is the OKC team one starting SG away?

[Moranis]

they are one good coach away and have been since KD and Russ got there.

[Who]

A starting big who is a good passer would be really valuable for them. To facilitate team ball movement. To make OKC's offense less iso based.

[Csfan1984]

AB and KO for Ibaka and Adams. Then sign Pau. Think those moves gets OKC past Warriors.

Westbrook, AB, KD, KO, Pau/Kanter


IT, Smart, Crowder, Ibaka, Adams
Maybe use Adams and picks to get Cousins or Favors.

[Endless Paradise]

AB and KO for Ibaka and Adams. Then sign Pau. Think those moves gets OKC past Warriors.

Westbrook, AB, KD, KO, Pau/Kanter


IT, Smart, Crowder, Ibaka, Adams
Maybe use Adams and picks to get Cousins or Favors.

OKC's only defensive big would be a 36-year-old Nick Collison off the bench. That's an awful proposition.

[Csfan1984]

AB and KO for Ibaka and Adams. Then sign Pau. Think those moves gets OKC past Warriors.

Westbrook, AB, KD, KO, Pau/Kanter


IT, Smart, Crowder, Ibaka, Adams
Maybe use Adams and picks to get Cousins or Favors.

OKC's only defensive big would be a 36-year-old Nick Collison off the bench. That's an awful proposition.

Not as bad thinking current roster as constructed will get it done. It's a Guard league AB's defense is more important than Ibaka. Pau makes up for Adams. Also KD can fill in spot minutes at the 4 and play Morrow at the three. That OKC five is much better than current one.

[Future Celtics Owner]

They need the rarest commodity in the NBA.....a legit CENTER

That's why when we get a top pick in this years draft and trade it for Cousins(the best true/dominant CENTER in the league), we can then sign DURANT after logically selling him on Boston. Then we can also sign a mid-tier FA that maybe undervalued/had a bad year (like batun) maybe:

 Evan Fournier: 23 years old, 6'7'', shoots 40% from 3.....was inconsistent but had a horrible coach and still averaged 15ppg, 1.2 steals, 2- 3ptm a game    http://basketball.realgm.com/player/Evan-Fournier/Summary/24346
EF^ AB v
http://basketball.realgm.com/player/Avery-Bradley/Summary/2194


EF may be less money than re-signing ET and more upside than ET and possibly AB. EF is also 2 years younger than AB and is longer. Make your own decision.

[Yoki_IsTheName]

OKC is one Avery Bradley away from being legit, IMO.

Bradley gives them the  "Steph Curry" stopper, and a guard who's not ball dominant but can shoot, handle the ball and find cutting lanes.

They get a weapon like that, the West would be really worried.

[Endless Paradise]

AB and KO for Ibaka and Adams. Then sign Pau. Think those moves gets OKC past Warriors.

Westbrook, AB, KD, KO, Pau/Kanter


IT, Smart, Crowder, Ibaka, Adams
Maybe use Adams and picks to get Cousins or Favors.

OKC's only defensive big would be a 36-year-old Nick Collison off the bench. That's an awful proposition.

It's a Guard league AB's defense is more important than Ibaka.

lol, no, interior defense will always trump perimeter defense. "It's a guard league" has nothing to do with anything, since even guards are looking to score the easiest points at the rim. Even still, they already have perimeter defense with Roberson without having to sacrifice Ibaka's interior defense.

Pau makes up for Adams.

lol, tell Bulls fans that, might as well say "Jamal Crawford makes up for Avery Bradley"

That OKC five is much better than current one.

The current Thunder starting lineup literally has the best net rating in the league (yes, even over Golden State's), how "much better" can you get than "the best"? Bester?

[Csfan1984]

AB and KO for Ibaka and Adams. Then sign Pau. Think those moves gets OKC past Warriors.

Westbrook, AB, KD, KO, Pau/Kanter


IT, Smart, Crowder, Ibaka, Adams
Maybe use Adams and picks to get Cousins or Favors.

OKC's only defensive big would be a 36-year-old Nick Collison off the bench. That's an awful proposition.

It's a Guard league AB's defense is more important than Ibaka.

lol, no, interior defense will always trump perimeter defense. "It's a guard league" has nothing to do with anything, since even guards are looking to score the easiest points at the rim. Even still, they already have perimeter defense with Roberson without having to sacrifice Ibaka's interior defense.

Pau makes up for Adams.

lol, tell Bulls fans that, might as well say "Jamal Crawford makes up for Avery Bradley"

That OKC five is much better than current one.

The current Thunder starting lineup literally has the best net rating in the league (yes, even over Golden State's), how "much better" can you get than "the best"? Bester?

Sorry but not when fouls are called the way they are in this era. AB is more important than Ibaka.
And you are way overstating Adams vs Pau.
Being better is still better so don't know what the last statement has to do with things. It's a fact OKC isn't getting it done as is and it's not their bench.

[kiwiceltic]

The OKC starting lineup is not the problem. Yes AB is a big upgrade on Roberson, but that doesn't solve their bench issues.
Kanter works best off the bench, where he can provide second unit offence (its not like the starting 5 needs more scoring). The problem is the rest of their bench is terrible.
Waiters is streaky at best, Singler has one good game a season, Collison is a solid vet, but hes past his best, Donovan seems to think Randy Foye is a PG, when clearly their best option to back up RW is Payne, but his defense isn't up to scratch, and the rest barely play.

