I think where we are right now at the point in this season with the Thunder possibly standing at 30-1 heading into the XMas day game versus San Antonio this might be the appropriate time to revisit the historic trade of 2019 which as it turned out…’broke the NBA’.
At the time….one would have thought the Clippers at the least would glean one NBA championship from this trade by teaming up Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. But as we all know by now if we read MJ’s reading assignment of ‘Breaks of the Game’ by David Halberstam—life and basketball don’t always turn out like we thought they might.
Now here we are six years later and it’s not Kawhi and Paul George standing atop the NBA mountain. No… it is not. Instead, it is Shai and JDub with Sam Presti standing behind them with ‘that’ grin on his face.
So in sports history is this the most one-sided trade ever since the Hershel Walker to Minnesota Viking trade? It might very well be when the dust settles if Superman and JDub play their prime years in Oklahoma City and win several more championships.
I’m not doing the Michael Jordan-Scottie Pippen chatter on here. This is a different NBA. Shai and JDub are their own unique players at a different era of the NBA. But it’s hard not to think of Michael and Scottie right now watching Shai and JDub.
Man…this trade–wow. It makes one forget Mitch McGary, Josh Huestis, Terrance Ferguson, Darius Bazely, Poku, and even Josh Giddey to a certain extent.
It makes one question, then realize what was that epicenter moment that created this current situation in the NBA where it now feels as if the OKC Thunder against the rest of the NBA combined is an easy pick ’em Thunder. Where it feels as if the Thunder should win every night by double digits. Where it feels as if any and all NBA parity has been blown away by one trade in 2019 which put all this in motion.
But in ending these thoughts…isn’t it somewhat ironic looking down the road beyond the Denver Nuggets if there is one young team in building behind OKC who could eventually challenge the Thunder …it might be Sam Presti’s former franchise from whence he came to OKC–the San Antonio Spurs and Wemby with the three guards.
Go figure.
Hope you read ‘Breaks of the Game’ and watch this video. You should do both if you want to become a serious fan of the NBA.
MJ