My favorite week-end of the NFL season. Some advice to American Caligula. Lock yourself in your empty White House bedroom, get a dozen McDonald burgers and watch the games. Calig should watch the games and take a break from embarrassing himself and the country simultaneously. Everyone is weary.
I’m adopting the Falcons to replace my Packers in the Super Bowl Tournament. They just have ‘that’ look to me right now. They’ve peaked at the right time. Their defense is playing well. They have a good enough running game. And other than Brady and Gronk, have the best pass-catch combo in the tournament with Matt Ryan and Julio Jones. But, again, they have that look of a team which is clicking at just the right time.
The Falcons in their history have never won back to back post season road games, but by the same token… Philly’s Nick Foles is 0-1 in post season play.
I’m going Falcons. I’m going Vikings over the Saints. I’m to take the Steelers in a very close game over the Jags. And I’ll take Brady and Gronk over the Titans.
Take a holiday break, Caligula. Even your worthless ass should enjoy the NFL Divisional Round. Maybe you could set a record of sorts and go two straight days without tweeting like an attention deficit disorder fourth grader for two straight days. Doubtful.
The truth is simple at this point if you’re an adult. The OKC Thunder’s season is somewhat on the brink. I’m not talking about this team winning the Northwest Division, because I pretty much think the Thunder sealed that fate this week with this horrific stretch of basketball of basketball where they have lost five of seven since the win over Toronto.
Also, gone is the notion this Thunder team can win the Western Conference and somehow by divine intervention advance to the NBA Finals as some sort of lure to keep Paul George in Oklahoma City.
Right now, the goal is simple. Either start winning some games or else this season will be a complete disaster.
It’s time to reset the goals button. Just finishing above .500 and making the playoffs period is the new reset. It’s not an acceptable reset, but it’s the only adult reset with any reality attached.
We know now what the Thunder are. What they are is a team pretty much like Portland, Denver, New Orleans, the Clippers, and Utah when Rudy Gorbert is healthy. This Thunder team is nothing special. Nothing borderline exceptional or brilliant.
Don’t look, but heading into this game versus Charlotte the Thunder are but one game in the loss column removed from being the No. 9 seed in the West. Conversely, the Minnesota T Wolves behaved like a team with aspiring goals by now being on the cusp of overtaking the Spurs for the No. 3 seed in the West.
This is what Oklahoma City was supposed to do this week. Win at Phoenix, win at home over Portland, and then redefine the season with a road win in Minnesota.
Instead…the Thunder tanked. All three games the Thunder not only lost, but were routed. All three games had a confused Billy Donovan waving the white flag and emptying his bench early for all the wrong reasons.
So here the Thunder stand, 2-3 in the month of January. This was the month the Thunder had to make a move to make the claim the franchise hasn’t become a joke since the departure of Durant. This was the stretch of games which would not only show Paul George that OKC is a place he could win a championship, but possibly show other free agents in the future that coming to OKC to play with Westbrook and Adams could be an alternative route other than Oakland to play for big things in the West.
But as we wait for this afternoon’s game in Charlotte, none of that is still in place because after this month the schedule gets much more difficult.
The new goal is to simple. Stay afloat. Stay above .500. Stay above the Clippers for the No. 8 seed. This is the reset in Charlotte this afternoon.
Maybe it’s more than OKC’s season being on the brink starting today in Charlotte, maybe it’s more of a marker as to indicate if the franchise is to be taken seriously in the post Kevin Durant era.
As far as Paul George and the deadline, you know he actually grew up being a Clippers fan. You know of course who the special consultant to the Clippers’ board is..it would be the very same Jerry West who whispered into Kevin Durant’s ear on that fateful call to the Hamptons. That same guy. So, moving forward I wouldn’t be looking so close at the dumpster fire Lakers, but I’d keep a close eye on the Clippers not only for the 8th seed in the West, but for franchise stability moving forward.
