2019 NBA Playoffs Thread

[Monster]

I think OKC has been sort of rebuilding ever since Durant left. They currently have like 10 guys on their roster that are 25 years old or under. A couple of those guys turn 26 soon but it's not an old roster. Felton is the only guy older than 30. They have their own pick this year can they snag a solid player?

To compare the Wolves have 8 guys 25 or younger and 3 guys beyond 30 years old.

[thedoper]

Well I doubt Rubio will be back in Utah after tonight.

[Lipoli390]

I think OKC has been sort of rebuilding ever since Durant left. They currently have like 10 guys on their roster that are 25 years old or under. A couple of those guys turn 26 soon but it's not an old roster. Felton is the only guy older than 30. They have their own pick this year can they snag a solid player?

To compare the Wolves have 8 guys 25 or younger and 3 guys beyond 30 years old.

I'm not sure I'd call it rebuilding. They had to recover from the unexpected loss of Durant. With Durant leaving a few years ago, then needed another star to pair with Westbrook. Their first effort was to trade for Oladipo. When that didn't pan out, they traded Oladip and Saboinis for Paul George betting on him not bolting for the Lakers as everyone expected he would. The bet paid off as Paul George signed long term with OKC. They now have their two stars who are close in age and both in their prime. They made a nice move drafting Steven Adams with the 12th pick in the 2013 draft before Durant left and he has since become their third cornerstone. Beyond that they've been aggressive in picking up good players like Jerami Grant, Ray Felton, Terrance Ferguson, Markieff Morris, Nelens Noel, Dennis Schroder and Patrick Patterson, ranging in age form 20 to 34. So I'd say they've made a partial but not full recovery from the loss of Durant. But that's not surprising given how great Durant is.

When I think about rebuilding, I think about the team's foundation -- the three best players. To be a contender, two of those three foundational players need to be stars with the other one at least a borderline allstar. Then you fill in the other pieces. I think the OKC rebuild was done the minute they signed Paul George long term. Westbrook and George form a sound foundation that led them to 6th place in the West this season. The problem is that they're not good enough right now to get out of the first round against a team like Portland. I think they would have beaten Utah. I'm not sure why, but I think part of it their head coach. I don't think Donovan is very good. Another part of it is that Portland is really really good.

So OKC needs to find the right head coach and the right combination of supporting players to see if they can go further with their foundation of Westbrook, George and Adams. And since Westbrook is 30 and George is 28, they don't have a lot of time. The Wolves, on the other hand, still need to find their second and third foundational pieces to go with KAT. Wiggins was supposed to be that second star, but that's not going to happen. He can't even be that 3rd guy who plays at a borderline allstar level. Given that KAT is still very young at age 23 and on the front end of a 5-year deal, the Wolves have some time, but not unlimited time. And the Wolves finished what season with a not so young roster having 7 players age 25 or under and 6 players age 30 or older.

OKC's rebuild is over. They have their foundation in its prime and they're trying to find the right finishing touches. The Wolves are clearly still rebuilding by adding two more foundational pieces. Unfortunately, it's hard to see how they'll be able to do it successfully unless Okogie becomes a star and/or the Wolves get really lucky in this year's lottery.

[Porckchop]

Klay Thompson to OKC would change the dynamic of that roster

[Lipoli390]

By the way, great win by the Clippers tonight. That's a tough, well coached team.

[Porckchop]

By the way, great win by the Clippers tonight. That's a tough, well coached team.

Coached by a guy some thought made his money riding super stars coat tails

[Lipoli390]

Klay Thompson to OKC would change the dynamic of that roster

Yes it would. That would be a great pick up by OKC. Westbrook would have to curb his shot volume. But adding Thompson to go with George and a less shot-happy Westbrook would be a hell of a team. I haven't looked at OKC's cap situation, but I suspect there's not realistic way they could sign Thompson as a free agent.

No matter what, I think OKC needs to replace Donovan.

[Monster]

I think OKC has been sort of rebuilding ever since Durant left. They currently have like 10 guys on their roster that are 25 years old or under. A couple of those guys turn 26 soon but it's not an old roster. Felton is the only guy older than 30. They have their own pick this year can they snag a solid player?

To compare the Wolves have 8 guys 25 or younger and 3 guys beyond 30 years old.

