点击查看原文：Draft or trade? San Antonio has big decisions to make
Draft or trade? San Antonio has big decisions to make
Columnist Mike Finger and Spurs beat reporters Jeff McDonald, Tom Orsborn and sports editor Nick Talbot discuss the NBA Draft combine, possible picks and Spurs’ options this offseason.
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Here is the transcript of the podcast:
Mike Finger: From a highly secure network of top secret locations across South Texas, this is the post-Memorial Day edition of the Spurs Insider. I am Mike Finger, joined by Express News Spurs beat writers, Jeff McDonald and Tom Orsborn, along with sports editor Nick Talbot.
It’s been a nice little layoff.
So the time away from the local cage.
Tom Orsborn is back for a couple of weeks after the hitting up the draft combine in Chicago.
He has all kinds of intel on the players that the Spurs might take.
Jeff McDonald has just been stewing in his own ideas, his own thoughts about what the Spurs should do.
Everyone across South Texas has opinions on it.
And Tom, I’m I’m going to start with you after being back for a couple of weeks.
Anything kind of kind of kind of itching your your brain about about what what you saw in Chicago that that could affect the Spurs or what the Spurs should do with this pick that everyone has an opinion on?
Tom Orsborn: Still struck by Dylan Harper being so prepared, seemingly prepared for the question I posed to him about, you know, playing with Castle and De’Aaron Fox.
It was almost as if he was parroting, you know, what we’ve heard from Brian Wright, low these many years about the game being the NBA being a positionless game.
In fact, that was his his direct quote that it’s, you know, the NBA is positionless basketball.
And he saw no offered no reason why he couldn’t fit into a system or a scheme or a roster with with Fox and Castle and Wimby and thrive with it in whatever role the Spurs assigned to him.
Mike Finger: Here’s something I’ve been wanting to ask you on on the podcast because I think it’s it’s an important bit of context that you can add to this whole deal.
You know, we we we’ve seen the text.
We’ve seen the the the words that you reported in the Express News about what Dylan Harper said.
And you know, that like you just explained, he sees no reason why he shouldn’t.
But when you get to go to these things and be around these players, I think what what’s great about Sports editor Nick Talbot making the effort to to make sure that we get to all these things in person is I think you can get a vibe for it just the guy want to come here.
You know, do do you get the sense from him that he was that he was kind of saying, yes, I I want to be a part of this and he’s making an argument or was he being diplomatic or or kind of could you tell that?
Tom Orsborn: No, like I said, it seemed like he, he knew that question was going to come from somebody.
And he pretty much knew I was the guy from San Antonio after asking him a Wimby question beforehand.
Mike Finger: Was was he making an argument on yes, the Spurs should take me?
Did you did it feel like that or was it like, yeah, I’ll play for the Spurs.
Tom Orsborn: Yeah, that’s what I was trying to convey that and yeah, he did.
He it seemed like it was a question he knew was coming.
He was prepared for it and he offered the sensible answer, you know, of from a perspective that, yeah, it’s it’s not a big deal.
I don’t know why people are talking about this.
You know, I can do it.
This is why and yeah, I thought, I thought it was a prepared type that that he knew it was coming and he was prepared for it, you know.
Mike Finger: I was talking to not long ago at a Rockets fan who brought up just kind of out of nowhere how one of the reasons why in this continuing budding increasing, however you want to put it, rivalry between the Spurs and the Rockets, which has been going on forever, one thing that still bugs the Rocket Rockets faithful about Wimby is they remember that moment, the night of the lottery when he kind of gave a fist bump or or a sign of relief when the rockets were uh were listed at four or five or whatever that was, that he didn’t want to be there.
Sometimes you can tell from the the players where they don’t want to go.
And from everything that you’ve said, Tom, and everything I’ve seen about Harper, I don’t think he’s he would have any problems at all about coming to San Antonio.
Tom Orsborn: Don’t know about his dad, though.
Mike Finger: What what what have I missed there?
I don’t think I followed the Ron Harper Saga.
What’s what’s has he has he expressed an opinion one way or the other?
