We have an OKC vs. Denver matchup tonight at Paycom with the Thunder holding a mere two game lead over the surging San Antonio Spurs behind their own serious MVP candidate in Wembynama.
I just looked at the injury report for tonight and amazingly seven of the nine who couldn’t play in Detroit or finish the game are listed as available to play tonight.
Damn…amazing how quickly they healed, right?
Shai is listed as available tonight, but of course, J-Dub and Ajay Mitchell are still out. You give out those max contracts as OKC did with both J-Dub and Chet and it is amazing how the urgency to play through bumps and bruises seems to diminish.
Durant and Westbrook hardly ever missed games and are still playing though Durant did miss some games that one season with the Jones’ Fracture. So some of you cats at PayCom who are still booing Durant should maybe consider that fact next time you’re still booing him ten years after the fact he decided he could never win a championship with a point guard like Russell.
Jack Hughes got his teeth knocked out in the third period of the Gold Medal game versus Canada and was back out there in no time to take a bad penalty and then score the winning goal. My guess is half of these Thunder players would be out 7-10 days on a deal like Jack Hughes absorbed with that high stick.
Am I assailing the toughness of the some Thunder players?
Yes.. I am. Both not all of them.
J-Will not only had a 30 point, 11 rebound night…he basically eviserated Chet in the NCAA Tournament Round of 16 when Arkansas drubbed Gonzaga and ended Chet’s one year career at Gonzaga.
So here’s what MJ would do tonight…I’d start J-Will alongside Isaiah Hartenstein against the Nuggets and move Chet to the Bill Walton role he played late in his career with the Celtics. Chet becomes the Sixth Man, albeit a grossly overpaid one, and plays around 22-24 minutes a game so as his fragile frame isn’t taxed by playing heavy minutes versus guys like Jokic, Wemby, Duren, and Segun just to name several NBA bigs.
Of course, it’s absurd to be paying a Sixth Man a max deal, but that could be alleviated when you trade Chet so as you give Cason Wallace the max deal he is going to get eventually. Easy…just call that sucker Balmer with the Clippers and it will all work out. That’s what MJ would do. Presti should at the least think about it.
Denver’s injury report is a horror show. Jamal and Aaron doubtful, while Peyton Watson out and Spencer Jones probably out as is Jalen Pickett.
I would think if Shai plays it should be on a tight minutes restriction. Maybe no more than 20-22 minutes.
I think what I’ll do sometime soon is make my list of players on this Thunder roster who have what it takes to be a hockey player. Because to repeat–you have to be both mentally and physically tough.
And if you people think I’m crazy…think back to Sam Presti’s opening comments during Media Day when he in essence was challenging his team to be the type of team who could indeed be the first team in the last eight years to repeat in the highly pampered ecosystem known as the NBA.
IT’S TOUGH TO REPEAT, BUT PATRICK MAHOMES AND TAYLOR SWIFT”S BOYFRIEND DID IT. KD AND STEPH DID IT. THE FLORIDA PANTHERS DID IT.
Anotherwords, in closing to the some of the Thunder players…please toughen up and play like Shai, J-Will, Lu Dort, Kenrich, Cason, and even the rook Barnhizer.
To win championships in team sports you have to be COLLECTIVELY SMART AND TOUGH. That’s what Sam Presti was trying to say way back in August if you were really listening.
We just all have to realize at some point…who’s running this Thunder ship, right?
Best wishes.
Mike J