Jayne Kamin-Oncea – USA Today Sports Images
The Oklahoma City Thunder have received a lot of criticism this off-season for their relative lack of action in NBA Free Agency this summer. With the loss of Kevin Martin, it would make sense for OKC to try and replace him with another solid sixth man, but they haven’t done so.
However, the Thunder did indeed sign a wing player; it’s just not a player that’s going to have much of an impact this season. Earlier this month it was announced that the Thunder had signed veteran forward Ryan Gomes, who played in Germany last season and last played in the NBA in the 2011-2012 season for the Los Angeles Clippers.
For his career, Gomes’ numbers aren’t unbelievably atrocious. In 482 career games, Gomes has averaged 10.2 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 27.9 minutes per game while shooting 44.5 percent from the floor and 35 percent from long-range.
In his last season with the Clippers, though, Gomes struggled to find minutes because of his ineffectiveness. In just 32 games he averaged only 2.3 points and 1.9 rebounds in 13.3 minutes per game while shooting just 32.6 percent from the floor and only 13.8 percent from three. The most telling part about Gomes should be that the Clippers, a team that needed help on the wings last season, chose not to bring him back in the summer of 2012.
Gomes was once a decent value in the NBA that could potentially be an asset off of the bench, but those days have since passed. Gomes needs to familiarize himself with the bench in Oklahoma City, because that’s where he’s going to be spending the majority of his time this season.
Cody Williams is a Senior Writer with Rant Sports. Follow Cody on Twitter @TheSizzle20, add him on Google and like his Facebook page.
