Durant finished with 1,345,566 votes, which placed him fifth overall in the league and second in the West behind Kobe Bryant.

KD tweeted after the announcement: “Thank u guys for voting me into the all star game, I really appreciate it!!”

Durant has lead the Thunder to the best record in the league at 17-4 while averaging 26.6 points (third in the NBA) on 51 percent shooting from the field, a team-high 8.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 37.1 minutes. Through the first six weeks of the season, Durant has recorded eight double-doubles.

Starting with Durant for the West will be Chris Paul, Kobe, Blake Griffin and Andrew Bynum. For the East it’s Derrick Rose, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard.

Russell Westbrook was the only other Thunder player even close to the conversation as a starter, but finished fifth among point guards.

And in his place? Well, we don’t really know that yet, because Scott Brooks is still thinking about it. Via the Oklahoman:

Although Brooks did not say that Harden struggles stemmed solely from being in the starting lineup, the coach did admit that he has concerns about tampering with Harden’s role as it possibly could continue to throw off the team’s chemistry. Brooks said it’s a situation that the coaching staff is “looking at very closely.”

“Definitely, we’ve talked about it,” Brooks said. “We’re trying to work through it. I don’t know what we’ll do tonight. But there’s definitely concern because that second unit’s been really good. It’s been changed a few times even with Eric (Maynor) being out.”

The option is to start Daequan Cook and leave Harden in his normal role off the bench. That keeps Harden in a place he’s become comfortable, anchoring that second unit.

This type of thinking is really coming from the fact OKC is 0-2 with Thabo and that Harden scored just seven points on 2-10 shooting against the Clippers. He barely touched the ball in the first quarter playing alongside Durant and Westbrook and clearly looked to be having trouble finding his place in the offense.

“He didn’t play well,” Brooks said at shootaround. “But he could have had that game off the bench. You’re not going to play well every night. I thought last game he didn’t have the energy on the defensive end and James has really improved in that area. I talked to him about it. He has to come with it on that side of the floor because it helps him on the other side of it.”

Said KD: “We got to find him and let [Harden] bring the ball up sometimes. We got to run some plays for him,” Durant said. “I know it’s tough for him starting with me and Russell since we anchor that first lineup. We just got to sacrifice some shots and some touches for James to get going because we’re going to need him to bring basketball games.”

It’s a bit reactionary to say Harden can’t start, but the evidence from Monday is a little hard to completely dismiss. I would imagine Brooks is still going to start Harden because that’s the been the play in the past when Thabo has missed a game, but the fact it’s a decision is something to watch.

But I’m told by a source with direct knowledge that Westbrook’s contract would’ve indeed been eligible for the Rose Rule bump if he made another All-NBA team this season, but instead settled for the standard max deal. So all the stuff about Westbrook taking the 25 percent max instead of the 30 percent is correct. In a way, as I wrote yesterday, Westbrook potentially left money on the table. Which could be extremely important to the future of the roster.

The source clarified that Kevin Durant’s retroactive Rose deal had no impact on Westbrook’s Rose eligibility, despite conflicting reports on that subject. Because of the Rose max, Durant will make roughly $3 million more per season and about $15 million more over the life of his five-year contract.

A five-year designated player max contract and the Rose extension are not synonymous things. They are separate. Westbrook was able to get a five-year deal because each team can extend a player for five years under the CBA. And since Durant was extended in the last CBA, Westbrook was eligible to be extended for five years in the new CBA, if that makes sense.

Russell Westbrook has signed a multi-year extension, the Thunder announced Thursday. It’s a five-year extension worth $80 million via Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. The deal was finalized Wednesday night.

“We are thrilled to solidify Russell’s future with the Thunder,” said Sam Presti. “Since we arrived in Oklahoma City, Russell’s work ethic, persistence, character, and involvement in our community have helped us establish the standards that we are committed to on a day-to-day basis. He is a valued member of our organization and we look forward to his continued contributions on and off the floor.”

A news conference will be held when the Thunder return from their road trip Sunday.

“We are very excited that Russell will continue to be a part of the Thunder organization,” said Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Clay Bennett. “He has demonstrated high personal character, a strong commitment to his teammates and a remarkable dedication to the development of his performance as a player. We especially value his role in the community as he has consistently represented “Oklahoma City Basketball” with pride and integrity.”

