A Quick Chat With Sam Presti
Wanted to make sure everyone saw a good conversation that took place between Thunder GM Sam Presti and an NBA TV studio crew of Ernie Johnson, Kevin McHale and Chris Webber.
Presti talked about James Harden’s development, how he acquired Jeff Green, how much the players like playing together and answered some questions about his drumming skills. Take a look.
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Q&A With Kevin Ollie
It was long overdue but I finally got in touch with Kevin Ollie, the veteran point guard the Thunder signed on Aug. 1 to add stability and leadership to the lead guard position. Throughout our 18-minute conversation, Ollie talked about why he joined the Thunder, why he thinks something special is being built in Oklahoma City, his goals of a coaching future, the impact of assistant coach Maurice Cheeks’ addition and how he plans on mentoring Russell Westbrook while competing with Shaun Livingston for backup minutes.
Ollie, who turns 37 in late December, is regarded as one of the classiest guys in basketball and that characterization was evident in our brief chat. He was thankful for the opportunity to continue his career and eager to meet his new teammates and start training camp. He was insightful, introspective, eloquent, humble and gave the impression of being an extremely hard worker. Thunder fans definitely will take a liking to Ollie’s personality, and if he provides anything of value on the court this season that will just be icing on the cake.
DM: What attracted you to the Thunder?
KO: From Day One they gave me a call and expressed interest and had a strong belief in me and my talents and what I can bring as an asset to the team. So I really appreciate their involvement from Day One. And once I met Sam Presti and coach Brooks I just fell in love with the organization. They do everything in a classy way, and I just believe that they’re building a winning program there that I wanted to be a part of.
More On The Durant Free Agent Front
This time next year, Kevin Durant will be eligible to re-sign with the Thunder for up to five more seasons beyond the 2010-11 season.
In Monday’s paper I wrote about Durant’s contract situation and how he isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, in large part because, no matter how hard it might be for some to believe, he really has grown fond of Oklahoma and the Thunder. But I wanted to post some additional information about Durant’s forthcoming decision and give you an even clearer idea of why Durant isn’t likely to leave after his rookie deal.
In short, players like Durant just don’t walk after their rookie contracts.
Whether we believe Durant will do what he’s repeatedly said he wants to do — remain with the Thunder for as long as possible — is up to us at this point. It’s certainly understandable how fans and media types have revoked the benefit of the doubt from athletes and coaches. There are far too many examples of a player or coach insisting his or her heart is somewhere only to jump ship weeks later.
But if Durant’s good old-fashioned word isn’t enough, let’s examine history.
Out of 70 top 10 picks from 1999-2005, 40 players went on to sign an extension with the team that drafted them or the club that traded for them.
(I chose this seven-year time frame because the second most recent CBA was instituted in 1999 and still contained rules with similar structuring of rookie contracts to today. I stopped at 2005 because the jury is still out on the class of 2006, which just became eligible to sign extensions this summer and so far has seen No. 1 overall pick Andrea Bargnani become the lone top 10 pick from that class to re-up.)
Of the remaining 30 players from 1999-2005 who didn’t sign extensions, 15 were players who can be considered busts or simply didn’t live up to early expectations: Marcus Fizer, Rodney White, Nickoloz Tskitishvili, Dajuan Wagner, Jarvis Hayes, Stromile Swift, Keyon Dooling, Joel Przybilla, Channing Frye, DeSagana Diop, Michael Sweetney, Darko Milicic, Rafael Araujo, Ike Diogu and Luke Jackson.
Durant As Good Or Better Than LeBron?
I asked Thunder general manager Sam Presti just a few days ago what the USA Basketball mini-camp did for Kevin Durant, Jeff Green and Russell Westbrook. Presti, always modest, surprisingly gushed about how he thought the few days his players spent in Las Vegas really went a long way to build their reputations in the minds of scouts, coaches and GMs throughout the league.
Presti said nationally people really liked what they saw out of Oklahoma City’s big three. They were impressed with their practice habits and their work ethic. They liked that they played the game the right way and excelled against the best young competition in the NBA.
It was the first time opposing execs got to see Durant, Green and Westbrook up close for an extended behind-the-scenes look at what goes into making them special players. The first time outsiders got to see their passion for the game and their willingness to put the necessary time into becoming the best players they can be.
