Thunder in the News: Deciding if it’s time to panic
By Tony Heim
Thunder in the News would rather be celebrating the first 20 games of the season instead of asking the question. Is it time to start worrying this grand OKC Thunder experiment won’t work?
I’m at a loss for words at this points. How this roster – throw away chemistry – has lost back-to-back games to the Dallas Mavericks and Orlando Magic is unfathomable. Pure talent alone should have won one of those games. The problem is the Thunder’s stars aren’t even playing up to their own talent. Nothing will change until Russell Westbrook, Paul George and Carmelo Anthony play to the level of their ability.
What actually happened?
Poor Nick Gallo. Finding positives from this game was nearly impossible, yet somehow the Thunder’s official reporter did just that. He’s right in saying the offense looked good in the first half; the off-ball movement was great (relatively speaking) and OKC found themselves getting open looks. If the defensive intensity was there in the first half maybe the Thunder would not have fallen back into old offensive habits in the second. Probably not though.
"In the third quarter, the Thunder’s offense ground to a halt and only registered two assists. Some of it was a reversion to bad habits in terms of ball and player movement."
Russ’ post-game actions says it all
Poor Russell Westbrook. This man is clearly frustrated by the Thunder’s lack of success:
Russell Westbrook looked really upset after tonight's defeat. We know the feeling. pic.twitter.com/BquCR4Fjsm
— Boomtown Hoops (@BoomtownHoops) November 30, 2017
If that clip wasn’t enough, check out what Russ had to say after the game:
Russell Westbrook on the Thunder’s slump: “I take ownership of everything that’s going on. ... it starts with me and we’re gonna turn this thing around.” pic.twitter.com/pVvW7hXm9i
— Erik Horne (@ErikkHorne) November 30, 2017
While Westbrook is struggling I don’t think it’s fair to him or his teammates to accept all the blame. No single person is at fault – there’s a reason why every roster has 15 NBA players and a myriad of coaches. Everybody in the organization has to step up if OKC is indeed going to “turn this thing around.” I do like Russ’ #optimism though.
Not too early to panic…yet
The general conversation surrounding the Thunder boils down to one question: is it too early to panic? As a fan it’s hard to watch this team and not panic, but that’s exactly what we have to do. Tim Bontemps is one of many national media members who aren’t hitting the panic button on this team. The consensus argument is simple: this team has shown flashes of greatness, a level that few teams around the league can match.
"So no, it isn’t time to start ringing alarm bells yet, or for the team to begin considering trading Paul George or any other radical possibilities."
Next: Will the real Thunder please stand up?
That’s it for today’s issue of Thunder in the News. We’re going to keep fighting the good fight and continue cheering on this talented yet flawed roster. Look at it this way – what good does it do giving up on a team after only a 1/4 of the season is up? #optimism