OKC have been knocked out of the 2019 playoffs and once again we have Steven Adams being blamed for the losses. People commenting are mostly keyboard warriors who know little or nothing about the game of basketball.
Firstly, let's deal with why OKC were always going to be eliminated. It's because the team is not stacked with talent, that's why. They only have three top players, Russell Westbrook, Paul George and Steven Adams. You can't go deep in the NBA playoffs so light handed. Teams that win NBA championships are brimming with shooters and top defenders.
If we look at Westbrook, he's been a flop in the post season without Kevin Durant. But who is worse? The coach. Who in their right mind would bench Steven Adams in the final quarter of game 5 against Portland. He's the starting centre, you go to your best players and trust them when it matters. The coach is toast, likely now looking for a new job. If he isn't then the owner is a fool too.
Many people say that players like Adams can't defend the pull up 3, they can't space the floor etc. They're implying that the days of genuine bigs are over. Oh really, then why do Golden State have Andrew Bogut starting at centre, explain that! There is simply no replacing the big nasty man in the middle doing the hard work. Deal with it.
So assuming OKC will trade Adams, given they're a team of losers and wish to remain that way; my suggestion would be to look at the Lakers. They need an Adams and if a championship beckons they're usually happy to pay the luxury tax that applies to exceeding the salary cap. They'll put a team around LeBron James and Adams could be one of the support cast. Or look to other big market teams that can afford Adams on US$25mil annually.
