In for a Dime, in for a Dollar
Oklahoma City may not be perfect, but the confidence that continues to fuel the team’s identity is not misplaced. Things, for now, look good. But can they stop the coming storm — will devastation strike the Thunder twice?
You’ve seen Speed, right? Keanu Reeves is in control of a city bus full of people that will explode if it ever drops below 50 miles per hour. It doesn’t matter if you have, because you’re watching it this season, every night. By dropping a nuke on their 2016 team to surround the reigning MVP with enough talent that he wouldn’t do them like their first MVP, the Thunder have slammed their foot on the contention gas pedal, ready or not, and aren’t picking it up anytime soon. The trade deadline — the last chance to jump off the bus unharmed — has come and gone, and now all Oklahoma City can do is hope it’s enough.
The Thunder front office isn’t afraid. After losing Kevin Durant in one of the most shocking and heartbreaking sports loyalty moments of my generation, GM Sam Presti and his cabinet knew losing Russell Westbrook may have been terminal for the franchise. They traded four solid rotational players — including the player with the team’s second-most minutes played in 2017 — for stars who can either leave before they intended or stay longer than they desired.
They traded an All-Star for Paul George, and made him untouchable this trade season despite the fact that he can become an unrestricted free agent in the summer, just like Kevin Durant did. The front office must believe in their chances of retaining his services, especially after glowing comments he made a few days ago about the team, but it will certainly take a bit of maneuvering and perhaps even a pay cut for the 27-year-old. Either way, Oklahoma City is putting both its short and long-term future in the hands of the lifelong Laker fan. And for that reason, it must be really hard to hear the quotes Paul George gave to Sam Amick of USAToday:
Ouch. It’s almost like the whole reason he’s on the Thunder in the first place is because he told his former team that he planned to pursue his California dream as soon as he was a free agent. The fact that these quotes came out only one day after the Lakers had purportedly lost a bit of interest in the Thunder forward can’t look good either. Los Angeles baited him, and PG bit.
On top of that, Oklahoma’s other big trade of the summer for Carmelo Anthony hasn’t ripened the way they had hoped. The former All-Star is averaging over seven less points per game than his career averages, and is having the worst season he’s ever had in field goal percentage, assists per game, and free throw rate. He’s also the worst defender on their team.
Melo is due a whopping $28 million next year if he opts in, and with the way the league’s economics are going, it seems unlikely that he’d garner an offer for half that amount per year from another team.
Me7o’s staying put, and that means that Oklahoma City could be footing one of the largest luxury bills ever next season if they can convince PG to stay on a max deal. Will it be worth it to management to pay that for a team that may not get out of the first round? Wouldn’t it have been worth it to kick the tires on a midseason PG trade just to see what was out there?
It likely would have been more conceivable had they not shown up in a huge way for the games that matter. The Thunder are 5–0 in games against against the Cavaliers, Raptors, Rockets and Warriors, with an average margin of victory at 16.6. It’s head-scratching losses against the Magic, the Nets and — yes — those very Lakers that hold both their record and perceived long-term ceiling down. Some games Westbrook goes MVP-mode, and that’s not always a good thing. But they do show up for the biggest games.
However, the ebbs and flows of this team will not be tolerated in the heat of the playoff crucible. The Thunder need to be ready for teams to attack Carmelo on every single defensive possession, and dare Russ to over-penetrate, over-dribble, and over-everything else. Will this chemistry that they seem to find and lose on a weekly basis be set enough to come back from a 2–1 deficit in a playoff series played majorly in someone else’s stadium? Maybe, but maybe not.
So, the Thunder find themselves where they currently stand: a mismatched group of undeniable talent that seems waiting to fail due to the lack of cohesion that’s literally the only reason that it’s constructed in the first place. Things will be dramatically different next year for Oklahoma City even if they can retain George, and it very well may not be for the better.
Los Angeles looms like a hawk, waiting to poach what could be the last true superstar Russell Westbrook will ever play with. Oklahoma City could be contending in the Western Conference Finals next year, or a be repeater-tax-paying lottery team with bleak aspirations of building another world beater in one of the league’s smallest markets. Whether they intended to or not, they built a thin-walled castle around their loyal and lovable MVP, and have to roll — fast — with what they got.
I should maybe mention that the bus in Speed explodes at the end.
