Daily Thunder.com

@Bob
cool, we need some of that tonight

Crow :
I am glad you got rewarded for believing Bob.
I’ll say again Thabo is on fire from inside and he has hit some 5-10 footers better lately too. I like that his overall shot distribution is almost all inside or from 3. He is an aware player, working hard.

He's a beast. He will make kobe cry today. i say 5 steals and 7-11 shooting.

f5alcon :@Bob

link?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPcgPmRtfVY

1. Man, I can't stand LeBron's arrogance. In all reality, there are about 4 guys (LeBron, Kobe, Carmelo, KD) that if they really wanted to, they could win the scoring title every year. Those are the 4 best scorers in the game, so if any of them only focused on scoring, they could win it every year. It's an unnecessary and arrogant statement on LeBron's part.

2. Phil Jackson hates OKC, huh? That's disappointing. Oh well, the guy is the most overrated coach of all-time. I'm sure I'd have 9 championship rings if I "coached" Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Shaq and Kobe too.

3. Jax, that is a great find. Everyone needs to watch that video he posted. Probably even worthy of it's own post or at least mention in the Bolts, Royce.

I am glad you got rewarded for believing Bob.

I'll say again Thabo is on fire from inside and he has hit some 5-10 footers better lately too. I like that his overall shot distribution is almost all inside or from 3. He is an aware player, working hard.

@Bob
link?

In Mayberry's article on Ibaka he quotes Presti saying something about being impressed pre-draft with Ibaka's "energy at his position". Well that is still a fairly generic statement but I went back and looked at what I could find on Ibaka before the draft. Everything called him a PF. DraftExpress said he played PF in europe and would in the NBA and nba.com called him a PF. Hardly anything even had the usual PF or C debate. I know this doesn't really move the debate forward any really and neither does knowing that Ibaka's role model is Garnett (given that he has played 2 positions) but I checked it and the question is still out there to be clarified. Maybe somebody eventually asks Presti and /or Brooks about it? That would be helpful.

OMG thabo just left a comment on my thabo-mix on youtube. He said thank u!

I'm the happiest person ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Everyone should take a look at this.

http://celticshub.com/2010/03/26/something-differe...

Look familiar?

The NBA is a run/jump league, even for centers. Larry Sanders can do both really well, he'll be a top 20 first rounder. Samhan can't do either so I doubt he gets drafted.

@justin
I think if Harden keeps up his good play through the post-season, he'll get the start next year, but with a similar 24-24 split he and Thabo are at now. If Harden is solid but not spectacular, I wouldn't expect the current lineup to change barring a big trade. Even if it shouldn't matter, Thabo was still the starter for this near 50 win team. If Brooks has barely even nudged the rotations all year, there's little reason to think he does in the offseason without something incredible forcing his hand.

I think more than anything it will come down to what we do in the offseason. If we can get a scoring center or PF, then it's a lot easier to swap Harden and Green's current roles. Green becomes the 25 minute sixth man who can exploit matchups and hide deficiencies all while carrying the second unit in scoring.

@Heysloth
Samhan is intriguing because of his low-post skills, but his defense is bad and athleticism even worse. With the way most teams use their centers as defensive anchors, he's likely a backup in the NBA who comes in when the offense stagnates.

I haven't seen much of Sanders, and I'm always leery of a player who only dominates terrible competition. I can't name a single NBA caliber (even D-league) player that Sanders has done well against.

@Keith

Agree 100%. James Harden has to start next to Russ, it would open up the offense completely. I'm hoping Maynor discovers the shooting touch, and yeah, Thabo's minutes should be cut to accomodate this change.

Do you think Brooks does it?

@kev
yeah they were pretty bad, its how they got bynum the next year, but really that would be the case for anybody, lebron could score more at hte expense of his teammates but they probably wouldnt be a better team

Isn't shooting exactly why we drafted Harden? We thought he could be a starting SG who would actually open up the floor for KD and Westbrook drives. It would force opposing 2s at least from just crowding the lane. It's not surprising at all how different we are with and without Harden.

Saying that, and with our current back-court rotation, I don't think a trade is as necessary as a serious rotation shake-up. Westbrook NEEDS to be paired with Harden, otherwise there is absolutely no reason for opposing 1s or 2s to guard the perimeter. Thabo should ONLY be playing alongside Maynor (good 3-pt shooter in college, I believe could be in the NBA as well), or when going small alongside Harden. That sounds tough given how much Thabo plays now, but Harden's defense should improve by next year, and it's already difficult in a lot of games/situations to say what he's bringing defensively makes up for how much he hurts us offensively.

Alright I know this is premature but watching all this college ball has me thinking about the draft, what do you guys think about Larry Sanders and Omar Samhan?

The guard situation is going to happen like this. Westbrook and Maynor keep their current roles, Harden starts, another scorer off the bench is brought in, and Thabo is moved to a limited minutes defensive specialist role.

