Sam Presti’s Exit Interview

Oh, boy. Here’s Sam Presti’s 2022 exit interview from Monday. Anything I’m writing on here is with complete detached emotion. I have quite a bit going on in my life. Sports have always been a passion for me. What Sam Presti said in this interview in no way has an impact on my life.

My take from all of these words being said by Sam Presti is that in all likelihood the Thunder will be tanking again next season somewhere after the first 28-30 games are played.

This will not affect me in any manner.

I’ll do exactly what I did this past fall and winter. I’ll maybe attend 4-6 Thunder games to see some up and comers from other teams. I’ll follow college basketball. And I’ll follow 4-6 NBA teams who are trying to ring the bell.

I’ll become emersed in college football and the NFL. I will not in any way allow my spirits to be dimmed by Sam Presti’s tanking Thunder.

As a grandfather of two, I will make sure my priorities are in line and look out for my mother as well.

My lab Pauli will be my side and hopefully our retirement home which is being built currently at Lake Sequoyah ten miles east of Fayetteville will be completed a year from now.

My cup runneth over. What Sam Presti does or doesn’t do has virtually no tangible impact on my life. As in none.

I’ll keep the blog domain to cover the other sports and spend very little time on the Thunder unless they fool me and play a real basketball season of 82 games. I’ll occasionally say something snarky directed towards the Daily Thunder human rabble as well because deep down in places they hate to admit exist…they love me doing this. They need me on that fence as their antagonist. They want me on that fence.

Actually, I feel fortunate I got to watch the Thunder with Durant for a decade be the ‘It Team’ in America.

What Sam Presti never said in this morass of mealymouthed words is the sentence by which everything Thunder should be measured from the past and into the future.

Four words.

Portland took Greg Oden.

Otherwise, all this bullshit we heard on Monday is just window dressing because most of the people in Oklahoma are too stupid to know any better.

And heading into the 15th year of Thunder basketball, Sam Presti’s Thunder still have never won a first-round playoff series in their existence without Kevin Durant carrying their lunch boxes to the team bus.

So, if I were an NBA securities trader like on Wall Street, based on this wussy interview Sam Presti just gave in the land of Oklahoma’s passive submissive sports media…I’d bring OKC’s projected win total down from 36-38 games towards the 29-32 range.

It was a stellar day for OKC Jim and not so stellar for 405Baller. It affected me not in least…because I have a life. A very nice in fact.

Carry on, Thunder Nation.

My grandson is visiting tomorrow and Wednesday. I can’t wait.

Celtics Beat Nets at the Buzzer 115-114

I thought this week-end was a fantastic beginning to the road to the NBA Finals.

Nothing really surprised me other than the fact the margin in which Minnesota beat Memphis on the road in Game 1. Then maybe next was Atlanta being completely horrible without Clint Capela and Trae Young having his worst game of the season.

Memphis is going to have to adjust in Game 2 with how they allocate the minutes of Steven Adams against Karl Anthony-Townes.

The Maxey kid for Philly turned in a stunning performance which must be mentioned as we observe the Sixers moving forward.

And then Jordan Poole with the Warriors has to be mentioned as well. If Steve Kerr can figure out how to play Steph, Klay, and Jordan Poole together in a small ball lineup with Draymond as the big then to me that makes the Phoenix vs. Golden State potential matchup in the Western Conference Finals something all of us as passionate NBA fans should be salivating over as we pare down the field.

Chris Paul is Chris Paul…so I didn’t find his 4th period all that shocking. That’s who Chris Paul is…it’s what he does.

I see possibly seven teams at this point who could make it to the NBA Finals depending on how Memphis adjusts its big man minutes in Game 2.

I haven’t looked at how Vegas has it after this week-end, but I’d go in this order after Easter Sunday:

1 Milwaukee

2 Phoenix

3 Golden State

4 Miami

5 Boston

6 Philly

7 Brooklyn

Bubble gap

8 Memphis

But with Memphis I’ll write this…they need not only adjust, but Ja Morant has to step up his game in a big way if they want to be taken seriously as a legit contender. Atlanta better get Clint Capela back if they hope to be competitive.