Then along came this observation from longtime NBA writer Sam Smith:
“It’s being whispered now among NBA types because, I believe, under a secret NBA/ESPN provision you are not permitted to say aloud anything that might be interpreted to suggest LeBron James isn’t the best thing to ever happen in anyone’s life. But sitting in the stands in Las Vegas at the USA Basketball mini-camp and hearing NBA coaches and general managers, the gasps have been for Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant. I’ve now heard more than one say that Durant could be a better player than James given Durant’s combination of amazing size at about 6-10 and pure shooting stroke. And he’s still 20. The feeling is Durant is on the brink of being a 30 per game scorer. Plus, Durant is a serious worker…”
I tweeted a link to this blurb on my Twitter account, and Durant responded by saying, “Man Y people keep sayin that…I’m not nowhere near as good as LeBron man.”
Paul Millsap: To Sign Or Not To Sign?
One name that constantly crops up around here as the start of free agency nears is Paul Millsap. The big man for the Utah Jazz will be a restricted free agent Wednesday, and fans have long wanted the Thunder to take a chance on the 6-foot-8 forward out of Louisiana Tech. A potential pairing of Millsap and the Thunder has made national headlines Monday morning because of mentions here and here, suggesting the Thunder might make a run at him.
It’s an easy connection to make. Millsap, with his rebounding and interior defense, fits the Thunder’s most pressing needs. Assistant general manager Troy Weaver is also a former director of player personnel with the Jazz and is more familiar with Millsap than most. Add to that, Millsap is one of the best up-and-coming big men in the league after a breakout season in 2008-09 as a result of Jazz starter Carlos Boozer’s injury woes. Millsap averaged 13.5 points, 8.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.0 blocks and 1.0 steals, all career-highs. He also connected on career-highs of 69.9 percent from the free throw line and 53.4 percent from the field in 30.1 minutes per game.
And so there are reasons to believe the Thunder will make a run and Millsap, but there are also some that suggest OKC won’t.
Open Mike Podcast: Harden, Mullens & Head Fakes
Sports editor Mike Sherman and I are back in the booth with more banter.
In today’s installment, we discuss whether James Harden is fat, if B.J. Mullens is any good and why GM Sam Presti passed on Ricky Rubio.
Join us.
(Oops. Technical difficulties on the first try for anyone who clicked on it. That was an old podcast. Today’s is now posted.)
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Thunder Get Their Man, And It Was Harden All Along
I knew James Harden would be the pick since the draft lottery balls bounced the Thunder the third pick on May 19.
Sold I was that he would be the one putting on an Oklahoma City cap before walking up the steps of the WaMu Theatre at Madison Square Garden, reaching the top of the stage and shaking NBA Commissioner David Stern’s hand while staring out at flashing bulbs.
Then Thunder GM Sam Presti misdirected me with his maneuvers over the past week. First he flew to L.A. to meet with Ricky Rubio last Saturday. Wanted to glance over his problematic contract and parlay with Rubio’s family and representatives. Three days later, word got out the Thunder had hired a Spanish law firm to give that complicated contract a careful once over.
It knocked me off my pivot. I should have held my ground.
Few understood how or why I had reached such a firm conclusion on Harden. My explanation was the same, through tens of radio interviews and tons of talks with editors and co-workers, friends and fans.
“He fits the Thunder way.”
Sam Presti Talks NBA Draft
Just got off a teleconference with Sam Presti. The Thunder’s general manager addressed his team’s needs going into tomorrow night’s NBA Draft, why the organization hired a Spanish law firm, what they could possibly do with the 25th selection and the newest rumor that has the Thunder trading up to get the 14th overall pick from Phoenix.
Presti was asked about what he learned from his meeting with Ricky Rubio last week and whether he is more comfortable with the situation after examining his contract, but he called the situation an “internal matter.” Presti was also asked about Russell Westbrook’s comments in ESPN The Magazine, but because he was unaware of the context of the question he felt it was inappropriate to comment on Westbrook’s comments. Presti did reiterate that Westbrook is a team-first guy, a competitor and a winner and has always been that way.
With that, I give you a transcript of your general manager’s thoughts on Thursday night’s draft.
Q: Can you talk about your areas of need are heading into Thursday? What are the areas you’ll be looking to address as you head into tomorrow?
A: We’re always looking for ways to improve the team, and the draft is another opportunity for us to take a step forward as an organization. Hopefully add a player or players to the team that we feel like have a chance to grow with us and continue to grow with the team that we have in place. I wouldn’t say that we’re going in looking to fulfill every need that we have as a ball club in one night. I don’t think that would be realistic. But we’re going to look to try to get a little bit better on Thursday night and ultimately see if we can add another piece to the puzzle.
