Sam Presti Screwed Up

[KG215]

I mean he royally f***ed up by trading Harden and it's painfully obvious now. Should've kept Harden and figured out what to do after the season. Either match an offer or agree to a sign and trade with someone this summer. Martin has not become nothing more than a streaky spot-up shooter, and Westbrook and Durant have to shoulder way too much of the offensive load.

Oh, and Durant needs to stop being a little bitch looking for a foul call every play, and go back to playing through the contact and how he was playing before the All-Star break. If he doesn't, we may get beat in the first round.

I know Denver is really good, but that loss tonight was unacceptable. The Nuggets coming off an OT game last night in Chicago and they straight up kicked our ass....in OKC.

Right now the top 5 teams in the West, in my opinion...

1. Spurs (with a healthy and 100% Parker for the playoffs)
2a. Nuggets
2b. Grizzlies
4. Thunder
5. Clippers

And I have the Thunder ahead of the Clippers only because we just beat them in LA last week. But right now we'd lose a best-of-seven to the Spurs, Nuggets, and Grizzlies in 5 or 6 games. I will almost 100% guarantee a new Western Conference representative in the Finals this year. Not that it matters, because the playoffs are just a formality...no one's beating Miami. But whoever it is sure as hell will put up a better fight than the Thunder would.

[Jyap9675]

I recall reading here that y'all thunder fans were boasting that losing Harden for Martin didn't affect you guys much in terms of winning percentage and contribution. Haha what happened?

But yea, Harden's intangibles such as playmaking were very valuable.

[Budadiiii]

He disappeared in the finals like LeBron in 2011.

Well, maybe not THAT bad, but still... That was a main part of this decision.

**** you James Harden, he's an egotistical bastard and a complete moron. **** that guy.

[Whoah10115]

I think Martin has been great. He plays well off the star guys, but there isn't enough for the rest of the team. 4 guys make up your offense...and none of them can play inside.


I still think Brooks has done an awesome job setting up the offense. I still maintain Durant doesn't get doubled much, for a guy in his position. But at some point you can't just get by on being better and energetic. You guys are up for it every now but the great teams can play you.

And if you look at the Lakers...their talent is still there. Their 4 is better than yours. It's not ridiculous to think they can get it together and something happens.

[Pacers4ever]

Weren't you defending that move too? :lol

[shady6121]

Not only did Sam Presti trade James Harden to keep Kendrick Perkins, but he also traded Jeff Green to actually get Perkins from the Celtics. Kendrick Perkins might have potentially cost the Thunder a chance at winning a championship or even becoming a dynasty.

[Budadiiii]

Not only did Sam Presti trade James Harden to keep Kendrick Perkins, but he also traded Jeff Green to actually get Perkins from the Celtics. Kendrick Perkins might have potentially cost the Thunder a chance at winning a championship or even becoming a dynasty.
Hindsight is 20/20.

Green was contemplating retirement because of his heart condition and Perkins really helped us become "legit" the first two years in a Thunder uni.

The James Harden trade hurt us much more than the Perkins one.

[imnew09]

The trade has been discussed over 1000000000000 times here on ish... get over it.


Not only did Sam Presti trade James Harden to keep Kendrick Perkins, but he also traded Jeff Green to actually get Perkins from the Celtics. Kendrick Perkins might have potentially cost the Thunder a chance at winning a championship or even becoming a dynasty.


:facepalm Jeff Green for Kendrick Perkins initially was a steal for OKC because GREEN WAS OUT FOR AN ENTIRE SEASON, and was on the verge of ending his career because of the heart. :facepalm It really pisses me when people just comment on stuff they don't know about.

[tazb]

Thunder ahead of Clippers? :facepalm

[KG215]

Weren't you defending that move too? :lol
Yes, when Martin was playing well. And he's still not playing terribly, but it's just become more and more obvious over the last month or so that this current Thunder roster can't win a championship. It is what it is and I'm not afraid to admit I was wrong. Presti should've held onto Harden through the season since he was still under contract, rolled the dice on potential locker room and chemistry issues with the contract negotiations lingering over the team's head, and either matched someone's offer or workout a sign-and-trade with another team in the summer.

[PJR]

The early season notion that Kevin Martin was replicating James Harden's role was ludicrous is every sense of the word.

