SB Nation - Shaun Livingston

BREAKING NEWS: The Thunder Acquire Matt Harpring and Eric Maynor from the Jazz for Free

Zorgon — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 01:19:18 -0000

That's right! He works for us now!

Credit to Mleetch352 for breaking this news to me.

All I can say is....HELLS YEAH!

The Thunder just basically robbed the Jazz blind by taking a expiring contract and a promising backup Point guard in Eric Maynor. What did we lose? Some fool. And by that, I really do mean some fool.

We lost the rights to Peter Fehse, a 2nd round draft pickfrom Germany. The pick was made in 2002, back when Gary Payton was still wearing Green. So really, it's not loss at all.

Granted, we did have to waive Mike Wilks and Shaun Livingston, but that's no biggie. It must really suck for the both of them to be told they're off the team right before this game starts, but hey, that's the business. Eric Maynor will compliment Ollie and Westbrook well. Wilks was just an emergency backup, and Livingston really wasn't playing like he used to. Kind of like a Westbrook-lite. Still, I wish only the best of luck for Livingston and Wilks. Both guys who played solid in pinches for this team.

Now, what can Maynor and Harpring contribute? Well, Maynor is obviously the man who's going to take over the backup point guard spot. It'll take him some time to get adjusted to the team, so Ollie might start in front of him at first, but he'll get that spot eventually. Will he ever take over for Westbrook? Well, that's a question that only time can answer.

Matt Harpring will most likely never be used. He's out for the season, and his contract expires at the end of it. I doubt we'll resign him unless we need a Small Forward to use in pinches. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see some Matt Harpring in action, but it's just not going to happen.

Eric Maynor's Yahoo Profile

Matt Harpring's Yahoo! Profile

I thought trades like this happened only in Sim Leagues, but I guess they happen in real life, too. I'm excited! Now, say it with me....THANK YOU SAM PRESTI!

Poll

Do you like this trade?

Eric Maynor and Matt Harpring Traded to Oklahoma City

Basketball John — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 00:09:10 -0000

More photos » by Donna McWilliam - AP

Matt Hapring, or at least his contract, is gone. Ronnie P will take over as backup PG.

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From Ross Siler,

The Jazz on Tuesday traded 2009 first-round draft pick Eric Maynor plus Matt Harpring's rights to Oklahoma City in exchange for the rights to Peter Fehse, a forward from Germany who was a second-round pick of the Sonics in 2002.

With only 12 players on the roster, the Jazz will be forced to make an additional move to reach the league minimum of 13.

Is something else on the horizon? Bigger news coming? Is this the first domino? There has to be something else happening.

Ronnie Price will take over as the backup point guard. Given that Sloan loves to have 3 PG and Price's recent injury history, do they have something else in place to bring in another PG?

OKC already has 15 players on their roster including 4 PGs with one out. ~~Are they going to be cutting people~~? Looks like they cut Livingston and Wilks. Thanks Sherbs

I can't see them giving away Maynor like this without expecting some other deal to happen. Sloan loves to have his three PGs. Also, given Price's injuries the past couple of seasons, we need some insurance. And like Siler mentioned, they're going to have to add someone.

My guess is that they don't want to bring on more money, so there could be a 2 for 1 or 3 for 2 trade coming shortly. My immediate thought was a Boozer for Hinrich and Thomas swap given that the Jazz need another PG (although very expensive) and the Bulls need a shakeup right now. If the trade fails for the Bulls, then at the worst they lose Booze's contract next season and they become big players in the FA market. Maybe the Jazz move Hinrich to the two at times and pair him with Deron?

Losing Maynor though kind of hurts because he's a solid player and could be a good PG in the league. He would have been one of the last players I thought would be traded. I guess he's free of his pink backpack now.

I don't know though. Just throwing that out there.

More coming...

Game 25 Recap: Oklahoma City 109, Detroit 98

Zorgon — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 10:38:25 -0000

Ibaka: Yes, that ball IS mine!

We got to see Weezy once again, and successfully took care of the one easy game among this 7 game nightmare. I'd call that a good day at work.

