Daily Thunder.com

Marc Stein’s power rankings with a pretty strong note: “Was this the one and only season in the Durant Era that the good folks of OKC had to stomach a ranking that was always in the 20s? The answer is YES unless the whole league is guilty of overhyping this situation.”

SLAM awards: “O.J. Mayo? Are you kidding me? Russell Westbrook? Word? Look. This rookie class has been exceptional. I see about eight future All-Stars. But there shouldn’t be a discussion, here.  Rose came into the season facing the pressure and shouldering the burden of being the No. 1 pick, playing for his hometown Bulls. He was thrust into a starting role in the game’s most demanding position. To make matters more challenging, he was playing on a young squad without a leader and for a coach whom many of his teammates disliked. Through a season that included a coaching change and roster overhaul, he’s put up 16, 6 and 4 and helped the Bulls get into the postseason. Meanwhile, O.J. and Russ play for two of the worst teams in the League and O.J. has often played like the typical “numbers guy on a bad squad.” Rose better be a unanimous pick.”

NBA.com looks at potential Most Improved candidates:

Layup Drill has five players it wishes were in playoffs: “1. Kevin Durant: KD is the truth. The kid is making Portland wish they had went in a different direction a few seasons ago when bypassed Durant for Greg Oden. The Thunder have built the franchise around their lanky swingman, who averaged career highs in points, assists, and rebounds this year, and should have been selected as an All-Star. There’s always next year though.” Read more…

Bolts

Uninspired, uninterested, unmotivated. You pick the word. It all fits for this performance.

I had to keep telling myself to understand what I was watching. This is a team that doesn’t really care and they’re just looking forward to summer vacation. It’s kind of like a college freshman that has a guaranteed “D” in his biology class and while he still has to take the final, it’s not going to really change anything. So does he study? No, he just shows up, fills in some circles and leaves. That’s what the Thunder’s doing right now. And they were playing the kid that’s got a 4.0 and can get a 95 in his sleep. While it’s not exactly what you want to see, it is what it is (whatever the heck that means).

I could rant about effort and intensity and place blame on someone, but is it really worth it? Come next season, I don’t think we’ll look back and point at this game and say, “See! If they just would have brought effort here, they’d be competing for a playoff spot!” It’s just loss No. 59 in a season full of them. Sure it was pretty ugly, but this has been a long year for a lot of young guys and I’m sure they’re worn out both mentally and physically.

I know what you’re thinking, and you’re right there’s no excuse for it. But does the fact that the team has been uninterested and uninspired this last week and a half mean that all the good things that happened the past three months be ignored? Even though I knew exactly what was happening and I tried to tell myself that was the way it was going to be before tip, it didn’t make it any less frustrating. I was still bothered and agitated at each turnover, each defensive collapse and each Greg Oden uncontested dunk. Read more…

Recap Portland Trail Blazers

vs.

Thunder (22-58, 7-32 road) at Portland Trail Blazers (52-28, 32-7 home)

TV: FS Oklahoma (Cox 37)
Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1 FM, 640 AM)
Time: 9:00 CST

Offensive Rating: Thunder: 102.8 (29th), Portland: 113.8 (1st)
Defensive Rating: Thunder: 109.6 (21st), Portland: 108.3 (16th)
Pace:Thunder: 93.5 (8th), Portland: 86.5 (30th)

One thing I think we’re all going to have to accept is what’s happening. There’s two games left, the team is on the road, there’s nothing to play for but pride and I’m sure it’s tough to be motivated. I really don’t blame the team. I think it bothers me (and others) because we’ve come to expect so much more from this team in terms of effort, but right now, they’re just trying to get to the finish line and start thinking about next year.

I know Scott Brooks surely isn’t happy about it seeing as he’s still fighting to keep his job. And I’d absolutely much rather win than lose. Forget the ping-pong balls. If OKC is meant to get the No. 1 pick, it’ll get the No. 1 pick.

But the Thunder travels to Portland tonight for what most would expect another ugly affair. Remember last time? A 37-point margin and it wasn’t even that close. Let me warn you: That could very well happen again tonight. The last eight losses, OKC’s average losing margin is 19.4 points. That’s quite a jump from all those six point losses the Thunder had been piling up. Lately it’s been either win, or get whooped trying. And since I’m not really expecting a win, I’m thinking we may be flipping over to Letterman during the fourth quarter. Read more…

Preview Portland Trail Blazers

The playoffs are locked up and the lottery teams are set. The season is nearly over and we’re very close to having a completely clear image of who will have the most ping-pong balls come the draft lottery. Right now, Oklahoma City sits as the fourth worst (or if you’re an optimist, 26th best) team in the league, with an 11.9 percent chance of winning. And while all these teams have nothing to win, they do have a lot of reason to lose. There’s some pretty tight races heading to the finish of who will get how many ping-pong balls. So what’s the final standings shaping up to look like?