Tom Orsborn: I don’t know.
I mean, he hasn’t expressed uh favorable.
I mean, not favorable, but he hasn’t lobbied or said, yes, we’re we’re going to San Antonio, by golly and we’re yeah, you know.
Mike Finger: Jeff, do you still uh in in in all your pondering over the last couple weeks, which I know you’ve done nothing but thinking about San Antonio Spurs basketball since we last met.
Um, are you still on board with just taking Dylan Harper with that pick?
And if not, or even if so, do you have a favorite alternative?
Jeff McDonald: I think Dylan Harper is still the pick to make there.
I mean, obviously there’s a lot of things swirling on the wind, like if you’re going to do the thing and trade for Janis, probably you’re going to let that pick go.
But assuming you’re not doing doing that kind of blockbuster deal, assuming you’re making the pick at second, um yeah, to me Dylan Harper is the obvious pick to make it second.
Mike Finger: But what I was asking was not what I was asking was not necessarily of who to take with the second pick, but there there are there are options between trade for Janis and take take Dylan with that pick.
Jeff McDonald: Yeah, there there wasn’t a period at the end of that sentence.
I was still going.
Mike Finger: Okay, I’m sorry.
Yeah, um well, now I’ve lost my train of thought.
Mike Finger: I’m sorry, I’m a terrible host.
I ruined it.
Jeff McDonald: Yeah, that’s that’s what I’ve heard.
Um, yeah, so if you’re telling me uh, you know, playing the game where you may not use that second pick, you have to trade it for something and it’s not Janis.
If that’s what we’re doing right now.
Mike Finger: That’s where we’re going, but…
Jeff McDonald: I mean, yeah, you can you can Okay.
Tell me what we’re doing then.
Mike Finger: I’m not going to interrupt you again.
Go ahead.
Jeff McDonald: Um, you’re asking me for other alternatives.
I don’t want to do this.
I mean, I don’t want to I wouldn’t want to do a deal.
I don’t mean I don’t mean this discussion.
I mean, I wouldn’t want to do a deal.
But you’re telling me if I can’t take Dylan Harper second and I can’t trade for Janis, um, then, you know, there’s um, you know, trading down for something that fills an immediate need is is okay, I guess.
If you want to trade down for like a Trey Johnson or a Khan Keniple or if you want to fill the the Big Man spot and uh you know, get Malawak out of Duke, like I could see you doing that, that’s defensible.
It just wouldn’t be uh my number one um alternative right now.
I I’m I’m all in on on draft Harper and let’s get this going.
Mike Finger: Okay, that’s that’s the question that I had and and you ended up answering it despite the host’s reputed attempts to sabotage your your answer.
But what I wanted I guess a better way to ask the question was are are you still sure that drafting Harper is far and away or or or not far away but significantly a better option than um I’ll I’ll just throw out some some middle of the road proposals here.
Um, and and you kind of I think I mentioned this last time and you kind of scoffed at it, but um, you know, trade down two picks if you’re not completely in love with Harper and convinced that he’s going to be um of of a foundational piece to go with Victor Wimanyama and Stefan Castle.
Um, could you trade down just a couple of picks to Utah who probably really wanted Dylan Harper and get the Laurie Markin and um uh things going again, who who does fit into a Spurs lineup.
Now, he may not be worthy of the contract that he has.
He may not be um a future all NBA NBA type player.
But um he he is closer to the Spurs window.
I think he’s 27 as opposed to Janis being 30.
He’s not anywhere near he’s not anywhere close to what Janis is, but he does fit in and then you you still get a top four pick.
You still get a top.
I’m sorry, maybe those top five pick.
Um, like could could that work?
Could like Brooklyn supposedly has a a shooter available Cam Johnson?
Like it does that interest you to fit a Spur’s need while also adding, you know, a top pick?
Do any of those type of proposals make sense to you?
Mike Finger: Nobody, Jeff.
Hello.
Jeff McDonald: I’m sorry, Mike.
I was…
Nick Talbot: I still don’t think anyone likes the idea.
