But...but...triple double machine man!!! It's sad, the thunder made it their goal last season to give WB a triple double. They set their priorities wrong, they're paying
http://www.nba.com/article/2017/11/10/oklahoma-city-thunder-hold-meeting-after-loss-denver-nuggets#/ http://i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/224/974/90330f59_justin-timberlake-j*zz-in-my-pants-12.jpg
What happens first? Melo plays off the ball or Westbrook stops chucking up contested threes in the clutch? Because when you combine Melo's isos with Westbrook's shot selection you get their crunch time results.
WB's complete and utter domination of the team last year created a culture on the Thunder that is difficult to shed. Adding two more high-usage guys that have little experience playing off the ball is a recipe for trouble. Billy D knows how to coach an NBA offense. OKC's offense in 2015/16 was incredible! You can blame him for sacrificing everything last year so WB could have the most selfish season in NBA history. At this point, it may be impossible for him to ever take control. The key is if WB/PG/Melo will allow Billy D to run the show. I don't think they will. The focus is more about the personal relationship of the big 3 with each other than their commitment to run an offense based on movement and passing. When their offense wobbles, their effort on defense falters. Seen this happen on teams before.
Its not even about getting the triple double...its that the players around him arent getting better. George and Anthony are not gelling as many hoped. Infact, Anthony should be closing games out. That is his best attribute. He is a big shot maker down the stretches of games. George should be getting a heck of a more shots than WB, who should only be attacking the paint and kick out shots to shooters. To compound their lack of chemistry...you add in an ineffective offensive scheme, and you get a losing record. We saw this with Mchale/JB for 4 years... Yes every day I am thankful we got James Harden, but DAntoni has gotten the most effective version of James Harden.
I was trying to find some post game reaction after OKC lost to Denver and I found none. Now I know why.
Yep, that's 100% true. You cant play with Westbrook. Not in this era. But Donovan is still way in over his head.
He wasn't in 2015/16 up 3-1 over GS. A first year coach "in way over his head" doesn't create the best offense OKC's ever had by a mile, I followed them closely that season (because of KD). It was great, magnificent to watch until WB started going off the wagon increasingly.
This feels so much like when we got Lawson. When do the players only meetings start? Here, you have a winning ball dominant guard who isn't used to having help, get the help he needs from two players who have sort of forgotten how to win. All the guys need the ball in their hands to be effective, and you have a coach who is really good at urging his guys to go out and hustle, whatever that means. Maybe OKC comes out of this later, maybe Donovan gets canned sooner, maybe Melo requests another trade, who knows? All I know is, now is definitely the right time to at least think about hitting the panic button if you're OKC.
Well that's what I was saying, the players regressed at the cost of the triple double. It was revealed that they would aim for it from an org stand point.
It wasn't just that series, it was the entire season. Donovan more than proved he could coach offense. OKC fans and bloggers gave him a lot of credit for bringing some sophistication. It was a refreshing change from the basic playground concept of Scott Brooks. In the series against GS, Donovan definitely made some mistakes that might have cost OKC the series. But it's something a first year NBA coach learns from. The problem is the tension between KD & WB went to another level during Brooks' last year and Donovan's first year, which made KD determined to leave no matter what. To each his own opinion, but Donovan's real flaw is he doesn't have control of what's going on. WB just cannot be corralled. We all know about Melo. PG is the most coachable of the 3. Eventually the pressure of losing may cause everyone to surrender and run his offense. It's proven to work in the NBA. But Melo and PG committing to play off the ball long term is hard to imagine.