Kevin Martin is primarily just a catch and shoot guy. You can defend him with one guy. James Harden brought an element to the team with his screen and roll penetration, that was a clear matchup nightmare towards teams second units. Harden was that third cog that created consistent mismatches. OKC doesn't have that element anymore, and it shows.

You can't blame Sam Presti for this, though. His feet were put to the fire, and he made the best deal that was on the table. Blame Clay Bennet.

[andremiller07]

The biggest problem for the Thunder is that every other team that was close to them last year got upgrades and there younger players got better while the Thunder stayed the same/lost a bit with losing Harden and not getting a legit scoring big or decent back up PG.

[qrich]

Still think the two trades that the Thunder should take back, besides this, is the pick that ended up Bledsoe for a future first, which they dealt with Jeff Green for Perkins.

Had they not done the initial trade, they would have had a fiesty backup point and maintained Green or used him in a trade for another player, which most likely would have been > Perkins.


Thunder ahead of Clippers? :facepalm

Despite at one point having a top 2 record against .500 teams, the Clippers have been atrocious since. They nearly bet a Melo/Chandler less Knicks squad at home.

[Graviton]

The early season notion that Kevin Martin was replicating James Harden's role was ludicrous is every sense of the word.

Kevin Martin is primarily just a catch and shoot guy. You can defend him with one guy. James Harden brought an element to the team with his screen and roll penetration, that was a clear matchup nightmare towards teams second units. Harden was that third cog that created consistent mismatches. OKC doesn't have that element anymore, and it shows.
At least they still have bunch of 1st round picks and young talent, enough to get a legit bigman like Al Jefferson or someone similar. If only Presti made the move and amnestied Perkins, think he is waiting for another OKC exit in the playoffs to get his head outta his ass. :facepalm

[Cowboy Thunder]

Get rid of someone and trade up to get Marcus Smart plz Presti :applause:

[macpierce]

the sky is falling

[el gringos]

You never trade qaulity for quantity in the nba- you always lose

they gambled a lot on what that draft pick might be? Picks 15-20 don't look that great to make up for it

[KG215]

The early season notion that Kevin Martin was replicating James Harden's role was ludicrous is every sense of the word.

Kevin Martin is primarily just a catch and shoot guy. You can defend him with one guy. James Harden brought an element to the team with his screen and roll penetration, that was a clear matchup nightmare towards teams second units. Harden was that third cog that created consistent mismatches. OKC doesn't have that element anymore, and it shows.

You can't blame Sam Presti for this, though. His feet were put to the fire, and he made the best deal that was on the table. Blame Clay Bennet.
It wasn't the notion that he would replace Harden's role. There was a notion he would be enough while Durant and Westbrook improved and expanded their games; which they have and so has Ibaka to a lesser extent. However, Durant and Westbrook shoulder way too much of the offensive load and it's starting to show as the season wears on.

And you can't blame Clay Bennett. He and the rest of the ownership group were willing to pay the luxury tax to keep Harden, and said as much.

[Cowboy Thunder]

Was there any scenario where Harden would have stayed long term?

What would OKC have needed to do? (I know we could have kept him for this year, then basically lost him for nothing)


Didn't he have a pretty darn good offer, but turned it down for a max?

[Graviton]

Was there any scenario where Harden would have stayed long term?

What would OKC have needed to do? (I know we could have kept him for this year, then basically lost him for nothing)


Didn't he have a pretty darn good offer, but turned it down for a max?
Coulda amnestied Perkins, kept Harden, traded Ibaka's overrated ass forn a cheaper defensive big man.

[PJR]

And you can't blame Clay Bennett. He and the rest of the ownership group were willing to pay the luxury tax to keep Harden, and said as much.

I wouldn't be so naive on this front. You think Presti really wanted to break up something that he and his scouts builded up so well? Don't think so.

[supe12sta12z]

I wouldn't be so naive on this front. You think Presti really wanted to break up something that he and his scouts builded up so well? Don't think so.

Who knows. I'd tell you what though, he was pretty damn quick to pull the trigger.

[Mr. Incredible]

What's worse is it's making Durant look a tad bit overrated. Said for 2 months that OKC wouldn't make the Finals.

