Did Presti fleece Orlando?

[superjohn]

Ibaka is a very solid player but never panned out like I thought he would. For Presti to get Oladipo for him is a pretty great move, throw in Sabonis and Ilyasova and it is a good day for OKC. Kanter must be psyched. . . . . . .A lineup of Westbrook, Oladipo, KD, Kanter and Adams is pretty exciting.

 

[djct1999]

And they don't have to pay up for waiters! It's a win right there.

 

[KemBuckets21]

nothing short of robbery. Oladipo is the best player in this trade. Ibaka is fine but ilyasova can give you 13 pts and 6 board in sufficient time. Sabonis will be solid off the bench too. Unbelievable deal.

 

[champs99and04]

It will remain to be seen. I'm a fan of Oladipo, but he's still not the shooter the Thunder need at that spot, and although Ibaka's production has dipped over the years I have always felt that he's such a huge part of their identity with his athleticism, versatility and ability to stretch the floor.

 

[superjohn]

It will remain to be seen. I'm a fan of Oladipo, but he's still not the shooter the Thunder need at that spot, and although Ibaka's production has dipped over the years I have always felt that he's such a huge part of their identity with his athleticism, versatility and ability to stretch the floor.

Westbrook and Oladipo is as athletic as you can possibly get in the backcourt, Oladipo is not the shooter they want but you can't have it all. Oladipo is elite defensively, puts a ton of pressure on the opposing defense. They should be able to lock down other teams backcourts and while Ibaka was certainly a good player for them he just isn't a necessity anymore IMO, you need to get Kanter big minutes.

 

[champs99and04]

Westbrook and Oladipo is as athletic as you can possibly get in the backcourt, Oladipo is not the shooter they want but you can't have it all. Oladipo is elite defensively, puts a ton of pressure on the opposing defense. They should be able to lock down other teams backcourts and while Ibaka was certainly a good player for them he just isn't a necessity anymore IMO, you need to get Kanter big minutes.

No doubt Oladipo is a huge, huge upgrade over what they had. I love that part of it, I guess where we differ is on Kanter/Ibaka. Kanter is a good player and his per minute numbers are off the charts, but in some match-ups (GSW) he's hard to play. Kanter/Adams worked well in spurts last year but I still think they're going to end up giving most of their crunch-time four minutes to Durant.

 

[Horatio]

If they had Oladipo three weeks ago....... OKC got what they needed.

 

[auror]

If Oladipo can continue improving his outside shot and knocks down all the open 3's he'll get, it's a thievery. If not, then they're back to where they were before and without Ibaka. I like Sabonis a lot, but not the best fit for them.

 

[KembaStepback]

Westbrook and Oladipo is as athletic as you can possibly get in the backcourt, Oladipo is not the shooter they want but you can't have it all. Oladipo is elite defensively, puts a ton of pressure on the opposing defense. They should be able to lock down other teams backcourts and while Ibaka was certainly a good player for them he just isn't a necessity anymore IMO, you need to get Kanter big minutes.

^^^^^ THIS!
Westbrook and Oladipo defending the perimeter is exactly what they need. They don't need Oladipo to score, but he can chip in. He'll certainly give them more than Roberson. Oladipo can also handle the ball and play some point if Westbrook gets dinged up or needs to sit. Ilyasova shot 40% from 3 last yr, which will help stretch the floor. Sabonis will be a solid bench player as a rookie. Should develop into more.

 

[tzznandrew]

If they lose Durant, these players help fill the gap and keep them afloat more than Ibaka.

 

[JSM1970]

This reads like they expect to lose KD and Russ heads to LAL in 2018

If they lose Durant, these players help fill the gap and keep them afloat more than Ibaka.

 

[superjohn]

This reads like they expect to lose KD and Russ heads to LAL in 2018

Why do you say that? I see it the exact opposite, they are strengthening the team to make staying in OKC even more attractive to KD and Westbrook.

 

[tzznandrew]

Why do you say that? I see it the exact opposite, they are strengthening the team to make staying in OKC even more attractive to KD and Westbrook.

Yeah, I think this was a play that makes the team more attractive to KD, but shields them to potentially losing him because it's a good enough team with Westbrook as the star to be good in the West.

If KD goes East, or goes to the Warriors, the west is suddenly really top-heavy: Warriors and Spurs are Tier 1, and then the Clippers, Blazers, Wolves and Wesbrook-led Thunder are that next tier.

 

[RayRay19]

I don't see how he doesn't sign 1 and 1 deal with OKC...makes too much sense now...

 

[Gurleyman]

At least Orlando shipped out a guy in the backcourt and brought in a power forward. Bazz is getting precariously close to needing a passport.

 

[rip7774]

Bazz doesn't play with any passion like they tell him to bring it down and pass and stand in the corner. I miss the real Bazz so much!! Probably coaching holding him back, I thought he would be a borderline starter or super sub at the very least. Hoping he finds a better spot!