Jeff McDonald: Yeah.
I I’m good.
I’m out on that.
I don’t think, I don’t think unless you’re going to make the impact trade that it why not just try to get the impact player if unless you just really don’t think it’s Harper.
Um, and there’s no indication it’s not.
That’s the kind of issue I think.
What’s the indication that it’s anyone but Harper?
I guess you could be in love with Trey Johnson getting down to five and there’s no guarantee.
Mike Finger: I don’t I don’t think it’s.
I don’t think it’s Trey Johnson.
I I think it’s um if if I’m advocating for this route, which I am I’m not saying that that’s my preferred um course of action.
I’m just kind of spelling out what the Spurs could do with this.
It would be I’ll lay it out this way.
Let’s say the Spurs think Dylan Harper is the second best player in the draft, which which I think most people think he is, but think that the difference between him and Khan Keniple or Trey Johnson or name your guy at five isn’t that uh isn’t isn’t the difference between a future All-Star and a future benchwarmer, like that they they can make them work.
The like the again, I’m just continuing this argument.
If if you feel like Khan Keniple better fills a need and the talent level is not the talent level disparity is not huge between him and Dylan Harper, could you add that player Khan Keniple at five while also adding Laurie Markin who uh fits into your window and who can be a difference maker at a spot where the Spurs need some help.
He’s a big man who can shoot.
He slots into a lineup.
He doesn’t have that redundancy with Stefan Castle and De’Aaron Fox at the point guard position.
Like that’s the argument to make that so you’ve added a shooter in Keniple.
You’ve added a piece that works in Markin and uh and there you go.
And you you’ll probably have to give up more.
It’s more than uh it wouldn’t necessarily be a uh two for five plus marketing.
You need contracts to make it work.
But that’s that’s kind of the scenario there and it would be a similar thing with Brooklyn.
Um, is that just an absolute no for you?
And again, I’m not saying that I’m I’m pro this approach.
Is that just an absolute no for you?
It sounds like it is for Nick.
Jeff was gone and then just texted me that he’s back.
I don’t know how much of that you heard of my nonsense.
But uh but but where do you go from there, Jeff?
Jeff McDonald: I didn’t hear a lot of your nonsense, so…
Mike Finger: This is compelling uh back to podcasting again.
Tom Orsborn: I I I was looking up while you’re talking earlier, Mike, I was looking up to see if Ron Harper had said anything.
He said in response to someone texting about Wimby Harper, Dylan Harper and Wimby pairing together, Ron Harper tweeted, it could be special.
Mike Finger: So could be special.
There’s that, yeah.
What do you have any thoughts on what on all the nonsense that I just spewed, Tom?
Tom Orsborn: I told you I was doing research on Ron Harper.
Mike Finger: So you weren’t listening.
The listeners at home weren’t listening.
They were they were surfing uh they were they were, you know, we can we can edit that part uh we can edit that part out later.
But I I don’t know.
I don’t know.
It’s uh, you know, you’re asking people to evaluate like the like third and fourth alternatives that…
Mike Finger: I see, I don’t think that this is, you keep saying that.
I I’m not forcing you to say the Spurs can’t take Dylan Harper.
I think that there are people out there in the world and not just like uh blowhards like your host, who think that that’s the most attractive thing.
Like use like like don’t draft another guy who has all this overlap with play with foundational players on your team.
Um, use it to collect assets that help you more.
Um, and I guess what you and Tom and Nick are all saying is those people are full of it.
They shouldn’t do that.
Either trade for Janis or take Harper and there’s no other option for your Spurs.
That’s basically what all three of you are saying, while Tom does his research and you pretend to have lost your connection and Nick helpfully steps in and says no, he wouldn’t do it.
At least he has an opinion.
Nick Talbot: I mean I the thing is I can yes, I can understand that line of thinking.
Sure.
Mike Finger: And you’re and and and you don’t buy into it.
Nick Talbot: Well, I mean if they that you’re you’re making it sound like I’m strident.
So I’m not strident.
I mean if the if if the Spurs wanted to trade for something that makes that makes whatever, you know, makes more sense or or or gives different assets, I make that’s fine.
