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OKC - How many rings could they have won
Posted on 2/22/17 at 11:40 pm
Posted on 2/22/17 at 11:40 pm
NBA trade deadline talk made me wonded...how many rings could OKC have won if they hadn't traded James Harden?
They had made it to the West Finals in 2011 and NBA Finals in 2012, before trading Harden due to management being reluctant to go into luxury tax to sign Harden to a long term extension. But scary part was that as good as they were together, those 3 were all 22-23 years old when Harden got traded away. None of them had reached their peak...Durant would win an MVP 3 years later and since then both Westbrook and Harden have been in the MVP running and could possibly be 1-2 in MVP race this year.
So how many rings could that trio have won considering that had they been kept together, it would've been an MVP caliber PG, SG, and SF all in their prime at the same time?
I say they they probably would've beaten Miami in 2013 and 2014 for sure...and possibly gotten through Golden State in 2015. Think GS would've gotten them in 2016 though
They had made it to the West Finals in 2011 and NBA Finals in 2012, before trading Harden due to management being reluctant to go into luxury tax to sign Harden to a long term extension. But scary part was that as good as they were together, those 3 were all 22-23 years old when Harden got traded away. None of them had reached their peak...Durant would win an MVP 3 years later and since then both Westbrook and Harden have been in the MVP running and could possibly be 1-2 in MVP race this year.
So how many rings could that trio have won considering that had they been kept together, it would've been an MVP caliber PG, SG, and SF all in their prime at the same time?
I say they they probably would've beaten Miami in 2013 and 2014 for sure...and possibly gotten through Golden State in 2015. Think GS would've gotten them in 2016 though
10
Posted on 2/22/17 at 11:41 pm to Tiger Prawn
0
Posted on 2/22/17 at 11:42 pm to Tiger Prawn
OKC and Clay Bennett will forever be cursed
This post was edited on 2/22/17 at 11:43 pm
Posted on 2/22/17 at 11:43 pm to Tiger Prawn
quote:
I say they they probably would've beaten Miami in 2013 and 2014 for sure
Miami was really good in 2013, so I still say no.
2014 is interesting. The Spurs absolutely bitch slapped Miami, but they still struggled a bit with OKC in the Western Conference Finals. OKC (with Durant and Ibaka) was just San Antonio's kryptonite of sorts.
As for 2015, the Warriors still won 67 games, which means OKC prob isn't getting home court that season.
I'll give them one title, in either 2014 or 2015.
2016 the Thunder should have beaten the Warriors as they were, so you can make whatever argument you want from there.
This post was edited on 2/22/17 at 11:45 pm
Posted on 2/22/17 at 11:44 pm to Tiger Prawn
Don't Harden and Russ both have to have the ball to be most effective? I know I watched those playoffs, but I,can't really remember how they all played together.
Posted on 2/22/17 at 11:45 pm to BayouBengals03
lmao the Thunder choked so fricking hard against the Mavs.
I remember being down in like game 4 by 25 and coming back and beating those punk arse kids. Was one of the most exciting games I've watched in the NBA.
I remember being down in like game 4 by 25 and coming back and beating those punk arse kids. Was one of the most exciting games I've watched in the NBA.
Posted on 2/22/17 at 11:54 pm to Hot Carl
They've both improved significantly over time with regards to passing/assists, so if they stayed together I think that they would've become better at passing and playing off ball....which would've made them ridiculosly tough to defend with 3 MVP caliber stars who could be both ball dominant or play off ball
Posted on 2/22/17 at 11:56 pm to Hot Carl
Yeah they are all great players, but they didn't complement each other very well.
Posted on 2/22/17 at 11:59 pm to Tiger Prawn
Yeah, I'm not sure if they would,be as good as they are now if they had stayed together. It may have stunted their growth. I don't care for the super teams, but I would love to see how those 3 guys would play together now though. Like at the level they are currently playing. They may be 3 of the 5 best players in the league (Bron and Steph). Oh well, ifs and buts and all that shite.
Posted on 2/23/17 at 12:02 am to Tiger Prawn
OKC also fricked up by thinking Harden would be okay with playing the Manu Ginobili role as the 6th man. He had the talent to be a starter and knew it. OKC never had chemistry among their best players as well as with Brooks
Posted on 2/23/17 at 12:12 am to Hot Carl
Harden played more like a PG and Russ was more than capable of playing a more traditional score first wing type player when him and Harden were on the floor together from what I remember.
