Question 2:
Reddit user FLGT12: “Why all the Melo and BD (Billy Donovan) hate? They underperformed, but OKC has had injuries all year, and just when they figured it out, Dre went down.”
The Donovan Dilemma:
The Carmelo Anthony angst is not only understandable, but warranted. As for Billy Donovan, he dealt with some unfair backlash from fans, and media members. In fact, the hatred for OKC Thunder head coach Billy Donovan is puzzling. It seems like just yesterday he was out-coaching Gregg Popovich and Steve Kerr en route to a Western Conference finals. Fans showered Donovan with compliments, for his ability to mix-and-match lineups while making key adjustments game-to-game. Just one year into pacing the OKC Thunder sidelines Kevin Durant bailed, so there was good reason for the 2016 drop-off .
However, when OKC Thunder General Manager Sam Presti added a pair of stars this offseason, the expectations from Thunder fans skyrocketed. After struggling to start the season, the OKC Thunder rattled off a great December, it wasn’t a Happy New Year. Andre Roberson,(arguably the best defender in the NBA), went down in January and the Thunder were not able to recover. Is that Billy’s fault?
The heat really turned up on Donovan after the Jazz eliminated OKC in the first round of the playoffs. Donovan was cited for giving Carmelo Anthony too much rope. By the time the coach cut his minutes, it was too late.
Game 5 punctated issues:
In particular, Game 5 highlighted the ‘too little too late’ response by Donovan. As OKC mounted their biggest comeback in franchise history, Anthony spent his time on the bench arguing with one of the most respected coaches on the Thunder staff (Maurice Cheeks). Clearly Anthony wasn’t happy being benched. And, based on Melo’s exit interview, reacting earlier in the season probably would’ve opened a can of worms which would’ve affected the locker room and team chemistry.
In hindsight was there much else to be done?
Related: Warriors repeating is best shot of shedding Melo
Plenty of blame to go around
While Billy and Melo remain the easy scapegoats, let’s not forget that if the reigning MVP, Russell Westbrook, simply plays average in games one through four, the Thunder advance to the next round.
Billy Donovan has dealt with constant roster turnover during his tenure. Ultimately establishing style is difficult without roster continuity combined with managing star egos
My question would be, who would Thunder fans want on the OKC bench? And, would it make a difference? The team goes as Russell Westbrook goes. Right-or-wrong, Westbrook is not changing for any coach. Live by Russ, die by Russ.