OKC needs to find some solid role players that actually fill a need, the problem is their owners are adverse to spending $, so they will never get there.

Trading AB for Ibaka makes sense, then signing Gasol (in hindsight he should have signed with OKC in the first place) would fill Ibaka's spot. Robinson can come off the bench with Payne and Kanter, Then they would need to get rid of Waiters, Morrow, Foye and Singler (easier said than done) and sign some more capable guys to replace them...

Then they have a good shot at the West

[Endless Paradise]

Sorry but not when fouls are called the way they are in this era. AB is more important than Ibaka.

I wasn't aware that fouls have now shifted to being called more often along the perimeter than at the rim.

(Obviously, they're not. Every single team attempts the vast majority of their shots at the rim, so obviously more fouls are going to be called at the rim than along the perimeter).

And you are way overstating Adams vs Pau.

No, I'm not.

http://www.blogabull.com/2016/2/11/10962314/pau-gasol-free-agency-chicago-bulls-do-not-resign
http://www.blogabull.com/2015/8/4/9089835/fred-hoibergs-challenge-what-does-he-do-with-pau-gasol
http://www.blogabull.com/2015/10/15/9542151/the-bulls-defense-is-bad
http://www.blogabull.com/2015/1/31/7956711/signing-pau-gasol-was-a-mistake
http://www.blogabull.com/2016/1/22/10810036/i-hate-pau-gasol
http://patternofbasketball.blogspot.com/2015/12/mavs-vs-bulls.html?m=1

Pau is effectively a sieve who can block shots occasionally. Insisting that Pau is as good a defender as Adams doesn't make it true, no matter how many times you say it. Try actually watching the two guys these days.

Again, if you're going to keep saying that Pau is a capable replacement for Adams, then you also agree that Jamal Crawford is a capable replacement for Avery Bradley.

Being better is still better so don't know what the last statement has to do with things. It's a fact OKC isn't getting it done as is and it's not their bench.

It literally is their bench that's the issue, what in the world are you talking about? When your starting lineup has the best net rating in the league by about 4 points and you have several role players off the bench with below-average stats who contribute to far less optimal lineups, the issue clearly isn't with the starters.

[Tr1boy]

Yes. James Harden

[Csfan1984]

Sorry but not when fouls are called the way they are in this era. AB is more important than Ibaka.

I wasn't aware that fouls have now shifted to being called more often along the perimeter than at the rim.

(Obviously, they're not. Every single team attempts the vast majority of their shots at the rim, so obviously more fouls are going to be called at the rim than along the perimeter).

And you are way overstating Adams vs Pau.

No, I'm not.

http://www.blogabull.com/2016/2/11/10962314/pau-gasol-free-agency-chicago-bulls-do-not-resign
http://www.blogabull.com/2015/8/4/9089835/fred-hoibergs-challenge-what-does-he-do-with-pau-gasol
http://www.blogabull.com/2015/10/15/9542151/the-bulls-defense-is-bad
http://www.blogabull.com/2015/1/31/7956711/signing-pau-gasol-was-a-mistake
http://www.blogabull.com/2016/1/22/10810036/i-hate-pau-gasol
http://patternofbasketball.blogspot.com/2015/12/mavs-vs-bulls.html?m=1

Pau is effectively a sieve who can block shots occasionally. Insisting that Pau is as good a defender as Adams doesn't make it true, no matter how many times you say it. Try actually watching the two guys these days.

Again, if you're going to keep saying that Pau is a capable replacement for Adams, then you also agree that Jamal Crawford is a capable replacement for Avery Bradley.

Being better is still better so don't know what the last statement has to do with things. It's a fact OKC isn't getting it done as is and it's not their bench.

It literally is their bench that's the issue, what in the world are you talking about? When your starting lineup has the best net rating in the league by about 4 points and you have several role players off the bench with below-average stats who contribute to far less optimal lineups, the issue clearly isn't with the starters.

You kidding me perimeter players with their drives absolutley draw more fouls via their penetration. That is why its so important to the league now to have a guard defender. AB is 4x the player Roberson is. And lol really blog topics is your go to? You can find negative posts in a blog about any player.
Pau>>Adams watch Pau play vs Adams and even look at the stats if your eyes are bias
http://m.bkref.com/m?p=XXplayersXXgXXgasolpa01.html&t=4

http://m.bkref.com/m?p=XXplayersXXaXXadamsst01.html&t=4

Only numbers you seem to bring up is starter numbers as a whole. You all of a sudden want to dismiss they have two top 10 players and they make the rest of the guys look really good. It's 100% the team outside KD and Westbrook. They need other guys to step up. AB and Pau are two guys that are much better than what they have now at those spots. Those are legit facts. Getting better is getting better. Saying Morrow and Waiters is the problem is like saying C's are down 3-2 to Hawks because KO and Turner are the problem.

[Endless Paradise]

Uhh, yeah, substantiative blog posts with actual information and examples are a hell of a lot better to use as sources than simply saying "Pau is as good a defender as Adams and Avery Bradley is more important a defender than Ibaka because I say so."

[Moranis]

Again, OKC's problem is the same it has had the entire time, its coach just isn't good enough.