I had no reaction to anything the Thunder did last night, because there were blackouts all over the New York Metropolitan area. My house still doesn't have power, and our alarm decided to go off at 4 in the morning. Plus, there's no hot water. So I'm not exactly chipper.
The thing that bothered me the most was that I missed the NBA Draft. So to start let's recap the Thunder's draft night.
The Thunder decided to send the 21st and 26th pick to New Orleans to jump up to number 11 to take Cole Aldrich. Aldrich wasn't the most athletic big man in the draft; it remains to be seen how an up-tempo offense like the Thunder's will adjust when Aldrich comes into the game. But, Aldrich gives the Thunder a solid post presence down low that they will need if they want to compete with teams like the Lakers out west.
Overall, its a good pick, though it would have been a much more exciting to watch had they sent all three picks to Golden State and jumped to number six to take Greg Monroe. His passing skills would have fit in great with the offensive weapons the Thunder already have.
General Manager Sam Presti kept wheeling and dealing. He gave up the 18th pick (Eric Bledsoe) for the rights to a future first round pick from the Clippers. The Clippers roster seems to be shaping up, but there are a lot of 'if's. They'll be competitive next year IF Blake Griffin gets healthy, Al-Farouq Aminu's athleticism translates into production, and Baron Davis is in shape. So basically, with the Clippers luck, the chances are pretty good that the pick they gave OKC will be high in the draft.
However, the Thunder could have addressed their other huge need-three point shooting- with Avery Bradley. The Texas guard went 19th to the Celtics. He could have helped unclogged the middle for all the Thunder slashers.
Either way the first round for the Thunder was probably a success. They didn't get a blue chip big man, but with a guy like Kevin Durant, the team may only need solid defense and rebounding from its center. Similar to the Bulls in the 90's.
Even though it would have been exciting to see Avery Bradley getting so many open looks in Oklahoma City, the Thunder give themselves the opportunity to go deep in the playoffs, and still have a lottery pick next season.
Presti was able to address the team's needs while still drafting one of the most talented players still available. On top of that, he also set the team up nicely for the future. Right now, I'd say they get a B+ for the draft. That grade goes to an A- if the Clippers tank next year. It would have been an A if they had picked up Monroe or DeMarcus Cousins, but that seemed like it would have been a difficult move to pull off. Kind of like trying to go to the bathroom when everything is pitch black.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment