Under pressure
Columnist Berry Tramel says expectations are high for Thunder coach Billy Donovan.
The pressure was on Sam Presti last season. Not so much on Billy Donovan.
The Thunder had lost Kevin Durant and had fallen from championship contention. OKC had an interesting roster — any roster with Russell Westbrook passes that test — but not an elite roster. The Thunder had no chance of winning big or losing big. Donovan’s coaching was not going to change that.
Presti got no such pass. The Thunder roster had a 6-foot-11 inch hole on it. The prime of Westbrook’s career suddenly was missing a fellow superstar, the Thunder had fallen into the great unwashed middle of the NBA and it was Presti’s job to do something about it. Not Donovan’s. Not Westbrook’s. Presti’s.
Well danged if Presti didn’t come through. On the last day of the fiscal year, the Thunder general manager traded for Paul George, and suddenly OKC was back in the saddle. Not riding astride the Warriors, but capable of keeping pace with any of the league’s other 28 teams.
And the pressure has jumped, from Presti to Donovan. The Thunder again has the horses to do great things, and it’s Donovan’s job to make that happen.
Donovan’s doesn’t shirk the duty.
“Yeah, I mean, every year you want to have the opportunity to compete,” Donovan said. “You want to have the opportunity to have a team that can go out there and has growth, upside and potential. You want to be in a situation where you’re trying to pursue something at the highest level.”
Donovan likened it to his time at Florida. The Gators won back-toback NCAA championships. But then Joakim Noah, Al Horford, Corey Brewer, Taurean Green and Chris Richard all went in the NBA Draft.
“There’s so many parallels through my experiences in college,” Donovan said. The season after the second national title, “I started basically four freshmen and a junior. I knew we couldn’t win a national championship. But you’re trying to develop a foundation, a culture, of understanding what goes into doing that.”
The Gators went to two straight NITs, then returned to the NCAA Tournament. Following that season, the Gators made four straight regional finals, winning one to make the Final Four. “So for a four- or five-year period, we had a chance to win it all,” Donovan said. “We
didn’t win it all. But at least we were knocking on the door to have an opportunity to do that.”
When Florida sported that four-freshmen team, there was no great expectations on Donovan the coach. The onus was on Donovan the recruiter. And in the NBA, the recruiter is rarely the coach. It’s Presti’s job to build the roster. And built it he has.
“When I was at Florida, I was always trying to think of ways to compete for a national championship,” Donovan said. “The one thing I enjoy about being around Sam and Troy (Weaver, assistant GM) and the front office, and Mr. (Clay) Bennett (the chairman), is we’re always thinking about ways we can get better and keep trying to chase that championship.”
The pressure on Donovan mirrors the pressure he encountered his first year in OKC: a yearlong sales pitch to a superstar to remain in OKC. Durant then, George now.
There were some shaky moments for Donovan, but he finished strong. The Thunder was fantabulous in the playoffs. Then Durant left anyway. Now Presti has given Donovan a second chance.
“There’s a lot to be excited about,” Presti admitted. “At the same time, it’s not going to just like come together in training camp. It’s going to be the same process every team has to go through.
“We know the trail to get to the highest level, the elite level, is never, never easy. It’s filled with all kinds of uncertainties, unexpectedness and unknowns. It’s how you navigate those. I do feel good about the maturity, seriousness and just overall fiber of the players we’ve added, as well as the existing players.”
And Presti alluded to the elephant that looms over this entire season.
“I also think in the event this team is existing beyond this year, the future of the team is incredibly bright, given the ages of the core players, as well as the ages of a lot of the supporting players,” Presti said.
If this team exists beyond this year, he said. By this team, he means Westbrook and George. If they are convinced to stay, then absolutely, the future is bright.
But that’s the point. This season is about more than just this season. This season is about convincing Westbrook and George to stay with the Thunder. And the level at which the Thunder plays is the No. 1 factor.
Which means the pressure is squarely on Billy Donovan.
Berry Tramel: Berry can be reached at (405) 760-8080 or at btramel@oklahoman.com. He can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including FM98.1. You can also view his personality page at newsok. com/berrytramel.