SB Nation - Kyle Weaver

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?

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 24 Preview: Oklahoma City vs. Dallas

Zorgon — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 22:03:40 -0000

More photos » by Tony Gutierrez - AP

Hey man! Easy!

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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: KSBI-TV, Fox Sports Southwest, ESPN

Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1)

Enemy Blog(s): Mavs Moneyball, That Two Man Game

Backstory: As a team that's not even one and a half years old, we don't have many rivalries. In fact, to fans in Oklahoma City, I'd say we have 0 rivalries. The only time they'll take a game seriously is when the team we're facing is really good, or when the Thunder are on National TV. To fans nationally, the thunder might have a rivalry going with the TrailBlazers, but to fans in Oklahoma City, the rivalry is irrelevant. In fact, I don't think I can even remember the games against the TrailBlazers, except through a recap I read.

But I think the closest we're getting to a rivalry is the one with our neighbors to the South, the Dallas Mavericks. Some were gunning for a Denver rivalry, but after last nights snorefest combined with the fact that only one game was really good makes for a dud of a rivalry. The Mavericks, on the other hand, have provided an entertaining game every time we've met them. Our first game against them was a close loss, which was one of the first indications that last season's Thunder weren't going to be the worst team in NBA history. Then, we had a close overtime loss in Dallas, and finally, a victory in Oklahoma City through a rally of some of our worst players. No Green? No Durant? No problem, just have Kyle Weaver go off on them!

But, this season, the games actually have meaning for both teams. We are both gunning for good seeds in the Western playoffs. The Mavericks have been doing a lot better, but what's to say that we don't already have their number? The players may have changed, but the coach and the strategy is the same.

Below: Matchups, Prediction

Matchups:

Center: Nenad Krstic vs. Erick Dampier

Erick Dampier isn't as young as he used to be. In fact, he's at the ripe old age of 34. But he's always proved to be the perfect compliment to Dirk Nowitski. Whereas Dirk is focused on offense, Dampier provides the yin to his yang by focusing on defense and inside battles. Even though he's facing a light weight in Nenad Krstic, I wouldn't expect Dampier to go above 15 Points or so, though. You can only set up so many plays for him, but expect him to really own the rebounding department,

Power Forward: Jeff Green vs. Dirk Nowitski

Jeff Green has never done well against big players, but Dirk Nowitski isn't your typical 7 footer. He'll get the same numbers as Dwight Howard, sure. But he'll do it through sheer size and outside shooting prowess, rather than bullying his way into dunks. This might open up opportunities for Jeff Greens quickness to outclass Dirk offensively, but I still wouldn't bet on a big game from him. The Dallas frontcourt wins by a longshot.

Small Forward: Kevin Durant vs. Shawn Marion

Shawn Marion is your typical above-average small forward. He'll get you just over 12 points, grab a couple of rebounds, and dish an assist. But he's no match for Durant. He'll produce his usual game offensively, but Durant will put up far better numbers.

Shooting Guard: Thabo Sefolosha vs. Jose Juan Barea

Jose Juan Barea is the only member of the Mavericks starting five to not have played pro-basketball in the 90s. Still, that doesn't make him any worse than his counterparts. He's known as a quick combo guard who can light it up on occasion for bunches of points. Unfortunately for him, he's going up against one of the best defenders in the NBA, and he won't have much success.

Point Guard: Russell Westbrook vs. Jason Kidd

This isn't your father's Jason Kidd. He can't defend or score as well as he used to, but, luckily for the Mavericks, his lightning quick passing skills and his ability to rebound are still there. He'll definitely out-assist Westbrook tonight, but I have a feeling Westbrook will put more points on him. It should be interesting to see the old guard vs. the new.

Battle of the Benches:

The Mavericks, as always, have an incredibly deep and talented bench, including the likes of Drew Gooden, Jason Terry, and Rodrigue Beaubois, who is way better and awesomer than B.J. Mullens. Since we're still without a Point Guard, I'll give them the win here.

Coaching and Intangibles:

Both teams are equally rested and have almost their full roster intact, but the Mavericks are at home, so they have the advantage.

Bottom Line:

This is the last game of the "Deadly Trio" that we lined up, with games against the Cavaliers and the Nuggets prior. If we can win this one, I'd say it was a successful 3 game stretch. But if we can't dial the Mavericks number again tonight, I'll have serious doubts about our playoff chances. And yes, I said the P-Word! If the Thunder can get some production out of Green and make sure Westbrook doesn't put up too many bad shots, I'd say we have a good shot at winning this thing.