I think I do I’m I’m of the opinion, I guess that uh, you know, Dylan Harper might be one of those guys that if you don’t draft him when you have a chance, five years later, you’re looking back and you look stupid.
Mike Finger: That’s fair.
I’m not sure I’m not sure that’s the…
Nick Talbot: Go ahead Nick.
I just said I’m more right.
I think it’s it’s one of those two and I I don’t like the idea of trading now.
I think I said that last week.
I just I’m just not in love with a lot of guys in this draft outside of the top top three and even I’m still not an A Bailey.
Um, I haven’t researched uh too many guys below five or six, seven guys, but um see if there’s a Quiet Lard out there, you know, banging about but I just don’t.
I don’t like it unless another superstar pops free that would even be a better fit or you know, maybe fits into that age range kind of like Dean did.
Um, you know, it’s not it’s not pushing on the other side of 30.
Um, but we haven’t seen that yet.
So, maybe one of those will be available or one of those trades will just magically appear, but I you know, it it doesn’t look like it at the moment, which, you know, kind of limits the trade options.
It’s Janis or Harper.
Jeff McDonald: It’s going to take a lot to get that number two pick away from me if I’m if I if I have the number two pick.
It’s going to take a whole lot.
Mike Finger: Okay.
I I I just think there like when we have these discussions and it’s not just the four of us.
I think it’s basketball podcasters, basketball watchers, basketball discussers in general, that we we trap ourselves into these boxes of logic where um it seems like we’ve come to this consensus about a Rutgers point guard who I don’t think a lot of people watched a whole lot last year.
He’s in acti NCAA tournament where we’ve all decided that it’s so clear that he’s so much better than every other player in this draft than Cooper Flag.
That yes, that seems to be a consensus that he’s the clear cut number two.
But I I think there’s a danger in just making these assumptions that he’s that much better than uh than who you could get it at four or five or six or seven or on down the line.
I I might be right.
It’s just I’m just pointing out that sometimes we we talk ourselves into these uh assumed facts that may not that have not been proven yet.
And you might be right, like the Spurs might if they trade out of that two spot and Dylan Harper becomes the next Cade Cunningham somewhere else, they do regret that for years to come.
Like that maybe that’s true.
That could that could be right.
I just don’t.
I think we should be careful not to make that assumption.
And by the way, I will give sports editor Nick Talbot some uh some credit as long as we’re talking about um making bold proclamation around a draft and not knowing how it’ll turn out years ago.
I think Nick was the most strident, the most vociferous years ago when the Spurs took Devin Vessel over Tyre Halliburton and I just want to I just wanted to tip my hat to Nick and say, you were right about that one because Tyre Hold on, hold on.
Well we need to see where how this plays out though.
They’re both they’re both still very young.
Nick Talbot: Well you’re trying to make that argument but I I was pretty certain that he was the better then.
I think I said it.
I think I said something to the fact he was better then, he’s better now and he’s going to be better five years from now.
Um and he’s kind of proven that.
No offense to Devin, he’s a good player, but Tyre is doing very well this off season, our pro season.
So um Yeah.
Also didn’t like the Josh Primo pick very much.
I wanted them to take uh the son gun.
So, it was right down on that one too, but Well, we’ll see how the.
That one had circumstances.
We’ll see how the Primo.
Uh, Tom has uh when when you’re talking about the picks below 6, 7, 8, Tom has seen a lot of these guys in person having been to the combine.
uh, in terms of pick 14, which I’m not sure the Spurs will make that pick either.
It’s just they’re running out of spots and you don’t want so many rookies in second year players.
But anybody from that number 14 uh level group stick out to you Tom as as interesting to you?
Tom Orsborn: Well, I wrote about Mcney.
From uh from Yukon.
Part of that Yukon pipeline to your local cage.
That’s right.
I didn’t get a chance to directly ask him about the Spurs.
I was in a rush to write about Harper.
They did all the media availability on one day so that that that made it difficult in run and Dylan Harper went early so I had to get get away to to write about him.
