Oklahoma City Thunder press the reset button after Russell Westbrook’s departure.
Russell Westbrook has left, Chris Paul has returned, and the Oklahoma City Thunder have pressed the reset button.
Westbrook had a chance to put the Oklahoma City Thunder ahead in the final moments of Game 6 of their Western Conference first-round series with Portland. He attempted a lay-up with 18 seconds remaining. It was a miss.
Nobody knew it was the 17,350th and final shot he would take as a Thunder player, the last time he would touch the ball in an Oklahoma City uniform, and the end of a storied 11-year run in which he scored more points than anyone else in franchise history, including regular-season and postseason games.
A new day has begun in Oklahoma City. The Thunder, one of only two teams to have a better-than-.500 record in each of the previous ten seasons (San Antonio is the other), have hit the reset button.
Westbrook has left to join James Harden in Houston, Paul George has moved to the Los Angeles Clippers to pursue his unfulfilled championship dream, and Oklahoma City is planning for the future.
“We’re still completely focused on establishing the most sustainable path for an elite team in Oklahoma City, knowing that it’s something we’ll eventually embark on, but we’re not there yet,” Thunder general manager Sam Presti stated. “And we believe that this is a season that we should fully embrace and experience.”
Chris Paul, who played his first NBA ‘home’ game in Oklahoma City 14 years ago when the New Orleans Hornets were forced to temporarily relocate there in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, is back in the city, this time as a member of the Thunder. He was the key piece the Thunder received in the trade that sent Westbrook to the Rockets.
Following the Rockets-Thunder deal, Paul became the subject of even more trade speculation. However, he insisted that he is glad to be back in Oklahoma City.
“I think that’s what drives me: competition and always trying to get better, always trying to pay attention, and see how I can improve,” Paul said. “I have an unbelievable team around me, people who try to help me on a daily basis.”
Westbrook missed the game-winning layup against Portland in April, and Damian Lillard hit a 37-footer at the buzzer to give the Trail Blazers a 118-115 victory, ending the Thunder’s season and Westbrook’s tenure with the team.
Leave a Reply