OKC just earned an F for draft night...

[DMAVS41]

If there was a good shooting guard available that filled the role that OKC needs then Presti would have taken him.

Otherwise we don't need to be drafting guys who are worse than Jeremy Lamb and will just come in here to ride the bench and waste away.

Mitch McGary was drafted to replace Collison in a few years and this Josh Huestis kid was drafted to be our potential backup SF. Upon looking at his draft workouts I'm actually really impressed by him. He's known for his defense (shutting down Wiggins in the tournament) but his 3pt shot looks pretty damn good from a form perspective and in multiple scenarios he hit like 7-8 three pointers in a row in these videos.

I said if you aren't going to address the need at sg.

I don't care how you do it. You just don't address the backup big for Collison/Perkins instead of addressing the sg position.

Especially when you have to pay Reggie coming up as well. A guy like Hood is worth a look. It's not like it's a reach at 21 to take Hood. He's properly valued at between 15 and 25 in this draft.

The problem with trying to address the sg position in free agency is...do you have enough money to bring back Reggie?

I don't know man...

[KDthunderup]

If there was a good shooting guard available that filled the role that OKC needs then Presti would have taken him.

Otherwise we don't need to be drafting guys who are worse than Jeremy Lamb and will just come in here to ride the bench and waste away.

Mitch McGary was drafted to replace Collison in a few years and this Josh Huestis kid was drafted to be our potential backup SF. Upon looking at his draft workouts I'm actually really impressed by him. He's known for his defense (shutting down Wiggins in the tournament) but his 3pt shot looks pretty damn good from a form perspective and in multiple scenarios he hit like 7-8 three pointers in a row in these videos.

Exactly. I'm hoping we at least go after a sg in the free agency, If if don't at least hear that Presti tried chasing some like Meeks or Miles I will be pissed.

We got a physical big who looks like he could contribute straight away considering he is healthy. Hopefully he can be another big who can take minutes away from Perkins.

[SwishSquared]

I didn't watch Stanford much this year, so I can't really address Huestis (sp?). It seemed they could have made a deal to take him in second round and use #29 on a different guy. I did like McGary, but I'm pretty sure he could have been had at #29. I think Hood at #21 would have made some sense. This guy's a great shooter imo and that skill should translate. We'll have to wait and see if they'll upgrade at SG via FA. However, if Brooks never plays the guys he should, then nobody will improve. So maybe this whole convo is moot lol

[outbreak]

You're just having all sorts of problems coming to grips with today's moves

over reacting a bit. It's more disappointment than really disliking the players we got. I think payton and gordon will both be solid starters but I just really think exum, randle, vonleh even smart would have had a better chance of turning into a guy we could build up as closer to a go to guy.

[DMAVS41]

I dont think the thunder believe they have a SG problem.
Lamb is fine in or out the starting lineup.
Reggie Jackson plus Westbrook is fine if Lamb cant play fourth quarters.

The problem the Thunder have are those ridiculous small ball lineups added with a switching mentality, plus Westbrook and Durant literally chuck up shots in fourth quarters and overtimes.

Now they have a reasonable big scorer. Which is the problem they think they have. Ibaka, Perkins, and Adams are not reliable.

They lost almost exclusively because of a lack of sg defense and shooting.

How the **** could they not realize they have a problem at the position when Derek Fisher is playing 20 straight minutes in the biggest 20 minutes of the seaosn?

[DMAVS41]

Also, what is the deal on Jones? Is he no longer in the mix for getting more minutes next year?

[russwest0]

Just looking up reports on these two guys I instantly get why they were drafted here. McGary has tons of praise as being a great teammate and a high energy guy in practice and Huestis is the classic player that is the same position as the star of the team and is a defensive specialist who is going to battle him every day in practice.

Our problem is our coach. End of discussion. You can say this and that on a number of things but it all comes back to Scott Brooks. We were like 24-2 early in the year whenever we had the whole team healthy and Brooks was trusting the young guys. Suddenly we acquire Caron Butler and Perkins and Sefolosha get hurt and Brooks is playing Durant 40+ minutes a night down the final stretch of the season and Lamb and Perry Jones are nowhere to be found in the rotation.

