Changing of The Guard

[dfsJunkie]

The Post Up Basketball Column
Thunderstruck! Previewing the '19-20 Thunder
by dfsJunkie
Posted on October 12, 2019, 2:09 PM ET

Thunderstruck, adj. – affected with sudden and great wonder or surprise.
// the teen was thunderstruck when his parents told him he had been adopted
- Merriam Webster's Dictionary...

Or how about this... I was thunderstruck when I found out that OKC flipped Russell Westbrook and Paul George for a prospect, a gazillion picks, and a 34-year old point guard coming off a knee injury... wait for it – set to make $38 million dollars this year and on the books for another $85 million the next two seasons after that.

What?!

I would say that it's a huge head scratcher, to say the least, but even that would be a huge understatement.

Selling off two of the most talented players in the league seems odd to me, especially when Russ is just two seasons removed from his MVP campaign, and PG was an MVP candidate last season before getting hurt. Not to mention, this team notched the 6th seed in the West and was a win away from winning 50 games.

I'm pretty sure the only two guys on the roster who could actually create their own shot were not the problem. Logic tells me that Sam Presti and his crew should have been looking for a third star or, I don't know, a couple guys who could maybe hit a wide open jumper... maybe that's just me though.

Has there ever been a team who has had three MVPs on the roster and lost them all? I'm talking about the time that the Thunder had James Harden, Kevin Durant, and Russell Westbrook and have no championships to show for it. Even their fourth guy, Ibaka, has a championship with another team.

I could go on, but I should probably get to the preview part now.

GUARDS
Is it weird that the most exciting three players on this team are all guards? Chris Paul, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Dennis Schroder remind me of when the Suns ran the trio of Goran Tragic, Isaiah Thomas, and Eric Bledsoe... too bad that didn't work out for them, and I'm not sure it totally works here, but there IS some optimism to look forward to with the addition of Gilgeous-Alexander. He pairs back up with his buddy Hamidou Diallo from college, where he mostly played point guard at Kentucky. Now, SGA gets to run next to CP3, a real point guard, which allows Gilgeous-Alexander to focus more on getting buckets rather than setting up the offense – which he's capable of if need be. Schroder as sixth man is about as good as it gets for a backup point guard. Outside of the four mentioned above, I don't see much else happening.
WHO TO WATCH: Gilgeous-Alexander

WINGS
Outside of Danilo Gallinari, there's absolutely nothing to write home about. The second best wing on this team, Andre Roberson, hasn't played since January 2018 after suffering a torn left patellar tendon, and has no return date in sight. Former first-round pick Terrance Ferguson hasn't lived up to expectations, but because of the lack of talent on the roster, expect to see him get significant minutes as a role player. The only other name worth mentioning here is Luguentz (or Lu, for short) Dort. The 6-foot-3 rookie is built like a linebacker and slides into the starting three-spot next in between SGA and Gallo. Expect him to fill the role of tough, physical defender, with the athleticism to run the floor and help grab rebounds.
WHO TO WATCH: Gallinari

BIGS
Only a few names to mention here: Steven Adams, who will be getting the starting center spot, Nerlens Noel, Adams's backup, and two floor spacers in Mike Muscala and rookie prospect Darius Bazley. It's the same old story for Adams, Noel, and Muscala, whose stories are already pretty much etched in stone, but Bazley is an interesting watch. The 6-8 forward is just 19 years old and already possesses a pretty decent stroke from beyond the arc. He also has the length and athleticism to develop into a good defender one day. For now he projects to play sparingly, but I can see him possibly getting some important minutes down the stretch in March and April as he continues to grow.
WHO TO WATCH: Bazley

Overall this team probably finishes outside the top-8 barring any crazy developments. I would expect them to try flipping CP3 and Gallo before the deadline, and I would applaud them for doing so. I would be thunderstruck if anything else were to happen...
PROJECTED RECORD: 9-20*


*Keep in mind the season length is only 29 games.