I’m going to be brutally candid because I can on here, that’s why it’s the Underground per se. I don’t have to kiss ass for a media pass. We’re at the midway point of this season and with the exception of Barry Tramel from the Daily Oklahoman– the coverage I’ve witnessed from the rest of the local media has been soft. The Oklahoman’s Erik Horne and Brett Dawson are covering the team like interns.. I’m hoping they’ve just been saving themselves to this point. Royce Young at the beginning of this season tabbed Alex Abrines as the most improved player coming out of camp this season. Really? For a guy with as much inside space and off the record access he should be more in tune to the nuance of the team. He should be the conduit of objectivity since he’s employed by ESPN not Clay Bennett. Nick Gallo, Matt Pinto, Brian Davis, and Michael Cage are all homers to varying degrees. I respect Matt Pinto’s takes though. Antonio Davis…ummm—I agree with what he’s saying at times, but it all is now coming across like the Peter Finch character in Network. But here’s the thing…’We’re all mad as hell at this point.” This team’s performance has been bullshit.
So I’ll grade our local media first before I get to the team, Billy Donovan, Sam Presti, and Clay Bennett.
Barry Tramel A
Erik Horne B-
Brett Dawson C+
Royce Young B-
I’ll go roster first in the order I rank the team:
Russell Westbrook: B+ This is his team. Russell needs to be a better defender and needs to bring down the really bad turnovers which at times cripple this team.
Paul George: B- At times it doesn’t really look like he cares. He seemed to care when he played his old team the Pacers and he seemed to care when he was in Los Angeles in front of family and friends. He also seemed to care when the Thunder were in the national spotlight games against the Warriors and Rockets, but otherwise Paul George has been vastly inconsistent. I’d rather have Oladipo and Sabonis back with their youth, manageable contracts, and upside growth. But would Westbrook have extended his contract without this gesture from Presti and ownership? Probably not.
Carmelo Anthony: B Carmelo was never on my wish list for this team. Truth be known, I hadn’t paid much attention to Carmelo Anthony during his massively underachieving period with the Knicks. This move didn’t bother me though because both Kanter and McDermott are one way players. In retrospect, I think the calibrated risk Presti took with Carmelo was worth it because Kanter is unplayable against certain teams in the West. Plus, I like Carmelo’s smile.
Steven Adams: B- When I’m paying my center $25 million a year I would expect him to emerge as a player who plays like a $25 million dollar player every night, not just three out of four nights. Steven needs to rachet up his game and be more consistent.
Andre Roberson: B- I would have given Andre an A, but if an NBA player can’t make a free throw I can’t go any higher than a B-.
Jerami Grant: C- Jerami started out great, but has regressed after the early season leg injury. His game needs to settle back down. He looks like a young player who’s about to become a free agent and pressing.
Raymond Felton: B I have no problem with Ray Felton. He’s not why this team is 22-20 and the most disappointing team in the league.
Patrick Patterson: C- Big let down for me. I expected way more from Patterson. I even had him pegged to start before Presti cut the Carmelo deal. I’d much rather have Sabonis playing those minutes and more.
Josh Huestis: C- He shows some flash of athleticism here and there, but really hasn’t shown me enough to have complete faith in him.
Alex Abrines: D-. I mean, do I really want to give anybody an F? I’m thinking for some players Europe isn’t the wrong choice. Seems like he’d be more happy playing a guitar in Spain.
Terrance Ferguson: C Not enough playing time to go higher or lower.
Nick Collison: Not enough playing time to grade.
Kyle Singler: Not enough playing time to grade.
Daniel Hamilton: Not enough playing time to grade.
Billy Donovan: F Here’s thing, this team for the most part has stayed clear of serious injury issues. This team has had a cupcake of a schedule. I went back thru OKC’s first forty-two games and in those games–OKC was either a Vegas favorite or in a pick ’em position in all but four of the first forty-two games. Those being, at San Antonio, Warriors at home, and Timberwolves on the road twice. I repeat…OKC is 22-20 and clearly the most disappointing team by an expansive margin. No other team in the league has been this much of an underachiever. NOT EVEN CLOSE. Also, keep in mind, the Thunder had a charmed first half in that almost every team in the West was going thru spells with key injuries and difference making players missing substantial man games. Not the case with OKC.
