Thursday Bolts – Gus Johnson Edition
Ah, the best day of the year. So much buildup, so much anticipation and today here we go. What will we see? Will a 16 
finally beat a 1? Will there be a memorable buzzer beater? Such a wonderful time. (And it’s also a really good time to get a good, hard look at some of the top college prospects too…)
Eric Musselman ranks the players in the tournament based on pro potential.
Chad Ford looks at pro prospects by region in the tournament: “Blake Griffin: Griffin is the consensus No. 1 pick in the draft, and, short of a horrific injury in the tournament, nothing will be able to knock him off that perch. He’s as close to a sure thing as there is in the draft, and his performance in the tournament shouldn’t have a big impact on his stock one way or the other.” (One thing I’d love to point out is that you shouldn’t completely fall in love with a player just because he has a nice tourney. That’s an incredibly small sample size and while it can show you what a guy can do, it doesn’t necessarily mean that’s what he will do.)
Ric Rucher talks with Jim Traber about the Thunder’s future and Bill Simmons (audio inside). Listen to this. It’s EXCELLENT stuff.
Empty the Bench named its second round Rookie of the Year and Kyle Weaver was honorable mention: “In and out of the lineup until February (mostly out), the swingman from Washington State has, if anything, proven he’s a nice compliment off the bench behind the Thunder’s nucleus of young, rising stars. He’s recently been replaced in the starting five by trade-deadline acquisition and ETB favorite Thabo Sefolosha; he does a lot of the same things as Thabo, just without as much panache and with a much lower ceiling.”
And Weaver got a little love from David Thorpe in this week’s rookie rankings too: “Weaver filled in admirably for the Thunder when Kevin Durant went down with an ankle injury. Weaver scored 10-plus points in four straight games and looked like he had some potential as a 3-point shooter. Considering that he was drafted for his defense, those are positive signs. He has a chance to be a nice bench option for the Thunder next season.”
Ricky Rubio wants to enter the NBA draft, but it’s not that easy: “Rubio has a complicated, multimillion-dollar contract buyout with his Spanish team, DKV Joventut Barcelona. NBA teams are allowed to contribute a maximum of $500,000 to buy out the contract of a foreign player. That means if Rubio seeks to leave Joventut, he could be forced to use most of the money from his first NBA contract to pay for the buyout. “It’s going to be very tricky,” a Western Conference general manager said. “My understanding [has been] that he is not going to be in [the '09] draft.”
Bulls by the Horns: “Neal Funk observed that Kevin Durant — who scored a game-high 28 points on 9-for-21 shooting — hadn’t dished out a single assist. Stacey King tried to cover for KD, noting that he’s a scorer and that scorers, well, they score. I forget the exact wording, but Funk basically replied that somebody who gets as many touches as Durant probably should have picked up at least one assist by accident.”
Sam Smith of Bulls.com: “The Thunder has an impressive young nucleus with Durant, Jeff Green and Russell Westbrook. But they don’t defend much and tend to fall in love with their jump shots, something we’ve seen with the Bulls in recent, unsuccessful years. Yes, all the kids do it. So the Bulls, like Tuesday against Boston, took control in the fourth quarter behind Rose and Brad Miller, the latter with 14 points, six rebounds and five assists in another hard working effort.”
KD’s shooting stroke has been a touch off but he’s going to get it all back: “I was in a good rhythm the first half but couldn’t hit a shot the second half,” Durant said. “I have to hit those shots when I get them. I had good position to make shots, wide open shots. I just didn’t hit them. I’ve got to come back and work hard (Thursday).”
Ball Don’t Lie Behind the Box Score: “It could be worse, the Bulls could have drafted in the low lottery as expected, and Rose is a special player. But it was a pretty ho-hum bust out game. Even against Russell Westbrook’s snarling defense. I’m aware of the context, and I am a fan. I’m just a little surprised at how nonplussed I am. Credit Rose for keeping his wits. He has a veteran’s sense of cool and proportion, a down streak like his recent swoon would have destroyed most rookies (or youngsters, even), but he kept his head up. And came through with the turnaround game against his chief rookie backcourt rival. Impressive. Chicago turned it over quite a bit (20 miscues), but they created havoc for the Thunder in the second half. Oklahoma City couldn’t get into its sets, and I credit Tyrus Thomas for a lot of that.”
