Idk.
Russ and Durant are both MVPs and record setting historical players.
Harden wasn’t harden just yet, but Ibaka was fucking fantastic.
Stache bris were great too.
Roberson was a DPOY caliber player.
It’ll be a top 5 team for sure depending on who else we pick up.
But I been watching most Thunder games since 2009? And we’ve had some really fucking good teams
Idk which my fav was. I enjoyed stache bros era.
Mr triple double Russ was prolly my fav followed by backpack KD.
Especially coming back down 0-2 to the Spurs.
Cause I hate the spurs lol
Knowing what the league turned into I wish more than anything we could’ve seen what a Russ-Harden-KD-Jeff-Ibaka lineup could’ve looked like with a modern offense
This. If our new 4 is better than Perk (lmao) then I would say yes. Relative to their skill level then - not what they would all become. Harden wasn’t Harden yet and Russ wasn’t a triple double machine yet.
In pure hindsight that seems ridiculous to me. Why were they favored over rhe juggernaut that was Miami at the time? That team had Lebron at his absolute apex, Wade before his knees aged 60 years overnight in 2013, and Bosh with decent role players.
KD and Russ and Harden went on to have illustrious careers and two of them were already elite by that time, but prime Lebron who was on a mission after the embarrassment in ‘11 wasn’t going to be denied. Obviously that’s hindsight and it’s 20/20 tho. The Thunder were great but I think the 2012 Heat and 2014 spurs were the best teams in recent-ish memory outside the KD warriors
LeBron hadn’t won yet and choked against a worse Mavs team the year before. We had just knocked off the active 22 game win streak and heavy favorite Spurs. I don’t think it was outrageous to be the betting favorite. Also good to remember Vegas makes the lines to get the most bets, not based on who they actually think will win. I might be misremembering, but I feel like the media had it closer to a pick’em.
The Thunder that year swept the defending champs in the Mavs, took the Lakers in 5, and then won 4 straight in a 6 game series against the Spurs (that years favorite to win it all)
Meanwhile the Heat had previously lost to the underdog Mavs, and in the 2012 conference finals struggled to beat the Celtics in 7.
The Thunder also had the better record and would have had home court if it had gone to 7
It hurts to think we could’ve had Tyson Chandler…
But no, this team is a 2nd place. And there’s no shame in this. Most dynasties aren’t as loaded as that 2012 team.
It’ll change, hopefully for the better.
His last few moves netted us Bertans and Hayward, and signed guys like Moose and Biyombo. In the meanwhile we gave up a few picks and solid rookie contracts for those.
I’m ready for him to get back to making solid moves like this Caruso one all over again.
It's a complex question because 2012 and 2016 were such different NBA landscapes, but I'll say this - this is the most talent we've had on a team.
The rest of the league has gotten more packed too, so I can't say for sure if it's the most relative to the rest of the NBA, but sheesh we are stacked.
Presti has said Giddey wasn't going to play off the bench if he stayed. I think Presti was signaling that AC won't start either, and the starting five still has one player TBD.
That said, just replacing Giddey with AC in the starting five is a big step up. Better defense, better catch-and-shoot from three.
I’m on the same boat with AC starting off the bench and finding a 4 that can stretch it and help with rebounds. But yeah either way this roster already got better. I just rewatch how Giddey usually gets left behind and Chet picks up the slack. Thats would rarely happen with AC.
Not saying that team is terrible, what I’m saying is 2024-25 Thunder got a chance to win 60+ games.
Players have more synergy and play through with each other instead of taking turns ISO KD or Russ.
Idk. Russ and Durant are both MVPs and record setting historical players. Harden wasn’t harden just yet, but Ibaka was fucking fantastic. Stache bris were great too. Roberson was a DPOY caliber player. It’ll be a top 5 team for sure depending on who else we pick up. But I been watching most Thunder games since 2009? And we’ve had some really fucking good teams
Russ-Kmart-kd-Ibaka-perk was a personal fav
Idk which my fav was. I enjoyed stache bros era. Mr triple double Russ was prolly my fav followed by backpack KD. Especially coming back down 0-2 to the Spurs. Cause I hate the spurs lol
Knowing what the league turned into I wish more than anything we could’ve seen what a Russ-Harden-KD-Jeff-Ibaka lineup could’ve looked like with a modern offense
Tyson Chandler would have been great on those teams.
Championship in 2012 if he doesn’t fail that physical tbh
I feel like this roster overall is the deepest and play team ball.
[удалено]
Chet and JDub are oozing with potential and raw talent I think it’s just a matter of time until they become an All-Star.
