At this point in time last year, Russell Westbrook was the face of the Oklahoma City Thunder, and Chris Paul was the #2 on a dangerous Houston Rockets team. Fast forward to now, and Chris Paul is at OKC’s helm and Russell Westbrook is surging in Houston.
Nonetheless, both players were moved for each other for different reasons.
The Harden-Paul duo worked in theory, but on the court it just didn’t pan out as expected. The two always just seemed to be on different wavelengths. The Rockets chose to stick with Harden, rightfully so I might add, and they were desperately seeking a way to rid themselves of Chris Paul’s massive contract. Moving an injury-prone 34-year-old, who is well past his prime, seemed impossible. However, with Westbrook and his salary on the market, it just made too much sense to not pull the trigger and try to rekindle the dynamic former OKC backcourt pairing.
On the other hand, once OKC dealt Paul George to the Clippers, it became clear that the Thunder were punting on the idea of contending in the present. Although loyal to a fault, Westbrook wasn’t going to waste his prime years on a rebuilding team and needed the chance to compete. Joining the high-flying, run and gun Rockets, and teaming up with his good friend was an opportunity that Russ couldn’t pass up.
Thus, both organizations agreed to a blockbuster deal.
No one, and I repeat NO ONE expected the Thunder to be the #5 seed in a stacked Western Conference. I mean think of the teams who didn’t make the playoffs and look at the talent they have: the San Antonio Spurs, the New Orleans Pelicans, the Phoenix Suns, and the Sacramento Kings. It’s almost laughable how good the Thunder have been, but at the same time it’s a testament to their coaching staff, front office, and players.
Is it possible that the Thunder won the Paul George trade? There’s no doubt that PG is a top 10-15 NBA talent but let’s examine the haul the Thunder acquired. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a future all-star. The 22-year old took a major step forward and averaged 19PPG and 6 rebounds this year. He’s also sharing a backcourt with a potential hall-of-famer who’s been in his exact shoes. Danillo Gallinari is a career 16PPG scorer. In addition, they have 3 of the Clippers future 1st round picks, 2 Miami future 1st rounders, and have the ability to swap picks in the years they don’t hold the Clippers draft rights. Wow. Let me say that again. WOW.
To add SGA, CP3, and Danilo to a core that already had Steven Adams (the strongest player in the association), Dennis Schröder (a perennial 6th Man of the Year candidate), and a mix of other steady veterans, it’s not shocking to see the team perform well. Young talent such as Darius Bazley, Hamidou Diallo, and Luguentz Dort have also helped the team in spurts this season.
That being said, it is surprising to see how quickly the team came together. CP3 looked washed, people questioned if Adams could succeed without Russ, and Billy Donovan was beginning to be doubted as a head coach.
They’re basically playing with house money, and on this pseudo-revenge tour, I bet they make noise in the playoffs.
Moreover, the Rockets are on the complete other end of the Thunder spectrum. They put all their marbles on the table and mortgaged a good portion of their future to do so.
After trading away Clint Capela, Houston completely encompassed the newfound 3-and-D NBA. Their tallest player in the rotation is Jeff Green at a lengthy 6’8, and their starting center is technically PJ Tucker, who is 6’5.
It’s paid off in spades, as Houston has gotten some nice wins in the bubble over Milwaukee and Dallas, but it’s still unchartered territory. Their entire team is made up of 3-pointer shooters and wing defenders. Eric Gordon, Austin Rivers, Robert Covington, and Ben McLemore are all nice players, and would definitely be contributors on other teams, but I just don’t see how they can succeed in the playoffs. James Harden can only do SO much.
Even if the Rockets get past OKC, which will be tough with Russ out for the first few games, they then have to play all size the rest of the way. How far can Harden and a few threes from Gordon, McLemore, and Rivers really go?
Personally, I just don’t see it.
Thunder take this series in 6, and Sami Presti deserves to be the Executive of the Year.
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