- Jan 31, 2012
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Beasley cut his hair. He means business 
2013-2014 NBA Thread - IND @ WAS and OKC @ LAC on ESPN
- Thread in 'Sports & Training' Thread starter Started by big j 33,
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- Jun 7, 2011
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So why call it the OKC way?
View media item 630168
View media item 630169
AgreedLet's face it, the OKC way is lucking into Durant.
But credit is due to them for identifying, drafting and developing Westbrook, Ibaka and Harden.
- Jun 1, 2008
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Cause they did it best or got the luckiest, which ever you prefer but it was just an example my man
- Jun 7, 2011
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Nice upgrade for Washington.
Miami could be the biggest winner of this transaction tho.
Cause they did it best or got the luckiest, which ever you prefer but it was just an example my man
iight man
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- May 25, 2001
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Plenty of teams are annually in the lottery and don't get any better though. To improve from 23 games to 50 and take the champions to 6 hard fought games (one boxout from 7) without any major trade/fa signing/or draft pick (Harden was added but hadn't yet become a factor) was amazing though; just internal development, great draft scouting, and retaining your own players (until they get "too expensive" of course) and a free agency policy that mitigates the risk involved. OKC, and many other teams/cities, are never going to be free agent hot spots so that puts a premium on your drafting and shrewd small tweaks here and there via trade.
Although ever since the Harden trade, Presti has looked extra human. You could point out other oopsies here and there like drafting then trading Quincy Pondexter for the chance to draft Cole Aldrich 2 spots ahead of Larry Sanders and drafting Eric Bledsoe then trading him so that we could sign Royal Ivey instead and certainly extending Kendrick Perkins for 36 million before even seeing him play a game and refusing to amnesty him, also getting bullied or even I might say punked into giving Scott Brooks 4 yrs ~16mil when the original offer was like 3yrs 11.
I'd still put his talent as a GM right up with anybody and alongside Buford and Ujiri. He is being handcuffed by the owner. Put him or any of the 2 aforementioned with a bottomless wallet owner and I wonder what happens
Although ever since the Harden trade, Presti has looked extra human. You could point out other oopsies here and there like drafting then trading Quincy Pondexter for the chance to draft Cole Aldrich 2 spots ahead of Larry Sanders and drafting Eric Bledsoe then trading him so that we could sign Royal Ivey instead and certainly extending Kendrick Perkins for 36 million before even seeing him play a game and refusing to amnesty him, also getting bullied or even I might say punked into giving Scott Brooks 4 yrs ~16mil when the original offer was like 3yrs 11.
I'd still put his talent as a GM right up with anybody and alongside Buford and Ujiri. He is being handcuffed by the owner. Put him or any of the 2 aforementioned with a bottomless wallet owner and I wonder what happens
- Jul 14, 2007
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OKC got lucky, they have 3 consecutive seasons with a top 4 pick. It's not like they had this great strategy or plan lol
- Jul 14, 2007
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- Jul 18, 2012
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I'm not a fan of giving up the pick. Gortat is a FA at season's end, so who knows that the big picture is beyond this year. Obviously, it's playoffs or bust for the Wizards, but losing that pick in a stocked draft may come back to bite this team in the ***. If there is a silver lining, Grunfeld will be done if this blows up.
shoeking2101
Banned
- Sep 1, 2007
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Thank you man
The KD pick? Luck
The Russ pick? Gutsy seeing as at the time it was high for him, but no one including OKC expected him to turn into a top 7 player
Harden? He was the consensus 3rd pick of that draft and OKC...had the 3rd pick
- Nov 27, 2009
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Just saw Wizards plan on waiving brown, Marshall and lee
- Feb 9, 2009
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[russellwestbrook]WHAT?!?[/russellwestbrook]
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Probably a typo.
do work son
Banned
- May 22, 2010
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god damn you quincy pondexter you bum
- Feb 29, 2000
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sean elliot - lebron james when elliot was doing national televised games for abc
do work son
Banned
- May 22, 2010
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dwight standing up for pat bev 
- Dec 1, 2012
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I don't think you can call it luck when you draft 3 superstars in 3 drafts.
That said, I hope they're cursed until we get a new Sonics who can beat their *****.
- May 25, 2001
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Harden wasn't consensus #3. Everybody thought that was a reach and were calling him a bust (including Bill Simmons) until a yr and a half in after the Green trade when he started to show talent. People thought they should have gone Tyreke Evans(who won R.O.Y) or Stephen Curry, until it became clear Harden just needed the opportunity and both of the 2 previous had flaws in their own game and in potentially meshing with Westbrook and Durant
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- Jul 18, 2012
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Everything worked out so favorably for the Thunder. It was pretty much luck to draft 3 players who all eventually turned out to be in the top 10-15 players in the league. A LOT had to go right for Durant, Westbrook, and Harden to fall in their laps. Luck and good scouting goes a long way. The latter more so than the former.
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People thought Westbrook was a reach too. That was great drafting . Ibaka as well.
Although Curry would have fit that offense even better as a starter.
Although Curry would have fit that offense even better as a starter.
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do work son
Banned
- May 22, 2010
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i only said they lucked into durant. remember he went second because of oden?
i give them props for westbrook and harden. they just drafted well there.
- Jul 18, 2012
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Lucking into Durant is what made the whole thing work though. Westbrook and Harden were great draft picks, but they lucked into the historically great MVP-caliber player, that's why they are what they are
If they had taken say, Al Horford instead of KD they would still be a great team but not the juggernaut they were the past two seasons.
If they had taken say, Al Horford instead of KD they would still be a great team but not the juggernaut they were the past two seasons.
- Nov 4, 2003
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Deflect blame
- Sep 13, 2012
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Wade is in mid playoff form
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