Smart Thoughts of the Week: Feb. 5 – 12
Throughout the week some of you drop some brilliant or at least somewhat thoughtful comments and so this is a try at highlighting some of them. Disclaimer: It’s not that I necessarily agree with all of them, but they were interesting and for the most part, well put. Consider everything [sic’d].
Who? Who says we won’t win 50 games? (Will): Who’s to say we wont have 50 wins this season. If you break the past two seasons down into trimesters (just over 25 games) we have staedily improved over every time period. and the last 25 games we have gone 16-9 (.640 win percentage). Apply that percentage to the next 32 games (thats the rest of this season) and we come out at about 20 wins (20.48 really), which puts us with 49 wins. Couple that with the previously mentioned improvement and…… 50+ wins…
Also, last game Russ had a steal and clear breakaway in which he turned around and gave the ball to an ICE COLD Kevin Durant, which truly got him going. Without that, KD ends the 25 point streak with a very underwhelming game.
Marilyn? (DizzyDai): I really liked Monroe during last year’s draft as well. I’m surprised to see his draft stocking falling out of the lottery, but I agree that we should target Monroe if he is available. I’ve mentioned this before, but I don’t see Krstic hanging around much longer. Monroe ability to pass the ball and stretch the floor will put Krstic out. I’m really wondering how the Thunder will handle their other big men, especially D.J. White and Byron Mullens.
You pay Durant. End of story. (4razr): It’s a huge dilemma. The max contracts signed under this CBA will be anchors around the necks of many a team in the years to come if max salaries and the cap are actually slashed by millions. How do you justify not paying Durant? How do you justify paying him, especially if you are OKC? And what is his market value? If OKC doesn’t sign him under the current agreement, it’s not as though another team would be able to pay him more…. He would probably have to take less to leave, even then, because OKC would still have whatever bonus they could offer their own FA under the new CBA. He would have to be so miffed that he was stiffed that he was willing to leave money on table.
On the Kenny Mayne video. (B): I have to say that I found this to be quite funny on many levels. It just amuses me as to the extent of ignorance that people show when portraying a stereotype that ALL Oklahomans are a bunch of ignorant rednecks who still live on ranches and raise cattle for a living.
Yes, there will be some Okies that get all up in arms about it. Yes, there will be people of Seattle that will be elated. However, that’s just people being people. You could say that it’s in part due to an inferiority complex, or just as equally a superiority complex. Nonetheless, I just view it as part of the human condition. In the end, IMHO, it should just be taken at face value. Simply a humorous video.
Holy crap the trade deadline is less than a week away. (Bruno): Dalembert and Amare are exactly the kind of guys the Thunder don’t need, really. The strength of this group is that everyone works his tail off and covers each other, that’s why the team plays great team defense some times, and this begins with Durant being the humble guy he is and all the friendships and stuff.
When you put a known whiner like Amare or Dalembert, making much more money than everyone else, taking minutes away from Green / Ibaka, what happens to that chemistry? I don’t think Amare is changing from a bull fighter into a defensive stopper just because Durant is a cool dude. I’d love to see something done with Harpring’s corpse, but you guys are definitely overreacting. This team was 23-59 last year and is on pace to double that easily with a playoff spot, and you’re talking about the window closing?
Let’s go with the flow, see if a good scenario shows up, and if it doesn’t just roll with what we have, there’ll be improvements next off-season, Presti is a smart guy and we have absolutely no reasons to doubt him yet.
I haven’t shaved nor changed underwear since the first of December. How’s that for superstition? (girlballer): I am trying to post a comment about who we want to play in the first round of the the playoffs, but everytime I do, the superstitious, reptilian part of my brain-stem starts screaming “DON’T DO IT!!” I am going to continue to cheer for the Nuggets if they are playing anyone but the Thunder, cheering against the Edmond of the NBA, and neutrally watching any other game that happens to be on while following our Thunder players twitter feeds. It’s a simple life I know….
