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Maybe Presti can sell Bosh on the Cost of Living in OKC... $17,000,000 in Miami would equate to roughly $21,000,000 in OKC. It'd really be maxing out his max contract.

Yeah I agree Mark!, Green needs to make some tough / important inside moves. That is part of his job description.

Throwing my hat into the Jeff Green discussion...

My biggest gripe with Green isn't his offensive style, size, ability to defend in the post, or his rebounding rate.

And while I love his locker room chemistry, work ethic, potential and versatility...

I think he has to be the guy to take the ball inside, get hacked and pull us through in tough games like the one last night against Cleveland. No one wanted to penetrate, and we gave up the game trying to match 3s with a team on fire from deep.

I can't get mad at a guy like Durant -- who has amazing shooting ability and a slight build -- for not wanting to pound the ball in crunch time. He's our super star, his skills are elsewhere, I *want* his body preserved.

But Green is athletic enough and skilled enough that he should be able to take it to the hole and get the fouls. If he's going to make his mark by being a "jack of all trades" he's going to have to want the win more than anyone else.

The only player we have on our team willing and ready to play this way is James Harden. I wonder if the game would've turned out differently if he had been subbed in sooner in the 4th (he sat by the scorer's table a long time waiting to come in.)

Jeff has to be willing to do this. I'm not sure what else he can bring to the table that makes him long term viable unless he makes a miraculous turn around on his per-minute production compared with other players at his position. I think that's an unrealistic expectation.

I'm glad that Jenni Carlson is around. I would miss the awkward silence and sideways glances following anything she says in a round table discussion.

I hope we make a play for Gortat in the offseason. Orlando is really making a strong push this year, but will be way over the luxury tax next year and we might be able to take him off thier hands.

@ Justin I can agree with you on some levels. Yes Jeff Green is most definitely not the best PF in the league. However, you have to remember he was never a PF until under Brooks. And yes his defense has lacked at times, but you have to be optimistic, especially with the Thunder. As a young team the core 4 we have are very important. Especially with the market size we have, the chances of getting an already great PF is rather small. We have to hope to acquire someone who transforms into a great PF. Now I'm not saying Jeff Green is that, but I do believe he has the potential to attempt a go at it or at least have an important role on the Thunder. What I was meaning though is that give him a few more years at learning his new position and possibly a bit better defense, he could be rather good. You can never count out a player at getting better at any point in his career. He has a long road ahead of him.

@justin
Yes, under the current salary cap. It's expected to drop significantly next year, so you have to take that into consideration and adjust it.

@J.G.

Brendan Haywood is worth a lot more than $6 million; Nenad Krstic and Nick Collison make more than that.

To All,

No way do I want Haywood for more than $6 million over four years. In complete agreement there. But as impressive as the defensive stats have been for the Thunder, there's a reason why true bigs terrorize our team and make it very, very hard to win. Just take a look at the teams who have beaten the Thunder this year, and aside from Houston (Don't say Sacramento, Thompson destroyed us), they all have one very glaring thing in common and I don't think I need to say what it is.

I do think Bosh would help immensely on offense, but it's more of the same problems on defense (if not worse) since, you know, he DOESN'T play any!

Oh, and while we're at it, I'd love to add a pure shooter who can space the floor off the bench and a lockdown, smart backup PG (if it's not going to be Weaver).

Hoopdata has a table showing the Thunder as the 4th most improved on offensive efficiency for data thru 12/8 compared to 11/13 but the defensive efficiency slipped about the 7th most. Do one or both of the numbers stabilize here or continue moving?

As good as 12-10 is, the 13th place team in the West is only 3 games back of them.

If you are a risk-taker and serious about trying to vault into title contention I'd give Green at Center a couple hundred minutes this season to see what that does. Green at PF might be alright but it isn't West-winning.

@Simeon Huffman

Using the escrow service of your choice, I'd gladly wager any amount you're comfortable with that Jeff Green will never be a Top 15 starting PF in the NBA.