Sacramento Kings: 16-64
Currently: 30th, 25 percent chance
Games remaining: at Denver, at Minnesota
Projected finish: 30th, 16-66. They’ve already locked it up. No breaking this down. And they’ll lose their last two anyway.

Los Angeles Clippers: 19-61
Currently: t-29th, 17.7 percent chance
Games remaining: at Utah, Oklahoma City
Projected finish: 29th, 20-62 The Clips will most certainly lose in Utah, dropping them to 19-62, but should beat the Thunder at home (where they’ve already beaten OKC handily once). Currently, they are tied with the Wizards for the second worst record with identical tallies of 19-61 and the two teams split the season series. (Lottery rules state that if two teams are tied, then they split the average amount of combinations. Just FYI.)

Washington Wizards: 19-61
Currently: t-29th, 17.7 percent chance
Games remaining: Toronto, at Boston
Projected finish: 28th, 20-62. With Gilbert Arenas returning the Wiz have played a bit better. The Raptors stink on the road and every team likes to win their home closer. Doubtful they win in Boston though. Looks like we’re heading for a tie at the 29th spot. That is, unless OKC can “upset” the Clips Wednesday.

Oklahoma City Thunder: 22-58
Currently: 27th, 11.9 percent chance
Games remaining: at Portland, at LA Clippers
Projected finish: 27th, 22-60. Really unless the Thunder goes crazy and win both their last games, I think they’re slotted at 27th. It’s possible to jump the Grizzlies if they lose twice and OKC wins twice, but looking at the schedule, that’s unlikely. Of course, they could tie each other. The Thunder can’t increase their chances at all seeing as the Wizards and Clips both have 19 wins and can’t catch OKC’s 22 with two to go. So at worst (or best, this is all so confusing), the Thunder will finish 27th with the potential to move up to 25th.

Memphis Grizzlies: 23-57
Currently: 26th, 8.8 percent chance
Games remaining: at Phoenix, Atlanta
Projected finish: 26th, 23-59 The Grizzlies could very well beat Phoenix, just because the Suns are done and look to kind of be cashing in their chips. Atlanta appears to be focused getting ready to head into the playoffs and it’s unlikely they’ll slip. As is, the Grizzlies could move up to 25th with two wins and two Minny losses, or could drop to 27th if they lose twice and OKC wins twice. Unlikely. So look for the Grizz to stay right at 26th.

Minnesota Timberwolves: 24-56
Currently: 25th, 6.3 percent chance
Games remaining: at Dallas, Sacramento
Projected finish: 25th, 25-57. Like all these bad teams, the Wolves are awful on the road and will likely lose to Dallas. But winning against Sacramento will seal their fate as the 25th best team in the league as OKC can’t catch them. Read more…

Commentary Lottery teams

Let me just tell you, Kevin Durant may be a better person than basketball player. And that’s obviously saying something. He is so incredibly humble as showcased in his intereviw with Jenni Carlson. And the fact that he’s going to school this summer also says something about his committment.

HoopsWorld tells us what’s right, what’s wrong and where the Thunder go from here: “Fan support is unbelievable right now; OKC is ranked 11th in the league for overall attendance, 10th in the league for percentage of tickets sold and will end its debut season with 18 sellouts. Just need some more wins to keep these numbers steady. Other good news: Oklahoma City residents voted last year for a short-term extension of a 1-cent sales tax to pay for $100M in improvements to the Ford Center and construction of a new $20M practice facility for the team. Pieces are already coming together to build a solid franchise. The Oklahoma City Thunder have a smart general manager, a (thankfully) behind-the-scenes owner, a player’s coach and a hungry city….plus a very young, high-energy team eager to learn what it takes to move to the next level in the NBA. And for Pete’s sake, name Brooks the permanent head coach sooner rather than later.”

David Thorpe looks at the sophomore class and has some high praise for Kevin Durant: “The 2008 rookie of the year has seen an increase in almost every statistical category this season while decreasing his turnover rate. He has established himself as a strong All-Star candidate for years to come and is arguably the best small forward in the world not named LeBron James. And he won’t turn 21 until a few days before training camp starts next season. Next up for him: spearheading a Thunder team that looks ready to compete for a playoff spot next season, and likely some playing time for the next Team USA.”