I mean…it’s an F. If this were the end of the season and I were the owner…Billy Donovan would already be fired even if he is a really nice guy—which he is. When your team isn’t mentally ready to play at the beginning of a game or the beginning of the second half — what other grade could you possibly give a coach. Hey…it didn’t work for John Calipari with the Nets and he seems fine making lots of money coaching in the SEC. Nothing wrong with that. Same thing with Lon Kruger–I love that he’s the OU coach. He didn’t make it with the Atlanta Hawks. Know your wheelhouse as a coach. Not everybody can manage four guys making over $20 million on the same team.
Sam Presti: I have to wait till the trade deadline to grade him. I’m assuming he had an escape plan of some sort. Surely…he had an escape plan. Right now the two things hanging over Sam Presti’s legacy are that Kevin Durant is a world champion in Oakland and Brad Stevens is coaching the Celtics. Two major what ifs. What could have beens. Did Billy Beane in Moneyball ever win a ring?
Clay Bennett: I’d give ownership an A. They ponied up. I mean, fuck, at this point you can’t expect a bunch of older white neo-Conservatives to suit up and actually score the ball and grab rebounds. They did their job.
Others need to do their jobs. Pretty simple.
Sam Presti have lunch with Nick Collison. What could it hurt? You have a team which seems to be okay with losing.
Since this season is turning into a tragedy of sorts.. it’s put me into a country music mood today. We’re all frustrated, but in times like these you see what you’re made of inside. It’s what life is about. You have to fail sometimes to succeed magnificently at a later time. I know Russell has a great family, a wonderful wife, and a son named Noah. I’ve always wondered about his dog though. A man needs a really good dog he can depend on thru times like these. I think I read somewhere Russell had a Siberian Huskie. Anyway, hope Russell and all Thunder fan have a good dog to lean on during this season. If you don’t have one, I’d suggest you get one before the game in Charlotte.
I’ll start with this. I won’t ever boo the Thunder. I’m not the booing type. I’m somewhat fortunate. For the time being, I’ve adopted the Atlanta Falcons as my favorite NFL team since Aaron Rodgers broke his collarbone.
I love sports–so I have backup positions in place. As Sam Presti should do…I hedge my sports heart. Lon Kruger and Trae Young have my complete attention hoops wise. My college basketball fix is covered. Plus, I like Mike Boynton the new coach at O State. His team plays hard for him. Imagine that. Mike Boynton.. please give Sam Presti a call. You could be second on his to do lunch list after Nick Collison. One way or another we need to get the Thunder to play hard.
As a lifelong Philadelphia 76’er fan, my favorite team in the East is very much in play. Good there.
As a passionate hockey fan, my Boston Bruins are in play. Most younger people don’t remember that Oklahoma City was once the AAA affiliate back for the Bruins when I was but a youngster. Plus, I follow the Dallas Stars a bit. Since it doesn’t appear the Thunder will be around very long this spring, I’ll put more of my emphasis on the Stanley Cup Playoffs since hockey players actually play hard every minute they’re on the ice. Plus, LeBron and Durant’s handlers don’t predetermine the league champion.
I’ll do more trout fishing. Most people don’t realize it, we have some trout spots here in Oklahoma. Paul George should go with me some time since he’s not exerting all that much effort on the basketball thing.
Of course… there’s The Final Four, college hockey’s Frozen Four, the Master’s, and heck this Thunder team is so unwatchable I might even get engaged again with major league baseball. Like John Kasich, my favorite team is the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Plus, as tough as it is to watch this Thunder team, I’m here for the duration. I play with pain. Someone other than the millennial/Generation X type interns at newsok and the Daily Thunder have to chronicle this for the sake of history.
And there’s always the Fox telecasts to fall back on from a comedic view. I mean, tell me straight to my face Brian Davis and Michael Cage aren’t to the Thunder what Sean Spicer was to Donald Trump’s paranoia on crowd size. I miss Sean Spicer, but in return we got Brian Davis. Funny how things work that way sometimes.
It is what it is. But in this season of acute Thunder dysfunction I’ll get through it. I will survive.
