Grant certainly could be a Roberson replacement. They share a lot of similarities. Kanter, Roberson, and Payne are our best assets and probably the only ones that could really get a decent return. I don't like these rumors about Payne potentially being on the trading block because I think he could be really good. I really do think Kanter is available to other teams for the right price. He's a good offensive player, but his defensive deficiencies make him more of a luxury than a need. He's still only playing around 20 minutes a game....

This roster kind of doesn't make sense right now. I would be really surprised if there's not another move coming.

Ah sorry, I did not realize the deadline had already passed. Makes sense, this is the same thing that happened with Harden where he was traded I think the day of or before the deadline right around Halloween.

I really do think Kanter is available to other teams for the right price. He's a good offensive player, but his defensive deficiencies make him more of a luxury than a need. He's still only playing around 20 minutes a game....

Yeah... I'm not expecting to see Kanter in a Thunder uniform by the end of the season.

...I don't like these rumors about Payne potentially being on the trading block because I think he could be really good...

The rumors are very credible.

The rumors are very credible.

Payne for Gay.

It looks like Robersons days are numbered so they might as well give his minutes to Grant once he's up to speed. He should have taken that Thunder offer if it was indeed between 11-12 per. I am not sure he will get the 15 mil per he is asking and the Thunder would have been foolish to give him that. I would give him about 4-5 mil. per. He's a one trick pony and I don't ever see him as a reliable outside shooter or even a 75% FT shooter.

The Thunder must have a lot of confidence in Semaj's ability to play the backup PG position after waiving Price (and essentially paying him $5mm for summer league). Although I think Payne is much better than Semaj and will add a good boost to the second unit, he could be a great asset in a trade.

The Semaj-Payne decision apparently involves more than just on-court stuff at this point. And yeah, the Thunder has lots of confidence in Semaj, and very importantly Russ reportedly LOVES the dude. If Payne comes back from surgery and looks as good as he did before, he is a very attractive trade piece. I think we can make a good move with him, cap space and perhaps another piece somewhere. Also possible Kanter could be packaged for blockbuster, though I would hate to lose him.

The Semaj-Payne decision apparently involves more than just on-court stuff at this point. And yeah, the Thunder has lots of confidence in Semaj, and very importantly Russ reportedly LOVES the dude. If Payne comes back from surgery and looks as good as he did before, he is a very attractive trade piece. I think we can make a good move with him, cap space and perhaps another piece somewhere. Also possible Kanter could be packaged for blockbuster, though I would hate to lose him.

I have been unimpressed with Semaj. He's another guard who can't shoot and that really hurts because it means defenderss can go under every pick and roll. And if he's not a good pick and roll player, shooter, or slasher, what is he good at? I'm not convinced he's a legit NBA player, but I really haven't seen much to suggest he's good enough to fill in for Russ if he were to miss 5 games, for example.

What is the off-court stuff? It seems clear the team disagreed with Payne's decision not to have surgery, but is there more than that?

Not my place to discuss. Just saying don't be shocked if he's dealt.

Payne for Gay.

It looks like Robersons days are numbered so they might as well give his minutes to Grant once he's up to speed. He should have taken that Thunder offer if it was indeed between 11-12 per. I am not sure he will get the 15 mil per he is asking and the Thunder would have been foolish to give him that. I would give him about 4-5 mil. per. He's a one trick pony and I don't ever see him as a reliable outside shooter or even a 75% FT shooter.

Ugh. While I think Gay could help a little in the very short term, I wouldn't like this move at all. Gay just isn't very good and could we even re-sign him? If he opts out of his contract then he'll want 20 million next season (or else he'd just opt-in to his $14 million).

Moreover, I think Roberson is really underrated. Most of all of the best Thunder lineups include Roberson. He's an elite defender, good slasher, and has really improved his passing and decision-making. Everyone focuses on the one thing he can't do (shoot) and ignores that he's good at almost everything else. Maybe Grant can do the same things as Roberson, but it also might take him 3-4 years to get there? It's like KD said, the Thunder just keep getting younger.