As far as Kyrie flipping off the Boston fans. No big deal. If you grew up going to John Marshall playing other inner-city teams, it’s no big deal. Just make sure you win the damn game if you’re flipping people off.

I just love this time of the year.

Happy Easter

Hope everyone had a peaceful, introspective Easter. I had a little speed bump this morning, but then closed my eyes and remembered what day it was.

Growing up as a high school student, this story written by Richard Bach and narrated by Richard Harris always seemed to slow me down and remind me of why we’re purportedly here on the journey.

It always calms me even when I’ve had to deal with a knucklehead and kind of recalibrate myself down to where I need to be.

Hope you had a peaceful Easter.

NBA Regular Season Awards

Since the Thunder have tanked two seasons in a row, my consumption of other NBA games has increased accordingly. With the exception being the Chris Paul season. That was actually watchable basketball.

The playoffs started yesterday. The Utah, Philly, and Golden State wins I expected. The Minnesota road win kind of surprised me. Memphis literally could not defend Anthony Edwards or Karl Anthony-Townes. I fear Steven Adams is in for a long series if he’s allowed to be on the floor versus KAT.

Anthony Edwards hasn’t surprised me at all. I actually had him as my Rookie of the Year last season by a thin margin over LaMelo Ball.

I’ll never forget…I made that choice and one of the ‘Wonderfuls’ over at Daily Thunder promptly commented over here I was a clueless idiot. Sigh. Bless their hearts.

Enough of that.

My 2022 NBA Regular Season Awards

Coach of the Year…Monty Williams of the Phoenix Suns.

MVP…Giannis of the Milwaukee Bucks with Embiid and Jokic tied for second.

NBA General Manager of the Year…Zach Klieman of the Memphis Grizzlies.

Most Improved Player of the Year… Jordan Poole of the Golden State Warriors.

Comeback Player of the Year…Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors.

Rookie of the Year…Evan Mobley of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Star on the Horizon…Anthony Edwards of the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Defensive Player of the Year…I think it was Giannis so I’m double-dipping on this one. Draymond didn’t play enough games.

Team Which Surprised Me the Most…. Easily the LA Lakers. I would never have fathomed the Lakers could be this bad for 82 games.

Number of Games the Thunder Could Win Next Season…It depends on if Sam Presti wants to have a real season of basketball in Oklahoma City next season. If he makes one nice trade, they could win over forty games. I’ll say 36 wins next season. That would be a +12 for the season.

Over/under on how many times dr el prez calls the Daily Thunder staff feckless, weak, docile, flaccid, subservient, and passive submissive…. 122. (This one didn’t count because I enjoyed talking to Budapest Barbie the other night).

Happy Easter and have a great time watching these NBA Playoffs.

Editor’s note:

Monday…I’ll review the better NBA Playoff games from this week-end. Then on Tuesday, 405Baller and I will take a look at Kevin Durant’s farewell letter on July 5th, circa 2016 to see how its held up historically.

Hopefully, the Daily Thunder’s alpha transvestite, Budapest Barbie, will be able to take a break from sucking Brandon’s dick and join us for a lively discussion. Some of these Daily Thunder dudes…they make me crazy. You gotta draw that line in the sand with them. I’m having to do what Royce Young should have done seven years ago.

Later.

My Smerconish Mailbox

I’ve taken a break from doing my Smerconish Saturday the last month or so. I wanted to sit back a bit and not get overwhelmed by the tragedy in Ukraine. It’s tough to watch, let alone comment on as more humans become casualties in this completely stupid war.

I do not want to get on this blog and in any way be disrespectful to the courageous people of Ukraine. The very unfortunate thing is that the Ukrainians have a much more passionate view of democracy than the average American. How sad.

I’ll be starting back up next week on Sunday mornings with my weekly Smerconish segment. I want to move it to Sunday with the other Sunday news political shows.

Let’s get to some of the questions in my Smerconish box.

Ken from Flagstaff:

Q: Mike, I look forward to you covering the mid-terms on your blog. What’s your take on how it goes for the Democrats in November?

A: Always remember the famous James Carville line, “It’s the economy, stupid.” If the country is still within the throes of historic double-digit inflation…I would think the Dems will get slaughtered in the House and possibly lose the Senate as well.