Please do not compare Jeff Green to Chris Bosh. Chris Bosh was an All Star in his third season and was almost two years younger than Jeff Green is this year.

@Royce

This is also my fear about Brendan Haywood. I'm not opposed to $9 million+ as his value, but I'm not sure signing him to a five year contract would be smart.

Green in year 3 on many stats is between the given too many minutes too quick Green of year 1 and the pretty improved Green on offense of year 2. Where he ends the season or next season I can't really predict. His year 2 improvement threw me a bit because he really didn't improve much thru his college career but the year 3 stall or slippage goes more back to that pattern.

Green has improved his steals and blocks but his overall defense is probably not much better.

Another need we should address is a scoring swingman to come off the bench. I'm hoping that Kelenna Azubuike will turn down his player option and sign with us. Kyle Korver would also be a solid option.

To get Bosh KD probably has to befriend him and sell him vs the other stars who have been doing that for years.

Just in case its unclear, I don't mind getting Haywood. I think 4 years is too much, and I don't think its really worth it to overpay for him. But he can help the Thunder in the short term.

If they want Bosh they show up on his door at 12:01 am and the absolute Max deal with a ton or all of the money upfront each season and whatever signing bonus that is allowed and say take it in 48 hours (or less) or the offer is gone.

Haywood is aging and he recently blew out his knee. I don't really like the idea of signing him, but if it was to happen, he shouldn't get anything more than what Krstic got.

Green's problem is that he doesn't excel at anything. He's a classic case of "jack of all trades, master of none". That lends itself very well to being a sixth man, but a starting PF? Preferably not.

Haywood as a MLE guy or slightly above for three years goes to a contender. Give him the 4th year or a bit more you might be able to get him, depending on his play for a great team vs more money value system and off the court preferences.

I think Bosh would be a great fit here. And to JG, I think he would help significantly more than a guy like Haywood. The reasoning is pretty simple: our defense is good, and our offense is bad. Despite all the clamoring for a center who rebounds, blocks shots and protects the rim, the Thunder are 6th in defensive efficiency, 11th in rebound rate, and 5th in the league in blocked shots. Meanwhile, we're 21st in offensive efficiency. Bosh's offense is far more important to the Thunder than Haywood's defense. As an added bonus, Bosh puts Green in the 6th man role that most seem to agree suits him best, which not only helps him but should significant boost our anemic offense off the bench. Whether or not he would be willing to come isn't something I can predict (although I don't believe its out of the question), but I just don't think it makes sense to say that Haywood would be a more valuable addition than Bosh.

J.G. I gave the things on the other side but I agree with you Haywood should be considered. There aren't many better alternatives that realistic. To get it done Presti might have to offer too much money or years but he's done that before with Krstic.

justin, if you accept Lee for what he is- an offensive Big who rebounds and plays poor defense- and don't expect him to get better on D (or any better on offense) then maybe, just maybe, you could look at him as part of the grand mix.

He is not a a strong or full "answer" and probably will cost too much. I don't think Presti will target him.

@Justin

Look man. Here is the deal. Yea you can be somewhat judgmental towards players but not completely. When it comes down to it they are doing things you will never understand. Especially guys like Jeff Green. Yea he is not as good as Chris Bosh or many other players in the NBA. But you forget..he was drafted in 2007. Bosh was drafted in 2003. And as everyone can know, 4 years more of hard work is a huge amount, just look at the thunder since a year from now, look at all of them since draft day. Even look at James since we got him with year. Yea he ball watched and yes he is not perfect, but I can only imagine how he is going to be 4 years from now. Give him the time Bosh had and everyone else you love in the NBA. I guarantee by then you will be praying that somehow we are able to sign him back.

@J.G.
I watched the Wizards play the Celtics last week and I thought Haywood looked awesome.

But I'd imagine some dumb GM is going to overpay him big time. He'll get 5 years, 45 million and turn into another Erick Dampeer (I think someone else already made that comparison.)

