A difficult week has likely spelled the end of a difficult season for the Oklahoma City Thunder. First came Serge Ibaka’s knee surgery on Tuesday, sidelining the forward for the remainder of the regular season. Friday, we learned Kevin Durant’s rehab was being put on hold indefinitely as his recovery from a Jones fracture in his right foot has not gone as planned.
With only 14 games remaining in the season, Oklahoma City’s playoff hopes are clinging by a thread, and that’s only thanks to Russell Westbrook’s string of superhuman performances. The Thunder hold a one game lead over the similarly lamented New Orleans Pelicans, while the Phoenix Suns sit 2.5 games back.
Not only is the Thunder’s once inevitable coronation put on hold for a third straight year, it’s time to ask if such an event will ever come.
Durant’s contract expires in 2016; Westbrook’s contract expires in 2017. Neither has expressed a desire to leave Oklahoma City, but anything can happen in the NBA, and more attractive markets will come calling for both stars. Even if they both stay, it’s possible general manager Sam Presti, once the archetype of a new wave of smarter executives, has not done enough to help them get a ring.
It seemed inconceivable in June of 2012 that this group wouldn’t win a championship. Although they were easily dismissed in five games by Miami in the Finals, Durant was in the first year of a new contract extension, while Westbrook, James Harden and Serge Ibaka were all still under their rookie deals. The team was loaded with stars, and everything Presti touched turned to gold.
Fear of the luxury tax meant the team had to choose between Ibaka and Harden. Perhaps not realizing what Harden would become, the Thunder chose size. But it’s too easy to blame owner Clay Bennett’s fiscal responsibility for the team’s slide down the Western Conference standings.
Presti’s magic ran dry. A ridiculous four-year, $36 million contract extension for Kendrick Perkins in 2011 didn’t help the team’s finances, and the Harden trade itself was a massive flop. Houston sent Kevin Martin, then-rookie Jeremy Lamb and two first-round picks in that trade, and all Presti has left to show for a player who is now an MVP candidate is Steven Adams and Mitch McGary’s size-athleticism potential.
Martin left the following summer as a free agent, and Lamb, at the center of a reported rift in the team’s locker-room, hasn’t panned out.
Presti’s touch in the draft has waned, too. Late-first round picks Perry Jones III and Reggie Jackson both showed enormous potential, but neither successfully integrated into the rotation. Jackson was dealt at the trade deadline for backup point guard DJ Augustin and Kyle Singler, the latter of whom can’t even get off the bench in Oklahoma City.
Add it all up and you’re left with a messy, uninspiring roster in a conference that has passed the Thunder by. The addition of center Enes Kanter has been the lone bright spot in Presti’s recent transaction history, but uncertainty looms there, too. Kanter has brought balance to the offense, but he’s a restricted free agent this summer, and it’s unknown if the Thunder will be willing to match an expensive offer sheet.
Fate and misfortune have wreaked havoc on the Thunder’s season, but it’s Presti who weakened of a once formidable roster in the first place. Oklahoma City’s championship window is closing, and he has no choice but to act decisively to salvage his creation.
For now, we’ll watch Russell Westbrook try to carry the team into the playoffs. But once the season is over, it’s Presti’s turn to carry the team back into contention.
Photo: USA Today