Josh Giddey was asked if a part of him hoped OKC wouldn’t succeed after he left. Quite the opposite. “I genuinely hope if the Bulls don’t win it, I hope the Thunder win it cause I’m close with the guys.”
I LOVE the way he emphisize IF the bulls don`t win it:)
You know how everyone always talks about how these guys have unbelievable confidence levels. Well sometimes they border delusional
Nah, this is more akin to when that reported asked Chris Paul if he thought the Clippers would come back from down 3-0, and his reponse was “what am I supposed to say? Nah, we’re trash?”.
I saw someone point out how most athletes are very religious.
Like if you were 6 foot something, had a 40” vert, 4.40 40 yard, and became a multi-millionaire before you were 20 you’d probably believe in divine intervention too.
“God is real, and he likes me!”
“ he really really likes me”!!!
“God is good” - Boxers, MMA fighters 30 seconds after beating someone’s face in.
Apparently not to the other guy or to any of your losses.
“You never hear them say ‘The good Lord tripped me up behind the line of scrimmage, do ya?’”
Man I miss Carlin
I PRAISE YOU 24⁄7!!! AND THIS HOW YOU DO ME!!! YOU EXPECT ME TO LEARN FROM THIS??? HOW???!!! ILL NEVER FORGET THIS!!! EVER!!! THX THO…
6 foot something, had a 40” vert, 4.40 40 yard, and became a multi-millionaire before you were 20
1 out of 4, good enough for me. Off to church in the morning.
1 more than me, but there’s always something to be grateful for
My pitching coach was nationally renowned and played in the majors. He said nearly all his teammates were either dumb as a rock or deeply religious… he related it to just being able to clear your mind/worries/etc by just fully depending on a higher being or being too dumb to have any thoughts or worries. So much of it is mental at the highest level.
So many of these guys don’t have an education beyond middle school.
When you’re the best athlete in your city or town, let alone school, they’ll pass you no matter what so you’re eligible to play.
Plus from stories I’ve heard people from all angles see you as their meal ticket and won’t hold you accountable to something like grades.
Still remember jack grealish not being able to identify a map of england lol
I played baseball in college. One trip I read a book on the bus and caught the nick name “The Professor” it stuck. Also, no one from my class graduated in anything approaching 4 years.
Sounds like a lot of them checked both of those boxes
I’ve always said, the best evidence I have for the existence of God is that something powerful clearly hates me.
A lot off professional athletes are also very stupid, that could explain the religiousness too.
Bulls actually went on a decent winning spree at the end of the season. Its attributed to giddy and team chemistry.
I’m pretty sure there was some type of thing like where if they won 1 less game they woulda got Flagg because they were tied with the Mavs and the coin flip ended up giving Mavs #1
Get ready for the “the half-court shot that changed the trajectory of two franchises” click bait titles in 5 years if Flagg becomes generational and the bulls continue to be a play in team
Those articles have already started happening.
Example
I fucking hate that you’re right
This is called PR training. Saying you want your current team to win the championship every year is the first thing they tell you on day one of PR training.
I feel like you need to be delusional as a pro athlete. Shit most people need to be delusional most of their life when it comes to success. Do you know how much it would suck if you’re just like yeah I’m mid. Treat yourself better than that.
When I was in my late teens and early 20s, it was during the time between Shaq leaving and the Lakers trading for Gasol. The Lakers were a 7th seed both in 2006 and 2007, and those years I was completely delusional in thinking we absolutely could win the title. But that was when Kobe was dropping 81, 62 in three quarters, scoring 50 four games in a row with two of them of being 60+ …so anything seemed possible lol
Yes, because it’s the delusional ones that win
He’s a company man
Name a player who has disliked their time in OKC or how Sam Presti managed their tenure.
–
Reggie Jackson and Gordon Hayward don’t count
Most players have really enjoyed playing here. But iirc Danilo Gallinari wanted nothing to do with OKC in the long run. He had a solid 1 year with us and did his job but there were rumors he was already 1 foot out the door halfway through the season. He’s the only 1 I can really think of
Crazy that he didn’t find OKC to feel much like his European home
Lmao. Imagining a guy from Milan having to live in Oklahoma City is deeply funny to me (I say this is as an Okie who lived in OKC for a long time).
I’m not even sure that Big Government hated OKC, he played good when Russ was out and he suddendly thouht he deserves the starting spot.
We all know how all these guys are delusionals and this is why they make it.
Reggie the only one I can think of, didn’t like being stuck behind Russ.