[dfsJunkie]

NBA League Update
Raptors to receive championship rings on opening night

The defending champion Toronto Raptors are getting ready to kick off the new year later this week and will be set to receive their 2019 NBA Finals Championship rings in the process.

Typically, teams may look a little sluggish after a finals run, but this team might not be suffering from a championship hangover, and that's because they feel they have something to prove now that their MVP, Kawhi Leonard, is suiting up in different colors.

"A lot of people are writing us off without Kawhi. We'll miss him in the locker room for sure, but we're a great team still," says guard Fred VanVleet. "We're here to prove that we're still the champs, and the others need to get through us."

It's true. Many experts aren't sure how the North will cope without its main attraction returning. Either way, Toronto gets its first shot to prove it against the new look Thunder on Tuesday.

[dfsJunkie]

Quote: Originally Posted by RolePlayer

I’ll be following this, you did a great job with the first few posts for sure

Thanks bro, appreciate it! I should have the first game up soon.

Appreciate all the comments!

[dfsJunkie]

Game Recap - October 29, 2019
Scotiabank Arena - Toronto, ON
Oklahoma City Thunder at Toronto Raptors
Raptors cruise past Thunder on ring ceremony night, 124-97

(0-1) (1-0)

OKC - 20 29 20 28 - 97
TOR - 36 38 22 28 - 124

Oklahoma City Thunder Key Performers:
D. Gallinari: 21 pts, 5 reb, 3 ast, 3 sta, 8-17 FG
D. Schroder: 19 pts, 7 reb, 3 ast, 7-13 FG
S. Gilgeous-Alexander: 18 pts, 5 reb, 7 ast, 9-18 FG
C. Paul: 12 pts, 6 ast, 6-15 FG
FG: 49%, 3PT: 5-13, REB: 44, TO: 16

Toronto Raptors Key Performers:
K. Lowry: 33 pts, 3 stl, 12-18 FG, 7-12 3PT
P. Siakam: 17 pts, 4 reb, 3 ast, 7-16 FG, 3-7 3PT
N. Powell: 17 pts, 8 reb, 7-11 FG
M. Gasol: 12 pts, 5 reb, 2 stl, 6-10 FG
F. VanVleet: 11 pts, 4 ast, 4 stl, 5-5 FG
FG: 55%, 3PT: 15-31, REB: 50, TO: 12

Coach's Corner:
"They were green-lighting everything they threw up. Lowry hit 7-of-12 from three. I think they were motivated after receiving their rings to show the world that they don't need Kawhi, and we were just the victims of that mentality tonight."

Billy Donovan, Thunder Coach

Next Up:

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[kibaxx7]

Loving the layout. Truly clean. But tough loss to start...

[RMJH4]

Yep lovely layout here man! Similar write up style I used a few years ago and it's very effective! I do like this current Thunder team, and think you have the pieces to rebuild them into a contender. Maybe we see some interesting twists and returns over the next few years!

[dfsJunkie]

Quote: Originally Posted by spiderxx7

Loving the layout. Truly clean. But tough loss to start...

Thanks! It's probably going to take me a few games to get used to the team, figure out everyone's jumpsuits and abilities, figure out rotations (CP3 gets tired FAST), etc... Doesn't get much harder than starting the season out on the road against the defending champs.

Quote: Originally Posted by seaboh

Yep lovely layout here man! Similar write up style I used a few years ago and it's very effective! I do like this current Thunder team, and think you have the pieces to rebuild them into a contender. Maybe we see some interesting twists and returns over the next few years!

Thanks, appreciate it! I'm going to add a little bit to the next one (starters, key injuries, etc.) and I plan to have it evolve over time as it makes sense. OKC is definitely an interesting team and more fun than I thought they would be, but the downside is that when we're off, we're really off. Not enough shooters or guys that can create. Plus our wings are terrible and seem to not know how to space the floor effectively, so it definitely gets frustrating.

Thanks for checking in!

[RolePlayer]

Tough loss to start the season like the others said, but I think this team will start to gel over the season similar to how the IRL squad did.

Will be interesting if you decide to build from the middle with all your assets or do a total rebuild.