No D-Block for the Thunder. Bucks claimed him on waivers.

f5alcon :@justinill agree with that, i was never saying KD is as good as lebron now, just that he hasnt reached is potentially and that his high side is capable of near lebron levels, though i doubt kd will ever get more then 5 apg, but he could have a freak season where he gets 7.@kevyeah
efficiency goes down, but when kobe shot 27 fga he averaged 35PPG and shot 45% from the floor, so it didnt hurt him too much.

didnt their team stink when he did that? He had no choice because he didnt have scorers (Gasol, Bynum, Artest) with him . . .

I could be wrong . . .

@kev
Durant might feel like he needs to be on the floor that often, and so Brooks is putting him in. It might be sort of a la set plays in Football, you know?

Also, I think (and have no real way to back this up) that it's far easier to teach someone how to play defense (rotate, etc.) as it's just high intensity effort, for the most part. Shooting touch is much harder to teach, so I think you're right, we do need a better shooter on the bench and just teach him the defensive scheme.

those D-League games are horrible to watch . . .

even more than you would guess . . .

Mullens hasn't improved AT ALL since summer league - he is shooting (and missing) twenty footers all game . . .

not only that, you have guys taking terrible shots - there's no offensive chemistry whatsoever . . .

@justin
ill agree with that, i was never saying KD is as good as lebron now, just that he hasnt reached is potentially and that his high side is capable of near lebron levels, though i doubt kd will ever get more then 5 apg, but he could have a freak season where he gets 7.

@kev
yeah efficiency goes down, but when kobe shot 27 fga he averaged 35PPG and shot 45% from the floor, so it didnt hurt him too much.

justin :Where does that shooter play? We’re crippled by having three guards in the rotation that can’t shoot (Maynor, Westbrook, Sefolosha). If we want to be a good shooting team one of those, probably Maynor or Sefolosha, will have to shoot better or be replaced..

that's my point - we have guards that can't shoot - that shooter would be taking someone's place . . .

translation - expect more than one trade in the offseason . . .

@Jax Raging Bile Duct
Nice find Jax.

sas :

kev :we also need shooters – badly . . .

I think that realization is perhaps the biggest thing to come out of Harden’s absence. We definitely need more offense in that second team.

I love defensive players (Weaver, for example) but I don't think he's long for this team because of his offense . . . right now he's 10th in the rotation, so he's the odd man out right now anyway - if the 10th guy is a shooter he would get more run . . . Brooks acts like he has to have Green OR Durant on the floor at all times . . . if that 10th guy was a shooting swingman he could (and should) reduce their minutes . . .

slightly related: Brooks gives Durant a 3-4 minute break and sticks him back in the second quarter - every game. Regardless of score. We could be up twenty at home against a scrub team and he still comes in at that time. That really makes no sense . . .

Where does that shooter play? We're crippled by having three guards in the rotation that can't shoot (Maynor, Westbrook, Sefolosha). If we want to be a good shooting team one of those, probably Maynor or Sefolosha, will have to shoot better or be replaced..

kev :
we also need shooters – badly . . .

I think that realization is perhaps the biggest thing to come out of Harden's absence. We definitely need more offense in that second team.

justin :@kev
Swap Thabo for Harden – there’s the solution. That’s two good 3pt shooters in the starting five, and one great mid range shooter (Krstic).
Throw Green to the bench, Ibaka to starting PF and you replace Harden’s offense with Green off the bench.
Seems like the best solution with the existing personnel.

you know that we are getting a shooter this summer . . . at least one . . .

@kev

Swap Thabo for Harden - there's the solution. That's two good 3pt shooters in the starting five, and one great mid range shooter (Krstic).

Throw Green to the bench, Ibaka to starting PF and you replace Harden's offense with Green off the bench.

Seems like the best solution with the existing personnel.

and I asked this before and I got limited response - Justin (or anyone) , how did Marcus Thornton slip to round two - I dont watch college ball that much, so I didnt check him out in college . . .

we also need shooters - badly . . .

RW has to work on his three point game on this offseason - kudos to him (and the coaching staff probably) for eliminating that shot from his arsenal, but defenses will sag off bigtime in the playoffs . . .

not only that, KD has no one to dish out to except for Harden . . .

that's one of several reasons why the Mullens pick made no sense . . . we could have gotten a shooter (Budinger, for example) to help in those situations . . .

And yes, the only thing separating the two players right now is LeBron's playmaking, but that's a HUGE difference. LeBron's a better playmaker than 4/5 of the starting PG's in the NBA.

They are utilized differently because they are completely different players. LeBron isolated is a threat to score and create. Durant is a threat to score.

And c'mon, KD forces his offense all the time. Him and LeBron take virtually the same number of shots.

If LeBron decided to shoot or get to the line instead of create for his teammates he'd be a 35PPG scorer easily. But it's better for his team to get others involved for higher percentage offense.

I'm a huge Durant homer but he's not in LeBron's league (nobody is right now). If LeBron wanted to score 35 points a game he could do it a lot easier than Durant could..

