He has one of the youngest teams in the league, all kinds of cap space, a boat load of picks, 2 likely all-star talents, and the runner up to MVP.

And what did he have in 2011? A top 10 all-time player, plus two sure-fire HOFers. Plus Serge in his defensive prime.

We'll see.

[alpngso]

This OKC team reminded me of pre Kawhi Raptors Casey team that tried to shoot a lot of 3s. Drive and kickouts to shoot 3s. But in close games and defensive intensity go up, shots not falling and team falters. Albeit OKC is at least like 3,4 years younger team

[Scase]

presti is a great exec. so is masai.

any team would be lucky to have both. there's no need to compare either since both operate in different markets with different mandates from ownership.

I’m not getting the Presti hate here

He has one of the youngest teams in the league, all kinds of cap space, a boat load of picks, 2 likely all-star talents, and the runner up to MVP.

Because they need something to justify how bad our team is. Crab bucket mentality, gotta pull others down to your level.

We won a chip, we had a great team, Masai did a great job. But now, we have a bad team, and Masai has been **** the bed for years. The first part they are happy to sing the praises of, the second part it's a deluge of excuses.

All the same people want to constantly throw around how the raps had the best winning record of the last 10 years blah blah blah. Meanwhile Presti has been the head of the Sonics/Thunder and have had 5 seasons under .500 in 17 years, currently rocking a .549 winning record all time. He's been the head of one of the best run franchises in the last 2 decades.

Meanwhile our fanbase is channelling their inner Shaq "RINGS ERNEH, RINGS"

[Los_29]

presti is a great exec. so is masai.

any team would be lucky to have both. there's no need to compare either since both operate in different markets with different mandates from ownership.

I’m not getting the Presti hate here

He has one of the youngest teams in the league, all kinds of cap space, a boat load of picks, 2 likely all-star talents, and the runner up to MVP.

And what did he have in 2011? A top 10 all-time player, plus two sure-fire HOFers. Plus Serge in his defensive prime.

We'll see.

That’s true. I just can’t see him falling flat on his face again though. I’m sure he’s learned from that experience. They are in good shape but he needs to start going for rings and not participation ribbons.