Q: Can you say in any specific nature in terms of you guys needing more interior defense or more shooters, things that you may be looking for in these players that you will draft?
A: As a ball club that didn’t make the playoffs last year and obviously didn’t have the kind of success that we’d like to have from a win-loss standpoint, we’ve got a lot of needs. We’re no different than a lot of teams in the NBA. We’d love to be able to continue to add shooting and continue to improve our defense and continue to play more efficient basketball. That’s important to us. Like I said, we’re not going to address everything in one night. And one thing that I think is important for us organizationally, and maybe beyond the draft on Thursday, is the continued development and improvement from our players on our current roster. As we know we’ve got a younger team. And with younger teams, summertime is an important time for development. And Scott and his group have made a very consistent and conscious effort to hold a real sense of accountability for individual development and ultimately team development. So we’re looking forward to that being an important part to our summer and our overall improvement.
Q: Did you guys hire a Spanish law firm, and if so, what for?
A: I believe that the report was confirmed from the team. And secondly we want to be as thorough as we possibly can as we prepare for the draft in all aspects. It’s not specific to one piece of information that was reported.
More From The Chad Ford Q&A
In today’s editions of The Oklahoman I did a Q&A with Chad Ford, who covers the NBA Draft for ESPN.com. Here’s more of what Ford had to say.
Q: What’s your approach to covering the draft?
A: I don’t really think the fans care so much what I think about a particular player. I, like everybody, have opinions about who I like and who I don’t like in the draft. But what I want to try to capture for them is what NBA scouts and NBA GMs think about the draft. Who they like and why? Why sometimes a great college player doesn’t translate to the pros? Or why sometimes a mediocre college player gets ranked so high? And what I try to do in my top 100 is build a consensus from all the scouts and front office people that I’ve talked to to try to get a look at overall who are the best players in the draft.
Q: Do you look forward to this time of the year, sort of like a child looks forward to Christmas?
A: I love it. From 2001-05 I covered the entire NBA. The draft was just a part of what I did. When I moved to Hawaii and became a professor, the one piece that I couldn’t give up was the draft. I’ve always loved it. I loved it since I was a kid, and it is Christmas. I don’t care how much work it is. The last two days I probably won’t sleep a minute talking to people through the night and then writing from 2 a.m. to 5 a.m. and then doing ESPN Radio starting right after that. But I love it, and I think I’ve got the best job in the world.
Q: Is it true you spend 11 months out of the year in Hawaii and come here and hit the circuit from the period between the draft lottery and the draft?
A: Yeah about 10 months out of the year in Hawaii. Then I’m traveling around in May and June and a little bit of April.
Q: How do you sift through all the smokescreens this time of year and decipher what’s real?
A: That’s hard. And, listen, I get stuff wrong. I have two criteria. I try to get multiple people for confirmation on something or more than one person telling me the same thing who didn’t hear it from the other guy who told me. The second thing is just about relationships. I know these guys over time. I know the people who tend to mislead me when it comes to the draft. I’ve definitely been burned on more than one occasion by a number of guys in the league. I take their reputation with me into account when sifting through things. But it’s a dicey business because, especially right now, there is very little that an NBA GM or agent will tell you that isn’t self-serving. If they are leaking something it’s because it’s in their best interest.
Camby To OKC? Presti Meets Rubio. Thabeet To Memphis?
I just got back in town from a weekend away and was out of touch, but I wanted to make sure I posted everything that’s been going on while I was away. And there was quite a bit of news over the past two days.
The Thunder had a workout Friday morning with six prospects, all of them power forwards. The session included Oklahoma’s Taylor Griffin, USC’s Taj Gibson, Michigan State’s Goran Suton, Villanova’s Dante Cunningham, Texas’ Connor Atchley and Pittsburgh’s Tyrell Biggs.
The biggest news of the weekend, however, involved Ricky Rubio, the most puzzling player in this year’s draft. The Sacramento Bee first reported that Thunder officials traveled to Los Angeles to meet with Rubio on Saturday. Rubio has confirmed the report on his Twitter page. The Bee also reported over the weekend that Rubio’s buyout situation is close to being resolved, perhaps providing closure to the biggest question hovering over the 18-year-old point guard’s draft status.