[Rubio2Gasol]

One loss to the Nuggets and you're crying?

Anyway, Harden was never going to be utilized fully. I thought he was gonna sign a 4 or a 5 with the pieces he got, but I'd say between the pick, Lamb and Martin he pretty much hedged his bets and covered all bases.

You got an elite SG who fits the system and fits Durant's attempts to change his game, an elite SG prospect and a pick that could fill a need or serve as a trade piece.Lamb is probably being underutilized at the moment.

[cotdt]

I think Presti (and everyone else) blamed Harden for the loss in the Finals and so had to get rid of the problem.

[KG215]

One loss to the Nuggets and you're crying?

Anyway, Harden was never going to be utilized fully. I thought he was gonna sign a 4 or a 5 with the pieces he got, but I'd say between the pick, Lamb and Martin he pretty much hedged his bets and covered all bases.

You got an elite SG who fits the system and fits Durant's attempts to change his game, an elite SG prospect and a pick that could fill a need or serve as a trade piece.Lamb is probably being underutilized at the moment.
No, it's something that's been building for about a month now and I think most OKC fans would agree. Outside of that stretch where we beat the Clippers, Celtics, Knicks, and Lakers, OKC has looked very underwhelming against other playoff teams lately; and even 3 of those 4 teams (Knicks, Celtics, Lakers) aren't on the same level of Denver, Memphis, San Antonio, and Miami.

I'm holding out hope that Durant will breakout of this slump. Maybe he's just bored and ready for the playoffs? I don't know, but whatever it is, it's got to change. It's no coincidence that his awful play (by his standards) over the last month or so is coinciding with a time a lot of OKC fans are starting to doubt their chances of making another run to the Finals. A lot of OKC's problems can be solved with Durant getting back to being Durant and not this little p***y turnover machine who, on about 95% of his drives, half-heartedly goes into the lane and just waits or expects a foul to be called.

[KG215]

I think Presti (and everyone else) blamed Harden for the loss in the Finals and so had to get rid of the problem.
Sometimes it's better to just not say anything when you have no clue what you're talking about. And by sometimes I mean all the time.

[G-train]

Not only did Sam Presti trade James Harden to keep Kendrick Perkins, but he also traded Jeff Green to actually get Perkins from the Celtics. Kendrick Perkins might have potentially cost the Thunder a chance at winning a championship or even becoming a dynasty.

Perkins didn't cost anyone anything. He does what he has always done, play hard. He didn't ask to be traded or orchestrate the trades.



To others: Harden was offered extension that Presti could afford and declined. Presti basically then took the best offer. Study the NBA the last while, he would have got less in the post season. Check out the CBA and tell me how they go forward by keeping Harden at max price without destroying team finances.

ISH posters questioning the tactics of one of the best GMs going around.

[SCdac]

Eh, they weren't a championship team even with Harden. Nothing wrong with taking gambles with a 2nd place team. It's not like he broke up some Big-3 dynasty.

[j3lademaster]

The early season notion that Kevin Martin was replicating James Harden's role was ludicrous is every sense of the word.

Kevin Martin is primarily just a catch and shoot guy. You can defend him with one guy. James Harden brought an element to the team with his screen and roll penetration, that was a clear matchup nightmare towards teams second units. Harden was that third cog that created consistent mismatches. OKC doesn't have that element anymore, and it shows.

You can't blame Sam Presti for this, though. His feet were put to the fire, and he made the best deal that was on the table. Blame Clay Bennet.It's obvious Harden is straight up better, but this is very wrong.

[cotdt]

Sometimes it's better to just not say anything when you have no clue what you're talking about. And by sometimes I mean all the time.

Dude, Harden shot 4-of-20 in Games 3 and 4 and lost OKC those games. He sucked.

[theBIGjabroni]

Perkins didn't cost anyone anything. He does what he has always done, play hard. He didn't ask to be traded or orchestrate the trades.



To others: Harden was offered extension that Presti could afford and declined. Presti basically then took the best offer. Study the NBA the last while, he would have got less in the post season. Check out the CBA and tell me how they go forward by keeping Harden at max price without destroying team finances.

