Thunder GM Sam Presti Discusses Team Success

Originally Published: Jan 12, 2010 6:9 PM CDT

Oklahoma Sports Staff and Wire Reports

OKLAHOMA CITY -- General manager Sam Presti said he doesn't consider the Oklahoma City Thunder's progress to be ahead of schedule just because Oklahoma City is right in the thick of the playoff race after three losing seasons.

Presti said Tuesday he doesn't have a specific timeline for the team's development and that while the organization is pleased with the direction of the team, "we're certainly not comfortable or content with where we are."

The Thunder were the laughingstock of the league in their first two months in Oklahoma City, opening last season with a 3-29 record before a respectable finish.

“As we go forward, we’re going to continue to learn about our team,” Presti said. “We’ll learn from the adversities that we face and we’ll learn from the successes that we encounter along the way.”

But now, they're a season-high five games over .500 following a blowout of the New York Knicks on Monday night and are tied for seventh place in the Western Conference standings.

“We’re certainly pleased with the direction of the basketball team at this stage of the season,” Presti said. “With that said, there’s still a lot of season left to play.”

The Thunder will host the San Antonio Spurs Wednesday. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m