But, it didn't start very well. Detroit's opening basket was made by our old comrade, Chucky Atkins. That eventually sparked them into a 14-6 lead, lead by Rodney Stuckey. Predictably, he had a great game, because the Thunder don't do well against good penetration. The Pistons got the lead all the way up to 10 points, as they lead 22-12 with 3:57 to go. But the Thunder responded strongly by recovering to get within 3 by the end of the quarter. Most of the points were made on penetration plays, but that's due in large part to the fact that Ben Wallace was out of the game.

The 2nd quarter was pretty even, as the Pistons managed to keep their lead until Jeff Green captured it from them with 6 seconds to go. In fact, he had 9 points in the last 3 minutes of the 2nd, largely accounting for our ability to take the lead.

From that point on, the Thunder only lost their lead once. The Pistons managed to tie it late in the 3rd, helped a lot by the fact that Ben Wallace was there to clog the lane again. The lead was only back up to 4 by the end of the 3rd. But, like a knight in shining armour, James Harden was there, making 7 points in the first two minutes of the 4th. After that, it was just a stagnant game of back and forth, with the Thunder running up the score at the end in order to make themselves look good.

As far as the analysis goes, there's really not much bad to find in this game. We had great shooting almost universally on our team, and those on the team who didn't shoot well made sure to take care of business at the line.

And, surprisingly....Jeff Green actually did a halfway decent job against some solid big men! Granted, he's undoubtedly played against Weezy many times, and Weezy is allergic to defense, but Jeff Green also had to fight through Jonas Jerebko, Jason Maxiell, and Charlie Villanueva. I know, they're not exactly the defensive all-stars, but they're all pretty legitimate, so it's definitely a step in the right direction.

As just one of that night's many festivities, Rumble decides to surprise a kid by giving him a....totally unusable model motorcycle? I'm as puzzled as you are. He can't ride it, and it's too big to store in his room. Hmmmm.... Still, a nice gesture.

It was also nice to see some of our old players again. I didn't hear many claps for them in the arena, but a few people seemed to remember Weezy quite well. He's since lost his braids, so he kept reminding me of Rasheed Wallace, which kind of freaked me out. But he met his old teammates and gave props to Rumble after the game, so you know he's a super cool dude. It's also nice to see him being semi-productive for once, getting 8 Points and 4 Rebounds in 18 Minutes of play. Chucky Atkins didn't do much but miss shots and commit fouls, going 1 of 5 and netting only 2 points in 22 minutes. But, he's in the twilight of his career now, and seeing as how he was guarded by Thabo Sefolosha, he didn't do terribly bad.

The Thunder Wonder....goes to Serge Ibaka. I know, he wasn't the best guy out there. There's just so many places in this game where you could say that x player saved us at this point or y player saved us at that point or z player helped us out through tough times. But Serge Ibaka has improved his game so much since the start of the season that I've got to give him this award at least once. I didn't even know if he'd be usable at the start of the season. Heck, I wouldn't have been surprised if he went back to Europe next year. But now, I realize that he's working his way into being an essential part of this team. A career-high 12 points and solid 5 rebounds in 22 minutes round out his fantastic night.

James Harden, furious at the ball, screams at it while telling it to "Get in there!" KD looks on, completely stunned.

The Thunder Down Under Award has to go to James Harden. I know, Kevin Durant had a great game, and Jeff Green helped us out of a jam towards the end of the first, but James Harden had an essential 7 points at the beginning of the fourth, and he has an insanely high plus/minus ratio (+19). He ended up with 14 Points, 3 Rebounds, and 8 Assists, which is the stat line that we all hope to see more often from this man.

The Thunder Blunder was, well....Shaun Livingston. I know he did an admirable job, but he's just about the only guy who put up a whole lot of zeros on this night. Hey, somebody has to win it! 2 Assists, 2 Blocks, and 2 Fouls in 20 Minutes recap his night.

