SB Nation - Kevin Ollie

Game 25 Preview: Oklahoma City vs. Detroit

Zorgon — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 22:13:00 -0000

More photos » by Duane Burleson - AP

Kevin Durant won't get to shy away from Ben Gordon tonight, because he's injured! Instead, he'll have to deal with the ferocious Chucky Atkins.

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This also counts as an open thread, so feel free to post your thoughts during the game here.

Time: 7 PM Central Standard Time

Place: The Ford Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

TV: Fox Sports Oklahoma, Fox Sports Detroit

Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1)

Enemy Blog(s): Motown String Music, Need 4 Sheed, Detroit 4 Lyfe

Backstory: Detroit is one of the league's enigmas. At times, they look like a quality team, able to put up wins against strong opponents like Orlando, Atlanta, and Denver. At other times, they drop a bunch of stinkers, losing to teams like Chicago or Toronto. Still, there is some reasoning for it, as Rip Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, and Ben Gordon will all be gone tonight, and the Pistons have been battling injuries all season. Without those 3 players, I really can't see them beating us tonight, so I'm ready to throw out the celebration stuff.

And we all know the Thunder's story. They've been sliding because they've faced 3 of the leagues top 5 teams, and none of us want to see them slide below .500 and get into the muck of the West. Kevin Ollie is out through December, Kyle Weaver is out through March.

Matchups:

Center: Nenad Krstic vs. Ben Wallace

Last time, Nenad Krstic was able to break out for a decent game against the slow-footed Ben Wallace, and I don't expect this time to be any different.

Power Forward: Jeff Green vs. Jason Maxiell

When Jeff Green was faced Charlie Villanueva, he put up good numbers. But, this time, he'll have to face Jason Maxiell, and I think he'll have below-average numbers for yet another game.

Small Forward: Kevin Durant vs. Jonas Jerebko

That's right, Jonas Jerebko, a 2nd rounder the Pistons decided to use on the court. He strikes me as a European style forward, able to shoot and rebound, but not really able to get very gritty offensively or defensively. That being said, I've never seen him play, so I can only infer from the statistics. Still, Kevin Durant will undoubtedly have a better game, unless Jerebko is concealing a secret weapon that I know nothing about.

Shooting Guard: Thabo Sefolosha vs. Rodney Stuckey

Thabo normally closes out on scorers well, but last time, he had some trouble with Ben Gordon. And I have reason to believe that he'll have trouble guarding someone with the scoring style of Stuckey. So expect Stuckey to out do Sefolosha in every area of the stat sheet.

Point Guard: Russell Westbrook vs. Chucky Atkins

Yeah. Remember that ill-used guard we had last year? The one that was only good for shooting 3s? Well, he's starting for the Pistons now. Still, he is a decent scorer, so expect him to score around 10 while providing no defense whatsoever. This should open the way to a much better Russell Westbrook performance than last time.

Battle of the Benches:

Villanueva, Daye, Bynum, and Wilcox. Am I mistaken, or is that lineup far better than their starters? In any case, I'd say our benches are about even. We all have ample reserves for each position, and we're both missing a couple of guards.

Coaching and Intangibles:

Both teams have been on losing streaks, and both are well rested. I'll have to give it to the Thunder, because they're at home.

Bottom Line:

There is absolutely no reason we should lose this game. The Pistons are without their 3 best players, and they have to resort to secondary scorers and some of the Thunder's scrubs from last year in order to survive. We have the advantage at virtually every position. Let me say it again....we better not lose this game.

Prediction: Oklahoma City 95, Detroit 88

How do you think the game will go? Vote in the Poll!

And, again, feel free to drop any comments you might have during, before, or after the game below. I'll be in the Ford Center cheering the team on, but I'll be back to write a recap later tonight. Go Thunder!

Poll

Who's going to win tonight?

Game 23 Recap: Denver 102, Oklahoma City 93

Zorgon — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 20:56:58 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

Serge Ibaka may have a name that is just as cool as Nene's, but he can only dream of similarly awesome dreadlocks.

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Well, what is there to say about this game?

After the second quarter, this game was over. Sure, the game might have still been statistically in reach, but it wasn't realistically in reach. The Thunder couldn't hit a 3 pointer if their life depended on it, and 39% from the field doesn't exactly cut it either. It just reminded us of the painful fact that we have no shooters, and that almost all of our scoring come from right next to the basket and from the line.

Below: Analysis, Awards (I promise, they're lengthy!)

First, let me just say that defensively, we did everything right. We limited them to 40% from the field and 29% from the 3 Point line. Heck, we even equaled them in total rebounding. So, what was the problem, you may ask? Well, it all comes down to turnovers and free throws. They had 9 more attempts than us at the line (totaling up to 5 more points), and they had 3 less turnovers. The second quarter collapse didn't help either. You can play with a team for three quarters if you want, but you can't completely collapse against them in one and expect to win. This game was almost like the Cleveland loss, except the collapse here came in the 2nd, rather than in the 4th.

Yet again, the Thunder Wonder for this game is Kevin Durant. 32 Points, 10 Rebounds, and a better performance than Carmelo Anthony is all that I have to say. The Thunder Down Under is Nick Collison, who really battled down low and helped us stay in this game. He was a big part of the first and fourth quarter runs. 14 Points, 5 Rebounds, and a whole lot of ammo for the cannons that declare him as the starter for this team. There might be something I'm missing, but Nenad Krstic has proved to be totally worthless against anything but immobile or European Centers offensively, and he doesn't provide much in the way of defense or rebounds. Sure, he can clear the lane and set picks all day, but couldn't Nick Collison do that while also providing something offensively and defensively? Look, I used to sit next to Krstic's friends, great people, and Krstic is a great guy. In fact, he'd probably be the guy who's jersey I'd be out to get next. But until he can prove that he can perform better than Nick Collison on a consistent basis, it's my recommendation that this 15 million dollar man sits on the bench.

The Thunder Blunder, however, is not Nenad Krstic. Rather, I'm turning to the Point Guard situation and Russell Westbrook. It's games like these that make me really miss Kevin Ollie. Now, before the fingers of hate start pointing at me, let me just say that I'm not in the Jim Traber camp which claims that Russell Westbrook will never be a "true" point guard. But, I'm also not in the camp of "Russell Westbrook is the greatest Point Guard Ever, let's put him in the All-Star Game". I'm somewhere in-between. I think that he's learning. Some nights, he'll be one of the most unselfish players on the court, throwing out 10 assists while hardly scoring at all. Some nights, he'll score really well, while dishing out few assists. Then, there's nights like these, where his scoring will be mediocre, and his assists will be below par. It's on nights like these we lose, and it's also on nights like these where I miss Kevin Ollie. I mean, how many times to I have to see Russell Westbrook just dribble down to the post and brick a layup? He's starting to look like Kyle Weaver offensively. And I know he had 14, but 5 of his points were in complete garbage time at the very end of the game. I'm not saying Kevin Ollie is better than Russell Westbrook by any means, I'm just saying that he brings stability to the offense in the middle of the game. He only shoots it if he knows he's open, and he triggers excellent ball movement amongst the team. Shaun Livingston will just go out there and copy Russell Westbrook's game. But I think it's helpful to have both Ollie and Westbrook, and I think Westbrook will have less of these games as time goes on. Unfortunately, for now, he's the Thunder Blunder.

And finally, on the Nuggets side of things, it was business as usual. Though Aaron Affalo and Kenyon Martin were shut down by Thabo Sefolosha and Jeff Green respectively, they still got a huge surge of scoring off of the bench via Chris "The Birdman" Andersen and J.R. Smith, who both combined for 34 points. Talk about former Hornets coming back to bite you. But the best performance of the day, and the Thunder Plunderer Award, is reserved for Carmelo Anthony, who had 31 Points, 5 Rebounds, and 2 Assists, all while shooting over 50%.

Next Game: Vs the Mavericks, Wednesday, December 16th, 7:00 PM Central Standard Time.

Game 18 Preview: Oklahoma City vs. Philadelphia

Zorgon — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 00:32:54 -0000

More photos » by Bill Kostroun - AP

Back in action? Nope, not yet!

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This also counts as an open thread, so feel free to post your thoughts during the game here.

Time: 7:00 PM Central Standard Time

Place: The Ford Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

TV: Fox Sports Oklahoma, Comcast Sports Philadelphia, NBATV

Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1)

Enemy Blog(s): Liberty Ballers, Sixers4guidos, DepressedFan

Backstory: The 76ers are a surprise dissapointment among all of the good surprises that have happened this year. Someone has to fall, right? Granted, Elton Brand and Louis Williams have been injured....but that's only been recently. The bottom line is that they lost Andre Miller. And with him, they lost the glue that held the team together. Even in the latest 2 point loss to the Mavericks, the team had 4 more turnovers than assists. That isn't a recipe for winning, and it's bad news for a team that thought they could make the playoffs. Indeed, in the last two years they have made the playoffs, but it looks like they'll have to do even more post-Allen Iverson rebuilding. And no, getting Allen Iverson back doesn't count!

