The Oklahoma City Thunder were one of the best teams in the West years ago. Unfortunate circumstances occurred which resulted in them losing to the Golden State Warriors, even though they were up 3 to 1 in the series.
Then, Kevin Durant made his decision to leave the Thunder to join the Warriors. It was a thorn in the side, and a kick to the back, for the organization as Russell Westbrook was alone having to run the offense and do a lot on his own. Thunder fans have to be pretty happy and excited for next year because of their latest acquisition and the other player that they got in the offseason.
Thunder sign Carmelo Anthony
The team was able to trade for Carmelo Anthony from the New York Knicks recently. This is an amazing move by the organization and a great fit for the superstar. It also gives him a chance to win a title and play with other amazing stars. Anthony will be playing alongside Paul George and Russell Westbrook, defensive specialist Andre Roberson, and center Steven Adams.
The Thunder have one of the best point guards in the league in reigning MVP Russell Westbrook. They have one of the best offensive weapons in Carmelo Anthony and they have a great all-around player in PG13. Steven Adams has developed into a superb center and they have another great defensive player in Andre Roberson.
It was easy to see that Anthony was just wasting his time with the Knicks. Carmelo is a veteran in the league and he deserves to chase a title or ring since he is running out of time in his long career.
The Knicks outlook
The New York Knicks will be optimistic since they lost their superstar player. The team I believe should have gotten more in return for such a dominant and offensive weapon like Melo.
They were able to get Enes Kanter, a good big man, Doug McDermott, and a second-round pick by information stated in an article on NBA.com. I believe that they should have gotten more in return, like a first-round pick and more players.
The Knicks organization thanked Carmelo for his time in New York. His contributions and records will remain a pure achievement and highlight to the city.
Now, the Knicks will be looking towards their youth movement and in getting players to build around Kristaps Porzingis.
Do they have enough?
The main question now is if they have enough to defeat the reigning champions in the Warriors. The answer to that exact question is that no team has a huge advantage over the champs. The Warriors were able to sign all their key players back and more.
That is not to say that the Thunder does not have a chance to beat them, they undoubtedly do. In my opinion, the team has one of the highest chances out of all the other teams in the NBA in defeating the Warriors, besides the San Antonio Spurs. I do not believe that the Houston Rockets have enough firepower to compete against the Warriors.
The Thunder does have enough firepower however, behind their 'big three' and a decent bench. They were able to acquire Patrick Patterson from the Raptors, along with Raymond Felton. The team is a threat in the West for the upcoming season and to the rest of the league. The only issue will be trying to hold onto the 'big three' for years to come because of cap space.
I believe that Carmelo Anthony has a lot more to prove to critics and that he will not be the same player he was in New York. It was clear that he was disrespected by ESPN's rating of him for next year. He has something to play for now, and that is a championship or title. And unlike Durant, Anthony will not pass up a three to one lead to get to the championship with the supreme talent built around him. He might just be the missing piece that the Thunder needed to contend for a championship.
