(Typically, DT contributor J.G. Marking has the Sunday page, but with the draft coming and OKC holding five picks, it’s time to take a small peek. And that’s what we’ll do over the next few days.)
There is a serious problem with the 2010 Draft, folks. One that most Thunder fans didn’t expect and could have never prepared for coming into the season.
It’s not talent. There’s more than enough talent in this draft to have most scouts and GM’s drooling no matter how many “gurus” claim that there are only “2, 3, 4, well probably 5, maybe even 6 elite talents” (it’ll keep fluctuating until draft day) in this class.
So what gives? What’s the problem with this draft class?
The Thunder are winning too much.
I know, I know. I should probably stop complaining about my diamond forks being too sharp and my gold slippers fitting too tight but when it comes to doing a draft prospectus, you typically want to be looking at players who can make an immediate impact or be potential All-Stars and most of those players are usually in the Top 5, maybe 6 of a draft. Read more…
(UPDATE: Right on cue, Russell Westbrook has been named this week’s Western Conference Player of the Week.)
There is a reason you’re supposed to stay patient with young point guards. Common sense says they will progress. They will improve. Stay patient, stick to the plan and you will be rewarded.
And that’s exactly what’s happening with Russell Westbrook. Everyone likes to talk about what Kevin Durant has done over the last 24 games, but how about Westbrook (since the Eric Maynor deal): 16.4 ppg, 8.5 apg, 4.9 rpg, 3.0 turnovers per game and 43 percent from the field. Right now, Westbrook is eighth in the league in assists (7.5 per game) and 20th among point guard in assist to turnover (2.36).
I mentioned before the season that this Oklahoma City squad was likely on track for around 35 wins unless Russell Westbrook started to make a leap into stardom. Well, I think he’s doing precisely that. Just like Durant a year ago, Westbrook is really making strides in the new year, even more so in February. The sample size is small, but in three games thus far this month, Westbrook is averaging 19.7 ppg, 9.7 apg, 8.0 rpg, 3.3 steals per game and only 1.7 turnovers per game. And he’s shooting over 47 percent from the field.
Rewind two months ago. Westbrook was a daily topic of Thunder discussion. Some said he’s not a point guard nor will he ever be. Some wondered where he could fit in with this team. Some wished for Ricky Rubio. We all wondered whether or not Westbrook was going to be the point guard you could rely upon down the stretch of an important game. Last week, he gave you three pretty good examples that yes, you can. Read more…
You know what’s great? It’s officially basketball season now. The All-Star Game is this weekend, the trade deadline is next week and now we can focus on important things.
Ready to waste time? This post from HoopData will blow your mind. Tom Haberstroh has put together a Google Motion chart that really compares and showcases a player’s usage and offensive rating. It’s amazing really.
Steve Aschburner of NBA.com takes a great look at KD’s actual chances of landing the MVP: ”What does all this mean? It means that Durant’s Thunder club had better pick up the pace if it wants him to crash the MVP party over Cleveland’s LeBron James and L.A.’s Kobe Bryant. The Thunder greeted Friday with a 28-21 record, a .571 winning percentage that pro-rates out to 47-35 for the full season. That might be good enough for a COY. But it rarely is good enough for an MVP.” Read more…
(I’ve passed off our weekly Tulsa update to someone much more qualified to comment on it. Kevin Henry authors the excellent 66ers Nation, a Tulsa 66ers blog and also serves as the beat reporter for the 66ers for the Tulsa World. You can follow him on Twitter here.)
In the midst of a five-game West Conference road trip, the Tulsa 66ers find themselves at 14-14 and in desperate search of the chemistry they had at the start of the calendar year.
Roster moves are common in the NBA D-League, and Tulsa has certainly had its share of changes, including big men Byron Mullens and D.J. White being recalled from Tulsa to the Thunder. I’ve talked to 66ers head coach Nate Tibbetts several times about how he handles what can sometimes be a revolving lineup door thanks to injuries, call-ups, and even defections (Zabian Dowdell left the 66ers to join Unicaja in Spain, part of an exodus of D-Leaguers heading overseas in the early portions of 2010). When we’ve talked, he’s always mentioned the importance of chemistry and finding a lineup that works well together. Right now, that’s a key for the 66ers. Read more…
This team’s turnaround from cellar dweller last year to playoff hopeful this season ha s been nothing short of amazing. Most of us were there for the 3-29 start last year and saw lots of stinky basketball, but it wasn’t all bad. Most every game there was lots of inspired play, and great effort, but in the end, most games ended in despair.
Most surprising to me is the improved defense. I read all the articles and saw the video clips after the season about how Coach Brooks number one priority for this season was to improve the defense. Brooks was talking about it in exit interviews. Presti was talking about it in Summer League. I thought to myself two things: 1)”yeah right” 2) why not fix the offense, it’s worse than the defense. In my experience most coaches talk all day and all night about getting better on defense. I’ve heard it a million times. And I’ve heard it from more than a handful of coaches who’ve coached this franchise, yet for all the talk, I can’t remember ever having seen a team turn around a defense as quickly and completely as the Thunder have with virtually the same roster that was playing terrible defense at the end of last season.
