Familiarity may breed contempt, but success is often capable of doing the same.
That seems to be the operating principle behind the notion that an early exit by the OKC Thunder from the NBA playoffs will prove the demise of Steven Adams in Oklahoma.
Oklahoma plays in the Western Conference and they probably should have switched off the lights and relocated when they let Kevin Durant escape to Golden State Warriors.
Without Durant, point guard Michael Westbrook is floundering from the effort of trying to carry a team that was borderline with Durant and is caught on the wrong side of Trump’s imaginary wall without Durant.
The size of Adam’s contract is what has the amateur lumberjacks swinging everything from Swiss Army knives to chain saws at Adams.
The rumour mill is in high gear, claiming that if OKC does not pull off a minor miracle and find a way to overcome a 3 – 1 series deficit with the Portland Trail Blazers, he will be traded.
Adams has thus far been mum on the topic, but show us an NBA player that does not want to play for one of the coastal teams and we will show you a NBA player destined for the NBL, or worse.
According to U.S. sports journo Bill Simmons, who possesses more expertise than most, “The guy they are going to have to trade is Adams who has been really, really disappointing … not only in this series but down the stretch too.”
One of the issues is that Adams is a traditional big man in a league where centres are basically extinct. With more and more teams heaving three-pointers up from all over the court, missed shots from long range often carom all over the place and a bloke like Adams if left to stand there and watch rebounds collected beyond the paint.