Prediction: Oklahoma City 112, Dallas 110 (OT)

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 teams 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.

Game 16 Preview: Oklahoma City vs. Milwaukee

Zorgon — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 21:46:20 -0000

More photos » by Darren Hauck - AP

Neither of these guys will be playing tonight, which could, in itself, explain why we lost to the Bucks twice last year.

Browse more photos »

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

Time: 8:30 PM Central Standard Time

Place: The Ford Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

TV: Fox Sports Oklahoma, ESPN

Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1)

Enemy Blog(s): BrewHoop, Bucks Diary, The Bob Boozer Jinx, Bucksketball

Backstory: Well, it's that time of year again. Everybody has loaded up on Turkey, I'm ready to go buy discounted video games like some sort of crazed mad man, and the Thunder are getting ready to take on the hot hot Bucks on National Television. Wait, what was that third one?

That's right, the Thunder are on National Television. After an impressive 8-7 start, ESPN finally considers them to be hot material, at least, hotter than a blowout matchup between the Suns and Timberwolves. And rightfully so. This matchup, in an national perspective, could be seen as a proving ground for both teams. Both are playoff teams right now, which nobody expected at the start of the season. And both are probably not considered to be long-term success teams. That is, most are expecting them to fall into the lottery by the time the season is over. So, who's expected to win?

To be honest, they should expect us to win. The Bucks do have a better record, but their wins have only come over Detroit, Minnesota, Denver, Golden State, New Jersey, Charlotte, and Memphis. Aside from the win against Denver, they've pretty much won against all of the NBAs current doormats. And their losses don't look that much more impressive, with losses to the sub-.500 76ers, Bulls, and Hornets, with the only other losses coming to the struggling Spurs and the rather good Mavericks. Thus, if you put it all together, the only good teams they've played have been Denver and the Mavericks. They've visited almost every non-playoff team in the East (besides the Wizards) and almost every non-playoff team in the West (besides the Clippers, Kings, and Jazz). Now, I'm not saying that the Bucks continuing their run of success in the weaker East isn't possible, I'm just saying that this team isn't the powerhouse we thought they were. Combine that with the loss of Andrew Bogut and possible loss of Luc Richard Mbah A Moute, and you have one giant over-hyped sandwich.

On our side of things, things feel much more real. We're coming off of a huge wins in Utah and Miami, with a more minor win against the Wizards and losses against the Magic and Lakers. All of that doesn't look bad on paper, but it covers up our past losses to teams like the Clippers and Kings. If we can win this game, it will put us at 2 games above .500, and in a very good position moving forward. Thus, this game will decide, on a national stage, whether we are just another bad team having a good early season run, or whether we really are ready for the playoffs.

Below: Matchups, Prediction

Matchups:

Center: Nenad Krstic vs. Dan Gadzuric

Ah, the Bucks resident backup Center, Dan Gadzuric. He could double-double in this game, if he gets enough minutes in which to do so. However, I'm pretty sure Krstic will have the better scoring night, as no one knows Gadzuric as a defensive stalwart or anything.

Power Forward: Jeff Green vs. Ersan Ilyasova

Ilyasova is a rare example of how going back to the Euroleague can help your game, He was drafted in 05, played only in the D-League, and then played only sparingly in 06-07. Since he wasn't happy with his situation, he went to play for F.C. Barcelona, averaged decent stats for two years, improved his game, and then came back to the Bucks, where he's now a rather successful Power Forward, averaging 10 Points, 7 Rebounds, and 1 Assist per game in only 22 minutes. Still, this is weaker matchup for Jeff Green, so if he can stay out of foul trouble, he should manage to put up good numbers, and can probably beat Ilyasova in every category.

Small Forward: Kevin Durant vs. Carlos Delfino

You read correctly, Carlos Delfino is indeed playing Small Forward. He went to play in Russia last year and averaged decent statistics, but Delfino is already a known quantity, so that only served to raise his stock and get him decent pay. Nevertheless, even though Delfino is a jack of all trades who will produce in every category, he will almost certainly be overpowered by Kevin Durant and scored upon many times.

