Around the League: Week 1 10/27-11/2

[INFORMER]

Not to overreact, but, OKC is missing the playoffs now.

They'll make the playoffs.

But getting a lotto pick, even #14, wouldn't be the worst thing in the world for them.

Last year we were 11 games behind them.

...

Only six games separated the fourth seed from the ninth seed last year.

Things change season to season. Did the 2014 playoff picture match the 2013 playoff picture?

Ultimately, I think the Thunder will be ok.

[Superbone]

Amazingly with Sebastian Telfair leading the way, OKC hung in with the Clippers last night until the final buzzer.

[Ring_Wanted]

The wounded tiger effect. Now it is the time to see what they really have with Brooks and a number of youngsters, especially Lamb and PJ3.

[Sunsfan4life]

Thunder will make the playoffs. I see Durant coming back sometime in December and Westbrook probably end of december. It gives them 3/4 of the season still left. I wonder if both miss our first game vs the Thunder on Dec 14th....

[carey]

Klay got his extension. 4/$70M. Wowsers.
https://twitter.com/sam_amick/status/528294031424368640 https://twitter.com/SpearsNBAYahoo/status/528294016056451072 https://twitter.com/SpearsNBAYahoo/status/528293307571384320

[LazarusLong]

I feel bad for OKC. That team might be snake bit. Maybe Seattle put a curse on them. They can't seem to stay healthy. It was cool to see PJIII put up numbers and our old friend Bassy show he can still play a little bit.

I don't. I feel sorry for Durant and Westbrook, but not for the Thunder. They traded Harden and also traded for a one-dimensional slug in Perkins.

They got significantly better when they acquired Perkins. The problem wasn't trading for him, the problem was extending him for as long and as much as they did.

And I think it's unreasonable to hold trading Harden against them.

Perkins improved them defensively, yes, but they bid against themselves to re-sign him.

You don't think keeping Harden improves them? They have the money to blow on re-upping Perkins, but would afraid to pay Harden? That's my point; it's a penny-wise, pound-foolish organization.

[Ring_Wanted]

Absolutely the same thing we were in the Nash era.

[Flagrant Fowl]

Being in the lottery when a team has two of the best ten players in the league is not good unless said players miss the entire season. Durant and Westbrook should both play more games than they miss this year. Missing the playoffs would be a disaster for that organization.

[INFORMER]

Being in the lottery when a team has two of the best ten players in the league is not good unless said players miss the entire season. Durant and Westbrook should both play more games than they miss this year. Missing the playoffs would be a disaster for that organization.

The premise is that the West will be so good that OKC's stars won't return in time to dig the team out of the hole they'll presumably dig with all the injuries they've suffered. So under those circumstances, I think it's bit inaccurate to say missing the playoffs would be "disasterous" for the organization.

[INFORMER]

They have the money to blow on re-upping Perkins, but would afraid to pay Harden?

Apples and oranges.

First, those two decisions were not made at the same time. So it's not like they let Harden go to pay Perkins.

Secondly, Perkins significantly improved that team on and off the court, so it's not hard to see why they prioritized keeping him. And also, centers don't grow on trees. What they didn't account for is that he would increasingly become drastically less effective with each season that passes.

Third, Perkins has made $8-9 million a year on his deal. Harden was asking to be paid $16 mil/yr. Again, apples and oranges.

Fourth, the Thunder had just gotten beat in 5 games against the Heat and Harden was a complete casper in that serious and there were whispers he became a problem in the lockerroom during that series. I can forgive them for not wanting to fork over the max under those circumstances.

[Indy]

Who is hungry for apples and oranges? Just me?

[Shabazz]

Rubio just got $55M/4 years.

[INFORMER]

Rubio just got $55M/4 years.

That's a lot of money to pay a guard that can't shoot.

[INFORMER]

Michele Roberts can chirp all she wants about the the players not buying the owners' cries of poverty, but don't try to sell us some fiction that the players aren't being fairly compensated.

[INFORMER]

I wonder if Charlotte or Minnesota were scared by how seemingly toxic the Bledsoe situation got, because these are deals Rubio and Kemba could not have gotten on the open market.

[INFORMER]

Good to see Rose playing at a high level. I gasped when he came up gimpy on that one play.

[Cap]

I wonder if Charlotte or Minnesota were scared by how seemingly toxic the Bledsoe situation got, because these are deals Rubio and Kemba could not have gotten on the open market.

It doesn't look like that situation is going to be a problem for us. Bledsoe has come in ready to play.

Considering all the work he apparently put in over the offseason to be in even better physical shape than he was last year, I wonder in retrospect if that's why he was noncomminicative for so long. Maybe he figured he'd do better if he could come into negotiations saying, "Look at all the progress I have made over the past few months while we were out of contact."

[Mori Chu]

I wonder if Charlotte or Minnesota were scared by how seemingly toxic the Bledsoe situation got, because these are deals Rubio and Kemba could not have gotten on the open market.

Yeah, I agree; I think the GMs are already giving these guys "next-CBA" contracts. They're already factoring in a hypothetically much increased salary cap due to the big TV deal. Maybe they'll prove to be right.

I think Kemba and Rubio are both pretty good PGs and probably deserve the contracts they got, all things considered. I actually have a much stronger reaction to the contracts given to Hayward, Parsons, and Klay Thompson, all of whom don't strike me as max players.

[Flagrant Fowl]

Being in the lottery when a team has two of the best ten players in the league is not good unless said players miss the entire season. Durant and Westbrook should both play more games than they miss this year. Missing the playoffs would be a disaster for that organization.

The premise is that the West will be so good that OKC's stars won't return in time to dig the team out of the hole they'll presumably dig with all the injuries they've suffered. So under those circumstances, I think it's bit inaccurate to say missing the playoffs would be "disasterous" for the organization.

IMO, both guys have at least a few toes out the door already. The window in OKC is almost shut completely, so I believe missing the playoffs could be a significant push to send them into the beginning stages of rebuild mode. Not that they'd start rebuilding next year, but the writing would be on the wall. Especially if they don't replace Brooks with someone who can actually coach.

[INFORMER]

How can the window be shut?! All their guys are young, they're about to get out of the Perkins contract, and if the salary cap rises, they'll be able to add more talent.