Why The Thunder Signed Robert Vaden
Robert Vaden (right) was a a 2009 draft pick of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
At first glance, today’s signing of Robert Vaden might be a head-scratcher.
But dig deeper into the Thunder’s history and the culture of the organization and the transaction makes much more sense.
Vaden was a 2009 draft pick of Charlotte but was acquired via trade by the Thunder. Perimeter shooting is his specialty. The last two seasons, Vaden has played over in Italy and with the Tulsa 66ers, all while his draft rights remained property of the Thunder. In 45 regular season games with the 66ers this season, Vaden averaged 10.4 points while shooting 39.2 percent from 3-point range, along with 2.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 28 minutes per game.
The Thunder inked Vaden as the 15th man but kept him with the 66ers by immediately assigning him to Tulsa. The 66ers made the second round of the NBA D-League playoffs, but expect to see Vaden in a Thunder uniform at the conclusion of the D-League playoffs.
It’s unlikely Vaden will find minutes on the Thunder. The team’s rotation is set, and talented players like Nate Robinson are already squeezed out.
So why did the Thunder sign a guy who probably isn’t going to play?
The answer can be found in something rather significant the Thunder is doing — growing from within. Vaden’s signing is the organization’s latest example of its commitment to its current cast of young players. For the Thunder, a laundry list of guys already make up that group. In addition to Vaden, the list includes Byron Mullens, Cole Aldrich, Ryan Reid, Latavious Williams and Tibor Pleiss. Last season, D.J. White and Kyle Weaver also fell into that category.
Vaden’s call-up is further proof that the Thunder rewards hard-working players who have the right attitude and show a commitment to getting better. Aldrich has spent much of his rookie season paying his dues and is currently doing so in Tulsa. Mullens has been on the Turnpike Express as well over the last two seasons. The system might not result in every young player getting called up or put on the permanent roster. But a clear method has been created, and it’s already led to some pretty favorable results.
Quietly, the Thunder-owned 66ers have cranked out tons of talent. The Thunder did the exact same exercise with Mustafa Shakur last season, signing him toward the end of the season for the rest of the year and the playoffs. Shakur is now playing for Washington. Weaver, meanwhile, chipped in during emergency situations last year in between stints developing with the 66ers. Now, Weaver is a member of the Utah Jazz. The 66ers also helped Zabian Dowdell get signed by Phoenix and Larry Owens recently get signed by the Wizards.
The system is working because the Thunder is committed to in-house development.
Don’t be surprised if Vaden, Williams, Reid are all on the Thunder’s training camp roster next fall. It would be another step in the process for each of them to potentially make their NBA dreams come true. And for the Thunder, it would be another chance to groom young guys who might someday be able to contribute valuable minutes in a pinch.
Vaden might not be the sexiest selection as the 15th man. But be careful not to overlook what his signing symbolizes about the continued commitment to the growth and development of players that are in the program.
-DM-
Monday Morning Mailbag
It's plays like this one by Russell Westbrook, surrounded by four Raptors defenders, that have fans calling him a ball hog.
Good Monday, Thunder heads.
Much has happened since our last mailbag. Kendrick Perkins made his Thunder debut. The Thunder went on a season-long six-game winning streak…then saw it snapped by Toronto, which swept the season series. And James Harden has become a player.
In this week’s mailbag, we discuss ball-hogs, buried assets and Byron Mullens’ future.
And as always, join the conversation if you’d like. Our mailbag is always open.
Enjoy!
How do you think the Rockets are finishing up the season? – Myron M.
Resiliently. After all they’ve been through they’re still in the hunt for a playoff spot. And they might actually make it! Five of their final 11 games are against teams below .500. And six of their final 11 come at home. Of their remaining road games – Miami, New Jersey, Philadelphia, New Orleans and Minnesota – only the Heat game looks like a guaranteed loss. The Rockets are only a game and a half behind Memphis for the eighth seed and the Grizzlies have a tougher home stretch with road games at Boston, Chicago, Portland and home dates with Utah, San Antonio and New Orleans remaining. I suspect it will come down to the wire between the Rockets and Grizzlies, maybe even the final day of the regular season.
Hey Darnell. Not to be overly critical because RW is clearly awesome and a work in progress. But clearly someone has not told this guy that he is incredible when he gets his teammates involved. I understand the need for him to be aggressive, but it seems like he can get his whenever and he doesn’t really need to “look for his offense.” Anyway, hopefully he can figure it out because I don’t think it bodes well for the playoffs for Russ to ball hog (a la Kobe) down the stretch. What do you think? – Marc.
We give players so much attention and adoration for scoring that few want to do anything else. Westbrook has proven he can be a great playmaker. But it always seems like there is a moment in every game when he’s just like, ‘Forget this. I’m scoring.’ You’re right, he’s awesome. But he’d be great if he was a threat to both score as well as make his teammates better at all times. It’d keep the defense off balance and improve everyone’s efficiency. Finding the right balance and consistently being able to play with it should be Westbrook’s focus this summer. His takeover-ability, however, actually should help the Thunder in the playoffs. It did last year. And if things get bogged down this postseason, it’s great to have an option that can create something in a hurry.
Hey Darnell. I’m a huge Thunder fan. Watched every game the past two years. Regarding this year’s draft, if Kawhi Leonard is still there when the Thunder picks, which is 50/50, we need to take him. He’s very athletic. A great rebounder and ball-handler. Solid defender, passer and shooter. He was a double-double machine all year. Please tell Presti or Scotty or anyone really about this kid. – Jeff S.