I'm not sure I'd call it rebuilding. They had to recover from the unexpected loss of Durant. With Durant leaving a few years ago, then needed another star to pair with Westbrook. Their first effort was to trade for Oladipo. When that didn't pan out, they traded Oladip and Saboinis for Paul George betting on him not bolting for the Lakers as everyone expected he would. The bet paid off as Paul George signed long term with OKC. They now have their two stars who are close in age and both in their prime. They made a nice move drafting Steven Adams with the 12th pick in the 2013 draft before Durant left and he has since become their third cornerstone. Beyond that they've been aggressive in picking up good players like Jerami Grant, Ray Felton, Terrance Ferguson, Markieff Morris, Nelens Noel, Dennis Schroder and Patrick Patterson, ranging in age form 20 to 34. So I'd say they've made a partial but not full recovery from the loss of Durant. But that's not surprising given how great Durant is.

When I think about rebuilding, I think about the team's foundation -- the three best players. To be a contender, two of those three foundational players need to be stars with the other one at least a borderline allstar. Then you fill in the other pieces. I think the OKC rebuild was done the minute they signed Paul George long term. Westbrook and George form a sound foundation that led them to 6th place in the West this season. The problem is that they're not good enough right now to get out of the first round against a team like Portland. I think they would have beaten Utah. I'm not sure why, but I think part of it their head coach. I don't think Donovan is very good. Another part of it is that Portland is really really good.

So OKC needs to find the right head coach and the right combination of supporting players to see if they can go further with their foundation of Westbrook, George and Adams. And since Westbrook is 30 and George is 28, they don't have a lot of time. The Wolves, on the other hand, still need to find their second and third foundational pieces to go with KAT. Wiggins was supposed to be that second star, but that's not going to happen. He can't even be that 3rd guy who plays at a borderline allstar level. Given that KAT is still very young at age 23 and on the front end of a 5-year deal, the Wolves have some time, but not unlimited time. And the Wolves finished what season with a not so young roster having 7 players age 25 or under and 6 players age 30 or older.

OKC's rebuild is over. They have their foundation in its prime and they're trying to find the right finishing touches. The Wolves are clearly still rebuilding by adding two more foundational pieces. Unfortunately, it's hard to see how they'll be able to do it successfully unless Okogie becomes a star and/or the Wolves get really lucky in this year's lottery.

Note I said "sort of rebuilding". My point was they have had and continually targeted young players ever since Durant left. They haven't just gone out and signed/acquired a bunch of seasons vets. They need another piece maybe not a super start foundational piece but maybe a core guy like Adams or Roberson was before he couldn't stay healthy or like Grant looks like he might be. You don't seem to have faith in your guy weaver to get it done. :)

As for Donovan...I'm not sure he is a great coach but he is probably a good one not bad. Part of what I was getting at in the midrange thread bringing up Westbrook is...I'm. It sure anyone is gonna change how he plays. There have been problems for years with how OKC plays offensively so I'm not sure a different coach is going to change that especially with the roster they have with basically Russ PG and Shroder as scorers and everyone else just supporting guys AND the team lacks shooting to play another way. What saying is I'm not sure I blame Donovan for what ails this team. I'm not saying he is awesome either.

[Lipoli390]

I think OKC has been sort of rebuilding ever since Durant left. They currently have like 10 guys on their roster that are 25 years old or under. A couple of those guys turn 26 soon but it's not an old roster. Felton is the only guy older than 30. They have their own pick this year can they snag a solid player?

To compare the Wolves have 8 guys 25 or younger and 3 guys beyond 30 years old.

I'm not sure I'd call it rebuilding. They had to recover from the unexpected loss of Durant. With Durant leaving a few years ago, then needed another star to pair with Westbrook. Their first effort was to trade for Oladipo. When that didn't pan out, they traded Oladip and Saboinis for Paul George betting on him not bolting for the Lakers as everyone expected he would. The bet paid off as Paul George signed long term with OKC. They now have their two stars who are close in age and both in their prime. They made a nice move drafting Steven Adams with the 12th pick in the 2013 draft before Durant left and he has since become their third cornerstone. Beyond that they've been aggressive in picking up good players like Jerami Grant, Ray Felton, Terrance Ferguson, Markieff Morris, Nelens Noel, Dennis Schroder and Patrick Patterson, ranging in age form 20 to 34. So I'd say they've made a partial but not full recovery from the loss of Durant. But that's not surprising given how great Durant is.

When I think about rebuilding, I think about the team's foundation -- the three best players. To be a contender, two of those three foundational players need to be stars with the other one at least a borderline allstar. Then you fill in the other pieces. I think the OKC rebuild was done the minute they signed Paul George long term. Westbrook and George form a sound foundation that led them to 6th place in the West this season. The problem is that they're not good enough right now to get out of the first round against a team like Portland. I think they would have beaten Utah. I'm not sure why, but I think part of it their head coach. I don't think Donovan is very good. Another part of it is that Portland is really really good.

