Sam Presti: ‘Yesterday was an exciting, but difficult day’

Oklahoma  City’s general manager Sam Presti addressed the media for about 35  minutes Friday afternoon talking about the two transactions the Thunder  had yesterday.

The quote that really hung with me as I walked out  of the Thunder’s practice facility was, “The focus is on the  organization. The players are part of the organization.” I think that  right there should explain yesterday’s events to you more than anything.

As  difficult as it was to part with a player that was so much a part of  the team as Jeff Green, it was necessary. And Presti knew it. He spoke  at length about how tough the move was to make, but how his job is to  make this franchise competitive in the present, as well as the future.

“We’re  all professionals. We understand that it’s a business,” Presti said.  “And you  have to move after you get past that initial stage of  surprise.”

One tough moment: When Presti was asked to talk about  Jeff Green and his contributions to the franchise, Presti started  speaking about what a terrific human Green is, but it was obvious Presti  wasn’t going to be talking long. After about 10 seconds, tears welled  in Presti’s eyes and he had to just cut himself off. It was an  emotional, candid moment that you don’t typically see from Presti.

Not  gonna lie. I felt like bawling at that moment too. It’s just  basketball, yes. I think we all realize we’re talking about a game grown  men play in shorts. But there are emotional connections. People become  close friends. And it’s tough to see someone go that you’ve grown close  to whether actually by knowing them personally, or through or more  existential relationship.

But Presti’s short moment showed  just how much Green meant to the franchise on, and off the court. He was  a valued member of the community and a great person to have in our  city. And of course the fear there is, with Uncle Jeff gone, is that  going to upset the incredible chemistry and bond the team had built?

“I  think any time you make a change or someone comes in or someone   leaves, that you’re going to change a dynamic a little bit. But I also   have a lot of faith in our group as a whole. I think that’s one of our   strengths,” Presti said. “One of the things we understand is that any  time you make additions  throughout the season there’s going to be an adjustment period. We  understand that. And we respect that. That’s part of the business. At  the same time, as I evaluated the situation, I felt like the opportunity  to add the players that we had and bring a player like Perkins into the  fold was an opportunity we needed to take advantage of.

“I have  unbelievable respect for [Green] as a player and a person. He’s a   selfless person and he’s incredibly talented,” Presti continued. “We’re  thankful for what  he’s contributed to this organization. By the same  token, I have to make  really tough decisions in this job and that’s  part of my responsibly  that I carry every day for this organization.”

That  stuff aside, Presti definitely seemed excited about the future. He  talked glowingly about what Perkins can contribute speaking of his  toughness, physicality and defensive prowess. One thing Presti point out  that I hadn’t realized was that this actually makes the Thunder  younger. Into the starting five comes Serge Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins.  Ibaka is three years younger than Green and Perkins two years younger  than Krstic. As usual, Presti makes a smart point.

Perkins (and  the other players) will have their physicals later Friday and Presti  wouldn’t go into great detail as to what that will entail, but he seemed  very confident there won’t be any hangups.

I was kind of  curious as to what pressed Presti to make this move. Since there had  been so much discussion about Green’s value and place in terms of  position and lineups, I asked Presti if he took into account Green’s  mostly dismal plus/minus numbers.

“We look at everything when we  try and make a decision, not just one area,” Presti said. “I think  everyone that’s watches our team or has watched Jeff over the course of  his career, or even in college, knows that a lot of the things he’s  brings to your team or organization aren’t represented in numbers alone.