That season saw Russ average around five assist a game and people thought it was because he was being selfish when in reality it was by design. He wasn't really their point and decision maker for that year
That season saw Russ average around five assist a game and people thought it was because he was being selfish when in reality it was by design. He wasn't really their point and decision maker for that year
Posted on 2/23/17 at 12:13 am to Ostrich
There is a interview where he says he thought he would be in OKC as their 6th man forever fwiw. I think money was more of the issue in this situation
Posted on 2/23/17 at 1:20 am to Tiger Prawn
quote:
I say they they probably would've beaten Miami in 2013
I'd probably say you're wrong
quote:
Think GS would've gotten them in 2016 though
wrong again
Posted on 2/23/17 at 1:25 am to BayouBengals03
quote:
2016 the Thunder should have beaten the Warriors as they were, so you can make whatever argument you want from there.
They never gets Steven Adams or Enes Kanter though. That GS team last year and the year before wasn't losing to anyone other than LeBron and even then it took some injuries.
Posted on 2/23/17 at 3:08 am to theducks
quote:you don't remember OKC had them down 3-1 and then was up big in that fourth quarter of game 6 at home?
That GS team last year and the year before wasn't losing to anyone other than LeBron and even then it took some injuries.
They win that game with Harden, and they might win the title, but against Bron it's a 50-50 coin flip
Posted on 2/23/17 at 3:26 am to theducks
quote:
even then it took some injuries.
yup, GS got lucky in 2015
Posted on 2/23/17 at 3:44 am to chalmetteowl
quote:
you don't remember OKC had them down 3-1 and then was up big in that fourth quarter of game 6 at home?
In large part because they had Steven Adams and Kanter to counter GS small ball. They were monsters on the glass which would've worked if allay doesn't go inferno.
If they keep Harden neither one of those players abover are playing for OKC last year. Kanter they got in a trade for cheap as I recall but they wouldn't match the max that Portland gave.
IMO, you're not beating GS at their game. Same thing with Alabama and football, it's an uphill battle if you're trying to run an ISO into the teeth of the Alabama defense.
Posted on 2/23/17 at 10:50 am to Tiger Prawn
There are a lot of variables to it.
I do think they probably win the title in 2013 if they don't trade Harden before the season. They were the best team in the West without Harden. Houston is not in the playoffs and the Westbrook injury never happens.
The question then becomes "does Harden stay?" and I don't think anyone knows.
The Thunder FO made some missteps that rarely get takked about though. They didn't see the shift away from back to the basket bigs. They wanted to conpete with the Gasol/Bynum Lakers and overvalued Perkins long term impact.
Jeff Green would have been a valuable bench wing going against those Heat teams.
They also overvalued Ibaka who became less and less of an impact defender as bigs drifted out of the paint. They essentially picked him over Harden as their 3rd piece around WB/KD
How would Harden and Westbrook coexist long term as two ball dominant players is another interesting question.
The Harden trade did land Adams, so any talk about titles has to take that into account. And Reggie Jackson may never have the stage that he got during the Westbrook injury to create value that OKC turned into Kanter.
It definitely is an interesting question but it hard to guess anything past 2013 given all the variables.
I do think they probably win the title in 2013 if they don't trade Harden before the season. They were the best team in the West without Harden. Houston is not in the playoffs and the Westbrook injury never happens.
The question then becomes "does Harden stay?" and I don't think anyone knows.
The Thunder FO made some missteps that rarely get takked about though. They didn't see the shift away from back to the basket bigs. They wanted to conpete with the Gasol/Bynum Lakers and overvalued Perkins long term impact.
Jeff Green would have been a valuable bench wing going against those Heat teams.
They also overvalued Ibaka who became less and less of an impact defender as bigs drifted out of the paint. They essentially picked him over Harden as their 3rd piece around WB/KD
How would Harden and Westbrook coexist long term as two ball dominant players is another interesting question.
The Harden trade did land Adams, so any talk about titles has to take that into account. And Reggie Jackson may never have the stage that he got during the Westbrook injury to create value that OKC turned into Kanter.
It definitely is an interesting question but it hard to guess anything past 2013 given all the variables.
Posted on 2/23/17 at 11:48 am to Tiger Prawn
quote:
NBA trade deadline talk made me wonded...how many rings could OKC have won if they hadn't traded James Harden?
Only one ball. James Harden isn't an off-ball scorer like Klay Thompson. In OKC he would not have been able to be the ball dominant playmaker he is right now. He developed into this player because he got to be the number 1. Russell and James Harden need the ball to be as great as they are. If Harden stayed in OKC he would have been Manu Ginobili 2.0.
Posted on 2/23/17 at 3:19 pm to QuackAttack716
quote:
Only one ball.
And yet they somehow got to the Finals with just one ball.
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