So OKC needs to find the right head coach and the right combination of supporting players to see if they can go further with their foundation of Westbrook, George and Adams. And since Westbrook is 30 and George is 28, they don't have a lot of time. The Wolves, on the other hand, still need to find their second and third foundational pieces to go with KAT. Wiggins was supposed to be that second star, but that's not going to happen. He can't even be that 3rd guy who plays at a borderline allstar level. Given that KAT is still very young at age 23 and on the front end of a 5-year deal, the Wolves have some time, but not unlimited time. And the Wolves finished what season with a not so young roster having 7 players age 25 or under and 6 players age 30 or older.

OKC's rebuild is over. They have their foundation in its prime and they're trying to find the right finishing touches. The Wolves are clearly still rebuilding by adding two more foundational pieces. Unfortunately, it's hard to see how they'll be able to do it successfully unless Okogie becomes a star and/or the Wolves get really lucky in this year's lottery.

Note I said "sort of rebuilding". My point was they have had and continually targeted young players ever since Durant left. They haven't just gone out and signed/acquired a bunch of seasons vets. They need another piece maybe not a super start foundational piece but maybe a core guy like Adams or Roberson was before he couldn't stay healthy or like Grant looks like he might be. You don't seem to have faith in your guy weaver to get it done. :)

As for Donovan...I'm not sure he is a great coach but he is probably a good one not bad. Part of what I was getting at in the midrange thread bringing up Westbrook is...I'm. It sure anyone is gonna change how he plays. There have been problems for years with how OKC plays offensively so I'm not sure a different coach is going to change that especially with the roster they have with basically Russ PG and Shroder as scorers and everyone else just supporting guys AND the team lacks shooting to play another way. What saying is I'm not sure I blame Donovan for what ails this team. I'm not saying he is awesome either.

I have a lot of faith in Weaver. :) Seriously, I think OKC has done a nice job recovering from the unexpected loss of Durant. Westbrook was a terrific pick at #4 and apparently Weaver was instrumental in making that pick. I'm impressed by the guts it took to bet on Paul George when the rest of the world was certain he's bolt to the Lakers the next season. I'm impressed by the decision to draft Adams with the 12th pick in 2013 draft Terrance Ferguson at #21 in 2017. I'm impressed by their decision to draft James Harden. I'm also impressed by their decision to pounce on the Wolves ineptitude and buy the Wolves 26th pick in the 2013 draft. On the flip side, I'm not impressed by OKC's decision to use the Wolves 26th pick on Roberson rather than Gobert. I'm not impressed by their decision to trade Harden. I haven't been impressed by their choices for head coach. So it's a mixed bag when it comes to the OKC front office, but overall a much better bag than the Wolves' executive "brain"trust.

I agree with you that OKC hasn't just gone out and acquired a bunch of older vets. As I indicated, they've acquired a mix of young guys older vets since losing Durant. Ferguson was a smart pick while Grant, Noel and Schroder were decent acquisitions of younger guys. Morris, Patterson and Ray Felton were decent veteran acquisitions. I think it's smart to continue adding younger pieces with upside through the draft and by other means, especially if you're a smaller market team that can't easily attract marque free agents. So I'd say that OKC has generally gone about things the right way, but I continue to believe they haven't gotten the right head coach for their team. And they will never fully recover from their poor decision to trade James Harden. Or imagine if they had used the Wolves 26th pick in 2013 to draft Gobert instead of Roberson. Hindsight can be pretty brutal. But at least they've never sold a 1st round pick for cash! :)

[AbeVigodaLive]

I think OKC has been sort of rebuilding ever since Durant left. They currently have like 10 guys on their roster that are 25 years old or under. A couple of those guys turn 26 soon but it's not an old roster. Felton is the only guy older than 30. They have their own pick this year can they snag a solid player?

To compare the Wolves have 8 guys 25 or younger and 3 guys beyond 30 years old.

I'm not sure I'd call it rebuilding. They had to recover from the unexpected loss of Durant. With Durant leaving a few years ago, then needed another star to pair with Westbrook. Their first effort was to trade for Oladipo. When that didn't pan out, they traded Oladip and Saboinis for Paul George betting on him not bolting for the Lakers as everyone expected he would. The bet paid off as Paul George signed long term with OKC. They now have their two stars who are close in age and both in their prime. They made a nice move drafting Steven Adams with the 12th pick in the 2013 draft before Durant left and he has since become their third cornerstone. Beyond that they've been aggressive in picking up good players like Jerami Grant, Ray Felton, Terrance Ferguson, Markieff Morris, Nelens Noel, Dennis Schroder and Patrick Patterson, ranging in age form 20 to 34. So I'd say they've made a partial but not full recovery from the loss of Durant. But that's not surprising given how great Durant is.