Meanwhile, the Thunder are a shade over .500, and they're looking to keep it that way. They've taken care of business against teams like the 76ers in the past, and the game is at home, so things are looking up. Still, injuries to Nick Collison (possibly out tonight), Kyle Weaver, Kevin Ollie, and Shaun Livingston haven't helped matters, so it remains to be seen whether they have the depth of talent to win this game.

Below: Matchups, Prediction

Matchups:

Center: Nenad Krstic vs. Samuel Dalembert

Luckily, Nenad Krstic will be back tonight, along with a possible chance of Nick Collison. The thunder will need all of the help they can get, because Samuel Dalembert is a mean machine in the post, along with being the 2nd greatest basketball player ever to come out of Canada. I'd expect Krstic to be able to score, since both Dalembert and Brand are immobile centers, but I'd also expect Dalembert lay the smack down in the post.

Power Forward: Jeff Green vs. Elton Brand

Yet another mismatch. Jeff Green will have to make sure to stay out of foul trouble, and Elton Brand will have to make sure to guard Green on the perimeter. Expect Green to have the upper hand if he can stay out of foul trouble.

Small Forward: Kevin Durant vs. Thaddeus Young

Heh, good luck Thaddeus. He'll have a better 3 Point percentage than Durant, but not much else.

Shooting Guard: Thabo Sefolosha vs. Andre Igoudala

This is yet another tough matchup for Sefolosha, as Igoudala is the primary scorer of the 76ers. Still, he won't walk all over Sefolosha, like Ariza did. Rather, I think Sefolosha will be able to shut him down in some cases and force turnovers.

Point Guard: Russell Westbrook vs. Jrue Holiday (Possibly Willie Green)

I don't think either one of these guys is any better than Westbrook. Willie Green is a scoring-type bigger guard, and Jrue Holiday is still a Rookie, with not many stats to his name. This is a real opportunity for Russell Westbrook to shine, get those assists, and score well.

Battle of the Benches

I'll breathe a huge sigh of relief if Nick Collison gets to play tonight, as he'll help out a lot down low. Still, despite all of their badness, the 76ers have a solid bench, with young life-long backup Center Jason Smith, 3 Point Sharpshooter Kapono, and solid scoring guard Willie Green. But Royal Ivey sucks. It's not a bench that blows you away with depth, but they don't really take a huge hit in talent when their backups are on the floor, and they all have clearly defined roles. Their bench gets the win over ours, because I'd say Kapono and Green pretty much own their equivalents on our team.

Coaching and Intangibles

The 76ers have just signed Allen Iverson, so the team might go into "cruise control", as they have some sort of savior coming to the team on Monday. On the other hand, they might be motivated to perform well before he gets there, but that's something I'm doubting. On top of that, they've lost 7 straight, and are away from home. The intangibles are definitely on the side of the Thunder.

Bottom Line

The real danger of the 76ers is their big post guys. If they can dominate inside, and out-rebound us, then we might have a game on our hands. Yet, if they just let Jeff Green and Nenad Krstic nail mid-range jumpers all day, then this could very easily turn into a blowout.

Prediction: Oklahoma City 100, Philadelphia 86

I haven't predicted an over 10 point victory since the Kings game....let's hope I haven't jinxed anything.

How do you think the game will go? Vote in the Poll!

Poll

Who's going to win tonight?

The Oklahoma City Thunder

24 votes

The Philadelphia 76ers

2 votes

26 votes | Poll has closed

Loud Links: 11.02.2009

daddydai — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 22:57:37 -0000

Kevin Durant Next - ESPN
[Durant has been named "Next" by ESPN. Watch out world here we come!! Click the link and read the .PDF article.] Before he signed his sneaker deal with Nike, Durant turned down an offer from Adidas worth $70 million. "That’s a lot of money," he says. But when it came right down to it, he just plain likes Nikes better. He grew up wearing them, and they felt good on his feet. The deal made him happy. For him, it wasn’t a function of addition; it didn’t come down to logic. It came down to hunch. It came down to gut. It came down to instinct. Not a killer’s, but a kid’s.

As Thunder rookie James Harden puts it, "If you grow up too fast, what’s the point? Kevin’s not childish. He’s just different. He just likes to have fun. He’s young, man. We’re all young. But we’re learning when we can joke around and when we have to be serious." Learning the difference between joking and serious, between consistent and dominant, is this season’s homework assignment for Durant.

NBA.com: Durant on big expectations, being skinny and Beyonce

[Who ordered the KD love-fest? NBA.com asks KD some great questions in this lengthy Q&A.]

NBA.com: How do your teammates treat you now that you have a semi-celebrity status?

KD: I put myself on the same level as everyone else. From the first man to the end of the bench. Nobody has a "celebrity status" attitude here. Especially me. I always put the team first and without them I surely wouldn't be the NEXT athlete or talking to NBA.com for articles. Once I step into this building for practice and games, it's all about the team.

NBA.com: Would it be easier if there were fewer expectations for you and you could be a sleeper player in the league?

KD: Either way it's cool with me. I like being the underrated and sleeper guy, too. However, people started recognizing me and it feels good as well. As long as I handle my business here every day as a professional I will have no regrets.

NBA.com: The most constant criticism of you since you were drafted in 2007 is that you're too skinny and need to build muscle. Are we going to see Durant 2.0 with more muscle, or is this wiry frame what we will be working with for a while?

KD: I'm trying my hardest just to get there. It's tough. I'm a lot skinnier then other people, so it's tough for me to make it look like I'm stronger. I feel like I'm getting a lot stronger and bigger. Ask anybody in the organization. Hard work will take care of my fame. In a way, me being skinny makes me who I am and a lot of people are getting used to me being skinny. It's kind of unique that I can say I'm the skinniest guy in the league.

Suns, Kings likely to see early success even out over season | SI.com
The flashy stat in OKC may be Kevin Durant's 27.4 points per game, behind only Carmelo Anthony, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James among the league leaders, but the better story is that Durant is playing 80 percent of the minutes for a team ranked fourth in the league in defensive efficiency and fifth in points allowed per game. It's a limited sample -- Durant has only been off the court a total of 154 minutes thus far this season -- but the Thunder allow just 99.1 points per 100 possessions when KD plays compared to 115.4 points per 100 possessions when he doesn't. Throw in significant jumps, for the second straight year, in Durant's rebounding and assist rates, and even persistent critics like yours, truly, have to concede he's a budding MVP candidate. More to the point, the Thunder's upgrade on defense this season (they were 23rd in points allowed last year should forestall long losing streaks. Factor in a rough early gauntlet that has already included two games apiece versus the Lakers and the Magic, and quality wins over Orlando, San Antonio and Utah, and Presti's rebuilding job, ably abetted by coach Scott Brooks, looks to be a year or two ahead of schedule.

Thunder’s Mike Wilks is well-traveled | NewsOK.com
It wasn’t to be for Wilks, the 5-foot-10 point guard who the Thunder signed Thursday out of desperation. Wilks played his college ball at Rice, went undrafted in 2001 and has spent the past eight years journeying the country in search of a job. Wilks is a walking stopgap to Oklahoma City’s injury-ravaged roster. Backup point guard Kevin Ollie will miss up to four weeks after undergoing surgery on his right knee. Third-string point guard Shaun Livingston also is healing from knee surgery and might be sidelined at least another week. And Kyle Weaver, a natural shooting guard who can fill in as an emergency point guard, is on the shelf at least four months after surgery to repair damage to a dislocated shoulder. All told, it creates an attractive opportunity for a player such as Wilks, the quintessential NBA journeyman. Wilks, 30, is now on his 11th team in seven seasons. In Oklahoma City, Wilks is that storybook character who was sitting at home before a pro franchise came calling for his services. "I’m just thankful that they thought enough of me to bring me in," Wilks said.

The Associated Press: Thunder guards Ollie, Weaver have surgery
The Oklahoma City Thunder says guard Kevin Ollie underwent successful "minor" surgery Monday to relieve pain in the patellar tendon in his right knee. Ollie has missed three games with the injury and is expected to be out up to four more weeks. Another Thunder guard, Kyle Weaver, also had successful surgery Monday on his separated shoulder, an injury he suffered last week during practice. The team says his rehabilitation will last at least four months. Oklahoma City center Nenad Krstic missed his first game of the season Sunday with soreness in his left Achilles tendon and forward Nick Collison missed his fourth consecutive game with a sprained knee. Guard Shaun Livingston has been sidelined following arthroscopic knee surgery two weeks ago, but practiced Saturday and participated in the team's practice Sunday.

Awards Watch: Kobe on top - ESPN
MVP #10. Kevin Durant, Can Durant win MVP? Not this season. But he deserves props for having the Thunder in position to challenge for a playoff spot, while taking the next step toward stardom. (Last week: NR | Team record: 9-8)

ROY #3. James Harden, Thunder: He is getting more comfortable in the Oklahoma City offense and has scored in double digits in five of the past six games. When he plays at least 20 minutes, he has produced.