———————————–
This is for Russell Westbrook. I’ve still got your back, Bad Little Dude. Play hard.
At some point, this might have to be written. Either Sam Presti or Billy Donovan should be fired. Either Sam Presti has no feel whatsoever for team building in the post Kevin Durant era in OKC or Billy Donovan is in way over his head in trying to coach at the elite NBA level. Forty-two games in and OKC is clearly the biggest underachiever in a thirty team league. Not even close.
I’m not melting down. I’ve never been calmer. I didn’t curse once at my 60″ flat screen one time during OKC’s abysmal 104-88 road loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. In fact I blew kisses at Antonio Davis during his post game standup routine…which BTW are much better than the games. I’d have a beer with that dude.
Before I get into this any deeper I need to write this. For all the talk of effort lately, Russell Westbrook played his ass off on Wednesday night registering a 38 point effort. He played hard. He was on the floor. He won the little battles. He never gave up on loose balls. Did things a hockey coach could live with. Only problem is, other than Ray Felton, none of his teammates thought they needed to do the same.
OKC just lost their second straight very important game in a row. It just lost the season series 1-3 to the Minnesota Timberwolves and I’m going to assume the T Wolves will go ahead and win the Northwest Division unless they are beset by injuries. I’m also going to assume the Thunder aren’t going to make any noise as far as climbing the Western Conference standings. At some point, in this case forty two games in–I’m making the assumption this is who these guys are. That being, a team not as good as last year’s rookie scale contract laden team which went 47-35 in the regular season and garnered the No. 6 seed in the West.
So… this is where I pause, reflect, and come to the conclusion I can’t fire Sam Presti at this point because he’s the one who is going to have to clean this mess up. It’s his mess. None of us thought bringing Paul George was a bad thing. I didn’t. I still don’t because at the time the Thunder organization had to show Russell Westbrook it would do everything possible to put a championship team around him. No one thought Paul George would play this inconsistently. No one as I can recall. Maybe Russell just plays too fast for Paul George. Maybe that’s the problem. Maybe Carmelo is too far past his prime and quit caring about winning games in New York when his teams were always near the top of underachievement in the NBA.
But I know this, Sam Presti has some serious thinking to do between now and the NBA trade deadline on February 8th. The thinking isn’t about this season, it’s about the future of the franchise and the direction he should take in team building around Russell Westbrook, Steven Adams, and Andre Roberson moving forward.
I’m a fiscal conservative. I hedge. I never put all my chips in the middle of the table. I’d cut my losses right now and see if I could cut a deal with LeBron for some pieces in return. Cleveland should be the obvious landing point for Paul George. That lottery draft pick would be nice. Russ played college ball with Kevin Love…is that a possibility? Jae Crowder would be a nice piece.
But I see nothing to date which tells me Paul George should stay in Oklahoma City for the long haul. It’s not working. It looks awkward forty-two games in. I’m not sure what I’d do about Carmelo. That doesn’t concern me as much because OKC didn’t give up Oladipo and Sabonis for him. Those were the two future pieces of the team to go along with Westbrook, Adams, and Roberson—not Kanter and McDermott. That’s the piece of team equity Sam Presti has to make right.
There’s no way if I’m Presti I put all my chips in the middle of the table with the hope Paul George stays and gets acclimated to Russell Westbrook. OKC doesn’t have draft picks to reload. At some point—it’s about ownership equity. It really is.
As far as Billy Donovan? I’d let him finish the year with the understanding unless some sort of cataclysmic change takes place the organization is going to exercise the buyout clause in his contract. Twelve million or whatever it is isn’t going to be that big of a deal for this ownership group because remember West Texas Crude is headed for $72 a barrel in 2018 and the buyout clause shouldn’t be a big deal to the two billionaires heading north with extra liquidity in their portfolios. It’s all about staggered liquidity and owner’s equity. Rich guys almost always cover their asses first. As in always. Because that’s how they got rich in the first place.