Sorry, Jeff. I highly doubt he’ll be around. I haven’t watched a second of San Diego State this season so I’m honestly not familiar with his game. I’ll have to take your word for it. But the Thunder is on pace to pick in the mid-20s. Leonard is projected to be a lottery pick. With Presti running the show, there’s always a chance of the Thunder trading on draft night, perhaps even trying to move up to get him or someone else. But if Leonard is as good as the scouts and so-called draft experts say he is, it’d be hard for the Thunder to get its hands on him.
Monday Morning Mailbag
Sharpshooter Daequan Cook has heat up on the court and lit up our mailbag.
What a week!
Since we last emptied our inbox, the Thunder has lost on a buzzer-beater, gone into overtime twice (three times if you count double-OT) and hosted the Miami Heat.
Over that same span, Serge Ibaka has found the doghouse, Daequan Cook has found his stroke, Russell Westbrook registered his third triple-double of the year and Kevin Durant had a career night in the midst of averaging 35.5 points and 10.7 rebounds in four games.
Ready to do it all over again?
The Thunder has an abbreviated three-game schedule this week, hosting New Orleans on Wednesday before a road back-to-back set at Phoenix and Utah. It’ll be hard to top last week’s excitement. But with this team, you just never know.
Let’s get to the mailbag.
Where can we find stats/info on Pleiss? What team is he playing for and how is he playing? Are the Thunder keeping in touch with him and watching his development closely? – Daniel.
Eurobasket.com has stats that seem to be accurate and updated regularly. It looks like in 21 games Pleiss is averaging 9.3 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.0 blocks in 20.6 minutes. The name of his team is Brose Baskets. And, yes, the Thunder’s front office keeps close tabs on him. Several front office executives have traveled across the water to check in with Pleiss and monitor his development. I hear he’s doing quite well. The Thunder has made it a point to maintain positive relationships with the international clubs that their draft picks play on. That was the case with Serge Ibaka and, to a lesser extent DeVon Hardin and Robert Vaden. It’s been no different with Pleiss.
This might be the elephant in the room that no one wants to talk about, and I don’t mean this as a slight against Westbrook (I think he is a great, explosive player). But do you think the fact that he is not a “true” point guard holds the team back at all? Sometimes he gets into hero mode which takes others out of rhythm and Maynor sometimes seems to do a better job of getting everyone involved. Is this an issue for the Thunder or am I overreacting? – Timothy.
You’re overreacting. Westbrook’s hero-mode mentality looks terrible at times. But no one has any complaints when that style takes over and wins games. Besides, how many “true” point guards are there in the league today? Three? Four? Maybe. The NBA has changed. John Stockton isn’t walking through that door. I will say that Westbrook has fallen in love with his pull-up jumper. I wrote last year that it was much better even though the stats didn’t indicate as much. But this year, Westbrook has become more consistent and the numbers bear out that fact. Now, he forces it too much at times and that does in fact hurt the team. But he’s not the only one who takes bad or rushed shots. The bottom line, though, is Westbrook helps this team much, much more than he hurts it. And he’s got to be on the floor, doing exactly what’s brought him this far.
Monday Morning Mailbag
As Nenad Krstic (12) and Jeff Green (22) allow opposing big men to have their way on the inside, fans have set their sights on Memphis center Marc Gasol.
In our first-ever Thunder mailbag, forward Jeff Green takes the focus of 40 percent of this week’s questions. That’ll happen when you’re shooting 37 percent in January.
But should Green be sent packing? Can the Thunder acquire a center? And what, if anything, can be done about the Thunder’s dreadful 3-point shooting?
We answer those questions and more in our new Monday Morning Mailbag.
If Jeff Green opts to test the free agent market, which available players do you think would be a great fit for OKC either as a starter or reserve for Ibaka? — Kyle.
Green will be a restricted free agent this summer. So he’s going to see what offers are out there. At this point, it’s all a matter of how much another team is willing to pay. If no team throws an absurd amount of cash at Green, he’s likely to return. But if a team comes in with a high-dollar offer, both Green and the Thunder have a decision to make. Green must decide whether to take the money and run or to take less money to continue to be a part of something that’s building from the ground up. And the Thunder must decide whether it can afford to keep Green around and risk his bloated contract potentially blowing up the books. It’ll be an intriguing situation. There are a lot of hypothetical/fantasy options out there. You don’t need me to feed that beast. But if Green bolts, the truth of the matter is the Thunder might have to just plug in Ibaka and move forward. Every quality big man carries a big contract. And with the Thunder having so many young players coming up for contract extensions (not to mention the potential for more restrictive rules in the next collective bargaining agreement possibly hindering teams), this franchise can’t risk bringing in a pricey big man if it comes at the expense of retaining the current core. Unless there is a super value somewhere, which rarely exists and often is in the form of a rugged, more one-dimensional player when he is out there, my gut says the Thunder marches on with Ibaka while getting Cole Aldrich ready for duty.
What does Thabo’s future with Thunder look like? I feel like if/when Harden cracks the starting lineup that Thabo playing against second units is pretty pointless. — Andrew.
I wouldn’t call it pointless. Every team will always have a need for defenders, no matter how his minutes come. Thabo’s got three years remaining on his contract, and I suspect he’ll be around for the duration of this deal — unless of course some opportunity comes along that is too good to pass up. But Thabo is still just 26, and the economics of his deal work incredibly well for the Thunder going forward. That’s important to remember as extensions for Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook begin to make their way onto the books. If Harden ever takes over the starting spot from Thabo, the Thunder will still have tremendous flexibility when looking to match up with opponents if Thabo is coming off the bench. Look at how players like Matt Barnes, Mickael Pietrus and James Posey impacted games on the defensive end in the playoffs over the past few seasons. Of course, what separates Thabo from that group and others is perimeter shooting. If Thabo ever gets that part of the game down, he’ll be a great asset to have coming off the bench for 15-20 minutes, especially in future postseasons.
