Basketball from a fans perspective

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The head man   

Sam Presti is one of those NBA wunderkind given the fact he will turn 45 years of age in November. Presti’s been GM of the Sonics/Thunder since 2007 which makes him 30 years old when first hired.  Although he’s not been on the job quite as long as Presti Chiefs GM Brett Veach is cut out of the same cloth, both men are considered keen evaluators of talent. A friend mentioned the fact “At one time the Thunder had Harden, Westbrook and Durant on the same team.” For reasons far too numerous to report all now play for different teams, we might include Serge Ibaka making that trio a quartet. There have been other talented players over time acquired through the draft or trade that have appeared in a Thunder jersey.

Since the team’s arrival in Oklahoma City, they have registered a number of major wins culminating in a number of playoff runs.  In 2012 the Thunder lost in that season’s NBA finals to the Heat since that time they made the playoffs 7 of the next 8 seasons. The Thunder have never returned to the level allowing them to compete for a championship since that 2012 Thunder team. The failure of the Thunder to play good basketball over the last three seasons certainly could be laid at the feet of Presti however there is probably more to the story.  As for the future in OKC country it remains solid as Presti continues to add talent to the roster. We can look at stud point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has developed into, shooting guard Josh Giddey would appear to have future stardom written on his forehead. Did Presti do it again in drafting Chet Holmgren, that choice will remain an unknown for at least another year due to injury.

Save the Lakers

The latest effort by a dot com site to save the Lakers is really not workable for me. This site has the Lakers acquiring Klay Thompson of the Warriors, how do we suppose the Warriors are willing to “give” up on Thompson? The writer claims Jordan Poole’s services must be retained. The sharpshooting guard is on his rookie contract, the Warriors must pay him if they intend to retain his services. There are others besides Poole that are supposed to have forced Warriors management into this position.  

Thompson after missing all most two seasons had an impressive 32 game and playoff season in returning to the lineup. There is the age factor to consider, Thompson will be 33 years old before next season ends, he is certainly on the downhill side of his career. The other issue to consider is his now history of injury. Perhaps the writer of this proposed trade sees that beneficial in the Lakers acquiring Thompson. In closing I will state with the win now attitude of LeBron and Laker management maybe they make it work. For me the age plus injury factor must be given consideration before signing off on such a deal, I don’t want age addition I want age subtraction i.e., a younger team.

Best cross over all time

This is a matter of opinion, I happen to believe Allen Iverson a.k.a. The Answer had the best cross over ever. Tim Hardaway arrived in the NBA from Texas-El Paso in 1989, he might have brought a different dimension to the game. Hardaway took a “Killer Crossover” to the NBA, but he would be displaced and move into second place in 1996 when Iverson arrived from Georgetown University. Rather than continue to dialogue on the issue it might be much better to see Iverson in action. Check out the YouTube video below and see if you don’t agree with me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gsv3qr33s8M

There is always more than one reason

Magic rookie Paolo Banchero was born and grew up in Seattle. An NBA theme website pointed this out and posed the question regarding Seattle in the NBA. Fan letters begin pouring in why the NBA left Seattle and guess what most letter writers were incorrect. There’s not just one reason the franchise is now located in Oklahoma City. It’s my contention Oklahoma City resident Clay Bennett intended to move the team from the very beginning. For those who contend there was an attendance issue regarding the Sonics that’s only partially true.

Bennett and company claimed Key Arena (now Climate Pledge) needed to be replaced, there was a search throughout the metro for a location to build another arena but that fell through. Whether it was the Bennett group or the city it’s unclear without delving into the past. What is most interesting the city reached an agreement with Bennett allowing the team to move earlier than plan. The conditions allowing the move are quite interesting, the name Sonics would not move with the team and all existing NBA team records would remain in Seattle. The Thunder records belong to Oklahoma City alone. This is as close to the series of events as can be detailed, naturally there are some elements omitted. The hope was to clear up some of the confusion that might have been caused by some.