Who would be the right coach for Russell Westbrook? You know who I would talk to first? Nick Collison. I’d have lunch with Nick Collison and pick his brain. I’d tell him I want a Thunder coach who brings out in my roster all the qualities I saw in Nick as a professional basketball player. That’s what I’d do. Now…I have no idea if Nick Collison sees himself as a head coach. But I’d have lunch with Nick and at least have the conversation.
Thunder in Charlotte on Saturday afternoon to play the Hornets.
You won’t witness me melting down anymore this season. It is what it is. Clay Bennett and his fellow owners went deep into the luxury tax to fund a Super Team of sorts which has more dysfunction than a private meeting between Donald Trump, Sloppy Steve Bannon, Michael Flynn, and Paul Manafort. When this NBA basketball season began.. I had no premeditated notion that this Thunder season would correlate with what we witness daily from the political situation we find ourselves in as a nation. But the eeriness of this can’t be ignored. The theme being, some rich Republicans shouldn’t blindly throw money at something and hope something with substance will somehow emerge.
I won’t be emotional anymore. Fuck that. It would be a complete waste of time. For the first time in the Thunder Era in Oklahoma City, fans are seeing the other side of the NBA which these college fans had been sheltered from until the departure of Durant and the subsequent ‘free agent’ additions of Paul George and Carmelo Anthony this summer. Again, it’s not a league for coaches. One could even make the statement it’s not a league for the fans of all thirty teams, more to the point it’s a league driven by a handful of superstars and their agents.
Apparently, in Oklahoma City, that doesn’t even hold true because if one were to buy into anything coming from the people who cover this NBA team in this college market…. it would be you buy into the notion Andre Roberson is the MVP of this basketball team. Because…apparently, among all these millions being spent he’s the only one on the roster with enough heart and character to actually play some defense.
Sam Presti has a problem. That being, his team is a collection of pricey dysfunction. No heart. No character. Not much of anything except way too much payroll.
Don’t get me wrong, I had a basketball crush on Shabazz Napier when he led the U Conn Huskies to an improbable national championship. But his lack of size was perceived to be an issue. But you know what, he stuck with it and has turned himself into a nice enough NBA player that you wouldn’t even notice Damian Lillard was a DNP on Tuesday night as Shabazz Napier along CJ McCollum torched the heartless Thunder by a 117-106 margin in a game which was not nearly as close as the final score indicates.
For the record, my All-Star ballot now includes Aaron Gordon, something called a Dragan Bender, and Shabazz Napier. Who would have thought Sam Presti had to spend all that oil money for nothing? Good thing West Texas Crude is trending towards $72 a barrel later in 2018.
If you think I’m going over the top calling this Thunder team heartless and lacking any substance, keep in mind, I’m just following the lead of Thunder players Josh Huestis and Patrick Patterson who said as much in post game interviews after the loss in Phoenix and the gutless performance in Oklahoma City versus the Blazers. Hey…they said it. I’m just nodding my head on my rogue blog. Again, this is why you need a rogue blog, because for the most part young beat writers aren’t going to write shit like this. They want to keep their jobs even it means never stepping up and writing anything of substance. Just so we know here, there is no young Bobby Costas of the Washington Post covering this Thunder team. Not one in the bunch.
I clicked back onto the Fox postgame, and to the credit of Antonio Davis he was somewhat back on page as to what I’m writing here. Namely, the effort put forth by the Thunder has been shameful of late as the Thunder have now lost four of their last six games.
Billy Donovan was ‘brilliant’ on Tuesday night. Without Andre Roberson’s thirty two or so usual minutes of play available…he decided to go all in with Terrance Ferguson and went even further in giving Alex Abrines twelve minutes of time. All told, Donovan’s two three point specialists went 1-4 from beyond the arc in 42 minutes of playing time. Billy D could never coach hockey. It’s too fast. You have to think on your feet in intervals of twenty seconds when a mismatch could occur on the ice. Best he stay in a league where not much is required of a coach.
