Sam Presti Discusses Questions Yet to be Answered: 'There's a Lot About the Team That is Still Undefined'
Oklahoma City general manager Sam Presti sat before the media and offered some quite genuine answers on the state of the franchise on Wednesday.
Prefacing the press conference, Presti mentioned he might “not know the answer to that,” regarding the questions that could be thrown at him throughout.
Before even taking questions, Presti acknowledged that this Thunder rendition has yet to accomplish much, and that this young team is certainly still leaps away from where they want to be.
“I don’t have a lot of new or novel thoughts about this particular season as we’re approaching it,” Presti said. “Part of that, to me, is like, ‘Okay,’ cause it’s kind of where we are as a team. And part of that monotony or the drudgery of having to start fresh year after year — it’s kind of like a touchstone for lasting success.
“I don’t know if I’m going to have a whole lot of new insight for you. I’ll answer all your questions, but there’s just a lot about the team that is still undefined.”
This may seem like a bit of a wake up call to some media members and Thunder fans who have relatively unrealistic expectations. Oklahoma City was a below .500 team last season. Not by much, but they were.
Saying this, it’s important to realize the speed at which Presti wishes to push the team back to the top of the West. Throughout Wednesday’s media availability, he ensured that this would be another season for a progressional leap, rather than an all out buy-in to pursue a single championship.
Presti is seeking longevity, to be at the top of the West for years like in the Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant era. He does not wish for one season of success, but would rather prolong it in order to build a long lasting, winning franchise. There’s multiple reasons why he is one of the most methodical and effective general managers in the league, and his approach is one of them.
“I think in today’s day and age, it’s more constant that people take really hard stands with a very shallow amount of knowledge, and they just say it really loud. And that’s taken more seriously than basically saying, ‘I’m not sure about that.’
“I’d rather not be in the business of predictions.”
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