Thunderous Thoughts: Miss you, Enes
Welcome to Thunderous Thoughts, your weekly look at the OKC Thunder where the past is better than the future and even the past isn’t all that fun.
Enes Kanter.
Remember him?
When the OKC Thunder traded for Enes Kanter, we were told that he was a locker room headache. That he was unhappy in Utah because he was the third option behind Derrick Favors and Rudy Gobert. That he didn’t play well with others.
It looked to be true in the offseason. Instead of signing the first offer presented to him by Sam Presti as a restricted free agent, Kanter bided his time. He eventually signed a max offer sheet from the Portland Trail Blazers, who smartly forced Presti’s hand.
Unwilling to lose a valuable asset for draft picks, Presti matched the offer. Many laughed at the amount of money Kanter was scheduled to make. 17 million for a guy who doesn’t play defense, with a skill set that was going out of style? Good luck with that.
But Kanter brought more than low post points and all the rebounds to the team. He brought fun and unity.
When he was asked to accept a bench role, there were no complaints for Kanter. Anyone who thought he would pout the same way he did in Utah was sadly mistaken. Kanter became a bonafide Sixth Man candidate.
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Disowned by his family and country, Kanter just wanted a home. The Thunder organization preaches family and loyalty. Kanter embraced that. He and Steven Adams became best mates on and off the court.
When Kevin Durant decided to write his Next Chapter, it was Kanter who stuck up for Russell Westbrook and the organization, while throwing petty shots at Durant.
Kanter penned a letter to the Player’s Tribute ahead of the 2017 Playoffs, highlighting Westbrook’s leadership and historic MVP season.
He defended Westbrook better than any Russ Stan you find in the social media universe. In the offseason, he explicitly requested not to be on Durant’s team during summer pick-up games. He couldn’t do that to Westbrook.
Enes Kanter was the embodiment of everything the Thunder stood for.
And Sam Presti traded him for a dude who wears a hoodie in 90 degree weather.
Other Thunder Thoughts
*Anyone expecting this team to play with a sense of urgency and purpose in the stretch run hasn’t been paying attention very long. There’s been no sense of urgency all season. They’ve been trying to out-talent teams all season and, for the most part, the talent hasn’t been good enough. This is simply who this team is. Maybe it’ll be different in the playoffs, but there is no proof of that. This team doesn’t have a switch. Only LeBron James and the Golden State Warriors have a switch.
*It all starts with Westbrook. He’s the most erratic star player in the league. When he’s at his peak, I’d argue that only LeBron is better than him. That how much he can influence the game. But when he hits a valley, he’s no better than Elfrid Payton. And with him, he has far too many valleys compared to other superstars in the league.
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*Billy Donovan is obviously in over his head, but he’s always been in over his head during the regular season. He’s never shown himself to be a good regular season coach. But he’s done well in the playoffs. However, if this squad fails to make it out of the first round, he should be fired. This team is too talented to be marginalized the way they’ve been marginalized this season.