This team right now is a top 5 defense. It’s not a fluke. It’s been consistently top 8 or above all season long. eFG% allowed is number 2 right now, sandwiched between defensive powerhouses Boston and Orlando. Read more…
It’s a great time to be a Thunder fan. We’ve officially bagged our second 5-game win streak this season. That’s really something for a team that was 3 and freaking 29 before New Year’s Eve last season.
It’s especially fortuitous when the next MVP your superstar manages to have a bad shooting night while the team is playing the Warriors. Sometimes everything in the universe is properly aligned and everything flows majestically. Tonight KD missed two-thirds of his shots but the team still won walking away.
As you would expect, tonight’s game was something of a track meet. Golden State/Nellie ball is all about getting out in transition; they are willing to let you shoot unmolested for the most part as long as you don’t take too long to do it, so that they can get the ball back and get the quickest shot available.
But something is wrong with the recipe when one of the slower teams in the association (the Thunder-92 possessions per 48 minutes) plays the very fastest paced team (GSW-100 possessions per 48), and played at the Warriors fast pace (103 possessions tonight) and took them to the woodshed. Am I the only one who thinks Nellie is just flat out tired and bored and only hanging on to get the last ten or so wins he needs to pass Lenny Wilkins for the all time coaching victory record? Really Nellie? You really start Coby Karl on Kevin Durant in his first career start? Really?
I always hate when these games happen. Mainly because, what’s a guy to write about when his team just played the new opponent six days ago? Thw Warriors are fresh on our minds and we know what they do. Nothing has really changed. Monta Ellis is still fast, Steph Curry can still shoot and the front office hasn’t added 16 new D-Leaguers to the roster. Alas. Read more…
(Good day. Thanks for supporting Daily Thunder. Onward and upward.)
This video is just cool, especially for someone like me that basically grew up during the video game revolution. And with a new NBA Jam on its way, this is pretty appropriate. I think my favorite ever was Double Dribble because it was the first one I had. But both NBA Jams were excellent of course and I remember NBA Live ‘96 was pretty much the game that brought on the “new age” of games. Anyway, I think you’ll enjoy this short, but sweet video.
Whether you like him or not, Bill Simmons has kind of become the authoritative voice on the NBA. And I generally trust him and enjoy what he has to say. And when he writes about Kevin Durant and the Thunder, I find it important. Here’s what he said in today’s mailbag:
Q: If you could go back in time “Lost”-style and fix the 2007 lottery so the Celtics landed the second pick, would you keep what happened (No. 5 pick, KG trade, 2008 title, everything else that happened up to now), or would you switch it so that they ended up with the No. 2 pick and Durant?
–Dr. Bill Simmons, Boston
SG: OK, I fibbed that one. My dad asked me that on the phone this week. And we both came to the same conclusion pretty quickly: You’d have to go with Durant. Have you seen what he’s doing for the Zombies lately? Thirty a night, eight boards, 50 percent shooting, nails his free throws … just eerie, Gervin-like consistency for a young team that doesn’t have another reliable scorer, and if that’s not enough, he’s the single best teammate in the league other than LeBron. Barring injury, he’s going to win this year’s scoring title (he’d be the youngest ever by two years) and could be looking at a historic 35 ppg, 10 rpg, 50/40/90 percentage season soon. I don’t see how you pass that up. And if you remember, the 2007 Celts had a decent nucleus in place already (Al Jefferson, Rajon Rondo, Kendrick Perkins, Paul Pierce, Theo Ratliff’s expiring contract, the rights to Minnesota’s No. 1) and easily could have turned a couple of those assets into Pau Gasol a couple of months later. Read more…
I just find this fascinating. I’m no shoe guy in any way. I own like four pairs and my basketball shoes are the same set that I wore as a freshman in high school. But for some reason, I just find the design of Kevin Durant’s shoes intriguing. I actually think I want a pair. (My wife begs me for them every day, but she needs kid’s sizes and alas, there are none.) I love how there is a story told and I love how connected he is with the model. This video highlights the features of the new KDII and some colorways. Though I’m not too psyched about the Laker colorway. WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO SAY NIKE?
UPDATE: I can’t believe I missed this, but Clark Matthews makes a great point: “Anyone notice that at about the 1:25 mark, the designer pointed out something about the heal and said the feature meant ‘he won’t be popping out of his shoe.’ Tell that to Aron Afflalo.” After doing some hardcore investigative journalism, I believe Durant was wearing the KD1 when that play happened. Still humorous though.
Smart Thoughts makes a triumphant return, with a new logo! Big thanks to Colin for it.