Since 1980, we’ve had three presidents who became one-termers because of the economy stalling for various reasons. Jimmy Carter in 1980 with double digit inflation got slaughtered by Ronald Reagan.

Bush 41 in 1992 got beat when he went back on his no new tax pledge sending the county into a recession, plus the Ross Perot effect, and lost the White House to an underdog named Bill Clinton.

Then, most recently, Donald Trump lost the White House when the country dipped into negative GDP terrain during the initial stages of Covid.

There’s a lot of angry Americans out there right now. I’d be selling short on the Dems in a big way unless things change by early October.

Kathryn from Houston:

Q: Mike, love the blog. If the Election of 2024 were being held right now who would get your vote as president?

A: Clearly, Joe Biden is too old, let alone two years from now. Donald Trump is a pathetic grifter who should be sitting in a federal prison. So it wouldn’t be either one of those two guys.

It would be a woman. I’m never voting for another man to be POTUS in what’s let of my lifetime. Women are clearly more pragmatic and smarter. Plus, they’re tougher. We have become a county full of little sissy men.

I would have Liz Cheney running against Elizabeth Warren. I believe the greatest challenge facing our country is for us not to destroy ourselves from within in the next four to six years. I’m not an ideologue, so for me it’s not a conservative vs. liberal thing. It would be one of those two women. I have to think about it some more.

Stuart from Portland:

Q: If Trump was still president would Putin have invaded Ukraine?

A: Putin knows what an absolute chump Donald Trump is in reality. Plus, they both launder their dirty money at Deutsche Bank in Zurich, then wire their dirty money turned clean to Cypress, before wiring it to London, Geneva, the Cayman Islands, or the Bahamas.

Don’t make me laugh. Putin more than any American knows what a complete blowhard Donald Trump is as a leader.

Go back to Year 1 of Trump in the White House. Trump and then Sec Def James ‘Bulldog’ Mattis lobbed some cruise missiles on top of that insignificant airfield in Syria. Then, did absolutely nothing as the Russians flattened Syria.

If Trump was still POTUS I would say Russian tanks would be parked at the Polish border about right now.

Trump is a complete isolationist, while Putin is a former KGB officer who believes the day the Berlin Wall fell was the darkest day in the history of the world.

Connect the dots.

Thanks for the great questions. Have a wonderful Easter.

Let the NBA Playoffs Begin

A great night of NBA Play-In basketball it was. With great crowds at both Cleveland and Los Angeles we saw two road teams win and advance.

For the first time since Covid we seem to be on the cusp of getting NBA playoff basketball back to what it should be from coast to coast. Last year’s Finals between Milwaukee and Phoenix was great, but the crowds are what make playoff basketball special.

Atlanta, with Trae Young having another banner night advanced to the No. 8 seed to play Miami. Lest we forget the Hawks were last year’s NBA Cinderella advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals.

If I’m Atlanta, I’d much rather play Miami than either Milwaukee, Boston, or Philly. This will be my second most interesting first round series in the East to watch. It just always seems with Miami that Jimmy Butler has an issue with someone own his own team. It wouldn’t shock me if Atlanta wins this series.

In the West…a gritty road win by the New Orleans Pels as they ousted the Clippers from the playoffs with a great game. Brandon Ingram showed he’s about to become a star. I think CJ McCollum helps this team a great deal as far as leadership and giving Brandon Ingram someone, he can lean on for some scoring every night.

The two rookies, Herbert Jones and Trey Murphy are pretty good. I think I’m going to have to knock the Thunder down to No. 4 on my list of young teams in the West on the rise.

What to think of Zion though? That big overweight body has always concerned me. That’s a lot of unneeded weight to carry around in today’s fast paced NBA game. Is Zion another bust like the Anthony Bennett kid from UNLV was back in the day?

Somebody needs to teach him how to eat and take care of his body as an investment.

I don’t think the Pels have enough to hang with Phoenix, but I really love their coach, Willie Green.

What I’m really curious to see in the first round from Memphis versus Minnesota is if they’ve matured to the point where they can take care of the Timberwolves in five or six games.

Storylines abound in both the East and the West.

