After seven fruitful years leading the Oklahoma City Thunder to such heights, they officially parted ways with Head Coach Scott Brooks.

Brooks did it all --- he created a team with young players, established a working system of playing, and made excellence the status quo. He did it all; except win a championship. In the end, it just was not enough.

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The Thunder fired Brooks last Wednesday, ending a relationship that led the organization to three conference finals in three out of four years. Brooks also allowed for the Thunder to reach the National Basketball Association (NBA) Finals in 2012.

This year could have been the nail in the coffin for Brooks as they failed to make the playoffs due to injuries that held them to a 45-37 record.

As the Head Coach of the Thunder, Brooks holds a record of 338-207 and holds the distinction of being the NBA Coach of the Year for the 2009-2010.

The news was a possible shocker for Brooks. The prior week, he said that he was still expecting to be the coach of the team next season.

In defense of firing Brooks, Thunders General Manager Sam Presti knew that he was taking a chance getting rid of their long-time coach so close to Kevin Durant entering free agency status. However, Presti added that the team could regress if no changes were made.

"The risk is not necessarily in moving forward, but I think sometimes, the risk can be in being fearful of moving forward," he said.

For Durant, he was visibly affected by the removal of his coach and friend for the past seven seasons. In an Instagram post, Durant said that he grew as both a man and a player under the tutelage of Brooks and will forever be grateful.

Scott Brooks had often been criticized for not winning a championship with superstars like Durant and Russell Westbrook on his squad. Another coach will have a shot at reaching the championship with a team many believe to be worthy of it. 

TagsScott Brooks, OKC Thunder