Calling what Gordon Hayward did here “playing” is generous, dude was god awful and played himself out of the league. He was gonna be salty no matter what
Yea I think Reggie counts but Gordon doesn’t dude didn’t want to be here from the start and never seemed to try to play here
Why wouldn’t he try though when his career was on the line? Did he not care if his career ended right then and there?
I have no idea honestly he managed to attempt only 29 3’s in nearly 450 minutes for us despite hitting 15 of them so above 50% he just didn’t seem interested in shooting the ball at all and anyone I have herd talk about seeing him shoot in practice would always say he had by far the best form of anyone on the team that season so it just doesn’t make sense unless he was just ready to be done with basketball and being in OKC was just not for him.
Carmelo Anthony forgot how to shoot and took it out on the org for “not having a plan.” Lol
Gordon Hayward quit on them so even if his experience was bad it shouldn’t be considered lol
Wait Jackson and Hayward have beef with OKC? I can understand Jackson because he wanted to start over Russ by why Hayward?
Came into the team last year, didn’t like his role, wanted to be a bigger part of the offense, and was just a locker room nobody.
Oh, and he did all this while bitching and playing like absolute dogshit lol.
Josh Giddey
[deleted]
The resting him thing was mutual. Neither party wanted to risk injury and he was able to rehab.
He has always been pretty positive of the Thunder and the situation in Philly was pretty bad, so it makes sense he was glad to just get out of it.
link
Q: Mark Daigneault spoke highly of your time here, what was your time like here looking back? >Very enjoyable. A lot of learning for me, especially from the coach. I felt like we had such a young group. And for me, it was kind of like a fresh start to come in here and really learn how he wanted us to play the game. Things that I didn’t really think about as a player, as a veteran. >I feel like he really challenged me in that way. For me, it was a really good experience being here.
Q: Mark Daigneault spoke highly of your time here, what was your time like here looking back?
>Very enjoyable. A lot of learning for me, especially from the coach. I felt like we had such a young group. And for me, it was kind of like a fresh start to come in here and really learn how he wanted us to play the game. Things that I didn’t really think about as a player, as a veteran.
>I feel like he really challenged me in that way. For me, it was a really good experience being here.
I’m sure they were upfront about how Philli paid them a first to get rid of him and their plan to rest and rehabilitate him to the point a contender will pay to get him. They essentially did that with Chris Paul too
Name a player that doesn’t like OKC but please don’t mention the two players who definitely didn’t like OKC
alright dude
2 out of like 200 is a pretty good track record tho. Both of those guy’s frustrations were minutes related.
you mean 1 guy who thought he should start over an all-nba level point guard and another guy who wish he got more touches despite refusing to shoot the ball.
i’ll go out on a limb and say it might be more of a personal problem than an organizational one
Melo
https://okcthunderwire.usatoday.com/story/sports/nba/thunder/2024/02/14/its-the-best-ran-organization-carmelo-anthony-praises-okc-thunder/77310857007/
melo speaks very highly of okc and sam
Melo isn’t interested in winning rings tho. He just wants to go 1 on 1 and score as much as possible.
Melo grabs entry pass in the mid post.
Rips through jab step jab step.
Pulls up for a middy. Swish. Cuts deficit down to 38.
Wrong
KD. Presti built bad rosters with no shooters. When your starting shooting guard is the worst shooter to touch a basketball, your team is bound to get exposed. Presti learned from that era and improved, but there were lots of mistakes on his part
Idk, they were one game away from beating the warriors so I don’t think the shooting was that bad lol.
It was. KD was essentially the only shooter on the team. Russ was great but he’s never been a great shooter. Their second best shooter was Dion Waiters. They shot below league average 3 point% despite having KD on the team. KD and Russ were essentially a two man offense with Adams also being an elite screener.
People really talk about that Thunder team like they were stacked. Outside of KD & Russ they were pretty bad. Ibaka was a beast, but if he’s the 3rd best player on the team that’s not really a good sign
Outside of KD & Russ they were pretty bad.
Kinda disingenuous. That’s like saying outside of MJ and Pippen the 95’ Bulls were pretty bad..
Almost as if there’s more than 2 players on a team. The Bulls were great because they had the GOAT along with insane depth. Prior to acquiring the depth, they weren’t winning anything
So bad of a roster that they were up 3-1 on the Warriors in the WCF and matched up incredibly well with the Cavs that year.
And you guys beat the 67 win Spurs.
it’d be one thing if it was a back and forth series
but KD lost 3 in a row and then rage quit and joined that same team wtf lmfao
That’s why he’ll always be a bus rider and not the bus driver. Softer than a cupcake.