One thing was made crystal clear in this game. The notion that the Thunder had the ability to turn on or off the switch against good teams in an important game was debunked in this loss to Portland. This was a big home game. This game mattered. This game was needed, but it didn’t matter to this team. In the end, they didn’t show up and there was Billy Donovan for the second straight game emptying his bench with two and half minutes left signaling surrender to a lesser team which just beat his team’s ass in every which way.
OKC visits the Minnesota Timberwolves tonight. Point guard Jeff Teague is out, but I won’t be fooled again. I’ve got my All-Star ballot ready and prepared to add the name of Aaron Brooks before we get to the third quarter.
Great game once Saban got Jalen Hurt off the field and gave his team a chance to complete some passes. Kind of had that Billy Donovan-Alex Abrines look to it in the first half though.
What comes round, goes round. Georgia blew a 20-3 second half lead and now knows exactly how OU felt at the end of the second overtime. Humble yourself, Georgia. Didn’t see that dude doing much talking at the end. Maybe the football gods saw that Georgia player knee Mayfield in the back. Dirty, gutless play. Hit Mayfield in the mouth and I have no problem with it. But that play was gutless bullshit. That was something you might see Don Jr. or Eric do. playing touch football.
Alabama, without even having to play in the SEC Championship Game, just won their fifth national championship in the past nine years. Second time Alabama has won a national championship without winning the SEC West.
Both Bama and Georgia should be great again next season. Ohio State will be good. OU will be good. Clemson should be good. So, in essence it could be the same five teams playing for four playoff spots in next year’s Final Four.
The Rose Bowl and last night were about as good as it gets.
At some point you wonder if there’s really any need for a coach, let alone that horde of somewhere around eight or nine ‘coaches’ who each game sit near Billy Donovan on the bench. If Donald Trump doesn’t need a State Department, then please explain to me why Clay Bennett needs to be paying this horde of coaches for in essence doing nothing. When a team in essence loafs—why pay the extra overhead?
I’ve said on here before, the NBA is a star driven-agent league and certainly not a coach driven league with the exception of maybe around six current NBA coaches. I think I’ve made it clear I don’t have Billy Donovan in that grouping of coaches. But sitting here writing I’m not in any way saying firing Billy Donovan fixes this Thunder team. I even feel somewhat bad in being so tough on Alex Abrines because he only got in this game in the final two minutes or so and was a Brian Davis smiley face +2 in those final two minutes of surrender when Donovan cleared his bench realizing that his team in no way listened to anything he asked them to do in route to a 114-100 loss to the now 16-26 Phoenix Suns.
I think most familiar with the Thunder fully expected Devin Booker to have a good night even if Andre Roberson had played. No big deal. But I don’t think even the clueless Brian Davis and his equally daft Sean Spicer sidekick Michael Cage had any premonition Dragan Bender is the next Larry Bird looming on the hoops horizon. Who could have thought? I’m texting Dragan Bender on my all-star ballot.
Before I go further, I have to admit, I fell off the wagon last night. Something akin to recovery dysfunction in me compelled me to watch the Fox postgame ‘presentation’. I embellish none with this statement, if Kellyanne Conway or Sarah Huckabee-Sanders ever leave Caligula—Brian Davis should be the next White House Press Secretary. His ability to look straight into a camera without blinking and state absolute bullshit is somewhat impressive.
Yesterday, in my plea for the Thunder to stop playing like what appears to be a lazy, heartless team with a sense of entitlement… I listed five bad losses. I left off the Thunder’s Nov. 94-86 loss to the Kings on Nov. 7th and their even worse 121-108 loss to the Magic on Nov. 29. Along with those two bad losses, plus the five I cited yesterday, plus this one in Phoenix—the Thunder now have eight really bad losses only forty games into the season. Do the math, that’s 20% of the schedule played to date. To date, the Thunder in 20% of their games have basically loafed, shown no heart whatsoever, and basically given credence to many that the NBA regular season is a league of coasting where stars pick their spots to play hard.
So my question to Clay Bennett…why even pay the extra freight for Billy Donovan and all those coaches on the bench? Trump doesn’t have ambassadors—why do you need coaches? Because, it’s apparent to all watching these guys in no way are listening to Billy Donovan. On certain nights, against certain teams…they play hard. Then like in Phoenix or Orlando they make guys like Dragan Bender and Aaron Gordon look like the second comings of Bird and Jordan.