Shooting Guard: Thabo Sefolosha vs. Charlie Bell

Charlie Bell, at one point, was the worst shooter in the NBA. He's improved since, but he's not going to be a scoring threat any time soon. He'll fill up the intangibles, just as Thabo will, making this matchup a draw.

Point Guard: Russell Westbrook vs. Brandon Jennings

And here is the matchup of the hour. Brandon Jennings is the super rookie who decided to play in Europe for a year, and, boy, has it paid off. He has averaged 23 Points, 5 Rebounds, and 6 Assists in his rookie campaign, all while sporting very stylish haircuts (I've seen him with the flat top, the faux-hawk, and whatever you call the badass hair-style he has now). If Scott Brooks is smart, he'll have Thabo defending this guy, because Russell Westbrook doesn't have a chance in hell of stopping him. Jennings wins this matchup easily, and I shudder to think what will happen if Mike Wilks is forced to step on the floor.

Battle of the Benches:

This is a complete waste of time. Even without Mbah A Moute and Bogut, the Bucks still have a much more powerful bench, containing former SuperSonic Luke Ridnour, former Raptors star Roko Ukic, former Grizzlies star Hakim Warrick, and Kurt Thomas. We have Harden, Etan Thomas, Collison.....and Mike Wilks. Oh yeah, they still have Michael Redd off the bench, too. I'd say they get the win.

Coaching and Intangibles:

The one intangible on the Thunders side to pay attention to is Mike Wilks. It's not know if we'll have to play him, but if we do, the situation could get drastic, especially against the amazing Brandon Jennings. On the Bucks side, it's not know if Michael Redd can return to his former scoring form yet. If he can, it would certainly create a dynamic duo of a back court, making our situation even more desperate. Where's Kyle Weaver when you need him?

Bottom Line:

The Bucks are like the Raptors of a couple of years ago. They signed foreign talent, combined it with what they had, and became a threat to win on any given night. But, the team is flawed. If Michael Redd can't find his stride, then Brandon Jennings is the only serious scorer on the roster. If Thabo shuts him down to an extent, we can get an easy win. But, if they can get both of their scorers going and have another X-Factor step up, then we're screwed. Also, watch Mike Wilks. If he plays, he could be a huge liability when defending Brandon Jennings. Hopefully, it won't come to that.

Prediction: Oklahoma City 110, Milwaukee 105

Sorry, Bucks fans. I think we've got this one in the bag. Too bad the game is on the worst sports broadcaster of all time.

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

Poll

Who's going to win tonight?

The Oklahoma City Thunder

23 votes

The Milwaukee Bucks

7 votes

30 votes | Poll has closed

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)

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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.

Loud Links: 11.25.09

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

More photos » by George Frey - AP

27 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 1 Recap: Oklahoma City 102, Sacramento 89

Zorgon — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 13:47:30 -0000

More photos » by ALONZO ADAMS - AP

That ball must smell really bad. Either that, or Russell Westbrook's "Intimidation Face" isn't working.

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Yahoo! Box Score:

Breaking News! The Thunder are the #1 team in their division, in their conference, and in the NBA. Undefeated, baby!

Well, that was a pretty big win, considering it was again a one-man-team. There was a point in time in the early 3rd quarter that Kevin Martin had literally half of his teams points. Now, that's acceptable early in the game or if you're having an absolutely monster night, but not in the second half of a blowout. In all honesty, nobody but Martin helped to step up and alleviate the scroing draught on the Kings. Cassipi had 18, but he scored most of his points in garbage time.

And that's why we won this game. We turned the ball over a lot and we had some missed opportunities, but when the other team has absolutely no scoring help for their star, they're not going to win a lot of games.

Granted, you could also say that the win was due to our excellent start, and that was also a contributing factor. Once the bar was set at 10 points, the Kings never managed to climb back within that range.

You could also chalk up the win to the excellent play from our starters. Sefolosha struggled as he tried to defend Kevin Martin, but Russell Westbrook had a near triple-double with 14 Points, 7 Rebounds, and 13 Assists, and Krstic, Durant, and Green all hauled in over 20 points. But, if you're going to give the Thunder Wonder award to anyone, you'd have to give it to Russell Westbrook, especially since he limited himself to two turnovers.

For those of you who don't know, my recaps use an award system. The Thunder Wonder is the award for the player with the best overall performance. The Thunder Down Under is the award for the player who was the second best contributor or that simply had a much better than usual night. The Thunder Blunder award is given to the player whose performance is the most detrimental to the team. Lastly, the Thunder Plunderer award is given to the player on the opposing team who hurt us the most. Clever, eh?