ISH posters questioning the tactics of one of the best GMs going around.
presti ****ed up. accept it

[MeLO MvP 15]

http://www.animateit.net/data/media/264/doc-kick.gif

[Jyap9675]

Harden was also a big reason for getting OKC in the finals especially against the Spurs.

[Xiao Yao You]

I mean he royally f***ed up by trading Harden and it's painfully obvious now. Should've kept Harden and figured out what to do after the season. Either match an offer or agree to a sign and trade with someone this summer. .

No guarantees if they wait. Sign and trade has become much harder with new CBA.


Not only did Sam Presti trade James Harden to keep Kendrick Perkins, but he also traded Jeff Green to actually get Perkins from the Celtics. Kendrick Perkins might have potentially cost the Thunder a chance at winning a championship or even becoming a dynasty.

Jeff Green had to go. He's a 3 that was playing the 4 in OKC.


At least they still have bunch of 1st round picks and young talent, enough to get a legit bigman like Al Jefferson or someone similar. If only Presti made the move and amnestied Perkins, think he is waiting for another OKC exit in the playoffs to get his head outta his ass.

They have 12-15 mill to sign Al but not keep Harden? The owner will eat Perkins contract but not pay the luxury tax to keep Harden?



And you can't blame Clay Bennett. He and the rest of the ownership group were willing to pay the luxury tax to keep Harden, and said as much.

So why did they trade him than?


OKC is still the team to beat in the west until proven otherwise. Regular season means squat!

[maybeshewill13]

I agree with regards to trading Harden. Martin is really pissing me off. He hits threes one night, misses the next and we lose the game. We NEED a reliable scorer off the bench, and Martin just isn't cutting it IMO. I think he'll be even worse come playoff time.

In regards to Durant.. totally agree again. Getting sick of him running into the lane just expecting to get fouled and flinging his arms in the air while looking at the ref. CUT IT OUT. GO ****ING HARD and EARN the foul!!! Starting to get pretty sick of him. I miss the ferocious hard drives and dunks, and ridiculous shots he hits. I love the guy (no homo), and I've been following him since Texas, but he really needs to quit being a bitch and go hard.

The way we're going, we're a second round exit, MAYBE WCF exit. That's what I'm expecting this year.. and if that's what it takes to finally make the stubborn ****ing front office to realize we NEED to get rid of ****ing Perkins and use some of our great trade assets to get some new talent in, I'm fine with it. We've got zero shot at beating the Heat anyway.

[Clifton]

I'm finally willing to accept that the Harden trade was really dumb. I've defended it for a long time, but the true scandal here is that Presti was willing to sign him for like 8 mil less than he ended up getting. It's a difference of pennies, basically, and this is a guy who will be top ten for the next ten years. Rash move.

That said, they are still a great franchise, and will continue to be for a long time.

[NumberSix]

Good. Fcuk this scumbag team.

[maybeshewill13]

Good. Fcuk this scumbag team.
Thanks for your insightful post :sleeping

[Xiao Yao You]

I'm finally willing to accept that the Harden trade was really dumb. I've defended it for a long time, but the true scandal here is that Presti was willing to sign him for like 8 mil less than he ended up getting. It's a difference of pennies, basically, and this is a guy who will be top ten for the next ten years. Rash move.

That said, they are still a great franchise, and will continue to be for a long time.

It's more than 8 million with luxury tax. Also gives them little flexibility which the deal has given them.

[The_Yearning]

It's more than 8 million with luxury tax. Also gives them little flexibility which the deal has given them.

Flexibility for what? Lmao Presti screwed up.

[KG215]

Yeah...this was clearly an overreaction thread. I still stand by a lot of what I said though, and tonight's home loss to an elite team was just the tipping point. I felt we had to win this game (to prove a point, stay right on the Spurs heels....something) against a Denver team who had a 2-1 season series lead and were coming off an OT game the night before. And about midway through the second quarter it looked like we had seized control of the game, were going to build a 10-12 point halftime lead, and runaway with it in the second half. Then we gave up some second chance points, started missing open threes, and Durant continued to play unDurant-like. We missed 3 or 4 point blank layups with little to no contest, capped off by Westbrook missing one at the horn to end the half -- granted he was running full speed and caught the ball with his momentum carrying him away from the basket but he made 10 other just as awkward and difficult layups the rest of the game. And we just let Denver hang around and cut the lead to one at halftime, and they came out with more energy in the 3rd quarter and kicked our ass.