Ben Wallace did help the Pistons out a lot defensively, but his defense didn't help a whole lot in the fourth. He did do a good job, and would get a Thunder Plunderer Down Under award if there was one, but the award has to go to Rodney Stuckey. The guy simply was the Pistons tonight. He's no Point Guard, and he's probably less valuable than Ben Gordon, Tayshaun Prince, Rip Hamilton and Ben Wallace. But through all of the injuries, he's been a nice shred of consistency for the Pistons. A season high 31 Points, 5 Rebounds, and 3 Assists in 37 minutes complete his superb outing.

Next Game: At the Rockets, Saturday, December 19th, 7PM CST

Loud Links: 12|16|09

daddydai — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 00:24:48 -0000

More photos » by Michael Dwyer - AP

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2009-2010 Hollinger Projections - All Players - ESPN
[Guys we have a new superstar on our hands. Just click the link above and see how Hollinger's numbers put Kyle Weaver above the league's creme de la creme.] The rookie swingman was a poor man's Thabo Sefolosha, showing an ability to defend and handle the ball but displaying an iffy shooting stroke and generally poor offensive instincts. Weaver wasn't half-bad shooting on the rare occasions he launched, hitting 34.4 percent on 3s and 47.7 percent on long 2s, and he made a stellar 59.6 percent in the immediate basket area. But too often he was a wallflower -- only two shooting guards had a lower Usage Rate and he averaged just 10.2 points per 40 minutes. Additionally, for a guy who spotted up for his rare shot opportunities, he was shockingly turnover prone. Weaver's turnover ratio was the third-worst among shooting guards; normally guys like this are in the top ten because they're required to do so little. Although he seemed a good ball handler, his pure point rating also was poor, coming in at 44th at the position.

Livingston Keeps Moving Forward Without Looking Back -- NBA FanHouse
[It is great to see Shaun Livingston get more playing time. Doesn't Jamario Moon and Shaun look like brothers? I hope Shaun gets those hops back.] "There's certainly things that I lack athletically,'' said Livingston, comparing himself to before the injury, when he was averaging 9.3 points for the 2006-07 Clippers and appeared well on his way to being a fine NBA player after being taken with the No. 4 pick in 2004 directly from high school. "Speed and quickness and the initial burst and a maybe a little bit of jumping. But I'll sacrifice a little bit of that just to be able to play the game. I can still play in this league and make a difference.''

Just seeing Livingston on the court serves as an inspiration to his teammates. Forward Nick Collison said he's "really impressed with him with all that he's been through.'' Ollie feels likewise. "To see him being out there playing, you look at a guy who has persevered and gotten through certain things in his career, and he's not given up,'' Ollie said. "That fires up everybody when you see a player who's going through those things and you know he's a better person for it . ... He's continuing to bounce back and continuing to fight and hopefully he'll have success this season and beyond and get back to the position he wants to be.''

Biggest Story of the Year? SI.com
So as not to bring out the big storylines yet, I'm going to say the Thunder's being above .500. Generally, a young team with one dominant scorer -- Kevin Durant, at 28.3 points per game, is averaging 12 more than the second-highest scorer, Russell Westbrook -- equates to a struggling team. But there the Thunder stand, just one game out of a playoff spot, even as people in Seattle remain angry about a franchise that was hijacked from under them. But "quarter pole" should be in boldface -- it's really early.

Sweat Equity: Arinze Onuaku's path to 1,000 points | Orange Basketball Blog - syracuse.com
[Etan's record in Syracuse is being threatened.] In the past 20 years, 24 players have reached the 1,000-point mark at Syracuse. Of those two dozen, only three were true centers — Otis Hill (1,416 points) and Etan Thomas (1,340)."Over the years, the guards do most of the scoring," said Onuaku. "You have to have the mentality that if you get the ball in scoring position, you have to take advantage of that and you’re going to score." Onuaku’s done that. He reached 1,000 points despite the fact that he’s never taken a 3-point shot. In fact, one could probably count on one hand the number of shots he’s taken outside the free-throw lane. But once Onuaku establishes position close to the basket, he’s nearly unstoppable. He is Syracuse’s career leader in field-goal percentage. His career percentage of 64.3 represents a Bob Beamon-esq leap beyond former leader Etan Thomas’ mark of 60 percent.

