I don’t cover NBA pre-season games on my blog. I’m not pretending to be the team’s GM or coach so there’s no need for me to make any commentary on games which are basically for evaluation purposes.
My Top 7 Thunder Players Rankings preceeded all of this earlier here on okcthunderground.com and there’s nothing on that list I need to reconsider until we see how Chet fares emotionally versus Wemby in the season opener versus the Spurs on in San Antonio on October 20th.
We will witness if Sam Presti with a healthy JDub and Ajay, plus a resigned Isaiah Hartenstein can handle Wemby and help Chet come to some possible psychological truce within himself when Wemby is on the floor opposite him.
Obviously… that game, plus the Denver game on October 22nd will be where I start getting serious about this Thunder season. Suffice it to say…this isn’t MJ’s first NBA rodeo. The great ones know how to gradually roll into the NBA’s 82 game regular season marathon.
As I stated earlier several weeks ago … my No. 8, No. 9, and No. 10 in Coach Mark’s rotation is fluid at this point, and my guess is….8, 9, and 10 will remain fluid as this season moves along with Jared McCain pushing for that No. 8 slot as far as minutes played.
JWill, McCain, and let’s say possibly either Barnhizer or Kenrich round out my current rotation. Kenrich may only be an insurance policy…so we’ll have to see if he’s even in the rotation that much in the early portions of the season.
I don’t have Chet as the third most valuable player on the Thunder roster currently… based on what I think is an inflated salary considering his proneness to injury and his mortal, sissy-like fear of Wembyama.
Scoff if you will, but today it was written two other NBA teams have already let it be known they will offer Cason Wallace an offer of $30 million per season if he becomes a restricted free agent.
I’m telling you people…at some point in the not too distant future–Sam Presti is going to have to decide if keeping Chet means he’ll have to say goodbye to Cason Wallace and Ajay Mitchell.
Enough of that for the time being though. Chet either Will or Won’t Engage against Wembyama and Sam Presti will have to respond accordingly if he wants to keep Shai, JDub, Alex, and Cason in the championship window.
Shai is the soul, the heartbeat, nd the unquestioned leader of this franchise. Plus, given the abysmal state of the witless MAGA politics in Oklahoma outside of OKC, Tulsa, and Norman…I would say Shai, Clay Bennett, Sam Presti, and OKC mayor David Holt are the four most respected individuals in the state currently.
I don’t in anyway feel that’s an overstatement.
So here’s Shai.
Eternal divine love and kindness always. Even if the person opposite you is a complete and total fool… always find it inside of you to be gracious and kind.
MJ Yogananda