Thats our damn problem.

[navy]

They lost almost exclusively because of a lack of sg defense and shooting.

How the **** could they not realize they have a problem at the position when Derek Fisher is playing 20 straight minutes in the biggest 20 minutes of the seaosn?

Not really. They werent getting burnt by SG. Like I said, if Lamb isnt the guy Westbrook/Reggie will be.

Now that Thabo and Fisher are gone they will look for a two guard, but I doubt they are even going to pursue one hard.

[DMAVS41]

Just looking up reports on these two guys I instantly get why they were drafted here. McGary has tons of praise as being a great teammate and a high energy guy in practice and Huestis is the classic player that is the same position as the star of the team and is a defensive specialist who is going to battle him every day in practice.

Our problem is our coach. End of discussion. You can say this and that on a number of things but it all comes back to Scott Brooks. We were like 24-2 early in the year whenever we had the whole team healthy and Brooks was trusting the young guys. Suddenly we acquire Caron Butler and Perkins and Sefolosha get hurt and Brooks is playing Durant 40+ minutes a night down the final stretch of the season and Lamb and Perry Jones are nowhere to be found in the rotation.

Thats our damn problem.

We agree about Brooks, but he's not going anywhere.

Do you really want to run out Lamb/Roberson at sg next year in the playoffs? Don't you think you are setting yourself up for the same type of thing?

I like McGary a lot actually. Don't know anything about the other guy.

I just don't see the impact in this draft right away. And that is what the Thunder need to start doing. Thinking about right now. It cost them the title last year by having 1 eye on the future...and now it could cost them again.

These margins are so thin.

[KDthunderup]

Lamb showed a lot of promise early in the season and him and Jackson were both balling and our bench looked great, then he went through a bit of a form slump and Brooks completely takes him out of the lineup.

Brooks has to trust him more next season.

[DMAVS41]

Not really. They werent getting burnt by SG. Like I said, if Lamb isnt the guy Westbrook/Reggie will be.

Now that Thabo and Fisher are gone they will look for a two guard, but I doubt they are even going to pursue one hard.

Yea, they did.

What you are talking about is one of the impacts of having shit play at the position.

You can't have Reggie and Westbrook doing it like they tried...it's why Fisher was out there so much.

You need another player at that position that is going to make an impact this year.

Lamb will be far better by the playoffs next year, but you will need more. And the answer is not more minutes from WB and Reggie. That was the exact problem with this team. Just loading up more responsiblity on players.

Thabo, Butler, and Fisher being gone will be a huge plus, but you have to add 1 player at that spot to really take advantage. Those guys combined for 55 minutes per game in the playoffs. You can't replace that with more minutes to WB/Reggie...even with Lamb playing 25 minutes. It won't be enough and Thunder fans will be bitching about the load WB and Durant have to carry. It won't work. They asbolutely need another guy at that spot...and it's not Roberson.

[Marchesk]

Could be worse, you could have turned Afflalo, 4th pick, 12th pick, a future second round pick and a future first round pick into Evan Fournier, Aaron Gordon and Elfrid Payton.....

Orlando isn't winning titles anytime soon, but OKC should be, if they don't screw it up, which they might.

They were on the verge of a dynasty just two years ago. They better not screw this up and watch Durant walk in 2016.

[Cowboy Thunder]

Just read that Josh Huestis is the All time blocks leader at Stanford...


A school which had the Lopez bros, nice.

[russwest0]

Lamb showed a lot of promise early in the season and him and Jackson were both balling and our bench looked great, then he went through a bit of a form slump and Brooks completely takes him out of the lineup.

Brooks has to trust him more next season.

That "shorten the rotation" shit at the end of the season felt so goddamn forced, it was unreal. Sam Presti is usually silent on shit like that but even called it out in his exit interview saying that we need to trust the young guys more.

I'll never have faith in this team with Brooks running the show. Period.

[russwest0]

Just read that Josh Huestis is the All time blocks leader at Stanford...


A school which had the Lopez bros, nice.

He held Andrew Wiggins to 1-5 shooting in the biggest game of the season