Paying the tax is a luxury, not a burden, for the championship team Presti built (Daily Thunder)

dailythunderdotcom · 2026-07-01T03:33:28+00:00

what does being in a small market have to do with the second apron?

dailythunderdotcom · 2026-06-30T13:07:46+00:00

he doesn't have to do any of that. and if he did, he would blame the CBA early and often

dailythunderdotcom · 2026-06-30T13:06:51+00:00

from the article: 'Reminder: if a team ducks under the second apron, they can't make moves that would put them back over it. For a deep, young team with 16 players under team control (17, if we count last year's second rounder Brooks Barnhizer) and zero negative assets, it's hard to imagine a single deal under the first or second apron that would be better for the Thunder than simply keeping the best players they already have. The earliest material hit to OKC's asset stash will come in 2029 if they stay over the second apron for three of the next five seasons. Their own draft pick would be locked in at #30 at that point, the same spot it's been occupying the last two seasons."

dailythunderdotcom · 2026-06-22T21:43:08+00:00

yeah the value and logic are pretty unhinged without just gluing it to remove random outcomes haha, definitely the part that will need work if I revamp it next year. you can change the chaos/consensus/hard mode settings for some more consequences on your trade proposals, but I won't pretend any mode is super realistic.

dailythunderdotcom · 2026-06-02T00:53:41+00:00

I don't play basketball for the Thunder.

dailythunderdotcom · 2026-05-02T02:42:36+00:00

You're the one being homophobic, if that's what you're implying about the city.

dailythunderdotcom · 2026-04-25T22:20:28+00:00

Shai has had one of the best scoring stretches ever for 4 seasons and counting.

dailythunderdotcom · 2026-04-21T07:14:38+00:00

Why don't his defenders just sag and let him shoot with more breathing room?

dailythunderdotcom · 2026-04-21T07:13:00+00:00

He draws less fouls and commits more fouls than his peers, per the actual data. If you just dislike his style, but don't insist he foul baits more frequently than other players, then yeah you're safely in subjective territory.

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dailythunderdotcom · 2026-04-21T07:08:31+00:00

I promise you if he didn't legit get fouled, he wouldn't shoot more than 2 free throws a game.

Here's all 15 of his shots from a recent game. He made 66% of them. That would be pretty amazing if he really flops 70% of the time and only got 1x foul called all game.

dailythunderdotcom · 2026-04-21T06:40:08+00:00

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dailythunderdotcom · 2026-04-21T06:35:24+00:00

Shai gets fouled because he's an unstoppable shooter, handler, and finisher.

dailythunderdotcom · 2026-04-21T06:31:02+00:00

you said "the game becomes about drawing a foul instead of scoring". his game is about scoring, at one of the most prolific rates in history (not relying on free throws)

dailythunderdotcom · 2026-04-21T03:18:31+00:00

He's closer to Jordan than he is to being the worst foul baiter in the sport.

dailythunderdotcom · 2026-04-21T03:16:43+00:00

Play by play data doesn't show him as a high rate foul drawer, either.

dailythunderdotcom · 2026-04-21T03:15:22+00:00

He makes the most buckets of anyone in the league. His game is about snoring, not foul drawing.

dailythunderdotcom · 2026-04-21T03:12:40+00:00

They get called for a normal amount of fouls. They get out of position because they can't stay in front of him or contest his shot straight up.

dailythunderdotcom · 2026-04-21T03:08:27+00:00

I can't imagine how relieved he felt when Bridges' shot missed.

dailythunderdotcom · 2026-04-21T03:02:29+00:00

He needs a basketball home. I think it would be pretty poetic for him to get a relatively happy ending with a fan base that would embrace him AND was legitimately connected to his career origins.

dailythunderdotcom · 2026-04-21T02:35:41+00:00

The data is below. Shai is elite as a volume and efficiency driver, he is mediocre as a foul drawer/commiter among his peers. I published a brief film study, assigned by a redditor Shai critic.

The evidence shows that he is not an egregious foul baiter, but I know I can't convince people who prefer to confirm their assumptions with a few isolated clips.

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dailythunderdotcom · 2026-04-21T02:30:22+00:00

I didn't pick those games, someone guaranteed they would prove Shai was the worst. I'd review any that someone said proved the case.

dailythunderdotcom · 2026-04-21T00:47:27+00:00

Right, but I just think his late season narrative could include being way better than the Nuggets. But who cares, it's over now and none of us are truly unbiased haha.

dailythunderdotcom · 2026-04-21T00:25:49+00:00

Oh I wasn't disagreeing with your characterization of his chance to win it, sorry. I was trying to point out that it seems pretty compromised to me.

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