Its a new year, and there's a new coach, and we can put the nightmare of a season from last year behind us (hopefully) - but on the real, here are a few things to look forward to as an OKC fan going into the 2015-2016 season:
- Hey - in case you missed it, we have a new head coach! Seeing how Billy Donovan puts his stamp on this version of the Thunder is definitely must see TV. Not all college head coaches have made a successful transition to the pros, but not all of them have been terrible (despite what recent anecdotal evidence might have you believe) Be sure to tune in during training camp and the pre-season to get the feels going.
- Cameron Payne starting his rookie campaign - Okay, this one is a bit of a play on words for sure, but since our #14 overall pick in the draft got himself hurt and didn't get a chance to get his shine on in the summer league, its about time we gave him a chance to show and prove. He's all healed up and ready to go. I for one am really excited to see the crafty lefty from Murray State can do at the next level.
- The roles of Dion Waiters and Enes Kanter - if you watch TV, listen to the radio or a podcast, or read anything even remotely related to the Thunder, then you've already heard ad nauseum the opinions of every so called expert on what these two can or can't do. And it runs the gamut from "they both have a shot at making a run for 6th man of the year" to "Dion should be traded for a bucket of basketballs and Kanter not long after him." I mean...lets be real - Dion is in a contract year and who knows what that is going to bring out of him. As for Kanter...the best way I've heard it put I'll repeat here - the Thunder didn't offer him that massive 5 for 80mil deal, the Trailblazers did. Yeah, we matched it...because what were the alternatives? The narrative has switched so much from the trade deadline last year when getting Kanter, Singler, and DJ for Reggie and spare parts was outright grand theft auto. Is dude bad on D? For sure. Does he still have value as a very talented offensive player (maybe with our second unit?) Absolutely. So why don't we all let the summer off hysteria die down a bit before we make any real judgement calls on these two cats.
- I'm not sure why it took me this long to get to what is probably the most important thing: KD's health and status. I mean, its not like this guy was just the MVP of the league 2 years ago or anything. Oh wait...he was. Like Dr Dre said "the haters say Dre fell off....how?" I'm paraphrasing here, but still - KD was unquestionably at least the 2nd best player on the planet 2 years ago...and arguably the best. And now all I hear is talk-talk-talk about Anthony Davis and Steph Curry and heck, even James Harden all now stepping up to take KDs spot. Let's be honest - until someone knocks him off the throne, KD is still here and ain't going nowhere. And I think all this chit chat is going to motivate him to even greater heights. This is a man who AVERAGED 35/7/7 for 42 games people. If those sound like Lebron numbers...well they aren't, because even Bron hasn't done that. Better recognize.
- If the Thunder are healthy - do they have a legit chance at a championship? The West is tougher than ever, with the Dubs holding the title belt until someone comes to take it from them. The Spurs reloaded and will do their thing, same as they do every year. The Clips got themselves a bunch of new talent...but it remains to be seen if they will gel together. The Rox got to the West Finals missing 2 of their key players, because James Harden was playing at an MVP level last year. The Grizz may not be good enough to win it all by themselves, but they are always a tough out and if things break their way....who knows? OKC would most likely face 3 of the above teams to earn the right to take on the Cleveland Lebrons (or at a very outside chance, the Bulls/Hawks pretenders) That's a meat grinder and no mistake. But it can be done...with the right combination of talent, skill, and luck. GSW had it last year...but a new year starts again very soon.
Its late September as I write this, and we'll have honest to goodness for real pro basketball by Halloween. There's a lot that's going to go on between now and then but every day that passes we will get more of sense of how this team is gonna to shake out and play together and a little more info on what to expect from the upcoming season. Considering what we are coming from, we should all be excited - this year can't be nearly as horrific as last year was. So, in the end, there is no doubt in my mind that the #ThunderNaionRISE.
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