i thought firestone drafted pretty well. his biggest mistake with the young core is keeping kjp. he should be shipped out with our pick this year since we're not getting top 2.
Giddey is ahead of Green right now. He is about the same as Green efficiency wise but way better at nearly every other aspect of basketball. rebounding, playmaking, defense etc.
He scores on a lot less volume at slightly less efficiency also on a much easier shot profile. You acknowledge if Giddey played for the Rockets and replaced Green's role, his efficiency would plummet?
He’s not “ahead” of Green. As you point out, their efficiency numbers are similar, which is pretty sad considering Green attracts a massive amount of defensive focus, whereas Giddey, IMO, is the #3 offensive option for OKC. And Giddey is not very good on defense.
Most importantly they have a top 15 player when healthy..... SGA. Our two organizations didn't start from the same place post trading away our respective superstars. Our larger philosophy was abject tanking. You and I have disagreed about how culture should fit into all that, but we ended up being third worst (still good odds, but now it opens the possibility of drafting as low as 7) without a focus on culture.
By now arguably top ten. At least for foreseeable future. He's still only 24. He'll be on top ten lists for the next 5 years or so.
Giddey is only ahead of Green because Green has been playing under silas dumbass his whole career. Green was pleading as a rookie for more structure and plays. Imagine if Green was put in a position to succeed instead of in the corner what he would be like now. I remember how electric green was in summer league. Silas wiped all that away
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was scoring ten points a game as a 20 year old when the Thunder got him. They definitely negotiated favorable trades with both the Rockets and the Clippers - but their organization and GM did that. The Thunder deserve a lot of credit for the development and growth of Shai. For example, they worked very hard with him on drawing contact and getting to the line. As for culture - you can lose and still develop a strong culture and emphasis on player development, but we didn't do that - we just tanked.... which fits the MO for Stone, and he completely overlooks the details.
It's easy to criticize in hindsight, but honestly, what else would y'all have done? Serious question. Taking the Nets' offer was the correct approach. Stockpiling cap space for this summer was smart. Sengun and Eason are clear steals, and I would have taken Green at #2 and Smith at #3. Hell, any team would have been shredded for not taking Smith at #3. To me, the Rockets made one massive miscalculation -- trading away Allen for almost nothing. It made no sense at the time, and it makes even less sense now. Stone has a long, long way to go to makeup for that one. This is the defining offseason for Stone. It's obvious he was building up for this moment. Let's see how he does.
The Clippers/Sam Cassell was working with SGA too. And when the Thunder got him they were still a competitive team. I certainly don't dispute that the Thunder organization has been better these last 5 years, but we didn't start at the same place as OKC. Trades involve a bit a luck and timing. Right.... but how much will you lose? Would we be in a better spot long term with "better culture and player development"? Maybe? May have less advantageous draft positions but have the young players on a better track right off the bat. If Stone's lack of culture gets us Wemby, then what? Still very much TBD.
Agreed. Except Allen was due a contract, so his trade value was pretty low as the team would be giving up assets to have him for half a season and then pay him. Should we have just kept Allen and given him a contract in hindsight? Maybe. Mobley is looking like a beast, but he was arguably drafted into one of the best possible situations in recent memory for a top pick.
I get that, but I loved Allen at the time and still do. Here's really what didn't make about the Allen trade -- the Oladipo trade. So, you trade a "win now" piece like Allen for future flexibility, but you trade away a young player for a "win now" piece in Oladipo? It's like they couldn't decide whether to tank or retool, and trying to split the baby is the worst thing you can do in the NBA.
It would be a fair comparison if KMJ was drafted in 2018 and turn out to be a star. 3 seasons later you add Green and Alpi followed by Jabari. Having Shai and Dort provide stability in the scoring and defensive departments made all this possible for OKC. We had Kevin Porter Jr and Tate to surround our rooks. Green is a season or two away from were Shai was coming into this season. Only then can we compare these 2 franchises. I love where we're at and where we're headed. Just frustrating having them to figure it out by themselves.
Yes, Presti's done well...BUT, he played the downside risk in Chet...and, lost. To what degree we don't know yet. That's not a small problem moving forward for OKC, and while they have all these picks, that really cut a chunk out of their rebuld... more than some folks seem to be factoriing in.