It’s a good time to be a serious NBA fan.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Exit Interview

Thunder exit interviews were earlier this week. This is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander who is the best player on the Thunder roster currently.

I actually think the Thunder 1-12 are not horrible and that doesn’t include the two top fifteen picks they’ll add to their team this summer in the NBA draft.

I think what I’ll do this weekend between NBA playoff games is rank the value of the top twelve players and the two draft picks as in their asset value to the Thunder franchise moving forward.

Right now, if I had to rank the Thunder with those two picks, their significant cap space, and their performance when they were allowed to put a legitimate team on the floor…I’d rank the five promising young teams in the West in this order… 1 Memphis, 2 Minnesota, 3 OKC, 4 New Orleans, and 5 San Antonio.

Minnesota this past season went from 23 wins to 46 wins in one season. Memphis appears to be a legit contender.

If the Thunder stop with the tanking, I could see the team maybe winning 38-40 games if Presti just adds another veteran piece to the mix. Not a star, but just another stabilizing player to begin the process of playing to win every night instead of losing by design.

We know this for certain, Shai should be fully rested because he’s only played 35 and 56 games the last two seasons.

Think of those numbers and then think back to how hard both Durant and Westbrook were played in their younger years.

To tank or not to tank will be the question for Sam Presti next fall.

I don’t see how he tanks again in a small market city like Oklahoma City if he’s serious in projecting some sort of legal good faith relationship with the fanbase in Oklahoma.

A fanbase which ranked 28th in NBA attendance this past season.

Did Gregg Popovich Coach His Last Game for the Spurs?

Like most NBA fans I’ve been watching the Play-In games this week. My suggestion to Adam Silver would be to change the format. Give No. 7 their spot after the regular season. Do away with having the No. 10 seed involved, and just have No. 8 and No. 9 play the best two out of three to determine the eighth team.

Teams like San Antonio and Charlotte and maybe New Orleans shouldn’t even be playing at this juncture. But I will say this about New Orleans…they are 9-2 since the CJ McCollum trade and for that reason I want to see them play another game.

Once we get to the play-offs this week-end, it should be pretty good basketball. What I’m going to do is follow one series in both conferences as we work our way to the NBA Finals.

I’m going to follow Memphis vs. Minnesota and Boston vs. Brooklyn in the first round. I would think OKC Thunder fans in particular should be interested in watching the Grizzlies vs. the Timberwolves because it should give them a realistic view of where the Thunder are in their rebuild to date.

Watching the Spurs tonight made me sad. I love Popovich. He’s been an iconic coach, but he hasn’t had a relevant team since Tim Duncan retired.

I say it on here all the time… Player makes the Coach. Even with a Hall-of-Famer like Gregg Popovich. Player makes the Coach.

If you don’t have a superstar in the NBA, you’re going to have trouble getting out of the first round.

Same thing with the Thunder once Kevin Durant realized he was never going to win anything in Oklahoma City. Player in this case not only made the Coach, but made the city relevant in the NBA.

Russell Westbrook is not a superstar. He’s paid like one, but he isn’t one in reality. He never was. Superstars are revealed in post-season when the level of competition is elevated and when the bright lights come on…the real stars show up to play.

I would love to see Popovich coach two years in Oklahoma City. You would think there’s some sort of connection there since both Clay Bennett and Sam Presti came from San Antonio.

I don’t know how far his political views would take him in rogue red Oklahoma. But I would love to see him here. Maybe he’d make the entire state grow up a little and come to terms with some of their issues.

Probably not though.

Congrats to Coach Gregg Popovich for a wonderful career and hope you find inner peace as your life moves forward. I wouldn’t worry about the age. Age and experience are assets in reality as long as you feel well.

Good luck, Coach.

Is Russell Westbrook a Greek Tragedy?

I would have to say no all things considered.

Anthony Bourdain is a Greek tragedy while Russell Westbrook has become a coddled, petulant, spoiled former NBA star who is paid way too much for what is an equal amount to his real value on an NBA roster.

My answer is no.

Did it have to be this way?

I don’t think so. He was coddled by Sam Presti and the Thunder organization to the point where it became hysterical observing Little Nick Gallo protecting him from reasonable questions at Thunder post game pressers.