So I didn’t get as much time with those guys as I would have liked, but um, you know, Mcley is somebody that I think the Spurs if they were to keep that pick were, you know, would would zero in on.
He would fit.
Yeah, yeah, he seems like a a good fit for them.
Um, um, and uh yeah.
Mike Finger: He is a he’s a he’s a wing player or forward uh who who can make a shot.
did not the the the the Huskies did not defend their national title that they won with Stefan Castle.
Um, didn’t have quite the same year, didn’t he didn’t have quite the production on court production that some people expected from him coming in as a freshman, but it’s just hard it’s hard to to wow people as a freshman in the college game these days.
I think this is getting into a completely different podcast, but the college game has turned into this um this deal especially after the the Covid years that people got and the NIL money that’s coming in where it’s a there’s a lot of old older dudes excelling in college basketball now.
There’s a lot of 22 and 23 and 24 year olds out there.
And so the freshman that you’re seeing, the guys who are coming in with all the NBA hype, this counts Ace Bailey, this counts Dylan Harper.
Um, it they they have a harder go of it early if they especially they don’t have the people around them.
So, sometimes you see the guys come in and actually um after going through a bit of a hiccup, going through a bit of a struggle as as a college freshman, come into the NBA and look better against tougher competition because they’re in a better system.
They they have better people around them, all that type of stuff.
And I think Liam Mclay could be one of those guys.
Again, I don’t want to claim to know more than I do.
Um, but he’s got that he’s got that sweet stroke that the Spurs need.
They don’t have many sweet strokes on their roster.
A little bit of size to him.
Uh unlike Dylan Harper has a obvious place where he fits into the group.
So uh yeah, that would be uh somebody you look out for with that number 14 pick, like Tom said if the Spurs make it.
Jeff McDonald: Yeah, there there are there are scouts who are probably being a little contrarian, who will tell you if if uh you know, Khan Keniple is not the best shooter in this draft that it might be Mcney.
So that’s yeah, that’s definitely a reason I would and he’s a guy that’s kind of projected to still be around around that 14th pick.
So if the Spurs keep that pick, that’s one guy I think they almost definitely take a good hard long look at.
him and his…
Mike Finger: And I don’t think that he’s a uh I don’t think that he’s just a like a spot up guy.
I think that his athleticism numbers, all that stuff’s uh he graded out pretty well at the the combine.
So yeah.
Tom Orsborn: Yeah, he shot well, he graded out extremely well athletically.
Um, you know, and and as far as the shooting at Yukon, he he had an injury that sideline him for quite a while, so you know, I think that that contributed to it greatly.
I I wouldn’t be concerned about how he shot the ball at Yukon.
Mike Finger: And not to be turn this into a complete Liam Mcney podcast, but um the spur when the Spurs drafted Stefan Castle last year, um Danny Hurley, I I saw Danny Hurley at the draft and he had told me about what a fixture the Spurs been had been at Yukon practices, games for a whole year.
They knew more about Stefan Castle than anybody.
Nick Talbot: They probably heard more about them than their own NBA team.
Well, the thing is they that wasn’t the same year Mclay was there, but they do have the relationships with the Yukon staff, people who probably they trust to be pretty honest with them to get a to get an accurate view of of what kind of player this guy is.
So, um, I I think they have the right intel on him.
That doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll they’ll draft him.
It might be they won’t draft him.
But uh, but that’s that’s a factor there that I think.
Jeff McDonald: All that’s all that said, we’re we’re all pretty convinced that if the Spurs make the second pick, they’re probably going to trade the 14th.
much as they did last year with the eighth.
Mike Finger: Um, I don’t know if I’m sure.
I think it’s a significant possibility.
Um, I I wouldn’t be shocked if they make both picks, but I think that is if if I had to bet, you know, if if if the option is do they make uh if if the overunder under is one and a half picks, do they make more than one and a half picks or less than one and a half picks?
I’d take the under on that.
Jeff McDonald: Right, I don’t think they make both of them.
Mike Finger: Yeah.
