Thunder Views: NBA Chaos and a rough night in LA

Thursday was so much fun until it wasn’t.

OKC was without Russell Westbrook and Carmelo Anthony last night, and the Thunder never really got it going without their two stars. Other than Nick Collison, Daniel Hamilton, and PJ Dozier getting minutes, it was a rather uneventful loss at Staples Center. Paul George tore it up again, but that seems to be happening on a regular basis.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t speak on today’s trade deadline, so today we’ll toss our normal format out the window and focus on what went down yesterday afternoon.

The NBA Trade Deadline surpassed the hype, as the Cleveland Cavaliers reconstructed their entire roster within a 40 minute period. It was pure anarchy and Twitter was exploding with every Woj-bomb.

I honestly feel bad for people who don’t follow the NBA. Between GIFs of LeBron staring down D-Wade, Woj dominating, and the Atlanta Hawks sitting on their hands, it was all perfect.

The Thunder stood pat, as it seemed Sam Presti was content with the chemistry and roster configuration that currently stands. I have no doubt OKC will be active in the buyout market, which is set to be rather robust.

Moving over to the east, the Cavaliers have a completely new roster today than they had just over 24 hours ago. What teams attempt to do in one offseason, the Cavs did on a Thursday in February. Here’s a brief recap:

This basically broke Twitter.

Imagine being Isaiah Thomas? In just one year you went from an MVP candidate to a possible backup for a 20-year-old rookie. Life comes at you fast.

He was certainly a loser on the day, but the Cavs and Lakers were both victorious amidst the chaos. Teams like the Thunder and Celtics who made no moves will be considered losers by some, but I’ll disagree on that front. For one, both should, and most likely will, take advantage of the buyout market. OKC probably needed to acquire another piece more than Boston did, but it’s not the end of the world. People love activity at the deadline, so a lack of movement is always seen as a negative. Don’t let those people mislead you.

Do the Thunder need a perimeter defender? Yes. Did they get one yesterday? No. Over the last 60 days, OKC has developed some pretty great chemistry, regardless of their consistency issues. Presti wasn’t looking to force a deal that would place that locker room mood in jeopardy, and I respect that inactivity.

Happy buyout season everyone. See you Sunday at the ‘Peake.