Hellrabbit zei:
Op dat vlak vallen de celtics niet te verslaan... die hebben er 20 voor de komende 4 jaar ofzo :/
Merci voor Kanter trouwens waffel, da was precies wa OKC nodig had, een offensieve C. Westbrook gisteren ook met 17 assists vs 2 turnovers.
Ineens zien we twee wedstrijden waar hero ball geen enkele kans kreeg. Precies alsof we de spurs bezig zagen. Op deze manier is er een mooie toekomst weggelegd voor dit OKC...Allemaal nieuwe spelers zonder allures ook.
Ik denk ook dat dit precies is wat de OKC nodig had.
Hier nog wat tekst over Kanter naar OKC
Enter Kanter, who also had asked to be traded from the Jazz.
No one mistakes Kanter for a good or even average defender; he's tied for 177th in the league in Defensive Win Shares (0.9 per game), according to Basketball-Reference.com, and he's 39th among qualified centers in Defensive Rebound Rate, according to ESPN.com. Perkins and Adams are a lot better.
But that was the rub. OKC had two defensive-oriented big men, and no offensive-oriented ones. With Jackson likely on his way out, the Thunder had to get someone who could help make up for the loss of Jackson's offense.
Also, the Thunder have never had someone it could throw the ball to on the block and get something good out of it. (Ibaka has become more important on offense as a floor spacer and perimeter shooter.) Adams is improving but he's still not polished in the halfcourt; Kanter averages almost eight points a game in the paint, able to score with either hand.
On a far worse team in Utah, Kanter got to the foul line nearly as much as Adams did in Oklahoma City (118 free throws to Adams's 131). And, Kanter has been pretty durable, missing just 16 games in his first four seasons, 12 of which came after he underwent season-ending surgery late in 2012-13 to repair a dislocated shoulder.
Also, when would the Thunder -- facing years of being over the cap, and in the tax, and having low first-round picks -- ever have a shot at a talent like Kanter, taken third overall in 2011? (The same logic was part of what spurred OKC to get Waiters, the fourth pick in 2012, though the Thunder were more familiar with him because of assistant general manager Troy Weaver, who'd known Waiters for years.) If it did nothing, OKC would have had around $5 million next summer to try and make additions to the roster. Who could the Thunder get for that amount that would make a difference?
It came down to whether OKC would take the shot at Lopez -- talented, and more experienced, but older (26, to Kanter's 22), more injury prone, and more expensive. Lopez also had an option for next season, and with one of the most powerful agents in the game in Arn Tellem representing him, Lopez would be sure to have any number of teams chasing him if he opted out to seek one more big payday.
In the end, Oklahoma City went for young and cheaper, with Kanter turning just 22, and on his rookie contract (though he'll be a restricted free agent in July). Singler is 26, Augustin 27. Only Novak, at 31, is outside the 25 to 28 sweet spot the Thunder hit with its acquisitions.
