OKC Thunder GM, Sam Presti post draft presser – sounding like ‘scared money’

Presti is a master at making broad sweeping comments which never give a precise or direct answer. It’s common to find yourself pondering his responses and only in hindsight recognizing Presti’s answers are eloquent but leave room to extrapolate what he meant as falling on either side of the equation. He’s a master at it, but it’s frustrating because leaves the listener with an unsated feeling.

The media on hand served up questions ranging from details on the Bazley pick to rumors he was looking to shed salary, why he didn’t address the absence of shooting among other items. True to form Presti’s responses weren’t definitive. Yet, there were takeaways from the response, often punctuated by what wasn’t said.

Anything, in particular, Presti was seeking via the draft:

Presti’s response was frustratingly annoying. Every single franchise is looking for value and hoping it will pay dividends. I get that Presti couldn’t discuss specifics about the pick until the trade is conveyed. That said, I honestly don’t see why him citing how the qualities of Bazley stood out in his workout.

Most franchises hold open media sessions on the same day prospects are there and often with team personnel or coaches specifically commenting. This felt much more like Presti simply refusing to give any insight or address why the shooting was ignored again.