2022-2023 Presser OKC

[AngryBanana]

Good morning everyone and welcome to the 2022 OKC press conference. I am going to keep this short and sweet because I have the season finale of “This Is Us” to get too and I need to turn my crock pot off before it starts.

First I would like to take this opportunity to thank the owner, Mr. Eldon Young who has given me this opportunity. Second l, I would like to talk to the fans who have stuck with us through last season. Please remember that often times, it’s always the darkest before the dawn. I do not promise you we will be a championship this year. Nor even a divisional title. We are in a position where we need to project what will be down the road for this team not tomorrow.

I do however believe that we are in a position to be both competitive in the short term while also building for the future. I do not want to anyone to believe that we have no talent, because this roster is filled with young guys who want to compete. Lino Brookins, Patrick Edmunds and our #2 overall pick Pete Maravich to just name a few. These men will help shape the type of commitment and hard work we expect out of our players for years to come.

So I am excited for what the future holds. I know everyone in this organization is excited. I’ve noticed tenacity spewing from everyone from the coaches and players to the equipment mangers. We are building something special here. We all want to succeed for not just ourselves but for the person next to us. So with that, I open for questions.




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[NOLa.]

This team has been pitiful for a while before you've joined, and was often taken advantage of in trades or left inactive to die. Some fans in Oklahoma City have petitioned to have the team sent back to Seattle. What would you like to tell the fans to assure them everything will be okay?

[garbageman]

Sham Smith, Bulls.com: Can you walk us through the thought process behind selecting Pete Maravich when there were plenty of talented players to choose from at #2 in the draft?

[ballsohard]

Can you give us a quote on how many season until this team wins more than 41 games so we can re quote you if it doesn't happen?

[AngryBanana]

Can you give us a quote on how many season until this team wins more than 41 games so we can re quote you if it doesn't happen?

So, I do not believe in the idea that we need to set boundaries for when things need to be accomplished by. This is just an arbitrary thing that will only appease the media. The effects that it will pose on the players is not worth the risk of getting in the headlines and potentially appeasing fans. I am sorry if the fans do not like that but at the end of the day, I need to look out for the best interest of the coaches and players.

If I say two years and then we do not succeed then it would be considered a failure. It will cause everyone to feel the pressure of having to succeed and then we will crumble due to the fact that we have not met this "goal." To where even if we have made significant strides in the right direction and have ample proof of progress. It will pale in comparison that we were not able to successfully meet a goal that was publicized.

To an opposite effect, If I say 8 years and we succeed in 4 then is that any good as well? Then it looks like I have sold my players and staff short and do not believe in them. They will instantly start to doubt their ability and will not compete to their true capabilities. They will doubt themselves at every decision and I can not have that.

This organization is in a situation where, for so long we have been a losing environment that one wrong step can undo everything that we have cultivated here. We have had talks internally between the owner, the coaches, the players and myself. We do have a vision and a plan of how many wins we can realistically reach this year and when we can become competitive again. However, we all made a conscious decision that this is something that we keep internal and use as a driving force to propel us to the next goal.

[AngryBanana]

Sham Smith, Bulls.com: Can you walk us through the thought process behind selecting Pete Maravich when there were plenty of talented players to choose from at #2 in the draft?

Sham, great to see you. I haven't seen you since that one night at the Applebee's when I was interning up in Chicago at the local college, right?

Anyways... We had conversations with several of the top prospects in this draft. Pete being one of the main ones. Coming into the draft we felt that our two main needs were Point Guard and Center. As time wore on in the evaluation process, we narrowed in on two players. Pete being one of them and Kyle Kuzma being the other. I know with the type of luck the Thunder have had recently that we should be looking at best available no matter the position, but I felt that this was the right call with the current layout of our roster and where we wanted to go moving forward.

Firstly, we loved both players potential.We felt that either one would be a great pick. We had workouts and interviews with both players and felt that they both would have helped out our organization. While Kyle did not play PG in college we felt that his skill set would translate to the position should we have picked him. Then when he went first overall, which really made our choice that much easier.

The reason for that is, the more we were around Pete the more we fell in love with him. He is a great conversation, he is smart and shows a great deal of respect to his peers and the game. He has an amazing work ethic that is proven by ability to grow at his position as the year went on in his lone college campaign that ended in him earning all conference honors. He is just someone that you want to build around and be around. I believe he will be a good thing for this organization in the way of character and work ethic.

His measurable are out of this world, he has a unique blend of speed and height you do not see from a point guard. Then, while he does still need to work on his overall game. He has the potential in key abilities to become a household name. I can see him becoming a defensive anchor on this team on one side of the court while handling the ball on the other side and making the right decisions to get the ball in the hole. We also expect him to develop into a leader on this team. He will fit nicely in that role. Pete will set the other players up for success based on all of these previous factors I mentioned and he will truly make everyone else around him better by just being in the building.

[AngryBanana]

This team has been pitiful for a while before you've joined, and was often taken advantage of in trades or left inactive to die. Some fans in Oklahoma City have petitioned to have the team sent back to Seattle. What would you like to tell the fans to assure them everything will be okay?

I would like to thank you NOla for not holding any punches when it comes to the questions. I agree with the fans for being upset, I get it! To watch your team constantly make bonehead decisions and get taken advantage of is infuriating. I remember when I was younger and Dell Demps would always make a move that I would say "WHAT IN TARNATION ARE YOU THINKING DELL! ARE YOU REALLY GOING TO PAY ERIC GORDON THAT MUCH MONEY!" So I can feel their pain...