COY #5. Scott Brooks, Thunder and Paul Westphal, Kings (tie): Oklahoma City won just 23 games while finishing last in the Northwest last season. This season the Thunder are 9-8. Sacramento won a league-low 17 games last season, finishing in the cellar of the Pacific Division. The Kings have started the season 8-8. (Last week: NR)

DPOY #2. Thabo Sefolosha, Thunder: On a team with Jeff Green, Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant, Sefolosha has still managed to stand out by playing lockdown defense. (Last week: 2)

THUNDER: Journeyman Wilks thankful for what he's got
"It’s a faith walk, man," Wilk said. "Everybody has different paths in life. I know a lot of guys dream that they’re going to go to the big-time school, get drafted in the first round, get drafted into the NBA and be an All-Star and be all of those types of things. But everybody has a different path. Mine wasn’t, but I wouldn’t trade my path for anything else in the world because it’s through that God has used to build character in me, and I wouldn’t be the person I am today had everything just come to me. "So I appreciate it, and despite how difficult it can be at times I’m blessed, man. The good far outweighs the bad. I have a beautiful family, I’m healthy, and just to have the opportunity to play in this league one time is a privilege, and there’s so many guys, there’s millions of people who have the talent but they just never get the opportunity. It’s something I don’t take for granted, and that’s what I have to focus on when it gets hard, when you’re here, when you’re there. Everybody would like to be on a team for a number of years, get a guaranteed contract and all that. But at the end of the day I’ll take it. It’s not what I would have wrote myself, but I’ll take it."

Grading the Coaches - West - Basketball News & NBA Rumors -
Scott Brooks - Oklahoma City Thunder After a start to the season that many were surprised by, the Thunder seem to have hit their first hurdle of the season. Injuries have started to pile up – Nenad Krstic, Nick Collison, Kevin Ollie, Shaun Livingston, and Kyle Weaver are all battling injuries at the moment and the Thunder will be challenged in the last three games of this five-game homestand. Brooks has his squad fighting in each and every game no matter who or where they're playing, as is evidenced by OKC's 5-4 record on the road (impressive for a young, developing team), a tough loss to the Lakers and a win against the East-leading Orlando Magic, both at home. Brooks is the main reason Russell Westbrook has improved as much as he has since he was drafted and Kevin Durant's offensive game is starting to reach the next level as well. Lastly, Brooks has done well in integrating new back-up PG Ollie, who needs minor knee surgery, and will now be faced with the same challenge with recently-added guard Mike Wilks. Grade: A -

NBA Insider: Nine predictions for the rest of the season | OrlandoSentinel.com
The Oklahoma City Thunder will make the playoffs: The Houston Rockets have been one of the league's most pleasant surprises, starting the season with a 9-8 record. But Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and the Thunder will overtake the Rockets and clinch the West's No. 8 playoff seed.

Hardwood Paroxysm " Blog Archive " Missing Kevin Durant
So I think it’s pretty clear from Twitter and the blog and all how much I watch of the league. I watch a lot. Not a Dwyer amount. But a lot. I’ve seen all 30 teams at least six times by now, most way more than that. And I watch the Thunder more than usual. You want to know something bizarre? I’ve only seen Durant score, like, five field goals. No kidding. It’s just one of those things. I’ll have the game on and someone on Twitter will say something funny, or the dog will need to go outside, or the wife will holler to remind me of item number 8,795 on my to-do list, and then I’ll look up and just hear "Kevin Dur-ANT! Wow!" or some variation thereof. And now and again I’ll rewind it to see it, but usually I just say "Oh, I’ll catch it next time." Except I don’t. I just keep seeing his pull-up threes that clang or turnovers. So to me, Durant has played like crap this year. Which is, of course, absolutely not true, he’s been sublime.

Alternate Realities in the Timberwolves' Universe

wyn — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 00:33:02 -0000

"Every man on that transport died! Harry wasn't there to save them, because you weren't there to save Harry." - Clarence the Angel

Now that Thanksgiving's over, it's ok to put up your Christmas lights (or winter decorations for any holiday you celebrate). In my family, it also means watching It's a Wonderful Life. If you hate America and therefore haven't seen it you can watch the whole thing here. Suffice to say that George Bailey is a man who runs into serious money problems and decides to jump off a bridge. But instead of plummeting to his death, Bailey is saved by Clarence the Angel. Clarence then does George a "solid" by showing him the world as if it had never been graced by George's presence.

Like Mr. Bailey, Wolves General Manager David Kahn has gotten some people angry with him as the team's 1-15 start has been softened only slightly by the recent win in Denver. After all, Kahn is the man responsible for acquiring 2/3 of the players on this year's roster. The criticism of Kahn includes, implicitly or explicitly, the assertion that the Wolves would be better off without some or all of the moves he made.

So to get us in the holiday spirit, let's consider life for the Timberwolves had this summer gone differently (whether David Kahn exists or not is immaterial at this point, so the tie-in to It's a Wonderful Life weakens... let's just move one).

What follows are scenarios of varying plausibility with the corresponding win shares (defined here) and contract commitments (see here for details on options and such).

Thanks, as always, to Basketball-Reference.com for being the best stats site for the NBA. And for more Wolves What Ifs, check out Mike's recent post at TWolvesBlog. Thanks to Mike for getting me to finish my earlier draft of this post.

[EDIT: Not sure why I had the record wrong, thanks commenters.]

Before diving into rampant speculation, it's worth talking a bit about what they're based on: win shares. Did you read the linked explanation? If you're unfamiliar with win shares, do it. The biggest caveat mentioned in that article is attributing team success to individual players doesn't necessarily work. This is an obvious problem in the scenarios below, as Shelden Williams is one of the biggest win producers. Do you think Williams earned his 1.2 wins all by his lonesome, or is it possible Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Rajon Rondo, Rasheed Wallace and Kendrick Perkins might help Williams' win share production? Right. Likewise, Corey Brewer's -0.3 win shares could be explained largely by his logging the most minutes on a team with only two wins, or it could be that the team only has two wins because Corey's playing so much. Such is the nature of win shares.

Current Roster

Here we sit after a whirlwind offseason, a couple quality players worth building around, some expiring contracts, some future picks, the rights to Ricky Rubio, and 2 measly wins. The future's bright, but the present is a complete downer.

Al Jefferson	0.7	$12,000,000	$13,000,000	$14,000,000	$15,000,000
Ramon Sessions	0.5	$3,670,667	$3,964,320	$4,257,974	$4,970,000
Ryan Gomes	0.4	$3,867,500	$4,235,000	$4,602,500	$4,970,000
Nathan Jawai	0.3	$736,420
Oleksiy Pecherov	0.3	$1,547,640
Ryan Hollins	0.3	$2,183,333	$2,333,333	$2,483,333
Brian Cardinal	0.1	$6,750,000
Damien Wilkins	0.1	$3,630,000
Jason Hart	0.0	$825,497
Jonny Flynn	-0.1	$2,969,280	$3,192,000	$3,414,720	$4,329,865	RFA
Corey Brewer	-0.3	$2,916,120	$3,703,472	RFA
Sasha Pavlovic	-0.3	$1,500,000
Wayne Ellington	-0.4	$1,003,560	$1,078,800	$1,154,040	$2,083,042	RFA
Kevin Love	n/a	$3,401,040	$3,638,280	$4,609,701	RFA
Mark Blount	n/a	$7,967,375
(Antonio Daniels)	n/a	$5,863,580
(Chucky Atkins)	n/a	$760,000
Total	1.6	$61,592,012	$35,145,206	$34,522,268	$30,934,534	$0

Alternate Universe 1

The trades with Washington or the LA Clippers never happened, nor was Ty Lawson traded to Denver. The the same picks at #6, #18 and #28 were made. In free agency the Wolves held on to Shelden Williams, Kevin Ollie, and Rodney Carney, but let Jason Collins walk. Facing roster glut, Bobby Brown and Mark Madsen were cut. This was in spite of Brown's superior performance to Corey Brewer and Wayne Ellington thus far due to financial commitments.

Shelden Williams	1.2	$825,497
Ty Lawson	1.0	$1,438,680	$1,546,560	$1,654,440	$2,544,529	RFA
Mike Miller	0.9	$9,780,937
Craig Smith	0.8	$2,300,000
Al Jefferson	0.7	$12,000,000	$13,000,000	$14,000,000	$15,000,000
Ryan Gomes	0.4	$3,867,500	$4,235,000	$4,602,500	$4,970,000
Kevin Ollie	0.4	$825,497
Rodney Carney	0.4	$825,497
Sebastian Telfair	0.4	$2,500,000	$2,700,000
Randy Foye	0.2	$3,575,761	RFA
Brian Cardinal	0.1	$6,750,000
Jonny Flynn	-0.1	$2,969,280	$3,192,000	$3,414,720	$4,329,865	RFA
Corey Brewer	-0.3	$2,916,120	$3,703,472	RFA
Wayne Ellington	-0.4	$1,003,560	$1,078,800	$1,154,040	$2,083,042	RFA
Kevin Love	n/a	$3,401,040	$3,638,280	$4,609,701	RFA
(Mark Madsen)	n/a	$2,840,000
(Bobby Brown)	n/a	$736,420
Total	5.7	$58,555,789	$33,094,112	$29,435,401	$28,927,436	$0

Maintaining last year's roster may have improved the team's record to 6-11, but the franchise won't be players in next year's free agency bonanza (unless they let Miller, Smith, Foye and others walk for nothing) and there are four players (Ollie, Flynn, Lawson and Telfair) who require minutes at the point. They also don't have Ricky Rubio's rights and you may notice that they're actually committed less salary in this scenario than in reality. It's not a huge improvement in the win column, but it's an improvement none the less and the future is still rather bright. But we can do better.

