Anyone else think the thunder will have a huge year?

[red1]

It seems we have forgotten just how good kd and westbrook are. I can easily see them taking it all this year. It doesnt matter how much the spurs improved or how good the warriors are now. KD and westbrook will be a nightmare for anyone.

[RoundMoundOfReb]

Lakers in 5 over the Thunder in the WCF.

[ClipperRevival]

Nope. Not with a rookie coach. And WB and KD still haven't found the right balance. You don't win rings by taking turns on iso. You need to play team ball that maximizes efficiency. Based on talent alone, they should already have a couple of rings.

Of course, I wouldn't be shocked if they did win it all but I have several other teams with better chances than them.

[Akrazotile]

Nope. Not with a rookie coach. And WB and KD still haven't found the right balance. You don't win rings by taking turns on iso. You need to play team ball that maximizes efficiency. Based on talent alone, they should already have a couple of rings.

Of course, I wouldn't be shocked if they did win it all but I have several other teams with better chances than them.


Exactly. Rookie coach cannot win a title.

Never in a million years.

[Spurs m8]

Lakers in 5 over the Thunder in the WCF.

Yeah lets be completely honest here....you're not finishing higher than 12th in the West, bout time you homos realized this tbh and stop fuking up threads with your hopeful bullshit - your list is legit laughable.

Cheers and **** off

Cheers

[dhsilv]

I'm not sold on the bench or that westbrook can do what he did last year with Durant in the games. If kanter turns out to have some defensive ability maybe things get better, but I don't like their coach at all. They'll be a factor in the playoffs but I think the spurs, warriors, rockets and clippers are going into the season better than they are.

[Young X]

I think they'll possibly have problems on defense. Kanter is the worst defender in the league and with him being a big, any advantages he gives them offensively is negated by his defense. OKC had a 110.2 DRtg after they traded for him last season...obviously they won't be that bad (Ibaka missed alot of the games in that stretch) but I don't know if they'll be a top 10 defense with him getting significant minutes which = no championship.

Then there's other things like having Dion Waiters as your starting SG, rookie coach, KD's health, etc. I could be completely wrong and they dominate the league like the Warriors did last season en route to a championship but I need to see it. I see people prematurely putting them over the Warriors and I just don't see it right now. Same with the Spurs. We'll see.

[Gileraracer]

If they all stay healthy they will be a nightmare.

[Lakers Legend#32]

The Curse of the Sonics has closed their window of opportunity.

[WayOfWade]

I feel like a 2nd round defeat is in store for their future, followed by Durant bolting it to DC

[T_L_P]

Honestly, not so much.

Of course they will be a threat, and the Spurs will still be plagued by their athleticism, but Durant and Westbrook still haven't done shit together - despite them both being top ten players, and Durant being arguably the best players in the world. They also have a rookie coach and not much depth.

[Akrazotile]

Honestly, I'm just not convinced that collectively they have enough package size to compete aginst players like Lebron, Gasol etc who bring serious, alpha sized members into combat. Not every team is gonna be a rollover cakewalk like Kobe's Lakers. Some teams have genuinely alpha leaders with huge packages. The Thunder need to prove definitively that they can "hang." Whether that will happen or not will obv be revealed in time.

[GIF REACTION]

Honestly, I'm just not convinced that collectively they have enough package size to compete aginst players like Lebron, Gasol etc who bring serious, alpha sized members into combat. Not every team is gonna be a rollover cakewalk like Kobe's Lakers. Some teams have genuinely alpha leaders with huge packages. The Thunder need to prove definitively that they can "hang." Whether that will happen or not will obv be revealed in time.
:applause:

[Spurs m8]

I forget about Waiters sometimes.

Waiters :roll: :roll: :roll:

[Coach Eddie]

I worry about Durant's health for this season and future seasons.

[CarlosBoozer]

Waiters ain't getting any tips
Kan't play any D

That's all I got.

[fiddy]

Yeah lets be completely honest here....you're not finishing higher than 12th in the West, bout time you homos realized this tbh and stop fuking up threads with your hopeful bullshit - your list is legit laughable.

Cheers and **** off

Cheers
:facepalm

[Akrazotile]

Waiters ain't getting any tips
Kan't play any D

That's all I got.



They just donovan-y chance

[Naero]

Nope. Not with a rookie coach. And WB and KD still haven't found the right balance. You don't win rings by taking turns on iso. You need to play team ball that maximizes efficiency. Based on talent alone, they should already have a couple of rings.

Of course, I wouldn't be shocked if they did win it all but I have several other teams with better chances than them.

