I always thought Shai would be a good NBA player and even an All-Star at some point while watching him as a rookie with the Clippers, but I honestly did not think he would ascend to the heights he did this past season.
As an NBA fan I must write on my blog it was a delight watching this extremely classy young man ascend to the point where in reality we would be talking about Shai being right there with players like Jokic, Embiid, Luka, Jason Tatum, and the Greek Freak.
I thought maybe he’d level out at the same level as Anthony Edwards and be a really good All-Star level player, but I in no way saw him being dominant enough to make the the Thunder the No. 1 seed in the West last season and the pick by most to win the West this season and advance to the NBA finals.
His demeanor is refreshing given some of the things I’ve witnessed at times with the elite level players in the NBA. Now of course…we have to take a cautious pause and hope this continues with Shai as we hope he can avoid the affliction I call the NBA Superstar Diva Syndrome. Maybe the fact he’s Canadian will help him to remain true to himself and his inner core. We’ll see.
Wouldn’t it be so nice if Shai turned out to be the Tim Duncan of this NBA decade. It would be so cool to see given all the roil I otherwise observe in Oklahoma from the extreme rogue red right of the state government.
This beautiful evolution of Shai for me makes Oklahoma a nicer place to live. You know…like all these beautiful lakes, parks and spots on Route 66 I’ve enjoyed so far on my cancer journey.
I have to give Sam Presti full credit on this. He thought Shai would eventually turn into the face of the franchise to replace Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook… and that is precisely what has transpired.
Now…what we as serious NBA fans need to see is if this group of young Thunder players can win games in the post season when it really matters. OKC played a ton of games last season when the other teams’ top three players were sitting as DNPs. Even in the playoffs… in the first round versus the Pelicans…Zion never saw the floor.
Now… I know in this homery AAA level college market that most people think Zion sitting wasn’t that big of a deal. So what I would say to you people on the flipside is do you think the Thunder would have almost beaten Dallas in the second round without Shai playing a single game?
So the Thunder at this point heading into this NBA season is going to be my third favorite team in the West. 1 Denver, 2 Steph, Johnny Kuminga and the Warriors, and 3 the OKC Thunder.
If I see the same bullshit from Draymond Green that I’ve witnessed the previous two NBA seasons, then the Denver-OKC battle in the Northwest will probably overcome me. And of course Dallas with Klay…and Anthony Edwards in Minnesota will draw my fervent attention.
I’m so excited. It’s been awhile for me with the Thunder to actually think the OKC Thunder could be one of the top six teams in the entire league and are in what I would officially describe as a ‘championship window.’
Hopefully, OU can score enough points without Deion Burks to beat my wife’s alma mater this afternoon at Auburn.
Have a wonderful autumn college football Saturday and please take the time to marvel in this gorgeous fall weather in godforsaken Oklahoma.
And by the way….Nate Silver has already put Oklahoma’s Electoral College votes in the Trump column.
Mike J
Sorry, Prez. As much as I still enjoy catching up occasionally, I’m afraid you’ve lost your Thunder fan credibility with me. You’ve said yourself that your fandom has been akin to a guy who no longer thinks the gal he’s shared a thrill with is worth his time. Until you can admit that you’re prone to fair-weather fandom, you might as well just change that logo on the left to a Nuggets or Warriors one . . . whichever one is turning your head for now. It’s not about believing the team is perfect, but about showing some loyalty and standing by our hometown guys.
Well, yeah…I would hope I’ve lost my Thunder fan credibility with you because I clearly stated the Thunder are probably No. 2 or No. 3 on my list. Good lord, it has nothing to do with fickle fandom. Quite the contrary, if that were the case I’d jump on the Thunder band wagon right now because they’re the Vegas favorite to win the West.
I wish them the best. I hope they do well…and to be blunt I could care less if I have any credibility with the Thunder fanbase. You know, the fanbase which to this day probably still has a problem with the best player in their history…Kevin Durant.
But otherwise, it was great to here from you. I clearly stated they lost me with the three years of draconian tanking and I think I would indeed be a fickle fan if I now jumped back on the wagon. I don’t deserve or desire to jump back on that wagon. We agree.
I like the logo. It stays…it has a sense of nostalgia and history for me.
So there’s that.
On a different vein we had a trip scheduled for a short version of the Appalachian Trail scheduled for Asheville, NC. But since Asheville no longer is there a rethink is in the works. Send me
atrain river video if you get the chance.
Mike