Stiles Points: Veteran Praising OKC Thunder Matters

In the NBA, relationships are everything. Almost yearly, we see league-shifting moves on the back of good relationships, and some franchises fall apart from relationships turning sour each season.

The way you treat people is a domino effect. The NBA, at times, can seem like an ocean, but in reality, it is closer to a pond. It is all connected. While this is still a business, how you treat others can trickle into future moves.

If an organization does a player wrong, or a player does an organization wrong, there will be a fallout. There is a better-than-good chance said the agency has more than just this player that teams would covet or that the agency wants to have caught on in the NBA.

The Players themselves are more connected now than they have ever been; with AAU and so many relationships forming prior to joining the league, sometimes they are destined to team up, and you hope to be the lucky franchise they choose.

With the new Collective Bargaining Agreement attempting to level the playing field financially, it is more important than ever to be viewed as a respectable, player-friendly franchise. If the money is closer to even, the players have the luxury of all 30 markets at their disposal; how do you separate yourself from the bunch?

Getting in the pocket of an agency can make for an easier team-building strategy, or even having a player tell his friends around the association how good life is in the said organization can make it easier to land talent.

So when future hall of famer Carmelo Anthony comes out this week and gives a glowing review of the Thunder franchise, tabbing it the best he has played for, when his resume includes the Knicks and Lakers, it means a lot.

Soon, Oklahoma City will attempt to convince their stars Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren to call Bricktown home for the foreseeable future. Having this reputation as a franchise will certainly go a long way.

Stiles Points:

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander announced on Instagram he spent Valentine's Day getting Married to his fiancé Hailey. Is Valentine's Day the best day to tie the knot? Here is the deal: are you required to get double the presents at that point? Or is this sort of a bogo situation? If that is the case, I might need to add this move to my playbook. Congratulations to the Gilgeous-Alexander's!
Darius Bazley just can not be stopped in the NBA G League. I always knew I would cover him at All-Star Weekend, and we are only a few days away from the NBA G League next up game! Bazley is averaging 18.8 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 3.8 stocks for the first-place Blue Coats.
Keyontae Johnson will be on Team LSK, a basketball Youtuber, for the G League Next Up game. This event will be formatted like the Rising Stars Challenge, with a team of four playing a tournament on Sunday afternoon ahead of the NBA All-Star game.
Tre Mann has the Hornets buzzing heading into the All-Star Break, at 3-0, Mann led them to their first win of 10-points or more this season. The Florida product posted 21 points, eight rebounds, six assists, and two steals while making over half his shots.
What happened to gas station coffee? I mean it is still around, it is still offered, but why bother at this point? The quality is just brutal. The selections are few at times, the creamers fewer, and even the lids are these pull-tab disasters. Back in my day, you could count on a good cup of joe at a gas station. Now, you are stuck paying an arm and a leg for a decent cup of mud at a high falutin chain.

Song of the Day: Truckin' by The Grateful Dead.

Stiles Points: What Are the Adjusted Expectations for the OKC Thunder?

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