West intensified. "Thunder" has become weaker

The bombings in the transfer market, fans of "Oklahoma City" seen from the outside: their team is not leading the list of favorites of the West.
Like, more recently they have been the most promising young NBA team. Nor is already very successful. Still quite young Kevin Durant , Russell Westbrook and James Harden came out very confident in the final play-off 2012: each of them at that time barely reached the age when you can buy beer at the store.
Durant, this D'Artagnan from basketball, was already three times (!) The top scorer of the regular season, megastar, whose status in disputes fans and journalists competed with only two names. Well, you can guess what. 's a good picture, by the way - in a club-finalist bosses born a genius, but a couple of his props, definitely part of the elite, each in their position. Bonus: one of the strongest second room, focused on personal care, the main center-champion of "Boston" and forward-enforcer, gifted by Mother Nature so generously that he was the only one in the world has the right to look at Blake Griffin , without dropping the lower jaw on the floor . remind the guys behind Scott Brooks (that's another obvious trump card "Thunder"!) already had a semi-final and final of the playoffs. Two defeats against future champions ("Dallas" and "Miami", respectively). This is not the classic "experience against youth." "Oklahoma City", being a very young team, could boast experience how few places razzhiveshsya. The skill and depth of? Naturally, everything is in place. 's been just over a year ... Wait, what actually happened to such a serious and irreparable? Well taken off in the second round of the playoffs before losing a key player due to injury. It's unpleasant, but not a tragedy. Better times will come soon, as promised by Ostap Suleimanovich. Oh yeah, traded Harden! already become a sort of settled down a general opinion, the collective confidence, "Thunder" made ​​a mistake by trading bearded sniper. The watershed runs smoothly on the flight out of the playoffs in 2013 - before the variance of opinion was, like, still possible. After - not argue. Harden from the phrase "potential superstar" removed exactly one word, and his former team went on holiday much earlier than planned. It all adds one to one: screwed bosses "thunder." It's all nonsense and anti-analytics, delirium hindsight. Predictors of freestyle and "I told you so", in fact, are never wrong. Invent the wheel potential, say that Usain Bolt will lose a hundred meters! Win-win: take your Jamaican cheetah - and no one will remember about your prognosis. Smile and shake his shoulders, "you do not think that I'm this seriously ..." But if suddenly lose ... Let's just remember that the "Thunder" Harden could not hold more than another season, already extending the relationship with Durant, Westbrook and Ibaka. And they could not afford to let him go for nothing. Clubs with small market do not do that. Let us remember that "Thunder" gave even stellar, but still reserve basketball player. Let's remember that they received in return for Kevin Martin and Jeremy Lamb . That is, this position is closed "starter" Sefoloshey, "the first off the bench," became the authoritative shooter Martin, and "in mind" there was a very talented young man. Well, two selections in the first round draft pick, for a moment. I will continue to insist, without having a chance to keep Harden's "Thunder" traded him well. But bad luck, in the summer of 2013 almost no one calls the first in the list of favorites of the Western Conference. Why? answer to this question is in two parts. First - this is a "new world order" in the conference as a whole. Rated contenders for the title in the West now - that bribes to traffic police. "San Antonio", do not become weaker, obviously not going to give up claims. Anybody surprised to see the "spurs" in the final next spring? That's the same. How to evaluate an "upgrade", "Clippers", who called under its banner Doc Rivers and strengthen the quality "roleplayers"? Mark Jackson and his "Warriors" who killed opponents implausible variations of light fives now have more and Andre Iguodalu . "Memphis", already strong, has added the necessary depth: the team came to Mike Miller and Costa Koufos with. "Houston" ... Well, everything is clear without words. Weak "Denver"? I think so. But it is dangerous, and "Portland" Now, consider a par. "Lakers"? Well, yes, and these things will bite off. In general, full ammo, no room to swing a cat. Who was strong, he has become even stronger. Obviously stronger not only became "Thunder" - and this is the second part of the answer. Harden's co-driver Martin in no time became a team and its valuable, but is now gone and he. Draft Pick Sam Presti has done, I think, an unexpected choice. 12th in the first round, he took the young and very raw centering Stephen Adams, and even on the radar loomed far more prepared for the NBA Shabazz Muhammad and Kelly Olinik . Why, Dennis Schroeder, Sergey Karasev and Janis Adetokumbo would add to the prospects of the composition. Clearly, the logic in the choice in favor of the dimensions (height Adams - 213 cm) is always there, but it is vital 20-year-old, who can do a little now command center, where this position can play Perkins, Ibaka, Thabit, Collison, Orton? On the free-agent market, while competitors get hold gold bullion, "Oklahoma" grabbed 39-year-old Derek Fisher and have not claimed Ryan Gomes . Durant, in his own words, write SMS invitation Dorell Wright and Mike Miller , but both eventually chose other options for continuing a career. course, in the last playoffs (and also in the summer league) proved to be a very good Reggie Jackson , and Lamb, like it or not, there are still promising. Spare "Thunder" is almost certain to be competitive, and gipertalanta starting five has not been canceled. But do not cancel, and the fact that the team is a year lost more than gained. And the trend in the current West can be dangerous.