(Editor’s note: This is Nick Gallo giving Russell Westbrook a lap dance at an official Thunder postgame presser. Tell me with a straight face in what other NBA city would this take place. There isn’t one is the answer.)

What Russell in reality has become is an NBA head coach killer.

Follow the path. Scott Brooks fired a first time in Oklahoma City. Mike D’Antoni fired from the Houston Rockets. Scott Brooks fired a second time around from the Washington Wizards. Frank Vogel fired as the Lakers’ head coach less than twenty months removed from winning the world championship. Only Billy Donovan is still an NBA head coach. Should Billy Donovan receive some sort of Purple Heart award for surviving Russell Westbrook? Maybe.

I tell you what else Russell Westbrook is…he’s complete validation that Kevin Durant did the right thing leaving the Thunder on July 4th, 2016.

Kevin Durant absolutely did the right thing. He never would have won anything if he’d stayed in Oklahoma City. Sam Presti couldn’t put players who could shoot the ball around Durant and couldn’t hire a coach who could reel in Russell Westbrook’s worst basketball instincts in the last six minutes against good teams in critical situations.

To me…Russell Westbrook became a microcosm for the Thunder era in Oklahoma City.

How in the world are the Thunder ever going to win an NBA championship in the league’s most improbable city when they can’t even conduct high school level press conferences after their games?

I think that’s a completely fair question.

I actually called Jim Traber the other day on the air and asked him that question. And he knew I was right, he didn’t take a cheap shot against the Thunder, but instead said to me he had it from reliable sources that all of this has been cleaned up by the Thunder.

I didn’t give in though. I’m very dubious the Thunder as an organization have this in their internal DNA.

But in closing, I will say this in Russell’s behalf…he’s made a lot of money for his family and his agent. I would also add he did what I thought were some very nice things in Oklahoma City while he was here.

I loved the Reading Bus. I love the fact he took that on as his personal crusade in Oklahoma City.

Russell Westbrook isn’t a Mark Messier that’s for certain. When Gretzky and Messier parted ways in Edmonton… it was Messier who went on to lead the NY Rangers to the Cup, while the Great One would never win another ring.

Russell isn’t a Greek Tragedy. Just a sad example of a player who never altered or changed his game as his career moved along and now has the dubious honor of being on a LeBron James’ team which just went 33-49 in an NBA regular season and didn’t even make the Play-In Tournament.

405Baller Thunder Journal

It was a very busy week for me covering the Masters with Jim Nance. I’m a little worn out after covering the NCAA Tournament, then rushing off to Augusta National to cover the Tiger comeback effort.

Jim Nance and I… we have the life don’t we? If only I could get Tony Romo on here now and again.

Here’s the thing though…Jim doesn’t cover the NBA Playoffs, Stanley Cup Playoffs, and World Series like I do. And for those reasons…I have to say Jim isn’t really in my league. Nice kid from Houston, but he needs Tony Romo. But I would love to have Tony Romo as part of my Super Bowl coverage.

I needed a break from sports yesterday. I watched the very dark film Roadrunner on the last part of Anthony Bourdain’s life. Very dark. Maybe when I’m not this tired I’ll review the film. It hurt me watching it. But for me it’ll always be that night at the Waffle House on Memorial Road in Oklahoma City after the Merriweather-McGregor fight for which I hold Anthony close to my heart.

That was when I knew I was more black than white. It was a turning point for me in my adult journey of life. It’s always the journey…don’t ever forget that salient fact. It’s always the journey, baby.

405Baller sent me his notes on the Russell Westbrook piece I want to cover on here tomorrow which will be timely because Lebron reupped for two more years with the Lakers and Frank Vogel was fired yesterday.

Plus, the NBA Play-in Games begin tonight.

For all you Daily Thunder readers on here who feel content deprived and under the thumb of totalitarian suppression, feel free to comment if you choose. I’m a fervent believer in freedom of speech and other personal liberties.

Next up tomorrow…. Is Russell Westbrook a Greek Tragedy?

I was glad to see Carrie Underwood won best CMT music video of the year. I wish she’d done this song with Blake. But it is what it is.

Carrie and Blake …my two favorite country music performers and both from Oklahoma.