Darnell Mayberry says Derrick Rose “wrapped up” his ROY vote last night. A little early, don’t you think? There’s 15 games to go and a lot can happen in that stretch: “Russell Westbrook, who was closing the gap in the ROY race in my eyes, no answer for Rose when he got aggressive. Worse, Westbrook’s offense disappeared in the second half after outperforming Rose throughout the first 24 minutes. Meanwhile, Kevin Durant was everything Rose was not tonight. And, unfortunately, that’s been the story of the season more often than not for Durant. He’ll get his points, a game-high 28 tonight, but rarely have we seen him take over when needed like Rose did tonight.”
Fanhouse power rankings:” Winners in six of their last 10, including one over the Spurs earlier this week. There’s hope here, people.”
Russell Westbrook is on top of NBA.com’s rookie rankings this week: “Back on Dec. 14, Oklahoma City played San Antonio and Westbrook scored just two points in the loss, dropping his team’s record to a dismal 2-23. With eight points, eight rebounds, two assists and two steals last week, Westbrook helped the Thunder to a win over the Spurs, his team’s sixth win in its last nine games. The 6-3 point guard still has his struggles (he shot just 4-for-17 against the Spurs and had eight turnovers in the game before that against Phoenix) but his and his franchise’s turnaround this year elevates him to No. 1, at least for this week.”
Speaking of Weaver, he had a perfect game last night! Didn’t miss a shot (1-1) and had an assist-to-turnover ratio of infinity (1/0)!
Seriously though, I understand it’s hard to find him some minutes now that everyone appears to be healthy. But only 6? I know some commentors on the previous thread wanted Westbrook to sit a little bit in the 2nd half to calm down, but said something to the effect of “but the other options scare me.” Weaver played a lot of point guard in college and so far on the year has been pretty solid with his passing, and he’s at least as good of a defender as Westbrook so why not try to get him some minutes there? He’s still a streaky shooter but so is Westbrook, and he obviously is more tentative to drive the lane, but it would have shaken up the offense a little and given RW time to rest. Is there some reason we’re not even trying him at PG for a few minutes a game?
@John
I think there’s a place for Weaver on the floor for at least 15 minutes. He can play three positions, is a quality defender and while he’s nothing spectacular offensively, he can score some points. When things go stale, I’m not opposed to Weaver seeing more minutes. The problem is that he fits the best at the two and Thabo’s kind of got a monopoly there.
excellent bolts . . .
Thanks Royce . . .
Weaver shouldve got to play in the 2nd half . . . they decided to play RW alongside Atkins at the beginning of the 4th (he was actually going to come in late in the 3rd but there was not stop in play aloowing him entry) . The perimeter players of the Bulls were lighting it up and our 2nd best defender is on the sidelines . . . not good . . .
sorry for the typo
I mentioned this is the previous thread, but I was sure they would go with Thabo, RW and Weaver when there were 4 Chicago guards on the floor at the same time. Green just isn’t a guy who can guard Rose or Salmons or Gordon or Heinrich.
Now off to the NCAA tracker…
Yeah Green had trouble with Salmons off the dribble.
Why does everyone fall in love with Blake Griffin for the thunder, he would push jeff green to a the 3 and Durant to the, hello PJ Carliesmo, shooting guard spot. I think the best in state talent for the thunder are James Anderson, an athletic deep 3 point threat the team is lacking or Jerome Jordan, an athletic big man out Tulsa, sorry sooners fans
Steve,
Durant wouldnt move to the two spot – He can barely guard 3s – he would be smoked by 2s . . . Green would move to the bench (in all likelihood) OR Blake would play at the 5 pushing Collison/Kristic to the sidelines . . .
@Steve
I’ve said before that I think the Thunder have more pressing needs than another 4. However, Griffin would still be an upgrade over Green. And I’m not so sure it’s a “Thunder in love with Blake” thing, as it is a “Every GM alive in love with Blake” thing. It’s just too bad Griffin isn’t a true 5.
I can see those scenarios but would you really want to move some of those players to the bench and sacrifice their offense, eventhough there has been little to speak of recently. At this point offensively griffin is a tougher defensive minded version of chris wilcox, dont get me wrong i think he will develop a mid range jump and become the carlos boozer-esque player everyone thinks, but right now his offensive ability is severely limited to the dunk or a inconsistent baby hook from under the rim, i just think the thunder could really use a scorer to take pressure of Kevin Durant and that drafting him creates some types of roster problems than most think
A. Horford: listed 6’10″ 245 lbs.
D. Howard: listed 6’11″ 265 lbs.
E. Okafor: listed 6’10″ 255 lbs.
A. Biedrins: listed 6’11″ 240 lbs.
M. Camby: listed 6’11″ 235 lbs.
N. Hilario: listed 6’11″ 250 lbs.
A. Jefferson: listed 6’10″ 265 lbs.
Blake Griffin: listed 6’10″ 251 lbs.