The Thunder drop to 22-18 and that’s really sad because the Spurs lost to Portland last night and if the Thunder had simply walked to the arena last night and conducted themselves like professionals they’d now only be three games down in the loss column to San Antonio.
So…if I can’t blame Alex Abrines and I can’t blame Billy Donovan and his army of support staff…who do I blame for the lack of heart, leadership, and effort in these losses to bad teams which is probably going to lead to a quick post season exit for the Thunder?
Well, since by my own admission, the NBA is a superstar/agent drive league, you don’t have to be Columbo to connect the dots. Bobby Mueller…this rogue blogger doesn’t need you.
I think I’ve figured it out.
OKC’s laid back Thunder host the Portland Trailblazers on Tuesday night.
I’m chilling from this point forward. If they don’t care, why should we?
You want to know why I was so incensed by OKC losing to the Bucks and Mavs to close out the month of December?
Look at the Western Conference standings this morning and one would hope the answer is clearly there. If OKC had won those two home games as they surely should have—then as of this morning OKC would be in fourth place in the West and only two games down in the loss column to the Spurs for the No. 3 seed. And seeing as such as Russell Westbrook says keeping Paul George here is a fairly simple task by simply winning it all, then the Thunder losing anymore bad games can’t really happen too much more this season.
Let’s count bad game losses two games short of the 41 game midway mark. Note: I don’t count a road loss to a .500 team as a bad loss. Let’s go…1 at Dallas on Nov. 25, 2 versus Brooklyn in Mexico City on Dec. 7, 3 to Atlanta at home on Dec. 22 (circle this one), 4 at home versus the Bucks on Dec. 29, 5 at home to Dallas on Dec 31. That’s four horrible losses and a loss to the Bucks which isn’t as horrific as the other previous four
The Thunder cannot in anyway piss away anymore games. The West minus Golden State isn’t as good as we thought it was going to be. Every team minus the Warriors is flawed. Houston’s two stars have never won anything, neither has D’Antoni. San Antonio has gaps and is not in my mind a championship contender. Minnesota is inconsistent. OKC in my mind, still possibly has the second best mix of players in the West. But here’s the thing…it’s time for some urgency. It’s time to realize the organization isn’t merely playing for seeding position, but more to the point to show Paul George and possibly other free agents that a star can come here and win a ring with Russell Westbrook.
Remember, the Thunder template changed this summer from ‘Sustainability’ to ‘The Future is Now’. Sam Presti traded away big parts of the future for Paul George. Victor Oladipo was a core piece. Sabonis is a nice player. If Paul George stays, it’s a great trade, but the only possible reason Paul George would stay is if he calibrates Russell Westbrook is his best player to hook up with beyond this season to win a championship.
That’s exactly what Kevin Durant and his handlers did. They calibrated Steph/Klay/Draymond > Russell/Steven/Andre. And you know what…they were right up to this point.
We still don’t know to date if KD/Steph/Klay/Draymond is greater than Westbrook/George/Melo/Steven. We think it is. We assume it is. But we really don’t know this with certainty because of how often this Thunder team has played in a sleep-like state so far this season.
Against the Warriors and Rockets the Thunder have had the look of team which could be pretty good.
So—I’m hoping this Thunder team kind of understands the month of January is where they need to be pretty close to the Spurs in that the Thunder play at Golden State twice in the month of February.
I know Dippy and Daffy who do the Fox telecasts don’t quite see it like I do. But they get paid to be romantic homers. I just write what comes to me.
I would say if Vegas were handicapping the Thunder’s 14 games in January…Vegas would have OKC as favorites in ten games, dogs in two games (at Minny and at Cleveland), a slight dog to pick ’em at Washington, and a slight dog to pick ’em at Detroit.
So 10-4 or 11-3 is what in my mind OKC has to get done this month.
This month in essence should be a preview of what OKC can do or can’t do. Half the season is done. Billy Donovan and his team can’t sleep walk anymore.