Serge Ibaka comments on OKC’s big 4

On Friday, Serge Ibaka joined a podcast by “The Vertical” hosted by popular NBA analyst/reporter, Adrian Wojnarowski.

The podcast started off with his short stay in Orlando before being traded to Toronto recently. That quickly transitioned into how the Raptors want Serge Ibaka to play on their team and the role he can bring.

About 10 minutes into the podcast, Wojnarowski got into his past on the OKC Thunder. He asked how he felt about the Finals against the Heat. Ibaka responded with a pretty optimistic answer; he said we all believed that we were going to win multiple championships. They all had a lot of hope.

After answering that, Ibaka mentioned that if all the guys stayed together Durant, Westbrook and Harden would not be the players they are today. Especially Harden. Ibaka mentioned he would not be an MVP candidate if he stayed in OKC because he came off the bench.

Wojnarowski then talked about the 3-1 lead against the Warriors last season. Ibaka said he will never get over it. He will never forget their collapse. After that Ibaka mentioned how his future in OKC was kind of up in the air. They were this close to the Finals and they threw it away.

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Ibaka also mentioned that he felt the coaches wanted him to become more passive to Durant and Westbrook – he felt that when he got the ball he had to shoot.

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Ibaka said later on that he was surprised when he was traded. He did not want to leave, but he was also not committed for the long run. With Ibaka becoming a free agent, Presti did not waste any time getting assets for the longtime Thunder power forward.

The aftermath

Serge was surprised as well that Durant left. He said if anything, he was going to sign a one-year deal to try it out again since they were so close, but he decided not to. Even though Ibaka was surprised, he did say he was very happy for Durant and he knows how it feels for Thunder fans.

I think that Serge Ibaka makes some good points; he obviously stands for every Thunder fan that hoped everyone would stay together. Unfortunately, that did not happen. Ibaka listed multiple reasons, mainly that there is business in the NBA that is always not the happiest times.

After the Thunder lost the Finals to the Heat Presti had some big decisions to make. With both Harden and Ibaka becoming free agents soon, Presti was trying everything in his power to keep them both. When he offered Harden his contract it was not a max, but it certainly was not a disrespectful offer as some analysts and fans say. It was a very healthy offer that many players would be happy to take.

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I don’t think money was an issue with Harden. As Ibaka mentioned, Harden would not be the player he is if he stayed on the Thunder. Playing with two other super stars would hinder Harden’s development and cause more harm that help.

Trades

Even if Presti had kept all four with massive contracts the Thunder would have had no depth. We see these big payrolls on other teams because they are in a bigger market; Oklahoma City is a small market.

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The Thunder are not as fortunate to have the same money as teams like the Warriors, Heat, Knicks and Lakers. It is really hard to bring in free agents to OKC as it is, so for Presti to be doing the job he has done is pretty respectable.

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Many teams fall back to mediocrity or even worse when they lose one piece of their big three or big four. Presti has lost three of his big four but still puts a very respectable team on the floor night in and night out.

What the big four could have done will always be a big what-if in NBA history. Unfortunately, we will never know what would have happened, so it is time to move on. It is time to start looking towards the future of this franchise and not the past.

If you would like to listen to the whole podcast, you can listen here:

Ibaka also commented on his family and how he got to this point in his career. The transcript is here:

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