Comparing the Thunder to the Blazers

With the success the OKC Thunder have had this year, a lot of people are not only surprised by it but are also now starting to think their future may be brighter than that of the Blazers. I can tell a lot of people, including myself, are worried that the Thunder will indeed have a better future than us. However, the Thunder's development has been exactly on par with that of the Blazers.

First off, the two out of three guys we have built our team around are LA and Roy, who were both drafted in 06. The 2 out of 3 guys that the Thunder have built around our KD and Green, drafted in 07, one year after. The third guy to complete the Blazers big 3, Greg, was taken in 07, one year after drafting our two main guys. This is also true for the Thunder and Russel Westbrook to complete their big 3, except he was drafted in 08.

The Blazers struggled their first year of the rebuilding process of 06-07. The Thunder struggled in their first year as well. Both Roy and Durant won the rookie of the year, and both teams finished well under .500.

It wasn't until last year, the Blazers third year, when the new rebuilt team made the playoffs. The Blazers had a great season and finished with the 4th seed. This year, in the Thunder's third year, they too will make the playoffs. Ironically enough, it might also be the 4th seed, like the Blazers.

Who knows how the Thunder will fair these playoffs. By comparing them to the Blazers, they will get knocked out first round, like us last year.

In the summer, the Thunder will, like the Blazers last year, have enough cap room to sign a free agent who makes around the same amount of money  as say Andre Miller. They will also have to give Durant a max contract, and Green a pretty big check as well. 

Each team is both very young and both teams have plenty of potential. Both teams have a coach of the year candidate this year, and seem to have their coach of the future set (although many people complain about Nate). We have Nic, they have Sefolosha (although Nic is a way better shooter). We have Bayless and Rudy, they have Harden. Our teams are very similar in so many ways!

So where am I getting with this? Although we have had a very rough year, our future is still just as high as the Thunder's. They are succeeding at the same rate we were the previous few years. Although injuries have set us back this year, there is still playoff experience to be earned by the Blazers. They will come back healthy next year, and expectations will be lower so the Blazers can fly under the radar next season (sort of). Meanwhile OKC's expectations will be sky high next year, like ours were this year, and they may not live up to them. Dont let this year's success from the Thunder get you down and worried they will have a brighter future than us. They are on pace with the Blazers which is nothing to be worried about or ashamed of. The future for both teams are bright, and if the Blazers can stay away from injuries, I personally believe they will be better than the Thunder down the road.