The Thunder endured a disappointing end to what should have been a rather successful season. They overcame a rough start, went on a great run in the middle of the season, and managed to win 48 games. However, the trio of Russell Westbrook, Paul George and Carmelo Anthony had higher aspirations than that.

After pairing George and Anthony with Westbrook in the offseason, the Thunder were expected to at least be involved in the title conversation. Instead, they had an embarrassing first-round exit to the Jazz. Oklahoma City looked outmatched, outplayed and out-coached the entirety of the series. When you bow out of the playoffs the way the Thunder did, the blame has to go somewhere. Many shifted it to Billy Donovan and wondered if he was on the hot seat. General manager Sam Presti put an end to those rumors during his exit interview with the media on Wednesday. He will be back next season.

Presti has decided to stick with his coach. Sometimes GMs will panic following a disappointing season like the one the Thunder had and immediately look for a change. However, Presti doesn't fit into the typical GM mold. He is the one that put together this team after losing Kevin Durant to free agency only two seasons ago. He's earned enough clout to trust his decisions.

It's also possible that many of the Thunder's issues aren't related to Donovan. There weren't reports of locker room discord, or Donovan losing respect from his players. He would have had an elite defense this season if Andre Roberson hadn't gotten hurt. As for the offense, he's only had one season to try and figure out how to use his star trio together. One of those stars, Westbrook, is one of the most ball dominant players in the league. This stuff takes time and Donovan deserves the time Presti is giving him.