I see Haywood as a MLE guy or slightly above for three years. He's not worth $8 million or above, which is what he'll likely be after.

I think Marc Gasol would be a great feat with the Thunder.He´s a good rebounder,a good passer,can score in the low post and doesn´t need a lot of touches to be effective.

@Crow
Check out Haywood's career minute average and you'll start to see why I still think he'd be a great acquisition (he's only averaged 24.1 minutes over his entire career, and in the one year he is playing 30+, look at what he's doing), and he's probably not in the long, long term plans, but for the next 3-4 years, why not? He'd be a defensive, rebounding, shot-blocking upgrade until the younger pups are ready.

@Clark Matthews

Clark I am not going to repeat what I've written elsewhere about Jeff Green's (lack of) production relative to other PF's, so it'll have to suffice to say that it's meager. Also, while it's certainly possible that he will make some big strides and become a force, it is also possible he will not. I subscribe to the latter.

Also, production wise, he's the fourth best player on the team. Russell Westbrook, James Harden, and Kevin Durant are all more productive than Jeff on a per minute basis.

@justin

Did Jeff Green touch you inappropriately? He's the second best player on a pretty good team in his third season. I don't see why you want to write him off so quickly.

If there is a strong Presti target in the 2010 free agent class- that he can actually get- I haven't been able to isolate him yet.

You might be able to offer Przybilla a deal that Portland wouldn't match. But it is a long shot. And he is now past his peak and it is always unclear how much of a decline and how fast he is headed for. Again will be 31 next fall and thus is probably too old- for Presti. Barely old enough for Popovich and Buford but the opposite for Presti, here.

Crow what do you think of David Lee's production?

Only a team that knows they'll be able to resign Chris Bosh in the offseason will trade for him at the deadline. A team like Miami or something. Otherwise as was pointed out, it's only an expensive rental. I don't think anyone is suggesting we trade for Chris Bosh during the year; that'd be silly.

I think Bosh is most likely headed to Miami, then stays in Toronto, then New York.

Channing Frye was not a hot name last summer but in retrospect I wonder how he would have done with OKC- if he would have even considered it. Defensive liability but offensive plus. Could the defense still work with him? It has with Krstic and Krstic's 1 on 1 defense this season is basically the same level as Frye's. But Frye is hitting 44% from 3 point with great frequency while Krstic is hitting 44% on mid-range jumpers. Would that have open the middle more for Durant, Westbrook and Green? A free agent next summer but he probably stays in Phoenix now.

Durant becoming more efficient?

This season compared to last:

Shots at the rim at about the same rate but FG% up. Shots from 5-15 feet up by 1 but FG% up. Shots from 16-23 feet about the same. Shots from 3 pt land up by 1 but the FG% is down but the situation has been improving. Overall the eFG% is down about 2 points but the TS% is about the same as FTAs are up by close to 25%.

Haywood is probably too old for Presti's plan and his extra rebound hustle is happening in a contract year. I could see him going to the Cavs or Heat or maybe Rockets.

I love Sam Presti, but even if Toronto offered us Bosh for Green, a first-rounder and an expiring, does anyone even think he would accept it? He'd hang up before the call was finished.

He's not going to trade Green in a deal for 2 months of Chris Bosh so that we can lose in the first or second round of the playoffs, only to watch him sign with a big-market team in the offseason. That would be an epic disaster.

Can we get a scenario with a trade for Bosh WITHOUT getting rid of Jeff Green? Pulling him off the bench when we play smaller and more athletic teams like Houston, Memphis and Milwaukee as the 6th man is arguable the consensus with everyone here. With a lot of talent coming in this draft and Toronto seemingly looking to rebuild, would trading our two first round draft picks, some expiring contracts and a few extra million be enough to grab Bosh IF he was whiling to come to OKC? I am a BIG Jeff Green fan.

Westbrook becoming more efficient?