Who has KD been happy with?
Did you forget how competitive that team was? Being up 3-1 to one up the greatest teams ever assembled, and Durant chokes the series away and you’re going to say it was because of a bad roster?
KD has still been to more conference finals with the thunder than all other teams combined.
i think a lot of nba fans have the misconception that every player feels like everyone not on their team is their enemy/rival and theyre all like vitriolically competitive but most of these guys are friends and dont have grudges against one another
Especially in this era where guys cross paths a lot more with national AAU teams and the transfer portal
They’re coworkers. Most are probably cool and cordial and then there’s the oddballs like Draymond and Dillon.
And for the most part they’re all getting paid well anyway and if they’re not its mainly just an individual performance thing.
Also I don’t think anyone actually hates Dillon, I think everyone knows he’s a shit stirrer lol
People around the league also seem to like Draymond which isn’t what you’d expect
With how volatile the league is, you never know when you might end up on the same team as someone. And it’s better for your career to be known as someone who gets along with his potential teammates.
Sports rivalries have always been taken far more seriously by fans than by the players.
Yeah I was just watching Team USA clips. They ALL had some form of bromance with inside jokes with one another across multiple teams. Most NBA players are just great friends with one another.
Example https://www.youtube.com/shorts/N8qxCDWKkQw
fans constantly cry about how buddy buddy the league is these days
Yeah I was gonna say nobody thinks that at all. Everyone says how there’s no rivalries anymore.
This is especially the case for ex-Thunder players. Josh and Tre Mann are basically still apart of the team. Dillon Jones will be too and he was only here for a season lol
In the grand scheme of things this is a modern development though. Not to say all players used to be enemies, but it was way less acceptable to openly broadcast.
Nowadays someone like KG would be seen as a problem personality and out of the norm. Back in his time though he’s just one of the more intense versions of an archetype that many teams had.
Free agency killed that aspect of sports. One of the worst effects of it.
It was clear Giddey is still close to those guys on the low because they asked Chet about him and Chet wouldn’t confirm nor deny they still talk which is OKC Thunder PR for “don’t tell the media you still are friends with Josh Giddey”
Its kind of messed up Giddey is a meme and treated like a catholic priest or Karl Malone when he was cleared by the cops and league of any wrongdoing, he got lied to by a high school junior who was in a +18 club when they met, I’m sure a lot of nba players have slept with girls they just met in the club and didn’t card them
The “I’m sure lots of NBA players sleep with underage girls” defense.
Giddey will average a triple double in his prime
We love our SLOB Wizard😭
Treat him well Chicago, he’s gonna be great
I got to meet him a few days ago
Nice of him to do a meet and greet in my city, when hardly any other notable nba players do
Hell he got real close post All-Star break.
Why would anyone expect a different answer from him? The SGA-era Thunder are known to be a tight group and Giddey was part of that. He got traded to a struggling team in the other conference. No semblance of a rivalry between the Thunder and Bulls, never has been. Of course he would be happy for his old mates
And obviously he seems self aware to the fact that he ended up in a better situation for himself: gets more spotlight, playing time, and money. With less expectations of winning.
well lucky for him the bills are winning shit anytime soon
Your typo still works don’t change it
lmao yeah still kinda works i guess
Josh Allen has a hot wife to be fair
OKC wouldn’t have won without Caruso anyway. Giddey staying would have been a lose-lose situation
Yeah this isn’t really debatable either. Caruso being able to hold up against Jokic was a huge reason they were able to win the series, meanwhile Giddey probably would have struggled to see the floor
Oh my heart. Bald mamba is a two time champ now and Pelinka really fumbled the bag not offering that guy the paycheck he deserves.
Giddey was never an end of the bench guy, come on. Even during the playoffs he started almost every game for OKC.
… why did you mention end of bench guys then, when the context of Giddey is that he’s a starter.
Man that trade still really hurts. I hope he wins an MVP and a championship one day. Will always be rooting for him
It hurts? Why he’s was not a fit for us or us for him. This was the best trade we made since the fleecing of LA for George. Without it we would not be champs.
You’ve been spending too much time on /r/nba and playing 2k.
Believe it or not, but there’s more to to it than championships. That’s why the Thunder culture and organisation was lauded even before they won it this year.
Yes and no. /u/EnglishMuffin2306 is right - our organization operates the way it operates in order to win. That’s the end goal. Shit, if it operated on relationships and vibes alone, Giddey would’ve still been on the team lol.