Nevertheless, the Thunder Down Under award goes to Nenad Krstic, who had an amazing night of 20 Points and 7 Rebounds. If anything was going to convince Scott Brooks of his starting spot, that would be it. Both Green and Durant had their usual nights, but Jeff Green had an usually high 3 blocks.

There is no question in my mind that Etan Thomas is the Thunder Blunder here. I don't need to list his stats; in fact, I'm not even going to list his stats at all. All I know is that whenever he got the ball in the post, it was almost a guaranteed turnover. Okay, granted, he only has one turnover on the stat sheet, but he had 3 shots blocked, and who knows how many more balls swatted out of his hands that were fortunate enough to land in the hands of teammates. He had one dunk, and believe me, I cheered for him when he finally got that dunk, but this guy has either got to step it up offensively, or pass the ball back out to the perimeter. To be honest, he's reminding me of me and Adonal Foyle on offense. And that's a very, very bad thing.

Kevin Ollie is just as surprised as I am at his poor performance tonight!

I was a bit surprised by the poor play of our bench tonight. James harden had triple singles, which is to be expected for a rookies first game, but Nick Collison had 2 Points, 1 Rebound, and 3 fouls, while Kevin Ollie had 2 Points and 1 turnover. Collison should step it up after this game, but his might should really be a lot better than Etan Thomas', especially when those nights are against the Kings. I'm not really expecting much from Ollie, since he's a journeyman. Whats more puzzling about his performance is why Shaun Livingston never got any minutes. I thought we were in universal agreement that Shaun was being groomed for playing the backup role? Did P.J. Carlesimo take the coaches chair again? It would be great for me if he did, but bad for everybody else. Hopefully Livingston gets some minutes moving forward.

Also of note is the decision to put Kyle Weaver on the Injured Reserve. I have a feeling that will change over the next couple of weeks, but it might just be wishful thinking. Obviously, B.J. Mullens and Ryan Bowen were going to the reserve, but for that third spot, you have to decide between Thomas, Weaver, Ibaka, and White. In all honesty, you only need one of Ibaka or White, and the only reason Thomas is on the roster is because he's getting paid the big bucks. Heck, I'd rather have Weaver on the floor than Ollie at any point of the game. His future Thunder career is looking pretty grim at the moment, but he's just an injury or sloppy performance away from getting on the active roster and having a shot at playing.

There should be no question in anybodies mind that Kevin Martin was the Thunder Plunderer tonight. 27 Points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals speaks for itself. I think the tragedy of this guy is that while he scores in bunches on his own, he doesn't do a whole lot to improve the players around him. It's not necessarily a huge knock on him, but on a team that is struggling and needs some scoring help from other sources, it can't do a lot to help the win column.

Durant and Westbrook "Thundering Up".

As an aside, I'd really like to applaud the Thunder's TV coverage team. I'll be the first to admit that Nenad Krstic saying, "Thunder Up", James Harden saying, "Community", and Jeff Green saying, "Rise Together" was hilarious, and it made no sense. And then when a ball bounces into the middle of an empty gym, and they start dancing like they're in a Space Jam music video, my jaw just dropped. I didn't know what to say. And then, when you had Brian Davis and Grant Long trying to be, "cool" by crossing their arms, I almost died of laughter. But, almost every other station used standard stock music, standard FSN or Comcast graphics, and an overall average looking product. But the Thunder went the extra mile to make their broadcast look presentable, and that all but makes up the horrible coverage they have early last year.

Also, some guy in front of me tonight had a sign that read simply, "Kings Suck". And he didn't just scribble it down, it looked like he spent a good 5-10 minutes on the sign. But why? It's too vulgar to get on TV, it's too simplistic to be of any worth design-wise, and it's stating the obvious. I mean, if he held up a sign that said "Beat the Kings" and it had artistic value or was a free give-away, then it's an acceptable sign to hold. But it wasn't any three of those things, so he might as well have held up a sign that said, "Birds Have Wings".

Next Game: October 30th, 2009 at the Pistons

Can we continue our undefeated run for 82 more games? Hey, anything is possible.

Lastly, apologies for the late recap everyone. I try to make it a point to do the recap on the same night, but I was just so exhausted after a long day that I needed a nights rest before completing this. Thanks for understanding!