Alternate Universe 2

In this scenario, the trades with Washington, the Clippers or Denver still don't go down and the Wolves have draft magic that allow them to draft the player with the most win shares from amongst the pool of available players (with this method, their 2nd round picks would have been AJ Price and Lester Hudson. Each has a win share equal to Brian Cardinal and therefore wouldn't have improved this scenario). Free agency, as before, brings back Williams, Ollie and Carney and shuns Collins. Madsen and Brown are cut.

Brandon Jennings (#6)	1.4	$2,969,280	$3,192,000	$3,414,720	$4,329,865	RFA
Shelden Williams	1.2	$825,497
Ty Lawson (#18)	1.0	$1,438,680	$1,546,560	$1,654,440	$2,544,529	RFA
Mike Miller	0.9	$9,780,937
Craig Smith	0.8	$2,300,000
Al Jefferson	0.7	$12,000,000	$13,000,000	$14,000,000	$15,000,000
DeJuan Blair (#28)	0.7	$1,003,560	$1,078,800	$1,154,040	$2,083,042	RFA
Ryan Gomes	0.4	$3,867,500	$4,235,000	$4,602,500	$4,970,000
Kevin Ollie	0.4	$825,497
Rodney Carney	0.4	$825,497
Sebastian Telfair	0.4	$2,500,000	$2,700,000
Randy Foye	0.2	$3,575,761	RFA
Brian Cardinal	0.1	$6,750,000
Corey Brewer	-0.3	$2,916,120	$3,703,472	RFA
Kevin Love	n/a	$3,401,040	$3,638,280	$4,609,701	RFA
(Mark Madsen)	n/a	$2,840,000
(Bobby Brown)	n/a	$736,420
Total	8.3	$58,555,789	$33,094,112	$29,435,401	$28,927,436	$0

8.3 wins ain't too shabby, bringing the Wolves' to an 8-9 record. This scenario presents the same 2010 free agency problem as the previous one, but the future is a tad brighter with Jennings, Lawson and Blair instead of Flynn, Ellington and a future 1st. The point guard glut also still exists, merely swapping Jennings for Flynn. I know what you're thinking: we can do better. And you're right.

Alternate Universe 3

Corey Brewer's win share total of -0.3 is the worst among all players considered in this experiment, so forget his option and cut him. Ramon Sessions and Ryan Hollins, on the other hand, are in the top 14 in win shares for all of the considered players, so they're worth using the MLE on. Unfortunately, that means eating Brian Cardinal's salary, in addition to Madsen and Brown. But, hey, we're in this for wins, right?

Brandon Jennings (#6)	1.4	$2,969,280	$3,192,000	$3,414,720	$4,329,865	RFA
Shelden Williams	1.2	$825,497
Ty Lawson	1.0	$1,438,680	$1,546,560	$1,654,440	$2,544,529	RFA
Mike Miller	0.9	$9,780,937
Craig Smith	0.8	$2,300,000
Al Jefferson	0.7	$12,000,000	$13,000,000	$14,000,000	$15,000,000
DeJuan Blair (#28)	0.7	$1,003,560	$1,078,800	$1,154,040	$2,083,042	RFA
Ramon Sessions	0.5	$3,670,667	$3,964,320	$4,257,974	$4,970,000
Ryan Gomes	0.4	$3,867,500	$4,235,000	$4,602,500	$4,970,000
Kevin Ollie	0.4	$825,497
Rodney Carney	0.4	$825,497
Sebastian Telfair	0.4	$2,500,000	$2,700,000
Ryan Hollins	0.3	$2,183,333	$2,333,333	$2,483,333
Randy Foye	0.2	$3,575,761	RFA
Kevin Love	n/a	$3,401,040	$3,638,280	$4,609,701	RFA
(Brian Cardinal)	n/a	$6,750,000
(Corey Brewer)	n/a	$2,916,120
(Mark Madsen)	n/a	$2,840,000
(Bobby Brown)	n/a	$736,420
Total	9.3	$64,409,789	$35,688,293	$36,176,708	$33,897,436	$0

This is the most expensive of the scenarios and the 2010 free agency problem remains. In fact, the Wolves eat $9.6 million more than in the previous scenario and only gain 1 win (9-8). That's probably not something that would impress Glen Taylor or fans. And, stop me if you've heard this before, but the team's got Jennings, Lawson, Sessions, Ollie and Telfair seeking minutes at point guard. That is, at least, if you want to reap their win shares in the total.

These alternate realities may be attractive to fans concerned about the win column, since a 2-15 start does little to build excitement for the current season. But there are some fatal flaws in calling Kahn's summer a bust this. First, you probably noticed that picking the best player at each opportunity in the draft is highly unlikely. Moreover, it's far too early to determine which rookies were better picks. I've also pointed out the point guard glut that a reliance on win shares creates. Lastly, another flaw with the Win-share-way-back-machine Model (that's trademarked, by the way) arises from the depth chart: the sum of minutes needed by each player to achieve their win share is likely higher than minutes available.

Even if David Kahn had made what appear now to be the right moves, the Wolves would be about a .500 team, they'd be out of the 2010 free agency class, they wouldn't have the rights to Ricky Rubio, they wouldn't have enough minutes to go around to an unbalanced roster, and they look like a team whose peak is the Western Conference Semifinals.

If that doesn't make you feel better, go watch It's a Wonderful Life and curse that evil Mr. Potter.

Loud Links: 11.30.2009

daddydai — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 21:49:50 -0000

More photos » by Sue Ogrocki - AP

The Oklahoma City crowd were not the only people cheering on Durant. Last Friday, Carlos Delfino yelled the catch-phrase, "You Can Do It!" in honor of his idol Rob Schneider.

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Thunder gets off to solid start | NewsOK.com
"Even though everybody is encouraged with our start, it’s only November," Nick Collison said. "There’s a lot of basketball left. We’re happy with how we’ve played some games. Other nights we haven’t played as well." One reason for optimism is the Thunder is above .500 while playing a schedule stacked with playoff teams. Oklahoma City has only two games left with last year’s finalists. They’re done playing Orlando and have two games left with the Lakers. The most encouraging sign is the Thunder is 5-4 on the road. Last season, OKC won eight road games. All season. The road success has included statement wins in San Antonio, Miami, Detroit and Salt Lake City. Once the schedule flips to 2010, OKC’s schedule gets easier.

Rockets notes: Scola expects to play next game | NBA Basketball | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle
[Good News, Scola is going to be just fine.] Luis Scola, who never has missed a game in his three NBA seasons, does not plan to now. He left Sunday's game when he was hit in the right eye by Etan Thomas 22 seconds into the game, opening a gash that needed seven stitches. Scola said he will go for tests today but believed he would play Wednesday in Los Angeles against the Clippers.

"We're going to see a doctor tomorrow," Scola said. "I wanted to come back (Sunday) but Keith (Jones the athletic trainer) wouldn't let me." But the Rockets thought Scola would return.

"We kept waiting for Luis to come around the corner running," Shane Battier said. "I had his back. People were like, ‘Where's Luis?' I said, ‘Oh, he's Argentinean. He's going to rub some dirt on it, run back out, like Willis Reed.' I kept looking. It was like the movie Shane. Shane doesn't come back. It was like, ‘Come back, Luis. Come back. Come back."

Rockets stop slide in Oklahoma City - 100-91 - The Dream Shake
[A little sympathy from Houston.] I am heartily sick of the Bill Simmons "Team That Shall Not Be Named" schtick when it comes to the Oklahoma City Thunder. I feel tremendous sympathy for Seattle and its fans. Only a cad wouldn't. There is no question Seattle was jobbed. But is it really OKC, as a fanbase's, fault? Should the enthusiastic fans watching a good young team bear the wrath of a city, a nation or an internet sports commenting phenomenon with a bully pulpit?

The whole sorry affair appeared to be a combination of bad acts on the part of Seattle's former owner (The Starbuckeroo), the OKC group, dithering on the part of the city of Seattle and an obviously pre-arranged deal with Stern and the NBA owners. When you've got a buyer who has all along looked like he wanted to move the team to a nice new facility in his hometown, why be surprised when he does just that? We like to think of teams as our own, and God knows, we fund them as if they were, building arenas and whatnot. In the end, however, they are private property, and owners in the USA can generally do what they want with their property. You may say we're foolish to build arenas, and maybe that's true, but tell that to Seattle, where a rather nasty point about new facilities seemed to be made by the NBA.

So while the loss of the Supersonics was a terrible outcome for the loyal and great fans of Seattle who did not deserve anything like that treatment, and there was without question treachery on the part of a number of actors, the fans of OKC are not to blame. Being petulant about a team and city isn't hurting Clay Bennett, Howard Schultz, or David Stern. Let it go, at least when it comes to OKC and its fans - they are 2nd least blameworthy group in this mess.

