Great question when you weigh the $6 million the Thunder will pay Billy Donovan next season after Sam Presti prematurely re-upped his coach this December when the Thunder were enjoying the easiest schedule in the NBA.
It made no sense then and it makes less sense now.
Here’s a number for you as in 43-31. That’s right —that’s what the Thunder’s record was at this point last season and this season after 74 games. Having or not having Carmelo Anthony on the roster has not made any real difference.
Here’s another number…6-12. That’s the Thunder’s record since the road loss in New Orleans. Put this in perspective…in the history of this franchise in OKC…only the inaugural 23-59 team had a worse record than this after the All-Star break.
Here’s more numbers. OKC leads the entire NBA in technical fouls received and leads the entire NBA in fewest passes per game with 240 team passes per game.
The Thunder since the break are one of the worst offensive and defensive teams in the league.
By my purely non-scientific take the Thunder are also the dumbest team in the league with a penchant for self torture at just the wrong moments.
This isn’t just one thing…it’s systemic.
Does firing Billy Donovan solve the problem?
No… not by itself because the problem is a lack of leadership from Russell Westbrook and Paul George.
This isn’t real sports…this NBA thing. Its only a real thing in San Antonio where players actually listen to their coach. The Warriors actually had a better winning percentage with Luke Walton and Mike Brown than they have with Steve Kerr. Really—if Kerr just showed up for the playoffs they’d probably have a better regular season record.
The NBA is not a coach driven league, it’s a star/agent driven league. So good luck finding the person Russell Westbrook will listen to for 82 games and change.
But Billy Donovan should be coaching for his job these next few weeks. The question is who would you hire that Russell Westbrook would listen to?