CavsHQ Running Thoughts - Cavs v. Thunder - 12/13/09 | CavsHQ - cleveland.com - cleveland.com
[I really need to start giving Krstic more respect.] Shaquille O'Neal looked good on Friday against Joel Pryzbilla, which is why it was a surprise that he would struggle mightily against Nenad Krstic. Shaq had 5 fouls and 3 turnovers in just over 18 minutes of play, and was once again pretty insignificant out there. While Shaq does give the Cavs a consistent plan of attack in the halfcourt, it would be better if that plan was working better.

Thunder notebook: Star search | NewsOK.com
ESPN.com’s John Hollinger, whose computer ratings were plugged in and the rest of the season was played out 5,000 times, attended Monday’s game in Denver. His reaction to his rankings predicting OKC will finish 48-34 and earn the No. 5 seed in the West? "It often changes because there’s so much water that has to go under the bridge," Hollinger said. "You can’t predict injuries or trades. The computer builds in some of that, but can’t (predict injuries). Their blowout win (at home) over Orlando really helped them." Hollinger said fans, coaches and players usually are more emotional about PER (Player Efficiency Ratings) than playoff predictions. In Hollinger’s updated future Power Rankings on Tuesday — projections for the next three seasons after the current 2009-10 season — Hollinger moved Oklahoma City up one spot to third.

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 22: Cleveland at Oklahoma City

daddydai — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 17:39:41 -0000

More photos » by Joe Murphy - NBAE/Getty Images

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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

Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1)

Enemy Blog(s): Fear the Sword

Backstory: But first a disclaimer.

When it comes to Thunder basketball, I am an eternal optimist. Positive thought equals positive results, right? So being unbiased is a rough task for me. After the Thunder defeated the Orlando Magic, I feel OKC proved that they can beat any team. So let's continue with the task at hand.

The Cavs added Shaq to their roster in order to "Bring the King a ring". With the extra strength inside somehow the Cavs have already tallied up seven losses. Not to mention losses to teams that the Thunder have already defeated (Washington & Memphis). So should we be encouraged? I'd say yes. Plus we all know that KD and the boys like to step up to the top teams in the league.

Of course Cleveland has plenty of bigs that can contend with our paltry front court. So expect Krispy to jump start his jump shot in hopes to pull the Shaq away from the basket. Cleveland also has a nice outside game that OKC has to be aware of. Expect some nice cuts to the basket by Williams and Lebron. In order for the Thunder to pull this one off shots have to fall and rebounds must be collected.

Since, I'm always bouncing about the internet here are a few more thoughts about the game:

Cavs Hit the Road, Travel to OKC | King James Gospel | A Cleveland Cavs Blog
Cleveland’s starting shooting guard Anthony Parker played basketball in Israel for Macabbi Tel Aviv before entering the NBA and is very accustomed to the celebrations of Hanukkah. And AP comes out hot right from the opening tip. Parker picks up four of LeBron’s seven first quarter assists and pours in 12 early points to lead the Cavs to an early 14 point lead. Cleveland withstands a late second quarter run by the Thunder and goes into the locker room with an eight point advantage, 54 – 46.

The King takes matters into his own hands to start the third quarter and pours in 8 consecutive points and finished the quarter with a game-high 27. After sitting the first six minutes of the fourth quarter, James checks back in with his team

clinging to a four point lead. Kevin Durant tries to steal the King’s throne but LeBron matches him point-for-point. Jeff Green cans two from long distance in the last two minutes and the Cavs trail by 2 with 11 seconds.

LeBron takes the inbound pass from Delonte West and dribbles to his right. Anderson Varejao levels Green on a screen but LeBron runs out of room at the foul line. He swings out to Mo who feeds Parker with a touch pass in the corner. And Anthony Parker celebrates day three of Hanukkah with a game winning tre. Cavs win 103-102.

Cavaliers-Thunder Preview - STATS Senior Writer - NBA - Sporting News
The Thunder are three games over .500 for the first time since 2004-05, when the team was based in Seattle and finished 52-30. Oklahoma City, the second-youngest team in the NBA, has reached 12 wins after needing 50 games to accomplish that feat last season. "They have a very, very good young (group) of basketball players that love to play the game of basketball," James said. "We are looking forward to the challenge. It is going to be a good road test for us against a young, explosive team in their home building, and we have to come out with the same fire we did in the second half (Friday)."