Could the Tar Heels beat one of the NBA’s worst?: “Life would not be as hard for Roy Williams group against the Thunder as his big men should be able to get some work done inside against the likes of Nenad Kristic, Nick Collison, and D.J. White. They are outmatched inside, but it’s nowhere near to the extent that they would be against the Clippers. Where the Tar Heels would really struggle is in the back court going up against Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant. Perimeter defense was the weakest aspect of Carolina’s game this season and although they did go up against some pretty talented guards, none of them were Westbrook or K.D. The two would carry the Thunder to a convincing victory and Jeff Green would play a major role as well. In the 2007 Final Four Green had 22 points, nine rebounds, and three assists as the Tar Heels had no answer for him.” I also broke this matchup down months ago and I had it as a no doubt win for Oklahoma City. Read more…

Bolts

It was pretty shocking to my system to see the Thunder completely crap themselves just a night after giving such good effort, and just days after talking about finishing strong. The team was slow, lethargic, flat, un-energized…you pick the adverb. If we play like this against a reeling Milwaukee team, what can we expect on Monday in Portland?

This crapfest of a basketball game doesn’t even really deserve a post game write up, but I am going to power through the misery and detail the lowlights in short order. “Get er done”!

The Thunder had so little regard for defense that they allowed a floundering Bucks team that is allowing about 100 points per game to go off for 115; and to score a ridiculous 71 points combined in the second and third quarters. I don’t know how many times I shook my head in disbelief as Jeff Green got jumpers nailed in his face with little or no resistance. Where’s the pride?

This game was completely over in the third period, but the rout started in the second. In the second, the Bucks shot 12/19 (63%) including 3/4 from three to open up a 5 point lead. They followed that with  13/18 (72.2%) including 2/3 from three. I mean, is it just me or do you think the Thunder might be able to get the Bucks to miss more than just 5 shots in the whole quarter? Read more…

Recap

vs.

Thunder (22-57, 7-31 road) vs. Milwaukee Bucks (32-47, 20-19 home)

TV: KSBI (Cox 15)
Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1 FM, 640 AM)
Time: 7:30 CST

Offensive Rating: Thunder: 102.8 (30th), Milwaukee: 106.5 (23rd)
Defensive Rating: Thunder: 109.5 (20th), Milwaukee: 108.1 (15th)
Pace:Thunder: 93.5 (8th), Milwaukee: 92.5 (11th)

Well it’s been a long time. Opened the season with these guys and now the third to last game. And with that much space between, things change. A lot.

There’s just five players on OKC’s roster that are still receiving playing from that Oct. 29th game. Milwaukee’s starting lineup has been shifted around, Andrew Bogut is hurt and so is Michael Redd. So it’s kind of sort of hard to use the last meeting as any sort of barometer.

One thing that did happen in that first game was that the Bucks abused OKC on the inside. They outrebounded the Thunder 43-35 and they scored over half their points in the paint. I actually remember thinking after that game, “Man Chris Wilcox needs more playing time. He’s the only guy that did anything.” Because that’s true. He led OKC with 13, Kevin Durant had just 12 and just four Thunders were in double-figures. It was just a bad game. Read more…

Preview Milwaukee Bucks

Oklahoma is known for its wild weather. One day it’s 75 and sunny then the next it’s 35 and snowing. Maybe at 10 a.m. it’s perfect and clear and at 4 p.m. it’s raining and the wind’s blowing 200 miles per hour. It’s just the way it is and the way it will always be. It’s completely, utterly and totally unpredictable.

But as random and impulsive the weather can be, there was one thing Gary England could predict and nail every time – it was going to Thunder 41 nights this year. And there was even a schedule to prove it.

Sure the scoreboard read 84-81 in favor of Oklahoma City, which was a nice way to close this inaugural home season. But Friday’s game against Charlotte was about more than the final score. 19,136 piled the Ford Center full, equipped with aptly named ThunderStix ready to make some noise and let this team know that we like having them around. And what happened was a two and half hour party with the main attraction being five guys in white that played with guts, emotion and desire. It was like they were hell-bent and determined to send the raucous crowd home happy. It was almost like they were trying to make up for the disappointment of Opening Night. Read more…

Commentary

Box Score

Tonight’s game was a contest that was almost exhausting to watch.  The Thunder and the Cats squared off and the refs just mostly let them go at it. Few fouls were called, bodies were flying, shots were clanging and the Thunder were lucky to walk away with a victory. Not lucky as in they didn’t deserve it, for they worked hard and gave really incredible effort, but they fell just one shy of their season record for turns with 24. The one game the Thunder got 25, it cost a coach his job. To win a game when you give the other team roughly 25% more scoring opportunities is a rare thing.