But I you know, it stranger things have happened.
You it takes two to to make a trade.
You know, you can’t just say we’re trading this.
Maybe they don’t get what they want for either one of them.
So um I always make that’s you get a lot of wisdom here on this podcast.
Jeff McDonald: A minimum of two actually, Jeff.
True, that’s true.
Mike Finger: Sometimes sometimes there’s more.
Yeah.
Uh, Jeff has all kinds of insight.
Jeff you know, the Jeff’s opinion is is actually like statistically monitored.
Uh, I don’t know if you’re aware of this.
Jeff McDonald: I am not aware of this, but it seems very Big Brotherish and I’m not a fan.
Mike Finger: Yeah.
Well, I I wish I could find I I I saw it on the on on on on the internet recently where somebody had uh done a uh a graph on the uh the whole pool, the voter Oh it is for the NBA Awards.
And and ranked every voter from the most outside the the from free thinkers to sheep, I believe were the terms.
Jeff McDonald: Am I a sheep?
I’m probably a sheep.
Mike Finger: You were right there in the middle.
You were right there in the middle.
Nick Talbot: Okay, proud of that.
I don’t think you want to be the extreme on either side, so I’m proud of that.
Mike Finger: I I think I think you’re right.
And basically the point was uh, you know, the the the free thinkers are the ones who just had the most uh crazy, you know, outside the box.
Yeah.
Outrageous and it just to be contra contrarian for contrarian sake.
Uh you know, never voted for the uh the the people who actually won.
And then the the the sheep were the ones who just voted for like on down the line like the the official NBA list of award winners basically were those people’s ballots, the sheep.
Like they they voted for who everyone else voted for.
Jeff had a little bit of uh free thinking to him, a little bit of contrarianism to him, but uh a bit of conformity too.
So What a niche cottage industry ranking the voters in awards, sports Awards, you know, could be Hall of Fame, Hall of Fame voters too.
I I believe that there are you know, baseball Hall of Fame that they do the same thing that there are awards on votes.
With the the the AP top 25 like football and basketball polls.
I I know for a fact there are people who track that and know who the most contrarian voters are and who the most conformed voters are.
It’s interesting.
You would have thought my uh Sandro Mamushvili uh MVP vote would have put me in the free thinkers pile, but I guess not.
Mike Finger: Yeah.
Yeah, there’s some really free thinkers out there.
What was the toughest and and and longtime listeners of this podcast know how much host deplores and abhors and cannot stand award talk.
But some people like and a voter, so uh they’ll ask him what was your toughest call, most interesting call?
People don’t believe this by the way you act on this podcast, but you do take your job extremely seriously.
and I know you put a lot of thought into all these votes.
You take the responsibility uh seriously.
Um, what what what what were your longest uh mulling decisions?
Jeff McDonald: It that’s an interesting question because there’s some categories that are difficult because there’s just a ton of good candidates, right?
Like how do you pick a coach of the year really?
I I can make a perfectly fine case for like five dudes, right?
Or six man of the year, kind of the same thing.
Most improved player, kind of the same thing.
There’s a whole list of them, but the I mean, the one this year that this was one year where the MVP vote was actually pretty interesting at the top.
Um, do you do you go with uh She Gil just Alexander?
Did you go with uh the old main stay Nicole Jokic?
Um, a lot here, you know, games and was the NBA scorer uh in SGA.
That’s very a compelling argument to me, but I went I went with Nicole this year, who did not win it.
So that might have that might have got me a little closer to the free thinker pile.
That you weren’t an on you weren’t on an island there either.
I think that.
they were just a significant number of Yokic voters.
It wasn’t super close, but it was uh Yes, I’m I’m I’m aware.
I’m aware.
Um, so that that was That was I’m just explaining to the listeners.
Not explaining to you.
That was the one that I really probably went back and forth with a lot.
I I assume most people most people did.
Like I I can’t imagine anyone that just planted their flags on one of those guys and decided I’m right and anyone that picks uh the other guy is an idiot because that’s not how I thought of it.