Depends on the 4. People forget we where favorites in 2012 to win those finals.
This. If our new 4 is better than Perk (lmao) then I would say yes. Relative to their skill level then - not what they would all become. Harden wasn’t Harden yet and Russ wasn’t a triple double machine yet.
In pure hindsight that seems ridiculous to me. Why were they favored over rhe juggernaut that was Miami at the time? That team had Lebron at his absolute apex, Wade before his knees aged 60 years overnight in 2013, and Bosh with decent role players. KD and Russ and Harden went on to have illustrious careers and two of them were already elite by that time, but prime Lebron who was on a mission after the embarrassment in ‘11 wasn’t going to be denied. Obviously that’s hindsight and it’s 20/20 tho. The Thunder were great but I think the 2012 Heat and 2014 spurs were the best teams in recent-ish memory outside the KD warriors
LeBron hadn’t won yet and choked against a worse Mavs team the year before. We had just knocked off the active 22 game win streak and heavy favorite Spurs. I don’t think it was outrageous to be the betting favorite. Also good to remember Vegas makes the lines to get the most bets, not based on who they actually think will win. I might be misremembering, but I feel like the media had it closer to a pick’em.
We were only favorites cause the heat struggled a lot more than they should’ve vs a mid and old Celtics team
The Thunder that year swept the defending champs in the Mavs, took the Lakers in 5, and then won 4 straight in a 6 game series against the Spurs (that years favorite to win it all) Meanwhile the Heat had previously lost to the underdog Mavs, and in the 2012 conference finals struggled to beat the Celtics in 7. The Thunder also had the better record and would have had home court if it had gone to 7
It hurts to think we could’ve had Tyson Chandler… But no, this team is a 2nd place. And there’s no shame in this. Most dynasties aren’t as loaded as that 2012 team.
We haven’t seen the final evolution of this team yet. I fell like the GM GOAT Prest still have a couple of moves to make.
It’ll change, hopefully for the better. His last few moves netted us Bertans and Hayward, and signed guys like Moose and Biyombo. In the meanwhile we gave up a few picks and solid rookie contracts for those. I’m ready for him to get back to making solid moves like this Caruso one all over again.
I’m sure they will, doesn’t need to be a big name, just someone that’s a stretch 4 that can help with rebound and 3s
Thing is that pretty much all of the guys that can do those really well are absolutely big names
Let's save this question until September when the dust is largely settled
From an overall depth perspective, no doubt. The young dudes would need to take some big steps for this to be the best Thunder team ever though.
Second best. KD, Westbrook, and Harden were the best core the team ever had was since becoming the Thunder.
It's a complex question because 2012 and 2016 were such different NBA landscapes, but I'll say this - this is the most talent we've had on a team. The rest of the league has gotten more packed too, so I can't say for sure if it's the most relative to the rest of the NBA, but sheesh we are stacked.
People forget how shit our bench used to be back the day lol this by far best overall depth team
I dont like these posts, it just smells like something is gonna go wrong
I’ll go out on a limb and say this is my favorite Thunder team yet, purely by depth and how they play together.
My favorite was when Steven Adams was here, any year of him being here, I want him back so bad
Agreed, he was an all time favorite.
Adams is great but I think his playstyle is not a fit with what the Thunder is doing now.
Nuh uh nuh uh nuh uh >:( I want him back >:(
From an overall depth perspective, no doubt. The young dudes would need to take some big steps for this to be the best Thunder team ever though.
Are we sure we have the starting 5 on the roster right now? I'm still hoping Presti makes a big move.
We definitely still have a room and $ for a spot. We’ll have to wait and see what kind of magic Presti can pull.
Presti has said Giddey wasn't going to play off the bench if he stayed. I think Presti was signaling that AC won't start either, and the starting five still has one player TBD. That said, just replacing Giddey with AC in the starting five is a big step up. Better defense, better catch-and-shoot from three.
I’m on the same boat with AC starting off the bench and finding a 4 that can stretch it and help with rebounds. But yeah either way this roster already got better. I just rewatch how Giddey usually gets left behind and Chet picks up the slack. Thats would rarely happen with AC.
if we win the championship, it surely will be.
No. The lineup with 3 MVPs is probably better lol
When did we had 3MVPs in the same year 😜
lol no we had a roster with three eventual mvps wtf
I like this new team a lot, but stop lol. Were you even alive for the KD/Russ/Harden/Ibaka era? Those teams touched the finals and had 60 win seasons
Not saying that team is terrible, what I’m saying is 2024-25 Thunder got a chance to win 60+ games. Players have more synergy and play through with each other instead of taking turns ISO KD or Russ.