I’m sure Kev will be along shortly to give a better defensive analysis, but my impression was that the Thunder really clogged up the lane and defended the post and high post. The three point shot was there all night for the Cats, but once they came inside the arc it seemed like Thunder bodies were everywhere. Kyle Weaver was a MAN tonight: 9 points on 4/5 shooting, 5 boards, one dime, 4 steals and 3 blocks in 22 minutes.  The Pac 10  all-defensive team player, who was a draft pick of the Bobcats gave the Bobcats a handful. Read more…

Recap Charlotte Bobcats

vs.

Charlotte Bobcats (35-43, 12-25 road) vs. Thunder (21-57, 14-26 home)

TV: FS Oklahoma HD (Cox 37, HD 722)
Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1 FM, 640 AM)
Time: 7:00 CST

Offensive Rating: Thunder: 103.0 (29th), Charlotte: 105.1 (27th)
Defensive Rating: Thunder: 109.8 (20th), Charlotte: 106.0 (7th)
Pace:Thunder: 93.5 (8th), Charlotte: 88.3 (27th)

You know a good way to close out a home season? With a win. Call me crazy, but that’s what I’d like to see.

Especially because this is arguably OKC’s best remaining chance to win. After this game the Thunder hits the road for three against Milwaukee, Portland and the Clippers. And OKC’s 7-30 on the road. So if you don’t win tonight, you could be looking at ending the season on an eight-game losing streak with losses in 13 of the last 15. Oh, and also closing out with seven straight losses at home. I’m not really a fan of that.

But the Bobcats have a lot to play for tonight. They are scratching and clawing (get it?) to get into the playoffs. They are three games back of Detroit for the eighth spot, but in order to get there, they’re going to have to win on the road. And Charlotte is not so good away from home. They’re 12-25 on the road and have lost five of seven. A loss tonight could all but kill the Bobcats so you can expect them to come out with fire and intensity. Read more…

Preview Charlotte Bobcats

So the Nets are promoting Brook Lopez’s Rookie of the Year candidacy this Saturday by distributing “Brookie of the Year” comic book-inspired t-shirts to the first 5,000 fans in attendance. While that’s not all that clever at all, it sure beats sending out a PDF file with some stats on it.

There were so many options. I really like reader J.G.’s suggestion of “Russell Westbrook approved ankle braces.” Jet Zero instead of Coke Zero (a Jet Zero comic book would have been cool, no?). Heck, a website, a t-shirt, a short highlight video – just anything would have been better than a page with stats that nobody saw. The award really isn’t all that big of a deal and we all know Russell isn’t going to win it, but some effort would have been nice. Westbrook has had a fantastic rookie season and has exceeded everyone’s expectations for him and I just wish he’d get the recognition he deserves.

News Rookie of the Year, Russell Westbrook

Dave Sittler of the Tulsa World says give up everything short of the farm to get Griffin: “The Thunder has a boy-genius in 32-year-old general manger Sam Presti, who was a Rhodes scholar nominee. But it doesn’t take a hoops Einstein to figure out that this state’s NBA franchise better figure out a way to get the draft rights to the best player this state’s produced since Tulsa’s very own wonderful Wayman Tisdale. It will, however, take someone with Presti’s intelligence to put together a deal that puts Griffin in a Thunder uniform without giving away the farm.”

Cavs.com’s awards: “Already coming off a solid freshman campaign that saw him win Rookie of the Year, Durant was even better this season – improving his scoring average from 20.3 ppg to 25.6. His shooting average is up (.430 to .479) and he’s grabbing over two more rebounds per game (4.4 to 6.5).”

In case you can’t find it, Ric Bucher’s interview with OKC’s Big Three. Man, I love these guys.

Ken Berger of CBS Sports looking at potential suitors for Griffin:  ”For a team that’s scraping the bottom of the standings, the Thunder have an impressive array of assets at their disposal, starting with four first-round picks in the next two drafts. In addition to his own first in ’09, GM Sam Presti will receive another No. 1 from either San Antonio or Denver (whichever is better). They have no second-rounder this year, but the big payoff comes in ’10, when the Thunder get Phoenix’s unprotected first-rounder from the Kurt Thomas trade. Throw in the rights to Serge Ibaka and DeVon Hardin (who was almost sent to New Orleans as part of the aborted Tyson Chandler trade), plus $13 million in cap space this summer (including draft picks) followed by even more space in ’10, when the expiring contracts of Earl Watson and Damien Wilkins come off the books, and you have the makings of a potentially impressive turnaround.” Read more…

Bolts

Once again Draftexpress is on the scene covering the annual Portsmouth Invitational tourney.   The Portsmouth is an annual tournament which allows College Seniors to get some 5 on 5 against their peers, and give the NBA execs another opportunity to see them play.