Deseret News | Flash drop decision in 2nd game at Tulsa
Tulsa finished with five players in double figures. Oklahoma City Thunder assignee Byron Mullens had his second straight double-double of the season with a 15-point, 17-rebound effort. [Byron also had 2 steals, 1 block and 8 offensive rebounds. There is still much improvement to be made since Mullens also had 7 TO's, shot 25% from the free throw line and fouled out.]

Thunder notebook: Russell Westbrook showing defensive skills | NewsOK.com
Much like Thabo Sefolosha’s stat lines never tell the entire story, Russell Westbrook had a solid all-around game in Friday’s win. Westbrook scored 20 points with seven assists but also helped limit Bucks rookie Brandon Jennings to 12 points on 3-of-11 shooting. "He did a phenomenal job on Jennings," said Kevin Durant. "There were a couple of times he beat him off the dribble to the middle and Russell did a great job recovering and blocked shots. That’s what we need from him every night. He had a great game."

Fantasy: Stock Up / Stock Down - Basketball News & NBA Rumors -
James Harden – Oklahoma City Thunder: Rookie Harden has been given increased minutes lately off the bench, which has allowed fans to see why he was selected #3 in the draft. He scored an average 5.8 points in the first eleven games, but in the last five games (when increased minutes began), he has averaged 16.8 ppg at an impressive .603% field-goal shooting. Three-point shooting has averaged .605% as well (this would be much higher if not for the 0-for-10 threes vs. the Lakers). Who knows, he could become an elite Sixth Man in this league. [Should we start a sixth man of the year campaign now?]

Nenad Krstic - Oklahoma City Thunder: The starting center has averaged 4.4 points and 4.2 boards in the past five outings vs. 10 ppg/5.3 rpg in the first eleven games. His minutes appear to be falling in favor of attention given to the development of Serge Ibaka. [I really hope so.]

Nation, Meet Thunder - HoopAngle: Thunder Edition
Russell Westbrook and Jeff Green did their "usual" work in order to give their team a chance to win. You can always count on those two to hustle, and hustle they did. They were only out-hustled by one Thabo Sefolosha, who had a great second half. Thabo finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds from the guard position. He is such a valuable asset to this young team, giving Scott Brooks the ability to bring phenom James Harden off the bench.

Speaking of Harden, as commentator Jon Barry pointed out, Harden is looking like he could become a serious scoring threat in the near future. He is a perfect complement off the bench right now, but Brooks is no Popovich, and Harden can earn a starting role if he becomes unstoppable. Harden only scored 15 points in 27 minutes, but the best part is that he was 3-3 from 3, and 6-7 from the field overall. All in all, this was a spectacular performance by the young Thunder, who are looking less and less young by the day. As Jon Barry said, this team is a solid .500 team, but could they become more than that? Let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves, but this teaming is looking very strong. If they can maintain focus and avoid serious injury, the sky is the limit.

DraftExpress: 2009-2010 D-League Preview / Power Rankings
Tulsa appears to be one of the deepest and most athletic teams in the D-League on first glance, one that could cause major problems for other teams if they manage to gel and buy into playing strong defense. No other team has as much potential to move up in our power rankings. Tulsa also has the most interesting prospect in the D-League, Latavious Williams. Williams is the first player to go straight from high school to the D-League, and will probably be the most heavily scouted prospect in the league. Williams is not eligible to be called up and will be automatically entered into the 2010 NBA Draft whether he wants to or not. He’s a big-time athlete who can make a real impact on both ends of the floor with his length and activity level, but is raw offensively and has had some questions marks raised by high school recruiting analysts about potential off-court red flags. Needless to say, we’ll be keeping a very close eye on Williams all season long.

Mustafa Shakur has played the past two seasons in Europe after graduating from the University of Arizona. He has call-up potential with his terrific physical attributes and natural talent, but we’ll need to see how his time in Europe has helped him improve on his known weaknesses, mainly perimeter shooting, and playing with consistent focus and intensity. Tulsa’s athleticism extends to the rest of their roster, with a bunch of long-armed defensive minded local products on board in the form of Moses Ehambe, Yemi Ogunoye, and Larry Owens. Owens in particular is a guy to keep an eye on. Other potential impact players include stocky point guard Byron Eaton (good enough to start, potentially alongside Shakur), Keith Clark, who went toe to toe with James White in the Dunk Contest last season, and shot-blocker Steven Hill.

Tulsa should see plenty of help this year from the Oklahoma City Thunder. Byron/B.J. Mullens and Kyle Weaver were both assigned to the team with Weaver being recalled already due to a rash of injuries the team suffered, only to get injured himself. The Thunder could also potentially send Serge Ibaka or D.J. White to the 66ers, but both are getting about 11 minutes per game which should be enough to keep them in the NBA for the time being.

Sunday NBA notes: Point-guard plenty
[Not really Thunder related, but an interesting observation.] Is it possible we're watching the greatest collection of point guards in NBA history? A lofty standard was set some 20 years ago, but in terms of depth and potential, the current season carries historic implications. The rookie crop alone is remarkably deep with Brandon Jennings, Tyreke Evans, Ty Lawson, Stephen Curry, Jonny Flynn and some first-round picks with potential down the line: Eric Maynor (Utah), Jeff Teague (Atlanta), Jrue Holiday (Philadelphia) and Darren Collison (New Orleans).

There are full-blown stars in Chris Paul, Steve Nash, Tony Parker, Jason Kidd, Deron Williams and Chauncey Billups, with the likes of Derrick Rose, Rajon Rondo, Devin Harris and Russell Westbrook right on their heels. Throw in Baron Davis, Mike Bibby, Andre Miller, Mo Williams, Jameer Nelson and Derek Fisher, and you realize it's the rare team (most in the Eastern Conference) that doesn't have a respected point guard or one with tremendous upside.

N.B.A. Shows Are Better Than the Previews - NYTimes.com
[How about some national recognition via the New York Times?] Jennings often looked lost in Friday’s loss to the Thunder, finishing with 12 points, 3 assists and 3 turnovers in 30 minutes. He missed 8 of 11 field-goal attempts, including a handful of driving layups. He was replaced by the journeyman Luke Ridnour just five minutes into the game and split time with him the rest of the way. Over his last three games — all defeats — Jennings has gone 13 for 47 (.277) from the field. That rookie of the year campaign may yet become a three-man race, with the Sacramento Kings’ Tyreke Evans and the Los Angeles Clippers’ Blake Griffin, once he is healthy.

If Jennings forced casual fans to tune in Friday, Kevin Durant kept their attention. Durant put on a show with 33 points, 12 rebounds and 5 assists, showing why Oklahoma City was everyone’s favorite sleeper pick in the Western Conference. Durant, Jeff Green and Russell Westbrook are fast becoming one of the best young trios in the league. The Thunder, which has been methodically rebuilding, suddenly looks ahead of schedule, with a 9-7 record after Friday’s game, and victories over Orlando, the Utah Jazz and San Antonio Spurs.

Bucks drive-in new sponsorship with Sonic | NewsOK.com
[An OKC based business decides to sponsor the Bucks. Why not the Thunder? Big Daddy Clay needs that money.] The Milwaukee Bucks and Sonic drive-in restaurants have agreed to a sponsorship deal that includes a significant presence around the Bradley Center as well as a new mascot making game appearances. Financial terms of the new sponsorship weren't disclosed, but also includes advertising on the Bucks' video display boards, courtside displays and will include a Cherry Limeade character that will appear at Bucks games along with Sonic's roller skaters.

The Main Event: What coaches and players have to say about basketball IQ | NewsOK.com
Thunder guard Shaun Livingston: "Basketball IQ is an understanding of the game. It's just having a presence and a feel. It's more instinctive than anything. It's not really something that you can teach, especially when you get to our level. It's having an understanding or an uncanny feel for the game of basketball."

What is Basketball IQ? It's hard to explain, and most say it's something that players just have | NewsOK.com
Basketball IQ. Defining it isn't so easy. "It's a feel for the game," said Thunder coach Scott Brooks. "Some guys have it. Some guys don't. You don't necessarily need to have it to be successful. But when you have it you understand the game. You can pick up things quickly. You have a great sense of the team concepts and what the team is trying to do."

Nearly half the Thunder's roster at one point has been tagged with the term. You couldn't find a scouting report on rookie James Harden that didn't possess the phrase in the weeks leading up to the June draft. Shaun Livingston, Kyle Weaver, Kevin Ollie, Nick Collison and Jeff Green are among Harden's teammates who also have had the label attached to their names.

"We have a good IQ team," Brooks said. "I'm happy with our guys. Their level of IQ is pretty good." But the term is widely overused, Brooks said. "Absolutely. It's like 'Guys work hard,' or 'This guy's a winner,'" Brooks said. "I've been on teams where guys don't work hard but they're known as hard workers. "No one wants to tell the truth because it'll hurt people's feelings."

