The Thunder are now one move away from contending
By Tony Heim
The acquisition of Raymond Felton solidifies the backup point guard situation for the OKC Thunder. Now they are one move away from being a legitimate championship contender.
Holy smokes have the fortunes of the Oklahoma City Thunder changed in the last week. Gone are Taj Gibson, Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis. In are Paul George, Patrick Patterson and Raymond Felton.
Incredible. But not good enough to be a true contender.
We are in the age of the super-super-team. In a normal season a Paul George-Russell Westbrook combination would almost assuredly take a team to a Conference Finals. But nowadays, it takes more than two superstars and a few complimentary players to win a title.
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That’s what the Thunder are currently at. It’s what the Spurs had last season (Popovich counts as a star). It’s why Houston has not stopped searching for a piece to add to James Harden and Chris Paul. And it’s why Royce Young tweeted this moments after the PG-13 announcement.
Don't think the Thunder are done yet tonight, either. Stay tuned.
— Royce Young (@royceyoung) July 1, 2017
The current OKC roster is a very good team – a contender for a Conference Finals appearance even. Sam Presti didn’t give up Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis to make the Conference Finals though. He didn’t bring in Patrick Patterson and Raymond Felton as free agents to make it to the Conference Finals. No. Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder are here to take down the Golden State Warriors in the 2017-2018 season.
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For that to happen another above-average starter must be brought in. Patrick Patterson is a nice player, but he’s not a crunch-time/starter in the Finals; there’s a reason he only started 19 games in his 3 1/2 seasons with the Raptors. Rudy Gay was an option, but even he may not have been good enough to take OKC past the Warriors.
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Do I have a clue who Sam Presti is going after? Heck no. Woj didn’t even know who the Thunder were taking in the Draft until a minute before it was announced. But I have my thoughts.
- Carmelo Anthony
- Kevin Love
- Demarcus Cousins (This is crazy I know but I have a theory that will take a whole article to explain. Check back Thunderous Intentions tomorrow for the conspiracy).
These names sound way too big for the current crop of Thunder assets. Then again, so did a Paul George acquisition two weeks ago. It’s why we can’t take any scenario off the board at this point.
Do not doubt Sam Presti. Do not ever doubt Sam Presti. Why? Because he wants to take down Kevin Durant and the Golden State Warriors just as much as Russell Westbrook.