Oklahoma City eliminated from playoff contention

[JSeahawks]

Figured this might make a few people here smile. Came down to the last day but New Orleans beating San Antonio knocks out the thunder.

 

[getnasty]

And next year they lose Durant, after that they're done, nobody is signing to play in OKC.

 

[MizzouHawkGal]

Figured this might make a few people here smile. Came down to the last day but New Orleans beating San Antonio knocks out the thunder.

Dammit! No, now they're in the lottery. I want them to be just barely craptastic not hopeless.

 

[Throwdown]

Figured this might make a few people here smile. Came down to the last day but New Orleans beating San Antonio knocks out the thunder.

Dammit! No, now they're in the lottery. I want them to be just barely craptastic not hopeless.

They're at the end of the lottery, they won't get anything before the 10th pick so, I'm not worried.

 

[ludakrishna]

And next year they lose Durant, after that they're done, nobody is signing to play in OKC.

Not unless they win the lottery. KAT or Okafor with Durant Ibaka Westbrook will be a lineup no one wants to face. I wanted them in the playoffs knowing they weren't going to win and wouldn't have a chance to draft as the pick would belong to the Sixers. The positive is that they still have Brooks as a coach and Clay Intercourse is a cheap owner.

 

[drdiags]

Injuries are a big hindrance to teams and can never be anticipated. When it was looking early in OKC's era that they would be winning multiple titles, I suggested that these things couldn't be guaranteed. Several injury impacted seasons and the Harden signing w/Houston and you wonder if OKC can recover in time to make a run in the next season or so.

It is not a given the Durant will leave when his contract is up, so there is a chance the Thunder could still capture a few titles before the band is broken up, still history shows that winning the title takes steps. OKC was close before their recent downturn of fortunes. Can they recover?

 

[Msfann]

This is all i have to say on the subject.

 

[Hawk-Lock]

It's too bad they have schizty Clay Bennett as their owner. He is known as being one of the cheapest owners. Not wanting to pay a cent of the luxury tax. I guarantee you that an if someone like Cuban or Balmer was running that OKC team, they would have kept Harden and won a championship by now.

OKC peaked years ago.

 

[Sgt. Largent]

And next year they lose Durant, after that they're done, nobody is signing to play in OKC.

Not unless they win the lottery. KAT or Okafor with Durant Ibaka Westbrook will be a lineup no one wants to face. I wanted them in the playoffs knowing they weren't going to win and wouldn't have a chance to draft as the pick would belong to the Sixers. The positive is that they still have Brooks as a coach and Clay Intercourse is a cheap owner.

I'm sure Silver will carry on the shady tradition Stern started by taking care of his buddies like Bennett through the super secret behind the magic curtain ping pong ball lottery selection.

 

[Throwdown]

They can't win the lottery, I think only teams with the 5 worst records can get the first pick.

 

[Sports Hernia]

They can't win the lottery, I think only teams with the 5 worst records can get the first pick.

So Stern's frozen envelope trick won't help them? 8)

 

[JSeahawks]

They can't win the lottery, I think only teams with the 5 worst records can get the first pick.

So Stern's frozen envelope trick won't help them? 8)

Not quite accurate, they have 0.5% chance of winning the lottery and 1.8% chance of getting a top 3 pick. If they don't win one of those top 3, then they stay at #14.

I expect the lakers to be the team that magically wins the lottery.

http://mweb.cbssports.com/nba/eye-on-ba ... -scenarios

 

[Sgt. Largent]

They can't win the lottery, I think only teams with the 5 worst records can get the first pick.

Yes they can, they just get less ping pong balls.

I'm saying that since the league decided to do the actual drawing of said ping pong balls behind closed doors and just reveal the cards live a lot of people have called Shenanigans.

Why stop drawing the balls live unless you have an agenda?

 

[Sports Hernia]

IMHO the league is crooked, and has been for the better part of the last 25 years.
From biased officiating to frozen envelopes the NBA hasn't been "legit" I'm my eyes for a long long time.

 

[Hawk-Lock]

People have been under the assumption that the NBA is rigged, and for good reason. If you have any doubt, read Tim Donogahy's book and it will leave no doubt in your mind. The NBA did everything it could to distance itself from Donogahy, calling him a "rogue" official. Are there others like him, I don't know. According to his book, yes.

As for the lottery. Who knows if it is fixed. I think the year the Knicks got Ewing they had a small chance of getting him. When the Bulls got hometown kid Derrick Rose I think they had less than a 2% chance. And of course the Cavs have had like three #1 picks in the last 5 years. Perhaps payback for LeBron leaving? I can't see the NBA rigging it for OKC, why would the NBA want ratings for the smallest market team?

 

[bigcc]

It's too bad they have schizty Clay Bennett as their owner. He is known as being one of the cheapest owners. Not wanting to pay a cent of the luxury tax. I guarantee you that an if someone like Cuban or Balmer was running that OKC team, they would have kept Harden and won a championship by now.

OKC peaked years ago.

too bad?


OKC is getting what they deserve, Cuban and Ballmer WANT a team in Seattle (Cuban being the only owner besides Allen to keep the sonics here when the vote came down)...

Unbelievable..... why not root for a team that wanted the sonics to stay instead of poaching a franchise?

 

[Kennedyin92]

I will never root for OKC and I will never be a Clay Bennett fan. However, I have permanent disdain for the man responsible for the demise of the Sonics in the first place, Howard Schultz.

 

[Sports Hernia]

I will never root for OKC and I will never be a Clay Bennett fan. However, I have permanent disdain for the man responsible for the demise of the Sonics in the first place, Howard Schultz.

You also left out the local and state politicitians that handed Clay Clay the team on a silver platter. If they would have fought for the Sonics (instead of rolling over and playing dead) with the economy crashing and most of Clay Clay's moneymen taking huge financial hits they may not have money to buy their way out of the lease and have forced his group to sell to a late arriving Ballmer group.