The KD/'bron thing will eventually come down to titles, I think. Both players are competitive enough that a year you don't win a title is a wasted year. Could we see a rivalry develop a la Bird-Magic? That would be pretty awesome, I think. Of course, that's an extreme reach at this point, but allow me my delusions of grandeur.

@kev
i am not saying KD is better, or even as good a passer or anywhere near as good, but in every category aside from assists KD is just as capable.

f5alcon :@KeithThe thing is kd and lebron are utilized differently, lebron is allowed to force his offense if he wants, kd could take more shots if brooks wanted him to. either one of them and kove, wade melo could average 40 if they took 30 attempts a game, in 2005/2006 kobe took 27.2 FGA/g that would add a lot of point for anybody

saying someone could average 40 is basically looking at their performance in a vacuum . . .

if those guys took more shots, their efficiency would drop. Why? becuase the more they shoot, the more defenses would double and triple them to thwart the attempt - as a result the team would score less points, and the team would lose more games . . . that's why the superstars don't average 40 . . .

@Keith
The thing is kd and lebron are utilized differently, lebron is allowed to force his offense if he wants, kd could take more shots if brooks wanted him to. either one of them and kove, wade melo could average 40 if they took 30 attempts a game, in 2005/2006 kobe took 27.2 FGA/g that would add a lot of point for anybody

justin :@f5alcon
Umm.. Kevin Durant can’t get the assists LeBron gets because he’s nowhere near as good a passer / ball handler. Seeing the floor and playmaking is a skill most players come into the league with. Durant’s court vision and handle are nowhere near LeBron levels.
Assists are even? Are you saying between LeBron and Durant..!?

come on falcon - Durant and Lebron are different players - you cant say "if we ran . . ." blah blah blah . . .

that doesnt matter, like Justin said, they have different ability levels with regard to dribbling and vision . . .

now I am sure Durant will improve - but look at Durant when he dribbles into traffic - his head is usually down . . . Lebron is almost always looking to pass as well shoot . . .

@JelloPuddinPup
its the number of wins we need to eliminate the teams from passing us, or them losing

@jeff allen
As much as I hate arrogance, I still can't place anyone above Lebron in anything basketball. Let's face it... he was right. He's already ahead, and that's with dishing out 5 more assists per game than Durant. Turn just those passes (7-10 to get 5 assists) into shots, and Lebron would have 6-10 more points. That's jsut too much to overcome.

And yeah, he is a businessman, but that doesn't mean he's any less of a basketball player. He does absolutely everything a basketball player should do. He is locked in, his defense is stellar, is offense is top of the top, and he makes everyone around him better. Just because he's trying to become a billionaire doesn't mean he's not the truest example of everything a basketball player should be.

@justin
im not saying assists are even, but if we ran the offense through KD he would have more assists then he does now. maybe not 8 a game like lebron, but 4 or 5 per game, also as a team the cavs shoot 4% better and 5% better from 3, that helps lebrons assist numbers.

also lebrons 8.5 apg might be an aberration, previous years he was 7.2.

So no im not saying KD is equal, but his numbers could be better if he played in cleveland and they ran the offense through him and he had teammates who shot better.

http://thunder-nba.com/blog/index.php/2010/03/behi...

Chris Silva linked to an NBA TV show that highlighted the Thunder. It's worth the watch. The guys even explain what they mean by "hands" (that you see them say a lot on twitter).

@JelloPuddinPup
Thunder games won + 9th/10th seed losses in order for OKC to clinch a playoff berth. Our number over Houston is 5. If we win 5 more games, Houston is eliminated from the postseason. Any combination of our wins and their losses that adds to 5 eliminates them from passing us.

@GAP

its more about business with lebron... not basketball... thats the main difference between the 2... lebron is out to dominate the world.. kd wants to dominate the basketball court. lebron is a pretty good business man and his cockiness and arrogance is good for business. but i used to really like lebron as well... but its kd who is the truest basketball player ive seen

Can someone explain the meaning of "Magic Number Watch"?

@sas
Rankings overvalue being a starter and undervalue reserves. As Justin said, Harden hadn't been in those rankings for a while. He's just never going to get the press or attention of someone starting and playing 30+ minutes per game.

The one thing Durant very clearly has over LeBron at the same age is scoring efficiency. LeBron's having his best year this year, and it's only slightly better than what Durant's doing now.

Even comparing their third seasons, the gap between their play making skills is too big..

Durant's shot to get into LeBron's league will be on defense. He has to commit himself to defense even harder, become a bit of a weak side shot blocker, perhaps rebound better.. maybe legitimately play PF for stretches. He should be able to do this stuff with his length.

I hope Lebron has a terrible stretch of games to end the season because I used to really love the guy, until his arrogance started to show up.

Those rookie rankings are supposed to be week to week, which is why Harden (injury) isn't there and Thabeet (a good stretch of 3 games) is. The top is kind of their ROY race, but the rest is very fluid. It has to be that way. How else would Reggie Williams (who has only been in the league for a few weeks) and Thabeet (whose only good games all year were last week) be mentioned.

Damn guys, I would think this was a Lebron love fest if I didn't know any better!