In the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th quarters we shot 0/17 from three, and at least half of those were good open looks. I mean this team basically never shits themselves and shoots that horribly at home. At least not to the extent where they miss 15+ threes in a row....5-7 or so, maybe, but not f***ing 17 in a row. I'd bet everything I own that they could get the same 15-17 looks in our next home game, and we'd probably make 6-8 of them. But it is what it is, and one bad shooting night against an elite team will do yo in. Thing is, Denver shot something like 4/21 from three, so it's not like they were scorching the nets from deep. They just got their usual absurd amount of points in the paint.


Anyway, we've looked lackluster and overmatched in most of our games against elite teams the last month or so. The bench has been wildly inconsistent, and Durant has been total garbage by his usual standards. Maybe he'll wake up for the playoffs, and we'll go back to being close to the same team we were several weeks ago. Not that it really matters, no one is beating Miami this year, so I probably won't be torn up about not making the Finals. But if Presti and the FO don't make some moves to add either more bench scoring and/or a frontcourt scorer, I'm going to start losing my patience.

[Xiao Yao You]

Flexibility for what? Lmao Presti screwed up.

Flexibility to improve your team. Look at Miami they have little flexibility but they are the team to beat. If OKC can't beat Miami and can't tweek their team to give them a better chance against Miami than what do they do? With 3 max players you have little to no room for error and those 3 players couldn't beat Miami as it was.

[UtahJazzFan88]

Presti did screw up by not amnestying Perkins, they might have been able to keep Harden if they amnestied him, and I also think it was a mistake to give Ibaka a 12 million a year deal as well. I'd rather offer Harden the big money first, then Ibaka, if he doesn't get a deal he wants, sign and trade him for a decent big.

Ibaka is/was a lot more replaceable than Harden IMO.

[rmt]

Cheer up, KG215 - things always seem worst after a loss to a good team. OKC is still the team to beat in the West (and this from a Spurs fan). You don't match up well against MIA at all, but which team does?

Anything can happen - that's why the games are played. Sure, MIA is an overwhelming favorite, but injuries have been known to happen. Of course, Lebron never seems to get injured - same with KD and Westbrooke. Oh, to be young again.

[El Kabong]

Was there any scenario where Harden would have stayed long term?

What would OKC have needed to do? (I know we could have kept him for this year, then basically lost him for nothing)


Didn't he have a pretty darn good offer, but turned it down for a max?
I had heard he wanted $5-$10 million more on the deal to bring it in line with what some other players had gotten on their extensions at the time and management told him they weren't budging on their initial offer and it was take it or leave it.

[flipogb]

at the end of the day, they couldn't beat the Heat WITH Harden and they certainly can't beat them without Harden. and yes he did play bad but I don't expect Martin to play better

I mean its not like they got other new good players, they even just tossed Maynor who the fans said was gonna improve and handle the ball more this year

[flipogb]

No, it's something that's been building for about a month now and I think most OKC fans would agree. Outside of that stretch where we beat the Clippers, Celtics, Knicks, and Lakers, OKC has looked very underwhelming against other playoff teams lately; and even 3 of those 4 teams (Knicks, Celtics, Lakers) aren't on the same level of Denver, Memphis, San Antonio, and Miami.

I'm holding out hope that Durant will breakout of this slump. Maybe he's just bored and ready for the playoffs? I don't know, but whatever it is, it's got to change. It's no coincidence that his awful play (by his standards) over the last month or so is coinciding with a time a lot of OKC fans are starting to doubt their chances of making another run to the Finals. A lot of OKC's problems can be solved with Durant getting back to being Durant and not this little p***y turnover machine who, on about 95% of his drives, half-heartedly goes into the lane and just waits or expects a foul to be called.

peaked early perhaps, Ive noticed all season that OKC was a team looking to far ahead towards the finals instead of taking it one game at a time. the technicals by Durant and Westbrook's crying proves that.

[rmt]

Since acquiring a scoring big man is unlikely because of financial restraints, they should send Ibaka to Hakeem for the whole summer for a few years. Have him watch lots of video of McHale and Duncan during the rest of the year. He's only 23 - still young enough to develop a post game. Their only chance to compete with the HEAT is to hit them with their only weakness. Of course, even that has a time limit since soon every veteran big man will want to jump on the HEAT bandwagon to get a ring.