This season compared to last:

Shots at the rim down by more than 1 shot a game but FG% up. Shots from 5-15 feet about the same but FG% from 5-10 feet way up. Shots from 16-23 feet up by more than half a shot and FG% down. Shots from 3 pt land up by 1 and the FG% is also up. A mixed bag of marks but the net effect is up slightly.

Green becoming more efficient?

This season compared to last:

Shots at the rim down almost a half a shot a game but FG% up. Shots from 5-15 feet down by about a half a shot. Shots from 16-23 feet down by almost 1 shot. Shots from 3 pt land up by 1 more but the FG% way down. The right idea but modest progress on shot selection. The bottomline eFG% is down though about 1% due a lot to the 3 point FG% slippage.

Chris Bosh is almost as productive as two Jeff Greens this season.

Another thing to consider is whether or not Nenad Krstic will opt out of his $6+ million next season. That'll definitely have an effect on how much money we can spend and what kind of players we'll be looking at.

The DON is SO hot right now :@J.G.
I would venture to say infinitely better to compete for a championship. To me, Bosh is essentially a black version of Gasol and he is in a similar situation that Gaasol was in with Memphis. Seen as a semi above average athletic lanky big man with good stats but no demonstrated ability to lead his team to contender status by himself. Seen as kinda soft and too perimeter oriented. Then like Gasol, if he is traded to OKC where he will not be asked to carry the whole load, he will shine and prove to be a capable 2nd star on a contender like Gasol did

Well put.

@Dustin
"Still wondering why we're always saying that the Thunder, for all the cracks about unfashionable Oklahoma City, are the envy of countless teams? On top of the wildly promising four-man core of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Jeff Green and James Harden and the good crowds, OKC is poised to make its first significant foray into free agency. The Thunder still have to convince skeptics they can lure a big-name signing to their humble outpost and prove they're willing to pull the trigger on big spending -- it wouldn't surprise anyone if they merely seek a quality piece or two and save some of the money to pay all the kids -- but sunglasses are definitely required with an outlook this bright."

@Dustin
When we think of teams going after big-name free agents this summer, thoughts usually turn to New York, New Jersey, Chicago and Miami.

But what about Oklahoma City? With the likes of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Jeff Green and James Harden and a 12-10 record, they're looking a lot better on paper right now than any of the aforementioned teams. And as ESPN's Jalen Rose notes, they could be a force with the addition of a big man that draws double teams.

"If the Thunder can get a Chris Bosh or Amare Stoudemire-type player, they will be contenders in the West," he writes. "They need a power forward who can draw double-teams, defend the post and rebound his position."

Remember this, too: the Thunder have the projected cap space to sign a Bosh or Stoudemire. If neither minds playing in a smaller market with a younger team, the Thunder's talent and skill level -- and possible playoff appearance this spring -- might be an attractive sell.

David Lee is another player I think would be a nice fit but probably will get overpaid. He's always in the top ten in FG%, top ten rebounder. I know people rag on his defense all the time but I'm not sure if that's really his deal or a product of being on the teams he's been on and the style of coaching he's endured.

Should Serge Ibaka end up being a decent defensive center that could start, David Lee would be another guy that'd be decent starting next to him.

One guy I will admit to being wrong about so far is Paul Millsap. In the handful of games I've seen the Jazz play this year Millsap's been very underwhelming.. glad they didn't follow my advice on that one. :)

@J.G.

I would venture to say infinitely better to compete for a championship. To me, Bosh is essentially a black version of Gasol and he is in a similar situation that Gaasol was in with Memphis. Seen as a semi above average athletic lanky big man with good stats but no demonstrated ability to lead his team to contender status by himself. Seen as kinda soft and too perimeter oriented. Then like Gasol, if he is traded to OKC where he will not be asked to carry the whole load, he will shine and prove to be a capable 2nd star on a contender like Gasol did

Ibaka is decent defensively - that's not the issue - can he score when we need a basket???

I guess he can't post up, since we havent really seen it in game action . . .