There’s no reason to think Blake can’t play center in the NBA. He’s 19 and already as big as 3 very good young centers in the league. And to be honest, he has a lot more of a center’s game than a power forward’s in the NBA. He’s not a range shooter, not a great perimeter defender for a big man, and plays a banger game rather than finesse. The Thunder could easily plug him in at the 5 and get a big upgrade.
You’re underestimating Griffin – is he pure post player right now? NO – but he’s on his way – he has more than a baby hook – he has a turnaround jumper AND he draws double teams and will do the same in the NBA – putting Wilcox in the same sentence as Blake is just plain silly . . .
yes it would create roster problems, but it’s a good kind of problem – the inside presence he would bring would help Durant to get cleaner looks . . .
It’s fun to debate, but it’s prob a moot point – we probably aren’t getting him . . .
DJ White had fifteen points, ten rebounds, a block and five turnovers last night for the 66ers. The five turnovers are bad, but when you consider that it was his first real game back, those are very respectable numbers.
Also, I think we need to understand a few things. 1) There are only so many shots to go around with Durant, Green, and Westbrook on the floor. We don’t need another rookie taking a ton of shots while we are trying to get in the playoffs. 2) Despite having a good 2009, we can’t fool ourselves into thinking we are a good team already. We’re an average team in 2009, that’s it. We can’t go talking about what we lose from a Krstic or Collison when overall those guys should be bench players in the first place.
I totally agree with those ideas. i still think we need a consistent outside shooter who can space the floor and not complain when he doesnt get shots, unlike a ben gordon, to allow kevin durant an co. to get better shots instead of him taking contested 3′s because the dont respect anyone else’s game especially now with green and westbrook in a shooting funk. thats why i was saying a james anderson could be a great in-state pick up, and you probably wouldnt have to spend your 1st two picks on him and i think he’s just as good as james harden which is who the espn draft machine has the thunder picking at 5, and if they are eyeing him they could package one of the picks to get a demi-All star caliber player.
MTCs is that you get the best players you can and then draw up plays/run offense around them. BG has some growing to do both as a player, and (hopefully) physically as well, and I see him as a 5 who can shoot out to 18 feet. Just look out how it changes our games when Krystic gets hot! AND Blakie is a big, hulking menace who takes up a lot of physical space while still being mobile. I think his NBA game could most resemble Dwight Howard’s. (even down to the funny costumes…..)
Besides, it is no use arguing if we need him or not, the main man signing the checks wants him BAD! Mark it down, draft or no draft, Griffin will eventually wear Thunder Blue!
I cannot stress enough how unlikely it is that we will get the first pick. According to Chad Ford’s lottery machine, we have an 8.8% to get the first pick, and considering how well we have been playing recently, it will probably be even lower by the time the season is over, and I seriously doubt that Stern will give us the pick. We aren’t a big city team like New York and Chicago, so he doesn’t really have a reason to give us the pick, unless Bennett pays him. It is nice talking about getting the hometown hero, but we need to have a reality check every now and then, and the reality is that there are five teams that will likely have a worse record than us.
@Vega
And did you know that if we had the WORST record, we’d have a 75 percent chance of NOT getting the top pick? Chicago had a 1.7 percent chance last year and got it. It happens. We’re not out of it yet.
And great news about D.J. I can’t wait to have him back healthy.
I would be more interested in James Anderson than Blake for the Thunder (but not at the no.1 pick) I just think it is a better fit. Also, I cannot see Griffon playing the 5 for any team in the NBA unless its a small ball lineup. Griffon to me is a PF that has a bruising play style but not big enough to play the 5 consitantly. Look at Collison he’s a 4 that has to play the 5 and does a lot better when playing the 4. (if that made sense)
Who do you like with our second pick is my question. And anyone heard anymore news on Ibakka lately?
I’ll have an Ibaka update tomorrow morning, but there’s not a whole lot of news to report there.
The thing is, plenty of guys like Blake Griffin are successful at the five. David Lee is 6-9 on his tippy toes and he’s a double-double machine playing the five. Al Jefferson is very similar to Blake and he’s a great center. Carlos Boozer can play the five. Amare Stoudemire.
