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Paul George Can Count
That's What We Forgot
Everyone knows that the lure of the house is strong for George, a Los Angeles kid who took d & # 39; Countless jumpers while pretending to be Kobe Bryant. purple and gold. And the players tend to go home: Paul Pierce played in Los Angeles towards the end of his career, Dwyane Wade played briefly in Chicago, Chauncey Billups worked in Denver
. – an official agreement with Oklahoma City Thunder – four years with an average of $ 34 million per season, a contract that seems to help pbad OKC and luxury tax bills for next season to more than 200 million of dollars – there was one who seemed to have had the most importance
He is 28.
His age
He is still a young man, even by NBA standards. Consider this: George might not even be at his NBA top yet. Unless of an extension, which is possible, he could exercise his option to become a free agent in the summer of 2021 – and even then he will be just 31 years old. Los Angeles will always be there, calling, blinking, tugging on his chord
It's a sure thing:
Another sure thing: that the Thunder, though that's the only thing I've ever seen. he is not a great team in itself, has great parts.
George shared the stage at a party in Oklahoma City on Saturday night with Russell Westbrook, which was ok since they shared the basketball scene perfectly in their first season together. All of these questions – especially variations of "how will it work?" – got an answer when the Thunder was 40-22 in the last 62 games of the regular season, George got his numbers (almost 22 points per game) and Westbrook also got his own (on average one triple-double). speak with great respect one for the other. They are not the same guy: Westbrook loves fashion and flash, George prefers to go fishing. But it has worked, both on the ground and on the outside, and this link is needed if the Thunder are to challenge Golden State and Houston for the supremacy of the Western Conference soon.
It's not just these two. The Thunder have a good fat man to Steven Adams. They bring back Andre Roberson, probably in time to start the next season after the end of the last season prematurely because of a patellar tendon rupture. They keep Jerami Grant for $ 27 million over three years, which in this NBA seems like a good deal. They have a good coach to Billy Donovan and, according to all the testimonials, it's a merry locker room.
George dropped clues throughout the spring. Asked about his future, he recounted how much he liked being in Oklahoma City. The more he said it, the more it seemed that he was not just spewing the line of business. It seemed real, and now the reality has been proven.
The Thunder has some problems, mainly what to do with Carmelo Anthony.
Anthony does not want to leave the bench, he's going to cost Thunder something like $ 70 million – the luxury tax is going to be incredibly punitive – if they keep it, and his best days are behind him. Having a good price is not Anthony's fault; The blame on the New York Knicks and Phil Jackson, those who orchestrated this contract. But it's now something that Thunder will have to handle
It's as close as that bad news in OKC right now.
George could have left, gone to the Lakers to join LeBron James, and no one would. complained. That would have been the easiest thing. Staying at OKC was the coup, both for George's CEO and Thunder Sam Presti. George took the stage at this party, caught a microphone and uttered four words that shocked many.
"I'm here to stay," he says.
Stay is a relative word in the NBA. Nothing is forever, except the lure of the house.
LA will still be there in three or four years, if he still wants to play it. George was smart enough to see that. And Thunder was smart enough not to let him run away.
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Tim Reynolds is a National Basketball Editor for the Associated Press. Write to him at [email protected]
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