Oklahoma City Thunder Sign Cole Aldrich: Could This Be the Piece They Need?

According to NBA.com, Cole Aldrich and the Oklahoma City Thunder have agreed to a contract. Aldrich was originally drafted by the New Orleans Hornets but was later traded to the Thunder.

The Thunder didn't give the terms of the contract, but according to the NBA's rookie scaling Aldrich should be making $1.8 million his first year and $1.9 million the second year with options for the third and fourth years.

I know everything above is old news, but I'm just putting it in here in case anyone forgot. And this is an article I had on a previous site.

When the Thunder acquired Cole Aldrich on draft night, I was really excited. He is a 6'11" guy who is a great defensive and tough player. In the playoffs, the Thunder didn't have a good, tall, defensive presence like Aldrich. They were dominated by Gasol and Bynum the whole series.

Aldrich played against some big guys in college, including 7-footer Jeff Foote, and had great success on the defensive end against them. With the Kansas Jayhaws last year he pulled down 9.8 rebounds  per game and had 3.5 blocks per game. I think that Cole is the piece the Thunder need to make a run for the Finals.

Yes, I think the Thunder have a shot at the Finals. The way I see it, the elite teams in the West are getting old—the Spurs, the Lakers, and the Suns. There all still really good teams, but they're not the same as the young Thunder team.

The Thunder are the team of the future; if you like it or not, they are. Durant will be there his whole NBA career, Westbrook will re-sign when his contract is up, and hopefully they keep my favorite Thunder player, Jeff Green, around.

Along with OKC's version of the "Big Three," the Thunder have good young players like James Harden and Eric Maynor. Harden who has a pretty good three-point shot and Maynor is a great backup to Westbrook.

Having a veteran like Nick Collison isn't bad either, as he led the league in charges drawn, with 57. Not to mention NBA sophomore Serge Ibaka, who led the Thunder and rookies with 1.33 blocks per game, 97 total blocks, and who I think will win a Defensive Player of award in his career. He also recorded 4 double-doubles this past year.

Veteran Morris Peterson was also added to the Thunder this summer. If all of that’s not enough to convince you that the Thunder is the team of the future, then this might.

Remember when the Thunder traded for sharpshooter Daequan Cook, but also made the genius move of trading Eric Bledsoe to the Los Angeles Clippers for a future first round pick? What’s so great about that? Well, think about it, the Clippers have had a top-20 pick since 1998 (except in 2006 when they didn't have a first round pick).

That means the Thunder could potentially get another young superstar. Some players expected to be taken in the top 10 next year (according to nbadraft.net) are Harrison Barnes, Kyrie Irving, Terrence Jones, Perry Jones, and Jared Sullinger.

Nobody is as excited as I am to watch the Thunder take over the West, maybe the NBA. Just when will it take place? I hope it does soon, very soon!