Exactly and he’s not. That was an important decision that needed to happen.
Apparently some people think we’re just here to have a good time. Who cares if we can’t make the playoffs?
So fuck you for playing too much 2k, idiot. lmao /s
lol. I wouldn’t mind but I’ve not played that game in years! I get it though. Kids today are in it for participation awards! Winning isn’t important right?
No way man. I’d happily give up the championship we just won in order to have Giddey on the team. lololol
Yeah I’m sold. Me too! Let’s get Sam on it. The boys really suffered with him being gone.
lol have I now? No, there’s not more to it than championships: that’s the goal, that’s the standard ALL teams aspire to. Giddey on this team, we are not champs. Caruso was a vital piece of us winning. I get it, you are a homer Aussie, but I’m not even a Giddey hater. Love the guy actually, he just wasn’t best for us and we were not best for him. He gets to thrive now, as do we.
yes you have
Coming from a Knicks fan, I get you are used to mediocrity and objective failure but I know what my eyes saw pre trade and what my eyes saw post trade. Thanks for your input though. We all appreciate it.
You give a guy an inch, he takes a mile
Sorry, but the dude is acting like he knows something about that Thunder team and contributed what exactly to highlight why my opinion was wrong. I know I was being an ass in that reply but so was he.
I guess I get that. Just had to defend my team lol
Truth be told I have nothing against the Knicks and enjoyed watching them this year. Sorry I was an ass about the team.
It can hurt and still be a good trade for us. When you follow a team and watch someone grow as a player and follow their ups and downs of course you become attached to them.
Dont worry Giddey Bulls aren’t winning it
You guys are gonna be eating your words when our 1970s era player-for-player swaps and cash considerations finally pay off!
BALL. ATREIDES.
He getting a ring? Or was he traded to Chicago 2 seasons ago?
He was traded before the season even begun. He ain’t getting a ring.
He was traded last Summer - so, not he doesn’t get a ring (unless Clay/Sam feel very generous)
He won’t get a ring, he was traded in the summer for AC before the season started.
You guys really needed an air conditioner!
His teammates didn’t trade him lol
My Aussie goat
Hope he giddys a ring
his accent is unique. it sounds like half australian half american
Real friends root for their friends’ success.
“If the Bulls don’t win it…”
Spoiler:
what else was he going to say really? “yea i hope they lose”
Of course he is going to say that
Shocking answer
Good guy Giddey.
I feel like unless the player leaves on god-awful terms with their past team, they genuinely want to see their previous franchise, the fans, and their teammates/friends win
sorts by controversial
I’m still mad the bulls gave caruso to OKC
it’s like when you’re playing catan and someone makes a dumb fucking game ending trade smh
Reporters are fucking scumbags
Meanwhile, you got guys like Vando trying to hurt any Laker he can. Jerk.
Reading this quickly, I thought he said “I hope the Bulls don’t win it…”
“Things you gotta say whether you mean them or not” for $100 please.
you got to understand yes its a business but those guys form human relationships with those dudes deeper than a regular co- worker situation. I’d compare it to the military which, sure you move on but those are your guys which you never forget.
Ummmm
This tracks seeing as how OKC is such a young team.
Giddey was so mid okc needed him to leave to take a leap forward. Probably lose to pacers with him out there Edit: i don’t think okc would lose i jus think giddey wouldn’t play
Not true, he just was a bad fit for them. Caruso is also that type of guy who could improve every single team in the league. Giddey has potential but certainly doesn’t fit on the majority of teams.
Such a punchable face 😅
Didn’t Chet Holmgren instantly unfollow Kiddey after the allegations came out?
A quick instagram visit proves he still follows him, not sure what you’re getting at. Everyone in OKC likes Josh he just didn’t fit our timeline and roster
No ring for the giddler was kinda sad but they wouldn’t have won with him there
He did it for that highschooler in OKC. He’s still close.
Nice work showing how uneducated you are on this subject, the girl was from California. 16⁄17 years old in a bar with a fake ID
It sucks that Josh will never be able to fully get past this because of uneducated trolls like you. No innocent man should have to go through these types of things.
These fools just stay dwelling on that old shit. It’s been proven that she had a fake ID, but these Reddit neckbeards continue to ignore that.
Nice try but you’re not fooling anyone
Seems like the only one fooled is yourself buddy
close with the guys but not close enough to sacrifice to win a championship
I mean he would’ve been useful as a bench PG this year for sure but with this team as built he’d be picking up DNPCDs in the playoffs. I don’t really blame him for wanting a shot at a bigger role, especially when you’re talking about the first contract extension.