Oklahoma City fails to match Houston's grit even with Luis Scola out | NewsOK.com
[Presti, do you need any more examples to find upgrades at the 5 position?] Houston shot only 40.4 percent but attempted 19 more field goals than the Thunder. It’s rare, but the Rockets grabbed exactly as many offensive rebounds as defensive rebounds to win the battle of the boards 46-35. "They just out-hustled us," said Jeff Green. "They were the first to the ball and made the hustle plays. We didn’t get the offensive rebounds we needed. We didn’t get the stops we needed toward the end."

Thunder Insider: Westbrook the defender? | NewsOK.com
"I think the strength of our backcourt with those two guys is they can switch off," Brooks said. "It doesn’t give the offensive player a daily diet of the same guy. I’m using that to throw off the offensive player more than Thabo’s a better ball defender than Russell." Westbrook has had his moments this season. His defense in the Spurs win played a large role in the outcome despite the switch. Westbrook also has held Orlando’s Jameer Nelson and Milwaukee’s Brandon Jennings in check. And you can add to the list Sunday’s first half against Brooks, who had just three points on 1-for-6 shooting in the first 24 minutes.

But like Westbrook’s offensive improvement, the defensive development figures to take some time, maybe even more. But it’s perhaps an even more vital progression considering the Thunder excels when it buckles down on the defensive end. Oklahoma City fell to 1-7 when allowing 100 points or more. Add to that, Kevin Durant and Jeff Green can carry the load offensively, but outside of Sefolosha there aren’t many on this roster who can shut down an offensive threat. If Westbrook can bloom into that secondary body, he’ll also become one of the few point guards in the league who can make that claim.

DarnellMayberry: Kevin Ollie to miss up to four weeks after undergoing surgery on his right knee.

Allen Iverson, Philadelphia 76ers meet face to face in Dallas - ESPN
[Could we see Iverson in the Ford Center on Wednesday? I hope so.] "This afternoon, we met with free agent Allen Iverson in Dallas for the first formal discussion regarding a possible return to the Philadelphia 76ers," Stefanski said in a statement. "The meeting ... covered a variety of topics, all of which we would prefer to keep between the team and Allen. "At this time, both parties remain non-committal regarding a final decision and we will continue to discuss internally whether or not to pursue this course. We want to thank Allen, Leon and Gary for taking the time to meet with us today."

Loud Links: 11.25.09

daddydai — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 23:06:23 -0000

More photos » by George Frey - AP

28 days ago: Oklahoma City Thunder's Thabo Sefolosha, right, fights for a ball with Utah Jazz's Carlos Boozer during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Salt Lake City, Saturday, Nov. 24, 2009. The Thunder beat the Jazz 104-94. (AP Photo/George Frey)

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ESPN NBA Awards Watch
[Just in case you didn't notice, Thabo has been mentioned by ESPN as a possible Defensive Player of the Year.] Thabo Sefolosha, Thunder: He is building a reputation as one of the top one-on-one defenders in the NBA. Go check the tapes to see how he slowed down Brandon Roy, Kevin Martin, Kobe and D-Wade. [Add D-Will to that list.]

ESPN - Elias Says: Sports Statistics - Stats from the Elias Sports Bureau - ESPN
[Another reason to keep an eye on KD.] Kevin Durant scored 28 points on Tuesday, giving him 407 in 15 games this season. Only three other players in league history had as many as 400 points over the first 15 games of a season at age 21 or younger: LeBron James (twice), Shaquille O'Neal and Michael Jordan.

Thunder suffocate Jazz to end three-game win streak | StandardNET
Defensively, the Thunder held the Jazz to just 39 percent from the field and forced six turnovers. "They really made it tough for us to run our offense," Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said. "We just started taking shots (in the third quarter) and got into casual mode. I thought they did a terrific job defensively, they got up and really made it tough on us in almost everything we did." Credit Thunder guard Thabo Sefolosha for causing the most trouble. Assigned to Williams much of the night, the fourth-year player from Switzerland used a four-inch height advantage to frustrate Utah's star point guard. "He's just a bigger guard, he took a lot of things away from me," Williams said. "That's my role, playing defense and trying to be that spark on the defensive end," Sefolosha said. The Jazz fell to 4-3 on their home floor this season. They still have four more home games between now and December 4.

NBA.com - The Game Happens Here
A brilliant adjustment made at halftime by Oklahoma City coach Scott Brooks was one of the differences in the game. He put defensive-stopper Sefolosha on Deron Williams in the third quarter, and it took Utah's point guard out of his rhythm. Williams, after an effective first half, shot 1-for-5 and committed six turnovers in the second half. "Deron Williams is a phenomenal player and Thabo is one of the best defensive players in the league," said Thunder forward Kevin Durant. "It was fun watching him play defense like that and helping our team out. He's grown as a player, and he always helps on the defensive end." Sefolosha's defense was one factor in Oklahoma City blowing the game open in the third quarter. The Thunder, who led by one at halftime, outscored the Jazz by 15 points in the third period, limiting them to just four points in the final six minutes of the third. "We didn't do a very good job trying to contend them," Sloan said. "You've got to knock them off the boards every time you can and help each other on the defensive end. We got confused on defense and when we have those kinds of problems it's tough to pull yourself out of a slump."

How Good is Kevin Durant and the Thunder? " The Wages of Wins Journal
After 15 games this year it is beginning to look like "noise" was the culprit. According to BasketballValue.com, Durant’s adjusted plus-minus score is 16.09. This is the second highest mark on the team. So it looks like everyone is now in agreement. Durant is officially a "good" player (ain’t that a relief?). Fortunately for the Thunder, he is also not alone. Here are the top producers of wins in Oklahoma City [WP48 = Wins Produced per 48 minutes].

Kevin Durant: 579 minutes played, 0.204 WP48,13.5 projected Wins Produced
Thabo Sefolosha: 491 minutes played, 0.182 WP48, 10.2 projected Wins Produced
Russell Westbrook: 512 minutes played, 0.138 WP48, 8.0 projected Wins Produced
James Harden: 296 minutes played, 0.219 WP48, 7.4 projected Wins Produced

This quartet are on pace to produce 39.0 wins. As a team, Oklahoma City has an efficiency differential (offensive efficiency minus defensive efficiency) of 2.4, a mark that projects to about 47 wins across an 82 game season. So the four players listed above are responsible for about 83% of the team’s wins.

NBA Insider -- OrlandoSentinel.com
[Orlando respects KD realistic outlook.] Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant entered Monday ranked fifth in the league in points per game with a 27.1 scoring average. So, can the 21-year-old prodigy win a scoring title this season? "I doubt it," Durant said. "There's too many great scorers in the league." Durant would make history if he overtakes Carmelo Anthony, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. Bob McAdoo holds the NBA record as the youngest player ever to win a scoring title; he was 22 when he averaged a league-best 30.6 points per game in 1973-74 for the Buffalo Braves.

Thunder notebook: Kevin Ollie scheduled to have MRI on knee | NewsOK.com
Kevin Ollie, who missed Tuesday’s game at Utah with a sore right knee, will undergo an MRI exam today. Ollie said his knee has been troublesome for about three weeks, but the pain became unbearable in the first quarter of Sunday’s road loss against the Los Angeles Lakers when he attempted to challenge a shot by guard Jordan Farmar. "When I explode it hurts, but when I’m running it’s fine," Ollie said. "That’s the frustrating thing. In basketball you have to jump. You can’t go out there and play cautious and whatnot. So I think I’m hurting myself and most importantly I think I’m hurting my team.

Thunder 104, Jazz 94 | Thunder Rumblings
[Nice lengthy article by Mayberry, check it out.] Weaver, who was relegated to the D-League on Saturday and recalled from the Tulsa 66ers hours before tip-off only to provide emergency duty behind starting point guard Russell Westbrook, had played only 15 garbage-time minutes in the Thunder’s first 14 games. Fourteen of those minutes came in one contest. But on Tuesday night, Weaver matched his season total in minutes. And he provided more than just a steady hand. Weaver made plays, pestering Jazz point guards Deron Williams and Eric Maynor with his defense and seamlessly setting up the offense and swishing key shots. He finished with seven points on 2-for-3 shooting. He turned the ball over twice but had a career-high-tying three blocked shots to go with one assist.

Ibaka, meanwhile, continued to be a game-changer around the basket.One game after a career night — an 11-point, 13-rebound, five-block performance against the Lakers — Ibaka pulled down five rebounds and had one steal and one block in 21 minutes. He coolly filled in for Jeff Green when the Thunder’s starting power forward picked up two early fouls. He gobbled up a rebound following a Paul Millsap miss. He netted an 18-footer following a feed from Kevin Durant. He pulled down another board after Mehmet Okur’s missed jumper, giving him two points and two rebounds in just four minutes. Ibaka later spelled a foul-plagued Nenad Krstic and did much of the same. But most impressive was the 20-year-old’s confidence. When the Jazz came alive in the fourth quarter and used a 4-0 spurt to cut the Thunder’s 19-point lead to a tenuous 15 with eight minutes remaining, Ibaka smoothly sank an 18-footer. Thabo Sefolosha then nailed two free throws to push the lead back to 19.