Is everyone forgetting that two rookie coaches led their teams to the finals, wherein one inevitably took home the Larry O'Brien trophy in their rookiehood? :wtf:

It's not impossible for a rookie coach to succeed in the winning-most goals; it may not be ubiquitous, since rookie coaches are most commonly hired for rebuilding-mode teams with rosters that Phil Jackson and Gregg Popovich couldn't co-coach to HCA-seeding in the playoffs. However, with the right talent, viable systematization, decent assistant-coaching staff, and more than enough time in the NBA season to traverse the learning curve, it's more than possible

[Vaniiiia]

Rookie Billy Donovan will be better than Scott Brooks ever was.

And the Thunder made it deep in the playoffs every-time they were relatively healthy, and without a low post threat.

So yes, the Thunder will have another huge year. In OKC we're used to them winning 60 games and making the western conference finals. Spoiled but still get louder than any other arena.

OKC being OKC. All we do is win.

[Rocketswin2013]

I could see them tearing the league apart.

[poido123]

It seems we have forgotten just how good kd and westbrook are. I can easily see them taking it all this year. It doesnt matter how much the spurs improved or how good the warriors are now. KD and westbrook will be a nightmare for anyone.



Is KD even over his foot injuries?

That shit can be recurring.

[SOD 21]

Yes, there's no doubt that Oklahoma City is being undervalued by many experts around the league, not to mention many fans as well. It's a case of short term memory and people forgetting how dynamic they are together.

If healthy, this team will make at least the WCF's like they have every time that they've been healthy over the last five years. Although there are?'s around this team, like all teams, people forget how truly dynamic KD and Russ are and this is arguably their deepest team yet.

They are no worse than the fourth best team in the league.

[ClipperRevival]

[QUOTE=Naero]Is everyone forgetting that two rookie coaches led their teams to the finals, wherein one inevitably took home the Larry O'Brien trophy in their rookiehood? :wtf:

It's not impossible for a rookie coach to succeed in the winning-most goals; it may not be ubiquitous, since rookie coaches are most commonly hired for rebuilding-mode teams with rosters that Phil Jackson and Gregg Popovich couldn't co-coach to HCA-seeding in the playoffs. However, with the right talent, viable systematization, decent assistant-coaching staff, and more than enough time in the NBA season to traverse the learning curve, it's more than possible

[24-Inch_Chrome]

Nope. Not with a rookie coach. And WB and KD still haven't found the right balance. You don't win rings by taking turns on iso. You need to play team ball that maximizes efficiency. Based on talent alone, they should already have a couple of rings.

Of course, I wouldn't be shocked if they did win it all but I have several other teams with better chances than them.

This rookie coach could fix that. I get that he's new and that there will be an adjustment period (I agree with you that it probably won't happen this year) but I would be amazed if he was worse as a coach than Scott Brooks.

[Prime_Shaq]

Depends on Durant's health obviously but Im hoping for big years out of the Thunder and Pelicans. Lol @ Waiters though :lol

[ClipperRevival]

This rookie coach could fix that. I get that he's new and that there will be an adjustment period (I agree with you that it probably won't happen this year) but I would be amazed if he was worse as a coach than Scott Brooks.

Yeah, Brooks has awful. He really had no game plan offensively. Even in the playoffs, in crunch time, KD and WB just took turns on iso. You can't win that way. So in that regard, you can't do worse than Brooks.

[chips93]

I'm not sold on the bench or that westbrook can do what he did last year with Durant in the games. If kanter turns out to have some defensive ability maybe things get better, but I don't like their coach at all. They'll be a factor in the playoffs but I think the spurs, warriors, rockets and clippers are going into the season better than they are.

Why dont you like donovan?

His teams have typically been very balanced which should work well in okc, they desperately needed more flow offensively the last few years

[SpecialQue]

KDone and Westbrick ain't doing shit. It's Spurs/Warriors in the west.

[Cocaine80s]

Luckily they play in the Western Conference where they can easily cruise to the conference finals

East will be a bloodbath this year

[Naero]

This rookie coach could fix that. I get that he's new and that there will be an adjustment period (I agree with you that it probably won't happen this year) but I would be amazed if he was worse as a coach than Scott Brooks.

Honestly, Scott Brooks' main strength is his player-development skills; aside from that, I'm not sure why they continued keeping him around when they had their breakthrough to start championship-contending, as Brooks is only effectual for a rebuilding-mode team. However, as player development is almost a concomitant skill to collegiate coaches, as they're hired to lend guidance to players who are in possibly their most formative years, I don't see too dramatic of a drop-off in that regard that he could possibly do any worse than Brooks.

