OKC Thunder: 5 key takeaways from Sam Presti media call

Sam Presti spoke with media via conference call touching on the status of the OKC Thunder and offered insights on a wide range of topics.

On Thursday Sam Presti conducted a video conference call with members of the media to touch on the status of the OKC Thunder squad and answer questions. During the call, the Executive Vice President & General Manager provided insights on how the franchise is handling the pandemic and what fans can expect moving forward.

In keeping with his nature, the GM didn’t serve up any secrets. Rather, he held fast and true to the OKC Thunder way which is to say Presti will move forward cautiously in all aspects of the current situation.

No commitment to OKC Thunder returning to practice facility:

To that end, Presti wouldn’t commit to allowing the players access to the team facilities as of yet. This comes on the heels of the NBA allowing players in groups of four to use practice facilities as of May 8th,  if the club is located in a region where stay at home restrictions are being lifted or lightened.

The association sent a memo (as per above) indicating teams could pursue this option but only to get up shots and use the equipment. A myriad of requirements has to be met including a health advisor on the site and specific cleansing after each session.

Presti isn’t prepared to commit to opening up the facilities but did add the league wouldn’t be moving forward on this matter if they didn’t think players would be safe.

An interesting side note to this particular decision is Chesapeake Energy is potentially filing for bankruptcy which would beg the question if the Peake is about to get a new sponsor and be renamed.