When I think about rebuilding, I think about the team's foundation -- the three best players. To be a contender, two of those three foundational players need to be stars with the other one at least a borderline allstar. Then you fill in the other pieces. I think the OKC rebuild was done the minute they signed Paul George long term. Westbrook and George form a sound foundation that led them to 6th place in the West this season. The problem is that they're not good enough right now to get out of the first round against a team like Portland. I think they would have beaten Utah. I'm not sure why, but I think part of it their head coach. I don't think Donovan is very good. Another part of it is that Portland is really really good.

So OKC needs to find the right head coach and the right combination of supporting players to see if they can go further with their foundation of Westbrook, George and Adams. And since Westbrook is 30 and George is 28, they don't have a lot of time. The Wolves, on the other hand, still need to find their second and third foundational pieces to go with KAT. Wiggins was supposed to be that second star, but that's not going to happen. He can't even be that 3rd guy who plays at a borderline allstar level. Given that KAT is still very young at age 23 and on the front end of a 5-year deal, the Wolves have some time, but not unlimited time. And the Wolves finished what season with a not so young roster having 7 players age 25 or under and 6 players age 30 or older.

OKC's rebuild is over. They have their foundation in its prime and they're trying to find the right finishing touches. The Wolves are clearly still rebuilding by adding two more foundational pieces. Unfortunately, it's hard to see how they'll be able to do it successfully unless Okogie becomes a star and/or the Wolves get really lucky in this year's lottery.

Note I said "sort of rebuilding". My point was they have had and continually targeted young players ever since Durant left. They haven't just gone out and signed/acquired a bunch of seasons vets. They need another piece maybe not a super start foundational piece but maybe a core guy like Adams or Roberson was before he couldn't stay healthy or like Grant looks like he might be. You don't seem to have faith in your guy weaver to get it done. :)

As for Donovan...I'm not sure he is a great coach but he is probably a good one not bad. Part of what I was getting at in the midrange thread bringing up Westbrook is...I'm. It sure anyone is gonna change how he plays. There have been problems for years with how OKC plays offensively so I'm not sure a different coach is going to change that especially with the roster they have with basically Russ PG and Shroder as scorers and everyone else just supporting guys AND the team lacks shooting to play another way. What saying is I'm not sure I blame Donovan for what ails this team. I'm not saying he is awesome either.

I have a lot of faith in Weaver. :) Seriously, I think OKC has done a nice job recovering from the unexpected loss of Durant. Westbrook was a terrific pick at #4 and apparently Weaver was instrumental in making that pick. I'm impressed by the guts it took to bet on Paul George when the rest of the world was certain he's bolt to the Lakers the next season. I'm impressed by the decision to draft Adams with the 12th pick in 2013 draft Terrance Ferguson at #21 in 2017. I'm impressed by their decision to draft James Harden. I'm also impressed by their decision to pounce on the Wolves ineptitude and buy the Wolves 26th pick in the 2013 draft. On the flip side, I'm not impressed by OKC's decision to use the Wolves 26th pick on Roberson rather than Gobert. I'm not impressed by their decision to trade Harden. I haven't been impressed by their choices for head coach. So it's a mixed bag when it comes to the OKC front office, but overall a much better bag than the Wolves' executive "brain"trust.

I agree with you that OKC hasn't just gone out and acquired a bunch of older vets. As I indicated, they've acquired a mix of young guys older vets since losing Durant. Ferguson was a smart pick while Grant, Noel and Schroder were decent acquisitions of younger guys. Morris, Patterson and Ray Felton were decent veteran acquisitions. I think it's smart to continue adding younger pieces with upside through the draft and by other means, especially if you're a smaller market team that can't easily attract marque free agents. So I'd say that OKC has generally gone about things the right way, but I continue to believe they haven't gotten the right head coach for their team. And they will never fully recover from their poor decision to trade James Harden. Or imagine if they had used the Wolves 26th pick in 2013 to draft Gobert instead of Roberson. Hindsight can be pretty brutal. But at least they've never sold a 1st round pick for cash! :)

To be fair, the Roberson pick isn't even a bad one.

He's such a good defender that he's been able to start on a WCF team that narrowly missed the Finals... and other playoff teams. He's been a positive player every year in his career.

Most teams missed on Gobert. OKC isn't high on the list of teams that should be ripped for it. Coming away with two starters for a team that nearly beat a 73-win Warriors team... only 3 years later... at #12 and #26 picks... is actually pretty damn remarkable. Both would be among the top handful of value picks in Wolves history.


[Note: Remember, they drafted Adams in that draft, so they didn't really need Gobert, too. Adams, while not Gobert, was the consensus better player at the time and has turned into a solid pro.]