OKC's George says he could see himself staying
Is Paul George on his way out of Oklahoma City if the Thunder don't go deep into the playoffs, or perhaps miss the playoffs?
Not necessarily. On Friday, he was talking to reporters more like a man that likes the fit on the team he is on despite his looming status as an unrestricted free agent when the season ends. He added he could definitely see himself staying put.
"This is our first year together," said George, who joined the Thunder in a trade last July. "This is Year 1 for this group. We've got a chance to win it all, but realistically it takes time for things to build and chemistry to mesh. Just for everybody to be on the same page. So this wasn't a championship or bust coming into this for me.
"It was just an opportunity to see what it's like being here and just to naturally fall in love with it. And it's been that. It's been a lot of love here."
The Thunder got off to a slow to the season, losing 12 of their first 20 games, but things were coming together with a 21-8 run when shooting guard Andre Roberson's season ended because of a knee injury. They've gone 16-14 since to post an overall record of 45-34.
And the thought of what Roberson's return next year could mean for the team could be part of George's calculations.
"Absolutely," he said. "That definitely changes a lot. Andre is a big piece, and him going down, it definitely was a big blow to us. But you've got to look at everything. You've got to look at what we can be, imagine what we would be if Andre was here playing with (us) now.
"Absolutely, you've got to look at everything. You've got to look at the team coming back, with free agency coming up with other guys who we could possibly go grab and who could we, myself, (Carmelo Anthony), (Russell Westbrook), who can we recruit with us here? You've got to look at everything."
George, still only 27 and in his seventh season in the league, has averaged 21.6 points a game, with 5.7 rebounds and 3.4 assists this season. More importantly for a small forward, he's been a good shooter from beyond the arc, shooting 39.7 percent on 3-pointers, making three of them per game on average.
--Field Level Media
