I Believe In Sam Presti

If you’re head’s not spinning by now, then you just haven’t been paying much attention. Ever since Tuesday night’s last envelope was opened, the NBA rumor mill and speculation factory (speculation factory?) have been on fire. On fire I say.

Will the Thunder move up? Move down? Take Thabeet at three? Harden at three? Someone else at three? Will Rubio fall to three? Does OKC even want Rubio? Should the Thunder trade its pick for a proven veteran? Who does OKC like? What are the Thunder’s needs? Trade the pick to the Lions so they can draft a wide receiver? Questions, questions and more questions. There’s so much to talk about right now, it’s almost hard to keep up.

Some people love Hasheem Thabeet. And there’s good reason to. He’s 7’3″, can protect the rim, is a raw player that is sure to improve both, is a two-time Big East defensive player of the year and fills a need for OKC. But there’s also good reason not to. Big guys like him are hit and miss. He doesn’t move his feet very well. He has hands of stone. Can he defend more agile NBA big men? You’re banking on an offensive game to develop and it may not.

Some people love James Harden (raises hand). He’s a complete offensive player that can pass, shoot, dribble and make people better around him. He’s a perfect complementary shooting guard for Russell Westbrook. He doesn’t need others to create his offense. But there are defensive questions. Is he big enough? Is he quick enough? Is he athletic enough? Does he have enough range on his shot?

And all this goes on and on and on. You can play this guessing game with every player in the draft. Ty Lawson, DeMar DeRozen, Jordan Hill, whoever. You can play the game with trade options. You can play it all over the place. I know I will. Heck, it’s kind of the point of this here place. To speculate, analyze, discuss and debate all things Thunder. It’s pretty freaking fun honestly.

But in the end, it comes down to Sam Presti and what he wants to do. And you know what? I believe in him. I completely, entirely, wholeheartedly trust his judgement. Whatever he does June 25th, I’m totally behind. Well, just short of picking Austin Johnson and trading for Eddy Curry. I don’t think I can’t get behind that. (Literally! Because Eddy Curry is fat… get it?)

Just for some reason, I have the utmost confidence in Presti and his staff. I trust them. I trust that they will absolutely make the most informed, sensible, well-researched decision in the league. They do more homework than anyone. For instance, they’ve seen Thabeet and done more research on the big guy than anyone, according to Draft Express. So if they pick him, it’s because he’s their guy and they believe in him. And honestly, that’s enough for me. Sure, I’d be a bit disappointed because I liked other players better. I don’t think Thabeet is a top five guy. I see him as a 15-20 minute a game guy that can protect the rim a little, but he’s not franchise center and I see him as a wasted pick. But that’s why I sit here and type on the Internet and Sam Presti makes big time cash downtown.

He hit a grand slam with Russell Westbrook last year at four. He knocked one out of the park with Jeff Green. He brought in Thabo Sefolosha for a late round pick. He had what appears to be the correct instinct on the Tyson Chandler deal. He flipped a bag of rocks and an old sock for an unprotected first round pick next year. And on and on. We all know what he’s done. The man’s got the golden touch. He just knows what he’s doing. He’s got a plan and he’s executing it. The whole organization marches in step to his beat. He’s got everybody believing, everybody buying into his vision. And that says something in itself.

So whatever happens from now until then, I’m down with. I can’t say that I’ll be as fired up with taking say, Thabeet, as I would Harden or Rubio, but I’ll deal with it. It may be tough to stomach since we all have our opinions on what we think is right and what we think is the best move. Maybe in three years we realize it was the wrong choice, but we’ll cross that road when we get there. Right now, I know that Presti and his staff evaluate talent as well as anyone and probably work harder than anybody. Hard not to trust that. He has a vision for this organization and since he’s far smarter than I am, I’m with him all the way.

Some don’t trust in their GM. Some do. This isn’t to say you shouldn’t second guess, discuss or debate what Presti does in this draft. We’re fans. It’s what we do. Three more years of wins in the 20s and I may be singing a different tune, but as of right now, I completely believe in Sam Presti. Whatever he does, I’m behind. Except of course that whole Eddy Curry-Austin Johnson deal.

(And if you’d like that picture up there bigger, click here. It works nice as a desktop background.)