Roberson is extremely underrated. Donovan has shown that all the years of Brooks using him incorrectly has really hurt the guy's game. When he is cutting to the basket and getting those backdoor oops, it is a thing of beauty. Sometimes he reverts to his old self and rots away at the three point line for an entire possession, but that is just zombie Brooks coming through.

I 100% do not want Gay, and I want to keep Roberson and Kanter. Being the best rebounding team in the league is sorely needed with how our team is setup. Russell jacking up crazy shots that miss are much easier to take when we have these guys down there ripping down the rebound for a second chance or a put-back. Think of how many times Kanter has put-back Russ' and others' misses. That is his entire purpose.

Grant looks to be a bigger better version of Roberson. That is the word anyway. I guess we will see about that. If Roberson would go to the basket more and learn to hit FTs at an 80% clip he would be a better player. But I am convinced he is not starting material and never will be. I doubt that Grant is either.

Grant looks to be a bigger better version of Roberson. That is the word anyway. I guess we will see about that. If Roberson would go to the basket more and learn to hit FTs at an 80% clip he would be a better player. But I am convinced he is not starting material and never will be. I doubt that Grant is either.

I'm not sure what you mean that Roberson is not starting material? He started for a top 3 NBA team last season and that starting lineup was one of the best lineups in basketball. And, people aren't going to like this, but Grant is a worse three point shooter than Roberson. I do understand the frustrations with Roberson, and they'll be more obvious on this year's team that just lost two of the best shooters. Grant does have a lot of potential though and he seems to be a really good rim protector. It'd be nice to keep both of them and add a wing shooter... then I'd like this Grant deal a lot more.

Okay, I'll just say this while watching Jerami Grant play: Among the most athletic athletes in the world, Grant's athleticism is mesmerizing.

A great and unexpected 85-83 win tonight in LA. The Thunder are now the only undefeated team in the west.

.


Westbrook's signature win!

http://cconnect.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Russell-Westbrook-Signature.jpg

Oklahoma City Thunder 85 - Los Angeles Clippers 83

http://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=400899514

For at least a 24 hour span... Very well could go longer.... a team that a lot of people are saying won't even make the playoffs is..... THE BEST IN THE WEST!!!

I've been telling my friends I would be ecstatic if we came off this road trip with at least one win and they got that done. If they beat the Warriors tonight I may run out in the streets and start a one man riot!

One silver lining about tonight, is Russ feels and did not play to his abilities against LAC, so look for him to have a big night tonight @ the Oracle. I am excited, but 9:30 tip games on national TV really cut into the sleep bank!

I am excited, but 9:30 tip games on national TV really cut into the sleep bank!

Yeah..... This morning is definitely going to be a two cups of coffee morning after staying up to watch last nights game... Tomorrow I may need an I.V. drip of coffee going all morning! ;)

For at least a 24 hour span... Very well could go longer.... a team that a lot of people are saying won't even make the playoffs is..... THE BEST IN THE WEST!!!

I've been telling my friends I would be ecstatic if we came off this road trip with at least one win and they got that done. If they beat the Warriors tonight I may run out in the streets and start a one man riot!

:iagree:

You'll never riot alone; contact me OKCTalk private message; we"ll make that a TWO MAN RIOT.

My picture-in-picture function got worn the hell out last night.

Point distribution was seriously lacking, but it's hard to be mad about another W and first place in the standings, for as long as it may last. That said, I'd expect GSW to expose how far the Thunder has to go yet. The good news is that they seem to be headed in the right direction and I still maintain they are one big-ish move away from being actual contenders.

That said, I'd expect GSW to expose how far the Thunder has to go yet.

Last year I might have agreed with this but GSW hasn't exactly gotten their game figured out yet. They've looked better with each game but these are two teams still trying to figure things out.

If we win this game tonight we win it on the boards, especially on the offensive end, and we definitely have to protect the ball better than we did last night.... Russ can't have double digit turnovers for us to win...... On the other hand I'm counting on KD dribbling the ball off his foot at the top of the key at least half a dozen times tonight and Russ punishing the rim at the other end of the court at the end of a fast break as a result of it.