How would it work he’s too ball dominant right ? Jdub runs the 2nd unit plus he’s just a way better defender. I never really watched Giddey on OKC so I could be wrong but it seems a bad fit.
Dub can operate fairly well off ball, especially curling off screens in the mid post, so they’d find a way, and really it would give just another spark of creativity when things slow down in the half court. there was a LOT of iHart DHO action that kinda went nowhere against stout defenses.
but ya for all that it still would’ve been round peg, square hole, so given he wanted a bigger role it was honestly a blessing he effectively asked out
You don’t watch now either. He’s not ball dominant. One of the lowest usage time 22% and ball possession time 1.14 seconds. Low for point guards.
It’s better for a young player’s career to be the guy on a bad team than be a permanent bench option on a contender.
a one season bench option then cash out with a ring?
I’m not sure they get the ring without trading him for Caruso
now we talking
The old school Kobe/MJ mindset is dead. “If you’re no longer on my team, you’re my enemy.” If it was MJ and he left the bulls during his career. He would have considered the Bulls an enemy and would wish the worst for them. Why? Because the NBA is a competition and the Bulls would be an opposing team standing in his way if that scenario happened.
This whole buddy, buddy, “Oh, I want this team to do well if mine doesn’t win” mentality is soft and needs to go.
god forbid you develop a relationship with the guys you’ve played with and wish them success. the competitor mindset can elevate with guys you actually respect
Kobe liked Pau Gasol. But once he was his opponent during the olympics, Kobe knew he was now the enemy and shoved him on the floor. Sports isn’t to make friends, it’s to be competitive. You can have a relationship with teammates, but they should be enemies once they’re on an opposing team.
which is why he said, “if the Bulls don’t win it, i hope the thunder win it.” it’s literally in the quote that he is prioritizing his current team’s success.
He shouldn’t even be thinking about the Thunder. In fact, the only think he should be thinking about concerning the Thunder is kicking their asses and embarrassing his former teammates. He shouldn’t hope for Thunder to be successful at all. He should hope for their failure along with the other 28 teams that aren’t the Bulls. That’s the MJ mindset
He was asked a question about the Thunder…
He was out of the playoffs by the time of the finals, so what is he going to suit up for the Pacers?
So what? He’s gotta lock himself in a dark room plotting the downfall of every other team to meet some crazy fake standard youve got about MJ or Kobe? Even those two had friends in the league
there’s not just one singular way to compete and win. MJ and Kobe are remembered as greats in basketball but in their personal lives they are not remembered as being great people off the court. just because the kill or be killed mindset worked for them, doesn’t mean every subsequent player needs to emulate that to win. just my 2 cents
Most elite competitive mindset on a redditor I’ve ever seen
He’s just hoping there’s some 17 year old girls there
Leave P Giddey alone he’s going through it rn
Was it ever verified that he was on that R Kelly stuff
Here’s the only verified fact: he was dating a 15 year old when he was 19. Anything about her faking her age or actually meeting at the club is based on 1 article from 2023 with no named sources or evidence
yes but r kelly was like 30 dating a 14 yr old and giddey was like 19-20 a 16-17 yr old so its a lil bit different
15
Y’all down voting me for just asking a question. Malone and Kobe always get their issues asked about, why not Giddey?
Because they’re not even remotely close to the same thing
Josh was 19 dating a 16⁄17 year old that he met at a club/bar. She had a fake ID and secretly flaunted on socials to her friends about how she was with him. He had no clue about her real age and situation.
Sucks that they treat him like he raped a girl when in reality he had a consensual relationship with someone barely younger than him who is a proven liar, yet people jump to shit on Josh.
She was 15, no proof of any fake ID or that they met at the bar
she was 15 when it started, 16⁄17 when it came out. No you won’t find anything online about the fake ID but yes it happened, they met at a club
he was 19 dating a 15 year old. You were just wrong. And now you’re confirming something that has absolutely 0 proof, that giddey himself hasn’t even claimed
Why would he talk about it? He probably has a whole team of PR informing him otherwise.
And how do you think she got into the club? Whether or not they met there has no meaning, she got in underage. Answer? Fake ID.
You could use Google and find the answer yourself to that question, no?
Most people would assume your question is rhetorical and you’re trolling since the information is readily accessible.
Isn’t this the dude who was messing around with underage girls
An underage girl he met in an 18+ club, when he was 19. Really unfortunate situation for everyone involved if you read into it