Star Power: Comparisons grow between Kevin Durant and LeBron James | NewsOK.com
At first glance, it’s easy to think LeBron James and Kevin Durant aren’t in the same league. Simply suggesting the two players are seemed silly this summer when the connection first gained steam. Durant’s Thunder was coming off a shameful 23-win season. James’ Cavs, meanwhile, were fresh off yet another deep playoff run. But the comparison now seems credible as the two meet for the first time this season tonight inside the Ford Center. Durant, in his third season, is blossoming into the star many projected him to become and has his Thunder off to a surprising 12-9 start. Durant also ranks fourth in the league in scoring, sitting .1 point ahead of James.

Cavs (16-7)	Matchups	Thunder (12-9)
Mo Williams Some people call me Maurice	Point Guard Tonight's point guard match up will be overlooked since we will have a superstar match up on our hands. Williams is 44% from beyond the arc. Westbrook shoots 66% from three-land while facing Cleveland. One important note, Mo often leaves the ball handling responsibility to LeBron. Slight Advantage: Thunder	Russell Westbrook The Constant Evolver

Anthony Parker Not Tony	Shooting Guard Parker is a legitimate threat with the 3-ball. He has shot over 50% this season. Thabo can contain Parker, but Thabo will likely be spending time helping guard LeBron. Just how much time Thabo spends with James will determine the result of this match up. Advantage: Thunder	Thabo Sefolosha Swiss Army Defender

Bron Bron The King	Small Forward Here it is! The match up we all waited for. The summer long discussions of who is better will be re-sparked if KD can hold his own against Cleveland's Dancing Queen. Unfortunately LeBron is much quicker and stronger than Durant. Advantage: Cavs	Kevin Durant The Kid

J.J. Hickson Ze Son of Hick	Power Forward Hickson's rebounding average is only 3.8 rebounds per game. Green should us this to his advantage, even though Green isn't a rebounding machine himself. Who ever wins this match up will decide the game. Advantage: Thunder	Jeff Green Green Energy

Shaquille O'Neil The Big Question	Center So the Vanilla Gorilla poked Shaq in the eye, and the Big Whateva is listed as questionable. Either way, I don't see Krstic winning against anyone from the Cav's front court. Perhaps Thomas will get minutes tonight? Advantage: Cavs	Nenad Krstic Mr. Comb Over

Anderson Varejao Curly Fries	Bench & Role Players Serge Ibaka and Nick Collison will face off against Curly Fries and Nosferatu (better known as Varejao and Ilgauskas). While Lucky Harden and Shaun Livingston will compete against the really athletic Jamario Moon and gun-toting Delonte West. If Harden's shots fall we will be fine, otherwise I'm expecting Moon to defy gravity. Advantage: Cavs	James Harden Wonder Beard

Mike Brown Former COY	Coach I could be completely wrong, but I believe LeBron won Brown's coach of the year. Brooks on the other hand has done a great job harnessing the Thunder. Oh yeah, don't forget the Thunder also have Mo Cheeks and Ron Adams helping from the bench. Advantage: Thunder	Scott Brooks Next COY
	images via yahoo.com

	Other Factors
	Injuries Shaq might be out with a poked eye. Daniel Gibson injured his finger in Battier's jersey the other night. Of course Leon Powe, Kyle Weaver, and Kevin Ollie are out of commission for awhile.
	Intangibles If the Thunder keep this game close, LeBron will likely wear himself out. Can Sefolosha's defense and Collison's rebounding keep this game close? Will Westbrook maintain his composure?
	Prediction Expected a very energetic game from both teams. In the long run the Cavs will dominate the game with dribble penetration, while the Thunder will rely on mid-range shooting. Prediction: Cavs 98 - Thunder 93

Poll

Who will win tonight's game?

Oklahoma City Thunder

16 votes

Cleveland Cavaliers

13 votes

29 votes | Poll has closed

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!

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?

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.

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.

