The players and coaches are in the thick of it – on the court in the heat of competition, in the film room, in the weight room and on the practice floor. They’re devising ways to out-scheme, out-work and out-execute the upcoming opponent. It’s a season-long cycle that provides great depth of experience but often a lack of perspective that is the purview of the front office.
Management, led by Thunder Chairman Clay Bennett and General Manager Sam Presti, is able to take the long view. Digesting the season from above, as Presti explained in his end of season press conference on Monday, can often take some time.