How will History look back on the OKC Thunder

[No..Money..Mo..Problems]

It's evident their title window has closed Russy is most likely a Laker and KD will seriously consider the Wizards or a big market team. Will they be remembered for having the GOAT consecutive draft picks (KD, Russy, Green, Harden, Ibaka, Jackson, Stevens)? Will we look back at the relocation to a much smaller market OKC as to why they couldn't keep there draft picks? Will we blame Brooks for his lack of coaching? Will it be the Injuries we talk about the most?

 

[Floyd Pinkerton]

Brooks has consistently been one of the five worst coaches in the league throughout his OKC tenure, so you have to pin a significant amount of blame on him.

On the other hand, I don't know how you can't ultimately say the Harden trade wasn't the main reason they failed. It's virtually impossible to organically assemble a team with three of the best 10 and four of the best 25 players in the league in the salary cap era--you have to draft perfectly, which they did, let alone keep them together past their rookie contracts. They were also gifted this opportunity by the league with the duplicate 5-year extensions for Russ and KD, and Harden willing to forgo that 5th year and sign for 4/$60 or so. And they blow it up over... what? A few mil a year?

You simply cannot put the financial hit of the luxury tax/wasted Perkins amnesty money ahead of a literally once-in-a-generation collection of talent. It's nothing short of a disgrace to the NBA, to the game of basketball, and everything that sports should represent and stand for.

Frankly, they deserve to lose Russ and KD if you ask me. They did them dirty.

 

[The G.O.D II]

Its Brooks. His inability to implement a cohesive offensive system or run even the simplest plays like KD/Russ pnr (which would be unstoppable) consistently has stunted this squad. Him turning a beast of a man like Ibaka into African Donnell Marshall is just pathetic. And also his refusal to develop young players like Lamb, Jones, etc is also the downfall

 

[duckbutta]

Will have a 30 for 30 about the title that they could have one...If they had brought Harden back...

No team as done more to out smart itself out of a championship than OKC in my lifetime...

Wouldn't go over the tax for Harden...and if they don't change something they will go over the tax for...Dion Waters

 

[TenChambers]

Should've never low-balled Harden on the extension & should've amnestied Perkins. That put them on the treadmill and they been running in place ever since.

 

[Standing on business]

They won't, only teams who win championships are looked back in history.

Players yea, teams no

 

[the cool]

Scott brooks

That's it.

 

[Dayco23]

They had a dynasty in the making with Harden. A potential 15 year, Spurs like opportunity.

The ultimate "what could have been" team

 

[onelastdeath]

Ridding of Harden was a terrible, terrible decision.

Hindsight is 20/20 and with emergence of Adams, and Perkins being demoted to the bench, it almost makes no sense. :blacksnoop:

You Amnesty, Perk, bump Harden up to the starting lineup. Because their best lineup was Russ/Harden/Durant/Ibaka/Perk, but Perk could have been replaced and Russ/Harden/Durant/Ibaka/Adams would have been just fine.

You draft your bench or load it up with solid vets who want to win and they would have been great.

 

[Damnshow]

A stolen franchise that is now getting their players stolen by the other teams.

 

[FTBS]

I hate writing obits for things in the present and I actually rode with the Harden trade at the time. However as time goes by that trade is looking more and more like at 30,000 word Bill Simmons column waiting to happen. If KD and Russ go elsewhere the OKC FO would have made the most drastic transition from ahead of the curve geniuses to "what the fukk where they thinking" level idiots that I can think of. The craziest part is how close they were to taking over the league just 3 short years ago. Each of the first four games in that Finals were close and could have gone either way. Just imagine how differently history goes if they had . Instead they look on course to become this generation's version of the 80s' Rockets or 80/90s Trailblazers.

 

[blackestofpanthers]

Ridding of Harden was a terrible, terrible decision.

Hindsight is 20/20 and with emergence of Adams, and Perkins being demoted to the bench, it almost makes no sense. :blacksnoop:

You Amnesty, Perk, bump Harden up to the starting lineup. Because their best lineup was Russ/Harden/Durant/Ibaka/Perk, but Perk could have been replaced and Russ/Harden/Durant/Ibaka/Adams would have been just fine.

You draft your bench or load it up with solid vets who want to win and they would have been great.

I like how the thunder still end up with adams even though that pick was part of the harden trade

 

[onelastdeath]

I like how the thunder still end up with adams even though that pick was part of the harden trade

True, but still, they could have gotten another center. Their center isn't even their primary rim protector. Ibaka is.

 

[L&HH]

I don't see how getting rid of Harden was a terrible idea. James Harden that we see would not be the same mvp James Harden we have today. There just simply isn't enough basketballs to go around to have 3 MVP caliber ball-dominant wing players on the same team all play at a MVP level.

Their problem has been injuries, head coaching and they've just faced better coached teams and better teams in general. You Give Greg Popovich the OKC Thunder team that's healthy and they win no less than 2 rings imo.

 

[Microfracture]

The Spurs making the finals the past 2 years shows that the Thunder made a huge mistake. They were down 2-0 against the Spurs (one of the toughest teams to come back and beat in a series) and won 4 straight in large part because of Harden picking up the slack.

Its a rule that you don't fukk with a team that makes the Finals. Cuban admits he fukked up by not keeping the 2011 Mavs together.

I still think the Thunder have the 2nd best shot to come out of the West this year.