#SLOE: People's Basketball Sim League

Good Morning Everyone, I hope you all enjoyed your off-season. So lets go ahead and get started with the 2024 Oklahoma City Thunder pre-season presser. I plan to go over my thoughts on the past year, the offseason draft and free agency, and then projecting this year. Hopefully along the way, I will be able to present how we feel about ourselves moving into the future. So hopefully, somewhere in there I present myself as a person who is sensible and actually sounds like they have a plan.

First, last year was hard to get through, but needed... I know that as fans, you probably did not enjoy that season at all. However, there were great differences between this past year and some other recent ones. First, I was very active on both the trade front and in gathering assets. We were able to trade some of our veterans for points and picks. Then, through other means, we were also able to get close to 100 points, I feel like that was a major accomplishment when we started with 37 points points. Also, I know that we did not have many wins, but we did improve in the win department from the previous season. We went from 6 wins to 21, which I honestly was even surprised by. We also did not place last in our division for the first time since 2018. It was at times a rough learning experience for us, but we did way better than I could have anticipated.

Moving into this offseason, we were stuck in an odd situation. As I said, the team actually performed better than I projected so i was not sure how to maneuver in the off season. First there was the draft. The night of the draft lotto, I was very nervous. The Thunder were projected to be slotted around the #5 pick. So, when they announced the Thunder as the #1 pick I was not prepared from a prospect recruiting standpoint. We did know that we wanted one of two positions though. Shooting Guard or Center. After researching the prospects and talking to them we really like the makeup of Clifton Cage. So we were very excited to bring him in as the #1 pick. We think Clifton and "Pistol" can be a great backcourt for years to come.

Next, for Free Agency, I did not particularly like the Unrestricted Free Agent pool as far as positions were concerned. The stronger positions this year were positions that I was not needing. So, my only option to make a big move was in Restricted Free Agency. We did put in for a few young guys we thought could help, but they ultimately signed with other teams. So, I then decided to go the route of low cost options on team friendly deals. We brought Nikola and Alvin back to have them be a great veteran presence. We also signed Alton Towers, who we think that he can have the same type of impact that Jamey Brown was last year.

I am hoping this year will keep us on the right track. I think that we are in a position to make another stride forward. While we still are not a playoff team, we do have some great players. Please fans, keep in mind that there might be growing pains. So if we regress this year, it will be ok, because sometimes in order to take one step forwards you have to take three steps back. As of now our starting five will be Alvin Pack, Kyrie Irving, Lino Brookins, Jamey Brown and Alton Towers. Pete Maravich will be playing a significant role this year as well as Patrick Edmunds. I can see our starting five change sporadically through the year so, to see who plays best together. We think Pete has made some significant strides and is on his way to becoming the cornerstone player we drafted him to be. We will continue to look at the best options for our roster and what will help us in both the short and long term.

So thank you everyone for your time. I do enjoy always getting a chance to sit down with you all and talk shop. This experience has been amazing for me. I think this has truly been a growing experience for both myself and for the Oklahoma City Thunder organization. So enough of me talking, I now present the floor to you all and welcome your questions.

The Western Conference has been a much less competitive conference in recent years than the East. With teams like the Spurs and the Trailblazers starting to cash in their assets for more win-now players, do you feel like there's any pressure to step up sooner than later before the rest of the conference decides to bulk up?

With the rest of the league hoarding assets of value without regard to position, how do you feel your position-focused strategy gives you an edge?

You've shown a willingness to hand out some mid-level contracts to quality veterans rather than outright tanking. Is the plan to slowly grow your win total every year rather than make a sudden move from the bottom of the league to the top?

GWR: With Lino Brookins' development not going as fast as you'd like, do you feel pressure to trade him away in the face of his impending free agency?

garbageman wrote: Sun Nov 25, 2018 8:07 pm The Western Conference has been a much less competitive conference in recent years than the East. With teams like the Spurs and the Trailblazers starting to cash in their assets for more win-now players, do you feel like there's any pressure to step up sooner than later before the rest of the conference decides to bulk up?

I do not feel the pressure to move at any other pace currently, because I am looking to build something that will last longer than if I were to just blow assets on a win now approach. My plan is to build something that will be winners for several years.

How many seasons do you think it will take for the Thunder to enter the conversation of "contenders"?

TheSyndicate wrote: Sun Nov 25, 2018 9:10 pm With the rest of the league hoarding assets of value without regard to position, how do you feel your position-focused strategy gives you an edge?

So, I would not say that I am really position focused. I do try to fill out each position for a year by year basis for depth. However, if you look at the two 1st round draft picks I made, they are both players who can excel at multiple positions. Pete can play anywhere from the 1-3 depending on what I need. Clifton can also play either as an off the ball player or a facilitator depending on the situation.

Now, you are correct where if I feel that I am strong in a position I will be less favorable to draft or sign at that player. From that perspective, it just makes sense to me. You always want to strengthen the weakest chain in the link, right? So, I hope that down the line, this helps build a team that is hard to handle from any position and not just a team that can only win one or two ways.

kucoach7 wrote: Mon Nov 26, 2018 7:47 am You've shown a willingness to hand out some mid-level contracts to quality veterans rather than outright tanking. Is the plan to slowly grow your win total every year rather than make a sudden move from the bottom of the league to the top?

Yeah, for the most part it is to slowly build. I do not think you can have sustained success with a sudden move. My thought besides that though is I have a lot of young guys on my team who are still developing and are on rookie contracts. So if I can bring in a few vets, have them play well and flip them for assets, why not?

JNR wrote: Mon Nov 26, 2018 8:31 am GWR: With Lino Brookins' development not going as fast as you'd like, do you feel pressure to trade him away in the face of his impending free agency?

So Lino is in an interesting case. He was hurt by previous mgmt not devoting any time to him and developing him. I think he can still be a solid play and a contributor to this team. I think when it comes to trading him, it is ultimately up to how this season goes. He is not untouchable, so if the right deal comes, then I will pull the trigger. However, I am not outwardly trying to move him.

false9 wrote: Mon Nov 26, 2018 3:22 pm How many seasons do you think it will take for the Thunder to enter the conversation of "contenders"?

I think we have made a few quality steps in the right direction since I have come into the organization. As I have said in the past, I do not like putting time on this because it never helps. Everything is constantly changing, but if the west stays at the level of competition it is now and I make the appropriate moves, I could see us maybe making the playoffs as early as next year and maybe a contender within five years.

Was the Kyrie Irving acquisition a disappointment?

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WigNosy wrote:Was the Kyrie Irving acquisition a disappointment?

I don’t see how it was? Maybe you can explain why it might have been disappointing. The way I see it is he is a veteran who is averaging 16 points a game and over 5 assist. He can still shoot a 3 point shot, where he is avg is .432. He also can still show up on the other end of the court as well. I think come all star break, he might be a bench player for either Clifton or Pistol to get in the starting rotation. But early returns have been fine.





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Where do you see your team finishing in the Western Conference this season?