Just because Blake starts at center doesn’t mean that’s his position. In basketball, parts interchange and players shuffle all over the court. The reality is that Blake can’t be guarded one-on-one, he can rebound and he’s a pure animal. I want that on my team even if he has to play point guard.
But for the second pick, I like a quality backup point guard (Patty Mills, Ty Lawson, Jonny Flynn etc.) or a glue guy type small forward (Sam Young, Danny Green, Earl Clark, etc).
@Royce
Griffin can’t be guarded one on one you say? Tell me how you see these play out…
Griffin vs Durant
Griffin vs Sefelosha
Griffin vs Ditka
… and I’ll take my question off the air.
lol ditka… yea he may not be able to be guarded in college… in the pros i think he will be guarded 1v1 alot. espically if he gets on a team with shooters.
I would definitely get a point guard with the Nuggets pick. Earl Watson and Chucky Atkins with their valuable expiring contracts are likely going to be traded, so a backup point guard is going to be a major need, whereas a backup SF is not as pressing a need with Kyle Weaver, Thabo, and, possibly, a re-signed Dez on the team.
@Vega
If Earl and Atkins are traded for their attractive expiring contracts, I would really hope we fill upgrade one of our positions of need in the process. As I said in other posts, don’t overlook our ability to trade up or for a very good player using our extensive cap space and picks. If we land outside the Griffin/Rubio picks, we could trade up simply by taking back a bad contract from someone at the top.
James who? Why would any team NOT take Blake? Poke fans stop sniffing glue. If you have the opportunity to take the best player in the draft then you do it. That simple.
James Anderson seems to be a good fit as a role player actually. He’s very limited, but he’s a strong defender and great outside shooter. Since he’s probably a second rounder, I could see him being a solid, low risk pickup. The only problem I see is that the Thunder are overloaded at the 2 position (especially if Westbrook is pushed out of the point). The Thunder would have to be really sold on Anderson’s sharpshooting and defense to draft him, and in which case they’d probably trade Weaver.
I don’t think that Presti will draft an unneeded role player just because he played at Oklahoma. That would be a waste of a pick.
@Vega
With a second round pick, and assuming no other good talents fall, a role player is probably the best Presti could hope for. I’m not saying Anderson should or should not definitely be drafted, but he does fit the team’s need for wing shooters who can defend. Don’t take him just because he’s from Oklahoma, but definitely take him if he’s the best player and fit. Extra assets are always better than too few assets.
I’m not sure we have a second rounder this year unless we got one in a previous deal. Our second rounder was traded in the Petro deal.
@Keith
I suppose, but I would prefer a big man prospect.
@Joe
But who knows what sort of picks we could get in pre-draft trades.
Kind of off topic, but does anyone think that we will be able to sign Pops Mensah-Bonsu? He would fit so well with the Thunder, and we sure have a better situation here than Toronto does.
@Joe
Good point, Joe. I forgot we included the second rounder there. Second rounders shouldn’t really be the focus of a team looking to trade or spend its way into the playoffs next year anyway. I was more addressing the anti-Pokes sentiment originally cast upon Anderson.
Doesn’t look like they have one but second rounders can usually be bought if they really wanted one, seeing an opportunity, willing to use a roster spot or potentially do so. The price has tended to be above $500,000 but this summer their value might be lower.
I was looking at the salaries of the worst teams, and the ideal team to get the first pick instead of us would be Washington. We would have to take some bad contracts, (Darius Songaila, Mike James.) but I think they would probably be willing to do it.
I just realized that I never said what Washington would be willing to do. I meant that I think they would be willing to trade the first pick.
I know it is real early but just sharing this oddity- the current starting lineup assembled by Presti and Brooks is the worst performing lineup that has played more than 50 minutes for the Thunder this season.
http://basketballvalue.com/teamunits.php?year=2008-2009&team=OKC
If they played 48 minutes they’d loss by 33. Well, based on the very small sample size of 90 minutes.
Based on 45 minutes, play that same lineup without Durant and they break even. Pull Green out of it too and based on 65 minutes they win by 15.
But Durant and Green are the cornerstones of Presti’s design.
I just find the early data and this clear intent out of sync. I know I keep saying it but I am still trying to figure out why or how it turns around.
If the starting lineup stays weak or just isn’t strong then Presti is going to have to win with his bench and his coach’s match-up skill.