And all James Harden did was bounce back from a woeful performance he turned in two nights earlier that could have rocked the rookie’s confidence. After a 2-for-15 shooting night (0-for-10 from 3) against the Lakers, Harden netted four of five shots and one of two 3-pointers for his 10 points during his 19 minutes. His second-quarter production showed his moxie. He poured in all of his points during a 3 minute, 14 second span that started with the Jazz leading by a point and ended with his 3-pointer that gave OKC a 39-36 lead with 6:54 remaining in the half. The Thunder trailed only twice the rest of the way, both times by just a point.

Thabo Sefolosha stymies Deron Williams; OKC wins | NewsOK.com
Williams was 1-for-5 from the field in the third quarter. His lone basket after halftime came on a breakaway. While Sefolosha was glued to him, Williams had just one assist and committed two turnovers in the third quarter. The Thunder outscored the Jazz 31-16 in the period. "He was unbelievable," Durant said of Sefolosha. "Deron Williams is a tough cover at the point guard position. He did a great job on him. That’s what we need from him every night and that’s what he’s been doing."

THUNDER: A Look Back on the Thunder's 104-94 win at Utah
Speaking of Weaver, the second-year guard/forward had a huge night. Weaver was recalled from Tulsa and joined his teammates in Utah. With both Kevin Ollie and Shaun Livingston out with injuries, Weaver became the backup point guard. Weaver finished with seven points, three blocks and an assist in 15 minutes off the bench. Although he hasn’t been in the regular season rotation, Weaver stayed ready for an opportunity like Tuesday.

From Darnell Mayberry's Twitter:

The #OKCTHUNDER has waived forward Ryan Bowen. A backup point guard could soon be added.
It's not all bad, folks. S. Livingston had stitches removed from his knee 2day & says the timetable for his return is up to him.
More bad news Thunder fans. Kyle Weaver left today's practice with a shoulder injury. Went to the Doc. Questionable for Friday. #OKCTHUNDER

From KD's Twitter:

RT @uclabruin4lyf8 @KevinDurant35 who was your role model growing up?(my mommy, she showed me how to work hard)
RT @kayso5 If u kud play anybody one on one old or new players who would it be? @KevinDurant35(magic Johnson)
RT @SLEINWANT @KevinDurant35 What was your all time favorite moment as a pro basketball player(getting drafted in 2007)
RT @3O5_ @kevindurant35 are you the team captain?(yesss)
RT @Stence3 @KevinDurant35 r u playin in the in 2012 olympics(that's the goal, gotta continue to work)
RT @gowherehiphop @KevinDurant35 what song has been pumpin' you up before games lately?(I'm good-clipse)
RT @Harry_Stevens @KevinDurant35 No MJ in your all-time 5?(I forgot about mj lol)
RT @aj_is_now @KevinDurant35 if u weren't a pro b'baller in the @NBA ,what profession would u pursue?(meteorologist)
RT @uclabruin4lyf8 @KevinDurant35 what did you do with your first NBA paycheck?(bought my family cars)
RT @jharriswhite @KevinDurant35 Who's in your all-time starting 5?(magic, Oscar Robertson, wilt chamberlain, Hakeem Olajuwon, lebron)

Thinking about Thanksgiving
What’s up everybody? Thanksgiving is only a few hours away and I’m ready to eat, spend time with friends and family and just chill. Tomorrow will be about friends, family, food and even some basketball. I’m just going to be here in Oklahoma City enjoying the off day with some of my teammates and brothers. That’s about it. Same thing as last year. I’ll enjoy a good meal with my teammates and get ready for my game on Friday. I’ll probably go to the gym tomorrow, lift some weights, get some shots in and then enjoy the rest of my day off. Russell said he’ll come through and I’ll go over James’ house. I’ll just move over from James, Jeff and Russell’s house throughout the day. It’ll be fun. Growing up, Thanksgiving for me was having all my family be at my Aunt’s house. All the kids, there was about 20 of us, We’d play football in the front yard and wait for the food to be cooked. Either the Cowboys or Redskins would play and we’d watch that. Thanksgiving was always big in our family. As far as favorite Thanksgiving Day foods go, my Aunt used to cook this macaroni and cheese. It was unbelievable. Different than anything I’ve ever had before. I don’t know how to describe It except that it was extra cheesy. Oh yeah, and about those Redskins. I know they’ve had a tough season, but they’re still my team. They had a hard loss against the Cowboys on Sunday but we had a good win against Denver the week before so hopefully we can still build off of that. And even though the ‘Skins won’t be playing tomorrow, it’s always fun watching football on Thanksgiving. Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Talk to you soon.

2010 NBA Rookie Card Page - ESPN
[Harden is now #4 on ESPN's Rookie Watch] Nov. 25: Thunder GM Sam Presti had the opportunity to draft Ricky Rubio or Tyreke Evans with the No. 3 pick. But Rubio had the buyout hanging over his head and wasn't a sure thing to come play in OKC. And Evans, who needs the ball in his hands a lot to be effective, would be a tough fit with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, who have similar needs. Harden, meanwhile, was the rare scorer who had terrific passing skills and could impact games without taking lots of shots or dribbles. And so far in his rookie season, he has been true to that evaluation. He has an assist rate that puts him in the top 10 of the class, making him the only non-point guard in that group. He's been a solid defender on a top-10 defensive team. And although his shooting numbers are down, he has the mechanics to get that back up soon.

Game 10 Preview: Los Angeles Clippers at Oklahoma City

Zorgon — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 23:48:41 -0000

More photos » by Chris Carlson - AP

Can Russell Westbrook become the next Baron Davis? Well, he has to get past him first.

Browse more photos »

This also counts as an open thread, so feel free to post your thoughts during the game here.

Time: 6:00 PM Central Standard Time

Place: The Ford Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

TV: Fox Sports Oklahoma, Fox Sports Net Prime Ticket

Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1)

Enemy Blog(s): Clips Nation, ClipperBlog

Backstory: We're almost an eighth of the way there, and things are looking good!

Since we've last seen the Clippers, they've lost to Toronto in an embarrassing fashion. Now they're on a 3 game losing streak, and seeing how badly they've played lately, I really , really doubt the Thunder have much of a chance of losing this one. Nobody has come back from injury, Russell Westbrook (our worst performer of last time) has beaten Tony Parker in a fierce battle, and it's in our house this time.

Below: Matchups, Prediction

Matchups:

Center: Nenad Krstic vs. Chris Kaman

Last time, Chris Kaman had a better game overall than Krstic, but he was much less efficient. I mean, 9-26 shooting is pretty unacceptable for a center by my standards. I'll say that the same goes for this game, with Kaman scoring more points and grabbing more rebounds, but with Nenad Krstic doing less with less minutes and less opportunities.

Power Forward: Jeff Green vs. Marcus Camby

This will be a defensive battle, for sure. Last game, neither of them was able to score on a consistent basis, and Camby won the battle of the intangibles. If Green wants to win this game, he's going to have to get a 3 point shot going.

Small Forward: Kevin Durant vs. Al Thornton

Al Thornton is probably the most efficient Clippers player, but I doubt he'll have a better performance than Kevin Durant. Expect him to get roughly half of KDs numbers.

Shooting Guard: Thabo Sefolosha vs. Rasual Butler

Thabo Sefolosha had a horrible night last time, but at least Rasual Butler was able to rebound the ball for his team. I'd like to think that Sefolosha will do better this time, but there's no big scoring threat for him to stop, so I think we might even be better off starting James Harden at this point. Rasual Butler will outperform him by a bit.

Point Guard: Russell Westbrook vs. Baron Davis

This is the matchup I want to see again. Last time, Westbrook got injured, and Baron Davis outperformed him in every single way. But, Russell Westbrook had a great game against Tony Parker, doesn't seem any worse for the wear, and probably wants to show his stuff against this Clipper team. I'll give Baron Davis the win, but I still truly hope that Westbrook can rebound from his bad performance last time.

Battle of the Benches

Last time, the only players who mattered on the bench were James Harden and Kevin Ollie. I wouldn't expect that to change for us, as Collison and Thomas aren't huge game changers, but I'd expect more out of Craig Smith and Sebastian Telfair on the Clippers side of things. Smith is a nice inside scorer and rebounder, while Telfair can distribute just as well as Baron Davis can.

Coaching and Intangibles

The Thunder are on a two game winning streak, have beaten this team before at home, and are at home themselves. The Clippers are without two of their best players, on the road, have lost 3 straight, and have only beaten the lowly Timberwolves, Warriors, and Grizzlies. I'd say the intangibles are in our favor.

Bottom Line

If the Thunder can get solid production from the guards, make sure that guys like Chris Kaman, Marcus Camby, and Craig Smith don't have productive games inside, and drop a few threes, then they can win this game. It may sound like a lot, but it's no herculean task. Again, these are the Clippers we're talking about.

Prediction: Thunder 95, Clippers 90

6-4? Like Kevin Garnett, anything is possible!

How do you think the game will go? Vote in the Poll!

Poll

Who's going to win tonight?

The Oklahoma City Thunder

16 votes

The Los Angeles Clippers

10 votes

26 votes | Poll has closed

Game 9 Recap: Oklahoma City 101, San Antonio 98

Zorgon — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 23:08:16 -0000

Yahoo! Sports Box Score:

Good interior defense? Against the Spurs? Wow!