Throughout the week some of you drop some brilliant or at least somewhat thoughtful comments and so this is a try at highlighting some of them. Disclaimer: It’s not that I necessarily agree with all of them, but they were interesting and for the most part, well put. Consider everything [sic’d].
Yeah, that Durant guy is alright. (justin): It’ll be tough to increase his scoring efficiency much more than it is currently. It’s probably possible that he’ll experience a few 50/40/90 type seasons a la Larry Bird, and with the increased free throw trips of this era, he could pull off some 62% TS seasons.. otherwise, there really isn’t much precendent for a wing player being that much better as a scorer than KD is right now. I think 50/40/90 is his peak as a scorer, and at his volume and ability to draw fouls, that’s up there in terms of historical significance. KD could score 32-35 points a game on those percentages with his kind of usage. Read more…
Empty the Bench looking at how teams are choosing defense over offense: “The 6-6 Switzerland product has started every OKC game next to Durant, Westbrook, and Green, averaging a lowly 6 points per. His perimeter D on twos and threes is the reason why he’s in the starting lineup. Sefolosha is athletic and intuitive, always in the right position and at the proper angle to make someone think twice about driving or pulling up for a jumper. His wingspan is immense, so he gets his hands all over the ball, registering 1.3 steals (top-25 in the NBA) and 0.7 blocks from the off-guard position. Not surprisingly, the Thunder’s Defensive Rating rocketed from 20th in the league a year ago to 6th currently.”
The AP with a nice story on KD: ”One by one, Kevin Durant has been taking the NBA’s biggest names and scoring his way right on past them. First Kobe. Then LeBron. Next up, Carmelo. With a tear that began just before Christmas, Durant has climbed into a virtual tie with Denver’s Carmelo Anthony for first place in the NBA scoring race. He’s had at least 25 points in each of his last 23 games – a feat none of the other superstars has ever accomplished and no one else has ever done at his age.” Read more…
The easy answer is: Dewayne White, Jr. who was born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama twenty-three years ago. He attended Indiana University where he was a Freshman All-American and was the de facto star of a disappointing Hoosier era that ran out head coach Mike Davis and ushered in Kelvin Sampson. After his eligibility expired in 2008, White was selected by the Detroit Pistons with the 29th pick of the first round and promptly traded him to the Seattle SuperSonics.
By the time he signed his first professional contract the team was headed to Oklahoma City, and since then, pinning down what or who D.J. White is or will become is harder than figuring out who is Kaiser Soze.
Is he another example of Sam Presti mining gold at the end of the first round? Is he a guy who will cash three million dollars worth of salary without ever contributing anything of significance? Is he a budding offensive star or a garbage time hero? Is he injury prone? Does he have bad luck? Can he break into the rotation?
First off, happy birthday to my wonderful mother. Today, she turns [expletive deleted]. Hope it’s a great day!
Secondly, a small announcement: We are discontinuing the Zombie Sonics t-shirt. Thunder management had some issues with it and instead of making a big stink about it, we just thought it best to avoid any dust up and pull it down. But the other designs should be printed and re-stocked sometime very soon. So put those credit cards in a holster and get ready.
Chris Paul was named Western Conference player of the month for January. While Paul had great month, how does Durant not win this? 32 ppg, 8 rpg and 50-50-90 shooting? Come on! And then I see this from Hornets 24/7 after last night’s game: “I gotta say I was rather irritated by the Thunder announcers when they were complaining about how Chris Paul got the Western Conference Player of the month over Kevin Durant. They just couldn’t believe it. Paul went for 21 points, 12 assists, 5 rebounds, and 2.4 steals and his team went 12-5. Durant went for 32, 3, 8, 1.1 and his team went 8-7. I would think the last number in each of those lines may have swayed some people.” Oh. Well, I guess I disagree. Read more…
Kevin Durant is awesome. He’s a legit MVP candidate. He was fantastic once again against New Orleans with 30 points. We know this.
But this was Russell Westbrook’s game. He was huge on the offensive glass against Atlanta and he came up with an even bigger offensive board with 35 seconds left against the Hornets tonight. And the best part is, after sitting on the clock for 15 seconds, Westbrook finished off the extra possession he provided by knocking down a backbreaking jumper to put Oklahoma City up four with 15 seconds left. He flirted with a triple-double for the second straight night (26-8-10) and while KD will be the Thunder’s unquestioned MVP for the season, Westbrook was the MVP for the night.
And that’s what it takes to separate yourself from an average team with a superstar player, to a good team that actually may be able to compete with the best of the best. Instead of consistently relying on one guy to carry you, you can delegate to another playmaker to make it happen. Kevin Durant is going to be The Man 95 out of 100 times. But the fact that it’s looking like the Thunder can point to Westbrook and sometimes Jeff Green for that big play is more encouraging than anything else. Read more…
(Typically, DT contributor J.G. Marking has the Sunday page, but with the draft coming and OKC holding five picks, it’s time to take a small peek. And that’s what we’ll do over the next few days.)