^^^^^^^^^^
I agree with everything you said. I'm only saying my gut tells me that tonight is the night when you'll probably see GSW gel the most it has so far, if only because of the opponent. The Thunder still has a ton to figure out with line-ups, ball movement, etc., but the good news is that I think they will do so and - barring injury or something awful - be an unexpectedly good team by the playoffs. Unexpected by most, anyway. I've been a pretty consistent believer since, oh, about July 6 or 7. :)

I've been a pretty consistent believer since, oh, about July 6 or 7. :)

HA! Yeah... Once I got over the initial shock and started looking at what we had.... My doubts pretty much went away.

I'm one of those fans that would rather have a team that is competitive every year and is built to last than be a comet. And Golden State is a comet team in my opinion.... In a few years they'll look more like the Lakers do right now and we'll still be a playoff team.

Oh and one other thing about tonights game..... our second team doesn't give up points to their second team.... GSW's second team is going to be their Achille's heel all season.

Not sure what the Clippers were doing last night and would say it's more of an indictment on them. Russ with a triple double (turnovers), and no other thunder player in double digit scoring.

Not sure what the Clippers were doing last night and would say it's more of an indictment on them. Russ with a triple double (turnovers), and no other thunder player in double digit scoring.

Or you could give the Thunder credit for disrupting their game...... Half empty or half full

Not sure what the Clippers were doing last night and would say it's more of an indictment on them. Russ with a triple double (turnovers), and no other thunder player in double digit scoring.

Agree, this Thunder team will be exposed. Too many big, slow defenders and no consistent shooters to have to guard. I am not drinking the kool-aid. before someone disparages my comment, I love the Thunder, I am a season ticket holder

Not sure what the Clippers were doing last night and would say it's more of an indictment on them. Russ with a triple double (turnovers), and no other thunder player in double digit scoring.

Not to be too picky but it's just a double, double.

Good Try but those players would be Restricted and OKC could match any offers. Not the same as being Unrestricted.


Agree, this Thunder team will be exposed. Too many big, slow defenders and no consistent shooters to have to guard. I am not drinking the kool-aid. before someone disparages my comment, I love the Thunder, I am a season ticket holder

Hahaha. Like clockwork!

Oh and one other thing about tonights game..... our second team doesn't give up points to their second team.... GSW's second team is going to be their Achille's heel all season.


Exactly! This is what I've been telling everyone who thinks (now, thought) the GSW were unstoppable. They had to trade two MAJOR parts (Barnes and Bogut) of their successful team AND empty their bench talent in order to sign KD. That's going to be their downfall this entire season and playoffs. They are emphatically worse than they were last year, so don't be surprised when they get bounced in the second round.

Agree, this Thunder team will be exposed. Too many big, slow defenders and no consistent shooters to have to guard. I am not drinking the kool-aid. before someone disparages my comment, I love the Thunder, I am a season ticket holder

HA! Losing one game, on the road, to the team everyone expects to win the West, exposes the Thunder? Yeah, it's obvious you aren't drinking kool-aid.

If the Thunder went undefeated this season and won the championship. Based on your track record I would still be shocked if you had anything positive to say about the team...... I'll give you one thing... Your love for the Thunder is definitely tough love.

Agree, this Thunder team will be exposed. Too many big, slow defenders and no consistent shooters to have to guard. I am not drinking the kool-aid. before someone disparages my comment, I love the Thunder, I am a season ticket holder

Thunder needs a consistent outside shooter and they can beat any team. They might have one in Abrines but not right now. He is lost on defense but he's a rookie so there is hope.

Grant looks like a decent pickup that can play defense and a better scorer than Roberson. Roberson played some good defense again late in the game last night that helped win that game but he's a one trick pony and just a horrible FT shooter. His best game is slashing to the basket and getting fouled but then he can't hit the FTs. Grant needs to get up to speed asap and take Robersons minutes and Roberson can come of the bench as a defensive specialist when needed. But without some better outside shooters they will be exposed as the season goes on.

