The semi tanking Oklahoma City Thunder for the second straight season have decided to start winning games at the end of the season. This makes no mathematical sense in the least. But then again, when in Oklahoma, does anything make any sense.
When Sam Anderson wrote about Operation Bongo in his book Boom Town this was the kind of municipal dysfunction he was trying to convey to his readers.
The Thunder winning these games late in the season would be akin to the Sooners in the land run falling asleep at the gun after camping out weeks for the best starting positions in the Land Run.
It seems odd a franchise would subject its fans to a second straight year of horrific tanking only to win games at the end to basically lower their odds of garnering a difference making player for the next decade.
In Portland on Monday night, the Semi-Tankers, with only eight players in uniform, somehow found a way to win over the equally bad Portland Trailblazers by a score 134-131 in overtime.
Little Nick Gallo and Michael Cage were squealing in delight on the Thunder telecast as if the Thunder had actually accomplished something of true value for the franchise.
And value is what this is all about at the end of the day as each time the Semi-Tankers win a game late in this season, they actually undermine the asset value of their own bottom-line.
This literally makes no sense unless Sam Presti is trying to make sure he won’t have to draft Chet Holmgren and then explain it afterward.
If he is winning these games to avoid the possibility of having to draft Chet Holmgren…I say bravo.
But this also of course means Paulo Banchero, Jaden Ivey, and Jabari Smith will already be removed from the draft board as well.
So maybe there’s a method of madness to what Sam Presti is doing here. Maybe Sam Presti has locked in on someone who he thinks will be available at the No. 5 or No. 6 positions in the draft.
Maybe he loves Keegan Murray from Iowa. Maybe he loves my sleeper Jaylin Williams from Arkansas. Maybe he thinks he can get Mark Williams from Duke with the Clippers pick and isn’t sweating any of this because he has no one to answer to in Oke City. You never know with Sam Presti because no one in the uber soft Oklahoma City sports market media ever takes the Thunder to task for anything on anything.
But I certainly know I’m not sweating any of this because I think the Thunder already have the framework in place to be pretty good next season with just a couple of transactions like getting rid of Derrick Favors salary, getting another scorer in the draft, and securing an athletic center who can run at the game pace of Josh Giddey.
So, while others in Thunder Nation are probably freaking out over these wins, I pretty much expected this with some of these games against Portland, Detroit, and Orlando back-ending the Thunder’s schedule.
Plus, it’s nice to see players like Isiah Roby, Theo Maledon, Aaron Wiggins, and Poku get rewarded for their hard work in the gym.
The fourth seed has the best mathematical possibility of securing the No. 6 seed.
So everyone in Thunderland should be thinking No. 6. instead of No. 1. Just like last season.