[9512]

Since people are saying it was a money issue (luxury tax) for trading away Harden, then the OKC ownership deserves some of the blame. They are the one paying salaries and told Presti to trade him.

Presti can only have so much impact as the NBA is a business and he's not the ones forking over the dough.

[Blue&Orange]

The trade has been discussed over 1000000000000 times here on ish... get over it.




:facepalm Jeff Green for Kendrick Perkins initially was a steal for OKC because GREEN WAS OUT FOR AN ENTIRE SEASON, and was on the verge of ending his career because of the heart. :facepalm It really pisses me when people just comment on stuff they don't know about.
My question is how retarded does a person have to be to actually believe in this.

[Shepseskaf]

This is stupid. How many times is this same thread going to be recycled?

Presti did exactly what should have been done. You don't tie up so much money in four players, no matter what. If re-signing Harden guaranteed a 'chip, that would be one thing, but his disappearance in the Finals was a major factor in the loss.

Add that to the fact that Harden would not have developed to the level he's at right now while playing alongside KD and Westbrook.

[Clifton]

It's more than 8 million with luxury tax
I don't believe in the luxury tax.

Besides, does this mean that, minus that 8 mil (over four years), the luxury tax is no longer an issue? It just disappears? And there's no other possible way they could have saved that 2 mil a year for four years? Again, Presti offered Harden a contract that was worth 8 mil less than the one he wanted. Presti didn't want to deal with it so he traded Harden, a top ten player in the NBA at age 23, for a role player. If you're willing to give a guy 50 mil why not 60?

[DMAVS41]

This is stupid. How many times is this same thread going to be recycled?

Presti did exactly what should have been done. You don't tie up so much money in four players, no matter what. If re-signing Harden guaranteed a 'chip, that would be one thing, but his disappearance in the Finals was a major factor in the loss.

Add that to the fact that Harden would not have developed to the level he's at right now while playing alongside KD and Westbrook.

This. Forget the financial side of it completely. Even in just basketball terms I'm not sure it was a bad move. It is the law of diminishing returns. There simply aren't enough minutes for 3 perimeter oriented ball dominant players to play at an optimal level. Westbrook is going to play something like 42 minutes a game in the playoffs. That is only 6 minutes a game in which he wouldn't be on the floor. So while the Thunder are better with Harden...it's not so much so that they can't win without him. Hell, they didn't win with him...and Harden was the biggest reason for that.

You keep Harden and there is an endless debate about Harden vs Westbrook and people creating locker room issues. It was unhealthy for Westbrook and unfair to Harden to cap his impact with a 6th man role.

The Thunder will ultimately be better spending that money on more of their needs...and in the interim, Martin has been great and filled in very nicely.

And have we all forgotten that it really took Ibaka and Perkins going nuts in game 5 against the Spurs for them to win that series. It's not like the Thunder were going to run away with West or easily win the title. The Heat are still looming and the Spurs still a threat.

If people want to say they should have kept Harden over Westbrook...I can see that side. Especially because Westbrook would have yielded a much better return for a trade. But one of them had to go.

[Teanett]

westbrook
harden
green
durant
ibaka

dynasty!

[bagelred]

It's kind of hilarious to say "Sam Presti screwed up" when obviously it wasn't his decision right? You realize it's not Presti's money to spend right?

Sam Presti's doing juuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuust fine.

[pegasus]

at the end of the day, they couldn't beat the Heat WITH Harden and they certainly can't beat them without Harden. and yes he did play bad but I don't expect Martin to play better

I mean its not like they got other new good players, they even just tossed Maynor who the fans said was gonna improve and handle the ball more this year

Harden was absolute garbage against the Heat, except for in game 2 which they lost anyway. He missed free throws, fast break lay ups, wide open 3's, and sucked on defense. And Ibaka struggled big time on both ends of the floor, and the refs made terrible "mistakes" at the end of game 2, 3, and 4 in favor of Miami.

Now with Martin, who should be able to play better than Harden did, and an improved Ibaka (although I'm still not sold on him yet), and with RW and KD doing their things, I could see the OKC beating the Heat. The problem is Miami has gotten stronger, and I don't think Stern will stop at gifting Lebron just one ring.