Laverne or whatever is growing on me. Looks like a good 2nd team player. homedipo needs to be more consistent because what I have seen so far he doesn't look like a reliable scorer. The Thunder needs another consistent scorer to help Russ and I am not sold on homedipo. Everyone said he was better than Ibaka but I'm not buying that just yet.

I wouldn't mind them sending Abrines to the Blue and let him get some meaningful playing time for a couple weeks. I think he has a good future and just needs to cook a little more.

Hahaha. Like clockwork!

King183 and BBQ Yep! you can count on me being straightforward and speaking my mind. Thank YOU

Roberson was the Thunder's second best player against the Clippers IMHO. His defense was off the charts.

Gonna be fun tonight. No need to read too much into one game. It's a long season...

The matchups will be interesting. i would think it would go like this:

Russ - Curry
Oladipo - Thompson
Roberson - Durant
Sabonis - Green
Adams - Pachulia/McGee

I would think Sabonis would be the first sub out and Kanter would come in and Adams would switch to Green... and probably get kicked in the nuts again...

Not to be too picky but it's just a double, double.

You're correct, my mistake. The credit due is that they got the W.

With regards to GSW bench, they only gave up barbosa and Ezeli. Ezeli wasn't great, but they're definitely going to miss bogut.

I personally have no problem with Roberson, he is awesome at defense and can score at the basket. But he Has. To. Stop. Shooting. Threes.

We do need more three shooting (Morrow been getting some action lately, maybe he will start getting hot), but we can live with it being someone other than Roberson.

1st Quarter - Great ball movement, good D.
2nd Quarter - Exact opposite of 1st...

Hard to watch��

Nm

I like what I saw from Dipo and Grant. If they can sustain that OKC could probably break top 4 again

Brand new team, essentially. They are playing against a team full of the best ball players. They need to do some growing.

1st Quarter - Great ball movement, good D.
2nd Quarter - Exact opposite of 1st...

Agreed.... Adam's was killing them in the 1st and then they went away from what was working for some reason.

Young team on the road against a lot of superstar talent with a lot of additional emotion and drama going on.... It's a tough arena to win in for any team.

We all know the team has areas they need to work on but I think this game was an anomaly and not going to be an indicator of how our season will play out.

^^^^^^^^^
Unfortunately I pretty much nailed it with my prediction posts yesterday; played out just about like I expected. At the same time, everything you say is also true. There is zero reason to be crushed by this; it's an early-season measuring stick that clearly demonstrates growth areas on which the team and organization need to focus, and gives our youngsters a taste of a playoff-like matchup and environment. Honestly not a bad thing at all. Time to come back home and get better.

Honestly not a bad thing at all. Time to come back home and get better.

Exactly.... And we picked up a road win that I'm pretty sure none of us here expected the team to win.

KD sure is good @ hitting threes while wearing a GSW jersey :Smiley130.

That went about as expected, it was fun up until KD blew it open in the 2nd. Oladipo and Grant did a great job last night. You could tell Russ was tired on the 2nd night of a B2B with his difficulty to even finish the simplest of layups.

Now on to the politics of the matchup...
Out of everyone on the team, I would prefer Kanter not be the one talking smack to KD. Russ and KD blocking each other was cool to watch. Those guys know each others game so well. I did find it pretty funny how long Kerr kept his starters out there, and then KD and co. was flying around smashing dunks on the likes of Grant and Singler. It is still almost unbelievable to me that GSW picked up KD when they were already in the running for GOAT. For some reason my brain can't comprehend the fact that Durant, Curry, Thompson, or Green and any pair of them could essentially have horrible games or just rest - and their team would still be favored. So when they are all in Game 7 mode like last night, nothing will stop them.

So when they are all in Game 7 mode like last night, nothing will stop them.

I've heard of a King from the East that is mighty enough to slay these 3 point spewing trolls.

For some reason my brain can't comprehend the fact that Durant, Curry, Thompson, or Green and any pair of them could essentially have horrible games or just rest - and their team would still be favored. So when they are all in Game 7 mode like last night, nothing will stop them.

I'm sticking by my prediction: GSW will be bounced in the 2nd round of the playoffs. They annihilated us last night for various reasons, but GSW is not as good as they were last year due to "supporting cast" issues.

