The Oklahoma City Thunder seem to be a forgotten team these days with all the player movement and contract signing focused on their Western Conference rivals.
That plus the fact that the reigning NBA champion Golden State Warriors hardly had their lineup changed does raise some questions what the chances of the Thunder are heading into the 2015-16 NBA season.
The return of former Most Valuable Player (MVP) Kevin Durant is perhaps one of the bright spots to consider for the coming season, although all eyes will be on new head coach Billy Donovan as well on how the former Florida Gators coach could possibly improve on what previous head coach Scott Brooks has done so far.
There is of course wide skepticism on what Donovan brings. Even though he has proven to be a successful collegiate head coach, things certainly aren't the same in the professional level.
There is also the matter of how Donovan can get along with Durant, Russell Westbook, and the rest of the Thunder quintet.
But make no mistake about it, the Thunder are bunched up in a division with teams who just got tougher.
Seen to give the Thunder problems are the Los Angeles Clippers, Houston Rockets, and the much improved San Antonio Spurs, teams who signed players in to address their needs.
For the Thunder, it will be a test on how they can do with their current core. Aside from Durant and Westbrook, there is Enes Kanter whom the team decided to keep but seemingly at a high price.
The Thunder matched the offer of the Portland Trailblazers that saw Kanter get a lucrative $70 million package spread over four years. Known to be a double-double machine, it remains to be seen if that investment will truly payoff for OKC.
Dion Waiters gets a chance to show what he can do after being acquired from Cleveland Cavaliers and Kyle Singler will be out to prove that his five-year $25 million deal is something worth every penny.
Given those players, among others, could the Thunder get their act together and do better in 2015-16?
