I’m pretty sure we have disagreed about this in the, but I have absolutely zero confidence in our ability to add a quality center through the draft. Wish I had a cite for this, but I recently read an article at espn.com addressing how hard it is to do. Big men take longer to develop in the NBA, and if you have a center prospect who looks like a sure thing, you can count on him going earlier in the draft than we will be picking for some time to come. Swift, Petro and Sene all looked good on paper, and all amounted to squandered first-round picks. I didn’t have a real problem with taking Mullens last year, but seriously doubt he will merit playing time for a couple of years- if ever. I would hate to see our ownership refuse to address this team need simply because they are cheap. THAT is a long term recipe for failure. If we can add a known quantity that gives us rebounding and defense inside without moving us into tax penalty country, we should do it.

Emeka Okafor has a gigantic contract that would probably put a hamper on the team’s ability to extend Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant while also being able to put good players around them. The difference between Okafor and, say, Joel Przbilla or Brendan Haywood (free agents next year) isn’t big enough to justify what would probably amount to double the salary.

So long as the team is improving it’s probably in OKC’s best interest to wait until the offseason and draft to address the center position. We’ll have a much better idea where the roster stands at that point.

justin :
@Taz-Maniac
Trading is part of the game; if there’s any players on the team that are bothered by trades I wouldn’t want them on the team anyway.

I understand that, but it has to be a smart trade and not just throwing money because someone is available. It needs to be someone who is a fit with the team.

My point here, is that these guys are developing chemistry. Let it develop and see what happens before trying to trade. Once you get the chemistry down, it will be much easier to find and plug in an individual and less likely that the new player will disrupt that chemistry.

Trading is part of the game; if there’s any players on the team that are bothered by trades I wouldn’t want them on the team anyway.

Look at LAL, BOS, CLE, ORL, pretty much every successful organization in the NBA aside from possibly the Spurs (although they just traded for Richard Jefferson) have made significant trades in an attempt to upgrade the roster. Obviously, you do not trade your best player(s) if you are looking to upgrade because you don’t get value. But Nick Collison, Etan Thomas, Thabo Sefolosha, these guys are tradable assets with some sort of value that might get back more than their worth on the court.

It’s really unlikely that a team can just build up to a contender solely through the draft and free agency. You have to use trades smartly to upgrade at positions when possible. The Thunder are thin up front, but strong on the wings. If it’s possible to upgrade the front court significantly by sacrificing some strength on the wings it is a no brainer.

Chas :
Convinced my family that we really should stop watching OU and devote our full attention to the Thunder. They were resistant, but the Thunder bowled them over. What a great game!!!

Amen!

justin :
The only player on the roster who is untouchable is Kevin Durant, and maybe Russell Westbrook. I don’t think Sam Presti would trade Jeff Green, but I can’t imagine them turning down a trade for a legitimate power forward on his account.
Nick Collison and Etan Thomas are both very tradable considering they are expirings.

Meaning no disrespect, that is just stupid talking! If we were to trade (pick some group of players, picks, and cash) for Lebron (or Kobe) , do you honestly think we could win a championship with the rest of the team? This is as much a part of personal commitment and team work as it is of skill.

To me this is building like San Antonio to where you can win multiple championships over time. There is no magic bullet. It has to be taken the long way.

If you got rid of a core player (see untouchable0 there would be so much disarray and anger that would be like….New Orleans, Memphis, or any number of teams that try to buy players and only find out it hurts them. Players then become to think am I next? Why should I try?

Then you end up at 3 and 7.