And BBQ is right: LeBron and the Cavs can handle them if they end up facing each other, but I'm betting it'll be the Spurs in the Finals.

I also think Urbanized is correct: We are one big trade away from being a contender. Let's see what Presti does.

A split on that particular road trip was very adequate. Not sure anyone would have us at 4 - 1 at this point a month ago.

1st Quarter - Great ball movement, good D.
2nd Quarter - Exact opposite of 1st...This I have never understood. If I ran an offense and had it working I'd keep doing the same thing until the opponent stopped me. I've seen so many teams in all sports not do that.
Another example, I've seen many a football team march right down the field on thier first few possessions using screens, dumps passes, short crossing routes, etc. Then on the next possessions they run in between the tackles and punt. I don't get it. Probably why they're planning offenses and I'm not though.

Anyone else excited about Sabonis's potential? He's looking better every game, with the exception of fouls. He seems like he can be a monster after spending a summer getting bigger and working on defense.

I'm sticking by my prediction: GSW will be bounced in the 2nd round of the playoffs. They annihilated us last night for various reasons, but GSW is not as good as they were last year due to "supporting cast" issues.

And BBQ is right: LeBron and the Cavs can handle them if they end up facing each other, but I'm betting it'll be the Spurs in the Finals.

I also think Urbanized is correct: We are one big trade away from being a contender. Let's see what Presti does.

I like your optimism, but don't share it. Unfortunately, Golden State is definitely the odds on favorites to win the title and probably several titles over the next few years. And even if OKC added a star, which is very unlikely, we'd still likely be on a different tier. I like this team, but just making the playoffs is a reasonable goal for this squad. We have to adjust expectations... titles just aren't on the table anymore. That doesn't mean this don't be a fun season though.

Anyone else excited about Sabonis's potential? He's looking better every game, with the exception of fouls. He seems like he can be a monster after spending a summer getting bigger and working on defense.

He's before his time as a 20 year old. He's going to be very good defensively as soon as he gets his lateral quickness up to par with NBA competition.

This I have never understood. If I ran an offense and had it working I'd keep doing the same thing until the opponent stopped me. I've seen so many teams in all sports not do that.
Another example, I've seen many a football team march right down the field on thier first few possessions using screens, dumps passes, short crossing routes, etc. Then on the next possessions they run in between the tackles and punt. I don't get it. Probably why they're planning offenses and I'm not though.

The bigger problem is that we had to sub out starters and play our bench. Our bench is not very good and the lineup when Russ subbed out was exceptionally bad.. It's not as simple as the team just decided to quit passing. It was just a lot of inexperienced and not very good (yet) players.

For what it's worth: Five Thirty Eight's model isn't perfect, but they peg the current chances of the Thunder making the playoffs this season at 89%. Currently they have OKC ranked as the 6th strongest team in the league. http://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/2017-nba-predictions/

I was thinking 47 wins this season as reasonable

The Warriors are a much better team than OKC, so the result isn't unexpected. Especially on a back-to-back away game.

The fact OKC is 4-1 is honestly surprising to me. They're better than I thought they'd be

KD sure is good @ hitting threes while wearing a GSW jersey :Smiley130.

That went about as expected, it was fun up until KD blew it open in the 2nd...

This has been my complaint with KD for years now. He is without question a next-level talent, but honestly I think he is a BAD head case. Completely spoiled, soft. He wants everything to come easy, he pouts, etc., and rarely gives maximum effort. If something truly fires him up, he can obviously become ridiculous; truly unstoppable. But in the 8 years he was here, this only happened a few dozen times. And MOST of them occurred when Russ was injured. Had nothing to do with Russ freezing KD; Durant just didn't want to work hard for it most of the time.

Last night, he obviously wanted it badly. And he was devastating. If we had seen THAT KD more often than not during his OKC tenure, there would be multiple World Champions banners hanging in the rafters. I despise him more for that now than I do the way that he left or the way that he has handled himself since.

You can say a lot about Russ - much good, some bad - but you can NEVER say the dude isn't trying his damnedest.