[miggyme1]

LMAO at you bums who put too much stock into a regular season game. i LOVE the nuggets but no way in hell they the second best team in the west. its still


1.spurs
2.thunder
3.grizz
4.nuggets/clipps

nobody and i mean nobody is gonna beat the thunder in 5 or less games.....thus meaning....u lookin at a game 6 or 7.........and one of those will be at their house.....assumin they the better seed..itll be game 7.......and they are a pretty good road team. i heard chandler separated his shoulder also so they could be bad news.

every team is intitled to have a off night. didnt the heat lose to the wizards this year?....didnt the kings almost end their streak a few weeks ago???...in south beach???smh


stop over-rating these regular season games please.

[iamgine]

Martin's contract is $12 million and expiring. Perkins contract is $8 Million.

If OKC amnesty Perkins and doesn't resign Martin next season, does that mean they have the cap for another max or near max contract?

[Carbine]

Martin's contract is $12 million and expiring. Perkins contract is $8 Million.

If OKC amnesty Perkins and doesn't resign Martin next season, does that mean they have the cap for another max or near max contract?

Durant - 18.8
Westbrook - 14.7
Sefolosha - 3.9
Collison - 2.6
Ibaka - 12.2
Lamb, Jackson, Jones, Thabeet - 5.4

Total money on contracts next year = 57.6 million

Salary cap this year was 58 mil, with no expected raise in the salary cap for nect year....the Thunder would basically be right at the salary cap.

[NumberSix]

OKC is a phaggit team.

[G-train]

I'm finally willing to accept that the Harden trade was really dumb. I've defended it for a long time, but the true scandal here is that Presti was willing to sign him for like 8 mil less than he ended up getting. It's a difference of pennies, basically, and this is a guy who will be top ten for the next ten years. Rash move.

That said, they are still a great franchise, and will continue to be for a long time.

You don't seem to understand the implications of those 'pennies'.

[Mr. Incredible]

OKC is a phaggit team.
Come on dude. You already stated your disdain. Let it go.

[Sarcastic]

He disappeared in the finals like LeBron in 2011.

Well, maybe not THAT bad, but still... That was a main part of this decision.

**** you James Harden, he's an egotistical bastard and a complete moron. **** that guy.


Lebron disappeared in his first 2 finals appearances. Should he have been traded for that?

[maybeshewill13]

OKC is a phaggit team.
Says the phaggit who supports both Miami AND the Lakers :sleeping

[Xiao Yao You]

I don't believe in the luxury tax.

Besides, does this mean that, minus that 8 mil (over four years), the luxury tax is no longer an issue? It just disappears? And there's no other possible way they could have saved that 2 mil a year for four years? Again, Presti offered Harden a contract that was worth 8 mil less than the one he wanted. Presti didn't want to deal with it so he traded Harden, a top ten player in the NBA at age 23, for a role player. If you're willing to give a guy 50 mil why not 60?

A role player with an expiring contract that has averaged over 24 a game before, a prospect and a lottery pick.

[iamgine]

Durant - 18.8
Westbrook - 14.7
Sefolosha - 3.9
Collison - 2.6
Ibaka - 12.2
Lamb, Jackson, Jones, Thabeet - 5.4

Total money on contracts next year = 57.6 million

Salary cap this year was 58 mil, with no expected raise in the salary cap for nect year....the Thunder would basically be right at the salary cap.
Oh wait yeah I forgot Ibaka's salary increase started next season.

They are willing to pay $69 Million this season though. Why not next season too?

[iDunk]

I just don't feel like this team is good enough to even challenge the Heat. They might not even make the Finals actually.

[Xiao Yao You]

Oh wait yeah I forgot Ibaka's salary increase started next season.

They are willing to pay $69 Million this season though. Why not next season too?

The new repeater tax for starters.

[kenny817]

I think Presti (and everyone else) blamed Harden for the loss in the Finals and so had to get rid of the problem.

Idiot

[B4llin]

OKC is a phaggit team.

Your mother's sisters cousin's baby daddy is a phaggit.

[All Net]

Certainly didn't expect harden to be this great this soon...