We moved the mountain!

I'm a bit in shock after this win, really. The spurs had a full lineup, a 2 game winning streak, and were at home....he did we manage to win? It might be my image of the spurs being the NBA's impenetrable wall of defense, which is about half a decade out of date, but man, am I excited about this win.

The game was fairly tight during the duration of its run, except when the Spurs had a 53-43 lead near the end of the 2nd. But, that was when the Thunder really showed up, as they were back in front with 9:18 to go in the 3rd.

After that bad run of luck, the Thunder never trailed by more than a point, so their victory should have seemed secure. Yet, these are the Spurs we're talking about, so there's no way one can ever count them out of a game. With 31 seconds to go in the 4th, they were down by 6, and it was looking pretty bad for them. But then, George Hill made a 3, cutting the lead to just one possession. After Kevin Durant made both of his free throws, Tony Parker promptly made a layup, keeping the gap at one possession. We all held our breath as Kevin Durant barely missed one freethrow, only increasing the lead to 4. Michael Finley missed a 3, but the Spurs managed to tip it in in what looked like a mess from a College game. As the lead was down to two with 2 seconds to go on the clock at this point, Thabo Sefolosha was in the same situation as Kevin Ollie was last game. If he makes both, the game is sealed, but if he misses one, the game is in danger of overtime. Guess what happened? He missed one. Luckily, the Spurs could barely get it over half court before time expired, and George Hill had to resort to an extremely long, leaping 3 that easily missed the mark.

And now, the Thunder are 5-4!

Below: Awards, Analysis

There's no question as to who tonight's Thunder Wonder is. Russell Westbrook had a cool 19 Points on 7-13 Shooting, 5 Rebounds, and 11 Assists, making for his first solid performance in a while. I mean, he outperformed Tony Parker! That's a statement in and of itself, even though Parker was coming back from an injury. Also, Jeff Green did more than enough to earn the Thunder Down Under award, scoring 21 Points on 8-19 shooting, and grabbing 10 rebounds.

It was clear that Scott Brooks wanted to exploit the fact that the Spurs didn't have a very good defending center, as Nenad Krstic took 3 of the first 4 shots. He missed two of them, but he finished with a solid 5-11 shooting performance, with a surprisingly high 7 Rebounds, 2 Steals, and 3 Blocks. Nevertheless, sometimes oyou wish that he could make his mid-range shots more often. They're hardly ever contested, and he manages to brick half of them.

A key to the victory could have been the fact that the Thunder managed to outrebound the Spurs. One would think that such a team would manage to be excellent rebounders, but for some reason, guys like Nenad Krstic were grabbing rebounds for us, and nobody but McDyess and Duncan was able to grab rebounds for the Spurs.

One can't really give a Thunder Wonder award for this game fairly, because....well, nobody had a bad performance. So, I'll just give it to Thabo Sefolosha for missing a crucial free throw at the end of the game. Yes, fate can be cruel.

On San Antonio's side of things, you'd got to expect better things from players like Manu Ginobili and Richard Jefferson. Together, they combined for 1-12 shooting and 11 points. Sure, Ginobili did some rebounding and distributing, but you'd expect these guys to get at least 10 points a game on their own. Still, there's no question that Tim Duncan was the Thunder Plunderer for this game. He had 22 Points, 10 Rebounds, 3 Assists, and a couple of sick dunks. Even when some things go wrong for the Spurs, Duncan is the only constant. You can't discount George Hills contribution, either, as he scored 18 points too make up for Ginobili and Jeffersons floundering. And Tony Parker had his usual performance, adding 17 Points, 5 Rebounds, and 5 Assists.

Next Game: Versus the Clippers, Sunday, November 15th, at 6:00 PM Central Standard Time

As a Taco Bell fire sauce packet once said: "Ah, we meet again."

Loud Links: 11.13.09

daddydai — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 23:59:32 -0000

by Chris Carlson - AP

about 1 month ago: Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant, left, celebrates with guard James Harden after scoring the winning basket against the Los Angeles Clippers during the second half of their NBA Basketball game in Los Angeles, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2009. The Thunder won 83-79. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

View full size photo »

OKC ThunderCast: ThunderClap November 13, 2009
[OKC ThunderCast offers excellent podcasts about the Oklahoma City Thunder. Check out today's podcast honoring a special Thunder on this Friday the 13th. Seriously, take a listen!!!]

James Harden has a bit of point guard in him | NewsOK.com
[The local Harden love continues. Where is the national love, I don't know? Lucky Harden only leads the league with the best assist to turnover ratio.] James Harden insists he’s never considered himself capable of playing point guard. Two weeks into his NBA career, the Thunder rookie leads the league in a category normally dominated by point guards. After dishing out eight assists in his hometown to spark the Thunder to an 83-79 win over the Los Angeles Clippers late Wednesday night at the Staples Center, Harden leads the league in assist-to-turnover ratio.

THUNDER: Ibaka Making Progress Both On, Off The Court
[Hey baby! Ibaka is starting to feel comfortable on the court and with the English language. Should we expect more smack talking on the court?] Said Ibaka: "That’s given me more confidence and that’s very important for me. I thank my teammates. The first game in Sacramento, those two minutes gave me more confidence for the next time." His confidence on the court was evident. Off the court, he’s speaking English more confidently; Friday was just the third time he had spoken to reporters without the help of a translator. Given the language barrier and the circumstances that faced him on the court, Green was impressed with the way Ibaka handled himself on Wednesday. "He knows how to play the game, he knows about spacing," Green said. "He can look at a play and remember it. But we’re also there to help him if he forgets. For him to be his first year in the league, as far as the language barrier and everything, I think he’s doing a pretty good job of understanding a lot of things." Ibaka credited his teammates for helping him learn English on top of the classes he said he’s currently taking. In two months, Ibaka said he hopes his English will be much improved. Ibaka said his favorite word he’s picked up, slang or otherwise, is "baby," which he and his teammates toss around with each other. Ibaka still reads his French version of the Bible prior to every game, just so he can brush up on one of four languages he speaks, and considers himself to be a religious person.

Thunder notebook: Bench support | NewsOK.com
[Scott Brooks got jokes] One of the first questions from a Los Angeles reporter following Wednesday’s game: "Kevin is a match-up problem for a lot of people, but the Clippers certainly didn’t have an answer." "Yeah, Kevin Ollie had 11 points. He was good tonight," Brooks said with a smile, knowing the reporter was referring to Kevin Durant. Ollie did have his best game, scoring 11 points, highlighted by two game-clinching free throws with 1.8 seconds left.

Thunder-Spurs Preview - Nov. 13, 2009 - NBA - CBSSports.com
Tim Duncan and Tony Parker are out with sore left ankles. One of them should return Saturday night, but coach Gregg Popovich won't say which. The Spurs, looking to improve to 5-0 at home, hope one of their superstars will be back when they face the Oklahoma City Thunder. San Antonio (4-3) played without Duncan and Parker on Wednesday, but still managed to beat Dallas 92-83. Popovich said one will likely return Saturday, although he didn't hint as to who it would be. Both missed the first two games of this three-game homestand, but San Antonio hasn't missed a beat. [Perhaps Pops is bluffing and both Timmy and Tony will be out?]

LeBron James may change jersey number : InsideHoops
[LeBron is hoping to retire the #23 league-wide.] Basking in the glow of a victory over the Heat, Cavs superstar LeBron James looked over at his idol sitting in the stands at AmericanAirlines Arena on Thursday night and made a command decision. Out of respect to Michael Jordan, who sat courtside and watched James score 34 points, James said he is planning on switching his number after this season from No. 23 to No. 6. It just sort of came out, but it was obvious he’s been thinking about it for a while. And James wants to lead a movement to get every player who wears No. 23 in the league to give it up as a tribute to Jordan.

Friday Bullets - TrueHoop Blog - ESPN
If LeBron James switches to number six, he realizes he'd be carrying the torch for Julius Erving and Bill Russell. But several have pointed out that if you're going to ask players to retire #23 league-wide out of respect to Jordan, can you in good conscience wear the number of 11-title winner Russell? By the way, who are the #23s now in the NBA? Besides James it's Devin Brown, Marcus Camby, Toney Douglas, Stephen Graham, Wesley Matthews, Kevin Martin, Jodie Meeks, Byron Mullens, Jason Richardson, C.J. Watson, Martell Webster and Lou Williams. Also, some big-picture perspective on James' statements.

Byron Scott Fired, Hornets Continue Reeling | Thunder Rumblings
[A great article about OKC's first NBA team. Could the Hornets miss the playoff this year?] Losing the first pro franchise this state has ever seen was gut-wrenching, though, on April 13, 2007, when the Hornets played their last game inside the Ford Center as "New Orleans/Oklahoma City" and uncertainty still remained about whether the Sonics would soon shuffle south as a substitute. The disappointment dialed up when the Hornets, in their first full season back in New Orleans, assembled a franchise-best season, a record of 56 wins and 26 losses and a trip to Game 7 of the Western Conference Semifinals. It became almost unbearable while watching Chris Paul turn in an MVP-caliber season and establish himself as the league’s best point guard.