Oklahoma City Thunder

The Oklahoma City Thunder are one of the NBA's more interesting Cinderella stories, going from hated stepchild to media darlings over the course of three short years.

After relocating from Seattle in 2008, the Thunder were no better than an expansion franchise, consisting of a couple of high draft picks and NBA journeymen. Fans from Seattle and national media harbored a lot of grief after losing a long time NBA franchise in the Supersonics, and many went so far as to call the Thunder a total joke or refuse to call them by name.

But the development of 2007 #2 Pick Kevin Durant and 2008 #4 Pick Russell Westbrook gave the Thunder a solid core to build around and made many fans forgive the team for the move. After a travesty of a first season, in which the team went 23-59, the Thunder quickly rebounded and became a legitimate playoff contender in the West, thanks to the addition of 2009 #3 Pick James Harden, 2008 #24 Pick Serge Ibaka, and Thabo Sefolosha and Eric Maynor, who were acquired through trade. Because of the competitiveness of the West, the Thunder faded late and finished eighth. Furthermore, they were defeated in the first round by the Los Angeles Lakers on a buzzer-beating shot by Pau Gasol.
In the 2010-2011 season, the Thunder made the move from playoff contender to championship contender. This was accomplished through the continued development of their young players, the acquisition of sharp-shooting Daequan Cook, and most of all through a deadline trade for Kendrick Perkins. He finally gave the Thunder a solid defender and rebounder down low, allowing them to contend with the Pau Gasols of the world. Unfortunately, that was no guarantee of success against Dirk Nowitzki, who's experienced Mavericks defeated the Thunder in the Western Conference Finals in 5 games.

Currently, the Thunder are anchored by superstar Kevin Durant at small forward, who is signed to a long-term contract, and the high scoring point guard Russell Westbrook, who is scheduled to be a restricted free agent next year. At power forward, the Thunder have high-flying Serge Ibaka for at least two more years. Center Kendrick Perkins and shooting guard Thabo Sefolosha round out the starting lineup, serving as defensive anchors in the paint and on the perimeter, respectively. All of the starters are 27 years old or younger, and both Westbrook and Ibaka are still on their rookie contracts. The bench is more than solid, with third-in-scoring swingman James Harden, all-around big man Nick Collison, orchstrating point guard Eric Maynor, and sharpshooting swingman Daequan Cook.

Moving forward, the Thunder have proven they have the talent to contend, but some say they may be one piece away from becoming a champion. It might be problematic to take that last step, as the Thunder no longer have high draft picks, are unwilling to trade most of their talent, and will have to tie up their free agency money in re-signing their younger players. There is hope for improvement though, as the Thunder still have 2010 #10 draft pick Cole Aldrich developing, drafted a potentially good player in Boston College's Reggie Jackson this June, still have Tibor Pliess stashed in Germany, and continue to develop future prospects and former draft picks through their wholly-owned D-League Affiliate, the Tulsa 66ers.

Because of their young age and continually improving record, most analysts think the Thunder are only heading in one direction: a championship.