It was a premonition of Thunder fate that yesterday morning I saw a man in Edmond wearing a blue Thunder T shirt with the theme word History etched on the chest. As in the Thunder are history in the current tense.
On Thursday evening, Sam Presti did Russell Westbrook a favor. He didn’t send his star guard to Detroit, Minnesota or some shithole team like the New York Knicks. Nope.
Sam Presti did the right thing. He rewarded loyalty with human decency and sent Russell Westbrook to a contending team with his old co-pilot from the 2012 NBA Finals team.
If there is one person in this league who understands how to play alongside Russell Westbrook in the backcourt it might be James Harden.
Harden in reality was the Thunder point guard in those 2012 Western Conference Playoffs. He was the closer and then his role was reduced in the Finals against the Heat or you could say he just didn’t play as well.
But if anyone can come to terms with taking the ball out of Russell Westbrook’s off the chart high usage hands it’s James Harden.
Sam Presti in exchange got two more first round draft picks and two more draft swaps. And, oh, by the way, got one of the league’s worst contracts back for that of Chris Paul’s. The only thing which makes Paul’s contract not as bad as Westbrook’s or John Wall’s is that there’s one less year of it to pawn off on the next trade Sam Presti makes in what is going to be a glorious tank or mini tank or death march.
Or who knows, maybe Presti rolls with this lineup till the trade deadline and sees if Billy Donovan can do with this Thunder lineup what Doc Rivers did with Clippers last season.
The only problem with that is if Chris Paul and Gallanari get hurt and it diminishes the returns on their upcoming trades.
For those not keeping count, the Thunder now have fifteen first round draft picks to rebuild a team around SGA. He’s the one Presti’s keeping and possibly Steven Adams for one more year until his salary becomes an expiring contract.
I can’t remember how many first round picks Sam Hinkie from Claremore, Oklahoma accumulated during his death march Process in Philly, but I don’t think it ever reached fifteen because Hinkie had a fetish for second round picks.
If nothing else, Sam as in Presti is setting a new standard for first rounders.
Maybe he can get a first rounder and a second rounder from the Knicks for Rumble the Thunder mascot.
But putting all the tanking angles aside… Sam Presti did a really good thing by trading Westbrook to Houston.
He rewarded loyalty with human decency and did the best thing for Russell Westbrook at the age of 31.
How ironic, Presti finally put Russell on a team with a slew of guys who can shoot the ball.
Go figure.