Comments on: Defense a Winning Formula for Durant, Thunder

By: Erick

Erick — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:41:19 +0000

I never said that they were actually going to be better than Portland, I just think they’re experiencing the same developmental track, one that will probably see them become very, very good. I can see them barely missing the playoffs this season, making the playoffs next year, and then based on how they shape their roster, being able to get to the conference finals 2-3 years down the road based on the strength of Durant, Westbrook, and their depth alone.

What they do when they get there will depend on the pieces they add.

By: Brandon Hoffman

Brandon Hoffman — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:07:44 +0000

I like what Sam Presti has done thus far, but I’m not ready to declare their future brighter than Portland’s. Oklahoma City is the smallest NBA market, which will likely limit how much they can spend compared to larger markets like Los Angeles and Miami. They’ll have plenty of cap space this summer, though, so let’s see if they snag a dominant post player before tabbing them to pass the Blazers.

FYI: Portland is second in defensive efficiency, thanks in part to the emergence of Greg Oden.

By: Erick

Erick — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 20:20:17 +0000

The more I read about the Thunder, the more convinced I am that they’re the next Trail Blazers. They have young talent, are well-coached, and play hard on the defensive end. And with the team’s star leading the charge (at least according to the +/- numbers, the rest of the team will follow suit.