As is always the case, the first day of the camp revolves more around who didn’t show up, rather than who did. Quite a few players decided to pull out once again this year, which is very surprising considering that they won’t have any other place to be seen now. There are definitely still a good bunch of NBA prospects here, but you have to wonder a bit about the decision making skills of some of the players that rejected the opportunity to improve their chances of making the NBA, especially in a year like this.

Players who were on the initial roster that have since been replaced include Sam Young, A.J. Price, Jeff Adrien, Jeff Pendergraph, Dominic James, Kevin Rogers, Curtis Jerrells, Robert Dozier, Levance Fields and Goran Suton. NBA scouts, executives and GMs we spoke to all had similar opinions on this matter.

“I’m disappointed in those guys,” one Western Conference Director of Player Personnel stated. “For most players this is their last chance to make an impact on their draft stock, and they decided to pass on it. Real players play, and now these guys are risking being lapped by other prospects who will emerge here.”

Some went even further. “These kids are crazy!” an assistant GM said. “For players on the bubble to not be seen is suicide for some. Who is giving these kids advice?”

According to the article, 15-20 NBA general managers were seen on hand on day one, including Sam Presti.  Most of these guys won’t get a sniff  in the first round of the draft. I didn’t recognize more than a couple of the names from among those that actaully participated. Many of these guys are just hoping for a training camp invite, or to see their meager draft prospects inch up a bit.  (the 2008 Portsmouth first team was: Pat Calathes, Gary Forbes, Jamar Butler, Mark Tyndale and Kyle Hines -not a lot of NBA credentials there) It is great to see our man Presti on hand looking for diamonds in the rough.

News

Just a totally, completely, entirely awesome piece by Ric Bucher (you need to be an Insider to read it online). I’ve already read it twice. Seriously.

The Thunder started the season 3-29, but they think they have the league right where they want it. Next year, the playoffs! (Laugh now, but consider yourself warned).

Bucher lays out seven things that OKC needs to accomplish or get lucky with to possibly make a run at the playoffs next season including “the lottery falls just right,” “Durant bulks up,” “the coach lays it out,” the team stays tough,” “the team settles in,” and “what’s already there gets better.” Potentially, according to Bucher if all those things come to fruition, he could see OKC adding 25 wins next season. Twenty-five! A little mathematics tells me the team’s record would look something like 46-36 then. Woo!

I liked this part:

As blue, yellow and orange confetti flutters from the rafters, and another rousing rendition of Oklahoma! blares over the PA, Kevin Durant, Jeff Green and Russell Westbrook bounce up and down, arm in arm, the heart of a young team hug at center court of the Ford Center. Just a year removed from being vilified for deserting their sacred Seattle birthplace and getting off to a 3-29 start in their new town – one of the worst out-of-the-blocks stumbles in NBA history – the Oklahoma City Thunder are playoff bound. “We’ve dreamed of this day,” says owner Clay Bennett as he accepts handshakes and bear hugs, a scarp of confetti stuck in his brush cut. “We just didn’t dream of it coming so soon.” Hey, it could happen.

Ric Bucher may be more optimistic than me. But I love it. I got chills reading that. Just thinking about what could be… oooohh boy.

Bucher’s got OKC taking Hasheem Thabeet, which I’m not all that crazy about, but in his feature it’s got the Thunder getting better, which I’m all for.

They also have a contrarian viewpoint from Shoals (going as his real name, Nathaniel Friedman) on the matter.

But while all of this makes them a prime candidate for the NBA’s new cult favorites—the heir to the Brand/Odom/Miles Clippers, the Suns before anyone realized they were good, or the2006-07 Warriors—there’s no reason to assume they’ll improve enough to make the playoffs next season. That’s because, for all their spunk and character, the Thunder remain largely a work in progress.

And also, on the front page of ESPN.com’s NBA section, Bucher had lunch with Russell Westbrook, Jeff Green and Kevin Durant and let me tell you, I laughed pretty much throughtout the whole thing. I can’t say how proud and excited I am that these three guys are the cornerstones and faces of this franchise.

News ESPN feature, Ric Bucher

This deserves its own post. Just an awesome stuff right in Chris Andersen’s face. See this is why you don’t pose and strut after you block a 5-11 point guard. Because when someone puts one on your head like this, it makes it that much sweeter. (Too be fair, the Birdman did block seven shots…)

Video Birdman, Jeff Green