When Thunder general manager Sam Presti sat down to talk in the early hours Friday following the NBA Draft, he greeted the gathered media with a "Good morning." For those who’d long went to bed and didn’t hear the explanation to follow, the morning was a little different.
When the Thunder selected 19-year-old Darius Bazley with the 23rd pick of the first round Thursday night, irrational or not, a wave of displeasure swept over a fan base. That’s no fault of the promising Bazley — one of the top prospects from the Class of 2018 — but a tale of the frustration that has built up around the Thunder across the last three seasons of up-and-down offense and first-round playoff exits.