As disappointing as April was for Oklahoma City, only good news made an appearance on the regular season's final day. The Thunder removed the interim tag from Scott Brooks, and his players treated the promotion with a franchise best.
Los Angeles has owned OKC this year, whether it has been the Clippers or the Lakers. The Thunder took out all the frustration and finally notched a victory to close out year one. The Clippers never knew what hit them, as the Thunder poured in 126 points.
It was only OKC's third win in 12 outings but showed that there is more to winning in the NBA than just the boxscore. Superstar Kevin Durant now knows who his boss will be for at least the next couple of campaigns, and that could be a key around the league.
The Thunder has a strong core of players and will only build upon that in the June Draft. GM Sam Presti should get a raise for looking ahead to an even bigger date given how far under the salary cap OKC sits. Now that Brooks is locked up, the final step to keeping KD currently resides north of the border.
Fast-forward to the summer of 2010, or better known as 'Free-Agent Heaven' , and Chris Bosh will be waving hello. He wants everyone to throw money at LeBron and D-Wade. Heck, I really hope all other teams focus on those two players. Because then the Thunder can make the smart move and pair Bosh and KD together for a very nice Championship run.
Wishful thinking...maybe. But show me one person who thought this team would pass the 20-win mark after the horrendous start. Most were banking on a new record for losing, and Head Coach Scott Brooks proved them all wrong. And that is good enough for me.
Leave a comment