There is always a learning curve, of course, as only hindsight can truly illuminate some of the nuances; but as the Thunder-players had to do with Brooks, they can cover up Donovan's deficiencies while he's in that transitional learning curve. Coaching errors can only be overcome so much by the playoffs time, however, so hopefully he'll be in good shape by then.

[BlakFrankWhite]

This is what I expect

- KD to be on limited minutes
- Thunder to win 58-60 games
- Westbrook to win MVP
- Kanter/Ibaka to be horrible mismatch.(Hopefully not)

I'm not gonna answer on our title chances just yet...but yeah we're one of the 4 teams capable of winning it.

[Fudge]

Rookie Billy Donovan will be better than Scott Brooks ever was.

And the Thunder made it deep in the playoffs every-time they were relatively healthy, and without a low post threat.

So yes, the Thunder will have another huge year. In OKC we're used to them winning 60 games and making the western conference finals. Spoiled but still get louder than any other arena.

OKC being OKC. All we do is win.
YASSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

[dhsilv]

[QUOTE=Naero]Is everyone forgetting that two rookie coaches led their teams to the finals, wherein one inevitably took home the Larry O'Brien trophy in their rookiehood? :wtf:

It's not impossible for a rookie coach to succeed in the winning-most goals; it may not be ubiquitous, since rookie coaches are most commonly hired for rebuilding-mode teams with rosters that Phil Jackson and Gregg Popovich couldn't co-coach to HCA-seeding in the playoffs. However, with the right talent, viable systematization, decent assistant-coaching staff, and more than enough time in the NBA season to traverse the learning curve, it's more than possible

[dhsilv]

Why dont you like donovan?

His teams have typically been very balanced which should work well in okc, they desperately needed more flow offensively the last few years

Same reason I don't like Cal or Pitino as nba coaches.

[Naero]

You don't see a difference in a guy who was the GM for the suns, was coached by Phil and Pop, and just in general has been around the league for 20+ years to a college coach? Even the cavs coach has a hell of a professional resume oh and he had the east competition and had the lebron card...

Those are fair points, but I am more so addressing it to those who generalize that rookie coaches are categorically incapable of coaching their team to a title; that's been disproved by Steve Kerr, and while the incumbent championship coach was more assimilated to NBA-coaching by then, just how dominantly his team played with him at the helm from the outset attested that it's not an insurmountable stretch.

Yes, Billy Donovan will need some time to assimilate himself to the culture of NBA-coaching, and I am not denying that Steve Kerr was in better shape in that regard; but nothing substitutes actual coaching experience, which is much more pragmatic than working in the shadows of other coaches.

History hasn't had the kindest reflection on college-to-NBA coaches, but it must be contextualized that most collegiate coaches were hired by rebuilding-mode teams that had lost-cause rosters, and the only modern-era archetype we've had to judge off of so far is Brad Stevens

[I<3NBA]

OKC would never overcome Westbrook's idiocy.

[dhsilv]

[QUOTE=Naero]Those are fair points, but I am more so addressing it to those who generalize that rookie coaches are categorically incapable of coaching their team to a title; that's been disproved by Steve Kerr, and while the incumbent championship coach was more assimilated to NBA-coaching by then, just how dominantly his team played with him at the helm from the outset attested that it's not an insurmountable stretch.

Yes, Billy Donovan will need some time to assimilate himself to the culture of NBA-coaching, and I am not denying that Steve Kerr was in better shape in that regard; but nothing substitutes actual coaching experience, which is much more pragmatic than working in the shadows of other coaches.

History hasn't had the kindest reflection on college-to-NBA coaches, but it must be contextualized that most collegiate coaches were hired by rebuilding-mode teams that had lost-cause rosters, and the only modern-era archetype we've had to judge off of so far is Brad Stevens

[kshutts1]

Nope. Not with a rookie coach. And WB and KD still haven't found the right balance. You don't win rings by taking turns on iso. You need to play team ball that maximizes efficiency. Based on talent alone, they should already have a couple of rings.

Of course, I wouldn't be shocked if they did win it all but I have several other teams with better chances than them.
Seems as though that issue is a coaching issue. If only they had made a coaching change this summer...

[FireDavidKahn]

What a bold prediction. KD + Westbrook makes OKC a great team? WHo would have thought.

[Lebronxrings]

Luckily they play in the Western Conference where they can easily cruise to the conference finals

East will be a bloodbath this year
this. Ony 2-3 competitive teams in the west