I thought they were both very good candidates and it was hard to choose between them, but I mean, you know, Jokic average a triple double and was pretty much the leader of a team that was so bad if you know, like that fired its coach.
Like like that team would have fallen apart without without uh Jokic and they made the playoffs, made a decent decent playoff run even though that’s kind the game seven.
Even though that has a Go ahead, I’m sorry.
Even though that has a factor into your MVP vote what they do in the off sea in the post season because your your um votes do before that, but I’m aware I’m aware Jeff.
I mean and I did do a little bit towards the end of that season just kind of sideling up to various uh, you know, Spurs and locker room.
Hey, who would you pick between these guys, you know, just between you and me?
And and in the Spurs locker room, um Jokic was the overwhelming choice of who they they they think is the MVP.
Um, I did read something in right before the votes were due.
I think the athletic did a uh uh survey of a a larger swath of uh NBA players anonymously and they all picked SGA.
So maybe my sample size was too small, but I kind of when you have players in your locker room telling you Jokic is the hardest guy we have to, you know, deal with all year.
That that that factors in, you know.
Could be some uh some rivalry bias too uh and that the that’s a good Segway.
That’s a good Segway into what we’re witnessing right now with the Thunder.
Thank you, Tom.
Just thinking of uh thinking of what the Spurs could be possibly if they follow that uh that template.
And that’s another argument to be made for staying the course and for not necessarily cashing in all those lottery picks at once, all those all those draft picks uh to to to fill immediate needs because the thunder, it has been a uh an extended improvement.
Like they they did not become NBA Finals favorites overnight.
Uh they had a year last year where they we’ve talked about this before where they had to experience playoff failure even after a really good regular season.
Um, yeah, Tom you’re you’re right and that’s that’s why the Spurs I think kind of see them as uh an adversary as a rival because they know that that’s the that’s the program that they are going to be up against uh over the next excuse me, half decade or more.
And they but it is it also is an inspiration though as much as it’s a rival.
It’s it’s uh it’s it’s an inspiration for how to do things that way.
Sam Presty came from the Spur school and uh he builds things the way RC Buford and and Brian Wright and El Jefe Greg Popovich build things and uh yeah, this is that the thunder are the reason to hold on to these picks to to build with young people on the same timeline and and uh and stay the course.
And so…
I mean the the Thunder this version of the Thunder notably did not make a you know, a big Janis level trade.
Yes, they built everything from within.
I mean their best player came from a trade technically.
But um that was actually them trading out the big superstar in Paul George to the Clippers for young She Gil just Alexander that I don’t think anybody um maybe the Thunder did.
I don’t want to speak for them, but I don’t think most of us had him pictured as a future MVP.
If you want perspective on how long ago that was and how uh how much has happened and how long the thunder have been building this.
Do you remember who else had had reportedly the option to trade for that same package of Los Angeles Clipper picks that wound up uh featuring She Gil just Alexander.
Do you remember?
I believe it was the San Antonio Spurs.
For which player?
But they but they selected a package from Toronto that included Demar Rosen, Ya Purtle and the pick that venally became Keldon Johnson.
Isn’t that sort of crazy to think about?
Like that’s how long ago the the Thunder made that deal for their eventual MVP like it seems like ages ago since that we were going through all that Kawaii drama here.
And that’s how long it that’s how far reaching these these decisions can become.
Like the the Thunder make that deal that same off season that the Spurs were shopping Ki Leonard and low these many years later, they look like they’re closing in on the NBA Finals.
Some It took them the thunder after getting SGA took them what seven years to get here?
Yeah.
And you And I’ve I’ve I’ve written this before.
I’ve mentioned it before on the podcast, but you go back through the last two plus decades of NBA champions and you never, you never without exception find a uh the best player on an NBA champion in that’s that’s before year six or seven.
Like all of the it all they always the best player is a guy who’s had to go through it.
And uh that’s why this immediacy, this this panic um to to say, you know, the Spurs have to win these championships with Weby in years three and four and five.
It’s just not realistic.
Sometimes that happens, you know, Tim Duncan did it in year two, but almost nobody has done it