Browse more photos »

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: 11.26.09

manifestus — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 20:52:29 -0000

More photos » by Lance Murphey - AP

2 months ago: Memphis Grizzlies' Sam Young (4) drives to the basket between Oklahoma City Thunder defenders Kyle Weaver (5) and Ryan Bowen (40) during the second half of a preseason NBA basketball game Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2009, in Memphis, Tenn. Young scored 22 points to lead the Grizzlies to a 99-91 victory. (AP Photo/Lance Murphey)

Browse more photos »

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! And this Thanksgiving, in terms of the team, is looking good. We've won games to the point where the team looks competitive most every (other) night. Progress is being made and while some bits still need work (see: lack of interior big man, sloppy PG play, etc) all in all I'd have to say that this year is off to a nice start. So, moving on to the Loud Links, which are a bit short due to all things Thanksgiving.

Thunder notebook: Kyle Weaver sidelined with shoulder injury | NewsOK.com
[Yikes. See the article below.] With Shaun Livingston and Kevin Ollie both battling knee ailments, Weaver was thrust into emergency point guard duty in Tuesday’s 104-94 win at Utah. But if Weaver misses an extended amount of time, the Thunder could be without a backup point guard to starter Russell Westbrook.

Report: Thunder To Sign Mike Wilks | newsok.com
[So, while we might scratch our heads and wonder "Who the heck is Mike Wilks?", this looks like a precautionary move. It'd be terrible to have no backup to RW0 with Weaver, Livingston, AND Ollie out.] According to the Web site InsideHoops.com, the Thunder will sign free agent point guard Mike Wilks. The site is reporting that Wilks agent, Bill Neff, has confirmed that Oklahoma City will add the 30-year-old Wilks to provide backcourt relief behind starting point guard Russell Westbrook.

Thunder waives F Ryan Bowen, roster now at 14 | USATODAY.com
[So this move removes some of the redundacy we had in a position of strength to open up more roster space for guys like Wilks. I'm pretty sure we're not going to miss Bowen.] Thunder General Manager Sam Presti announced the move Wednesday. Bowen had played in only one of Oklahoma City's first 15 games, finishing with four points, two rebounds and one steal in eight minutes in a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday.

More, including a Bucks-Thunder preview, after the jump.

Finally home, Thunder has time for practice | NewsOK.com
"This gives us a chance to go back to the drawing board," said Thunder standout Jeff Green. "We can fix some things we haven’t had a chance to work on because we’ve had so many games."

Thunder Notebook: Earning Respect | hoopsworld.com
The Oklahoma City Thunder just may have earned increased league respect, and perhaps some new fans, after their decisive win 104-94 over the Utah Jazz Tuesday night. The Thunder showed how effective their defense can be on an opponent's floor and demonstrated that they are learning how to close out games.

Bucks-Thunder Preview - Nov. 26, 2009 | CBSSports.com
Jennings will be matched up with another former UCLA point guard Friday in Russell Westbrook. The second-year guard is averaging 18.1 points, 6.4 assists and 4.4 rebounds in his last seven games. In Milwaukee's last visit to Oklahoma City, Westbrook had 13 points and four assists off the bench in a 98-87 loss Oct. 29, 2008.

SB Nation - Shaun Livingston

BREAKING NEWS: The Thunder Acquire Matt Harpring and Eric Maynor from the Jazz for Free

Do you like this trade?

Eric Maynor and Matt Harpring Traded to Oklahoma City

Game 25 Recap: Oklahoma City 109, Detroit 98

Loud Links: 12|16|09

Game 23 Recap: Denver 102, Oklahoma City 93

Game 22: Cleveland at Oklahoma City

Point Guard

Shooting Guard

Small Forward

Power Forward

Center

Bench & Role Players

Coach

Injuries

Intangibles

Prediction

Who will win tonight's game?

Oklahoma City Thunder

Cleveland Cavaliers

Game 18 Preview: Oklahoma City vs. Philadelphia

Who's going to win tonight?

The Oklahoma City Thunder

The Philadelphia 76ers

Loud Links: 11.02.2009

Loud Links: 11.30.2009

Loud Links: 11.26.09