I can only hope that as I grow into this league and get more acclimated to everything going on that I make as little mistakes a possible. I am not promising that there will be no speed bumps as there is still a lot to comprehend and little time to do it with the offseason already in full swing. Hell, during the draft I was offered several trades for the Second pick and I turned them all down because I did not think that it was enough returning to pass up on the type of quality player we got in Pete Maravich. So I would like to think I passed my very first test as GM.

It is very surprising to me that fans have actively petitioned to have the team sent back to Seattle, as I have previously mentioned I was a fan of a team that went through several continuous rough patches and throughout all of that I still held hope that the team would eventually turn everything around. Hell people even speculate that the Commissioner of the NBA was out to get the team for vetoing a trade...

It's natural to want your favorite team to win sometimes. The Thunder will do their best to give you and entertaining show each and every time they take that court. We will compete game in and game out. We will also be sure to keep the fans involved as well. We will be looking to have T-shirt nights and other promotional events to keep them engaged. We will also be looking to get more involved in the community where we will host events at the stadium and local parks on off days to connect more with the fans.

The one thing I think, looking back, that always kept me coming back to watch the basketball games was my inner child sitting in awe as you would watch players go coast to coast or having a viscous block on a dunk. To all of the fans who want to know why should they root for the Thunder or why should we even have a team. Please, find that inner child deep inside and embrace them. Have them sit in awe as you watch players try to drill half court shots during the pre game warm ups. Bask in the idea of getting some dippin dots and getting back to your seat just in time for Lino Brookins to go on a fast break dunk.


I know I can not convince the fans overnight that things have changed. I do not expect them too. Honestly, if it did change I would be a little worried that they were not the true fans I see them as. So with time and patience I hope that the fans will grow to admire this organization again. Because, I think, the reason they are so mad and do not want to embrace the team currently is because they do love the team and hate to see them lose.

[WigNosy]

You have a lot of young talent on your roster - do you have a particular player you feel will become the next face of the Thunder?

[AngryBanana]

You have a lot of young talent on your roster - do you have a particular player you feel will become the next face of the Thunder?

I can sit here now and honestly say no. The thunder have been stuck in a situation where for so long they have been ignored to where you really can't predict anything with this team right now. I have some hope that players will develop and become contributors, but as far as the next face, only time will tell on that one.

I think coming into this season, we were fortunate to have the draft play out the way that it did. We got lucky with Pete Maravich falling to us at #2. As I mentioned earlier he checks off most boxes when it comes to "Franchise Player." He is a point guard who has both the genetic makeup and athletic ability to become a fixture in this league as a premier player for years to come. He definitely earned his nickname of "Pistol" We just need to make sure that we set him up for success and use our training staff accordingly with him so that he can develop into the player that we can picture him becoming. When it comes to Pete, the area's we will need to improve on this year I think are his offensive abilities such as handling passing and then also his conditioning as well. Pete is the closest thing we have right now to a face of the franchise, but he still has a lot of developing to do.

Another player who, when taking the job I was very interested in is Lino Brookins. I believe in his abilities. Unfortunately, previous GM's saw the talent that he possessed but simply decided not to act upon it to help him strive and grow as both a basketball player and a man. He is definitely somebody that I expect to perform better this year and to help grow this team moving forward. I believe with improved Stamina and defense he can really help us on the court on a nightly basis as a key defender.

Finally, we also have Patrick Edmunds. I think he is another player who could be a great cog in the wheel, but he just needs to improve in certain areas. I think he will play some two guard this year. His abilities I think will fit in great there to go along with Brookins and Maravich in some situations on the court. We are looking to have him become somebody who stay in the game with the second unit and score quality points for us. Ive seen him in the gym and he can run for days. Hopefully, we can just help him find his game to where he is on the court and can make shots while also not being a liability on the other end. So things like Perimiter Defense and jumpshot come to mind when I think of him.

[JNR]

Generic Wolves Reporter: Jrue Holiday, John Wall, and Nikola Vucevic are all thirty year olds with past stardom walking into a locker room filled with young guys. Do you think there will be a barrier between the two groups?

[IamQuailman]

Do you fear that you are putting the tank in the garage a little too early? Would one more "tank" year benefit building your core? Or do you see an opportunity in the weakening West?

[AngryBanana]

Generic Wolves Reporter: Jrue Holiday, John Wall, and Nikola Vucevic are all thirty year olds with past stardom walking into a locker room filled with young guys. Do you think there will be a barrier between the two groups?

None at all, I think those old vets are still pretty hip. I made a point to ask them what was the last challenge that they took part in. two said the Kiki Challenge, one unfortunately said the Tide Pod challenge. That scared me a little bit that they did that but it at least shows that they are all still involved in pop culture and will be involved in the locker room.

My main hope with them is that they will help when it comes to maturing these young kids. Show them how to practice. So far based of TC, it still looks like the young guys have some room to grow. It is a long season though.

[AngryBanana]

Do you fear that you are putting the tank in the garage a little too early? Would one more "tank" year benefit building your core? Or do you see an opportunity in the weakening West?

I do think that my team is still not ready to compete. I had a few goals in mind when it came to free agency. Keeping my cap numbers low for future FA classes and to find guys on short contracts who could be an asset to my team as either players or trade pieces. While, I am not quite tanking like this team has in the past, I still have a goal in mind.