Westbrook always wanted to stay with the Thunder if the price could be right. And it was, with an extension being signed with days to spare before the Jan. 25 deadline.

As of now, the Thunder are in position to be able to re-sign James Harden and Serge Ibaka. It can be done. Contracts are a confusing thing, and right now, I don’t know if Westbrook is eligible for the extra five percent “Rose Rule” bump. But with Durant getting some 30 percent of the cap and Westbrook 25 percent, the Thunder should have money under the luxury tax line to re-sign both Harden and Ibaka. At least as I understand it.

Chris Mannix of SI.com tweeted: “Westbrook agreed to the regular max, which guarantees him 25 percent of Thunder cap next season. He could have held out for the supermax.” Which would mean that Westbrook wouldn’t be hogging that extra five percent potentially, meaning he left some money on the table. Which means all that noise about Russell Westbrook being selfish and whatnot is totally bogus. He’s a team guy who wants to win and he proved it with this contract.

Sam Amick of SI.com says that Westbrook’s extension is locked at the 25 percent, meaning he won’t get the Rose bump regardless of his season. Which is absolutely huge. And does indeed mean Westbrook took less money to help the Thunder keep things together. Also, like Durant, he didn’t have an opt-out clause put in, meaning he’s in OKC as long as possible.

Westbrook and Durant together for the long-term with more room to grow. In summary, great day for Oklahoma City and the Thunder.

Eight days. Eight days until the deadline passes for Russell Westbrook’s extension and he becomes a restricted free agent on July 1.

Eight days for the Thunder and Westbrook to come to an agreement before things get a bit trickier. Westbrook becoming a restricted free agent isn’t a black spot on his future in Oklahoma City, but it isn’t ideal. It opens up the possibility that someone offers him more than the Thunder are willing to match. It opens up the option of market competition, which can sometimes be good because the market could determine a lower number, but it could often do the opposite.

Where are the sides right now? According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, a source tells him “both sides are dug in right now.”

The Thunder want to preserve salary-cap space to re-sign James Harden and Serge Ibaka. With the new “Derrick Rose rule,” Westbrook could be eligible for 30 percent of the Thunder’s cap starting next year – a five-year, $94 million extension – if he’s selected to another All-NBA team. Oklahoma City wants to sign him for the smaller five-year, $80 million extension, because it doesn’t think it can keep the team’s core together with Durant and Westbrook gobbling 60 percent of the franchise’s small-market payroll.

Several sources close to the talks believe the sides will find a deal somewhere between the two numbers, but there’s no guarantee.

That exact scenario is something I’ve written about a couple of times. Just based on observations, instinct and a few conversations with people in the know, the Rose Rule is what’s making the Thunder are bit more conservative than they otherwise would’ve been. Because if you extend Westbrook for the max right now and then he goes on to make an All-NBA team, he’d retroactively get a big pay bump.

For instance, Kevin Durant had his contract affected by the new Rose Rule and will make almost $15 million more over the life of his deal because of it. That prospect is something that the Thunder are leery of, especially considering James Harden and Serge Ibaka will be eligible for extensions next season.

Harden could be complicating that as much as anyone because of his rise as a high caliber player. Harden has been compared often to Manu Ginobili but that’s exactly the kind of dollar situation OKC wants to place Harden in. In 2010, Ginobili signed a three-year, $38 million extension with the Spurs. It paid him $11.8 million last season, $12.9M this season and $14.1M next season. The Thunder would love for that to be a five-year deal, but the dollar range is similar. Have Harden on the books for around $12 million a year, KD at $17 million and Westbrook in the $15-16 million range. That’s about $46 million which leaves room for a potential extension for Ibaka and role players like Kendrick Perkins, Nick Collison, Daequan Cook and others. Remember, the luxury tax line was set at $70 million last season and that’s the number the Thunder want to stay away from. Right now though, because of the Rose Rule bumping Durant’s deal, OKC is actually over the cap. Which isn’t helping things.

There has been a good amount of chatter about “choosing” between Westbrook or Harden and Ibaka, but that’s not the thinking of the Thunder’s front office. Multiple sources have told me that the Thunder’s preference is to keep the entire core. That might sound painfully obvious, but in the team’s mind, they don’t want to be choosing between anything. They want this group to stay intact for a long run together where they grow, mature and develop. It might not be possible, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t going to try. That’s been the plan all along. These guys weren’t drafted just to develop over the life of a rookie deal and then move on. They were drafted to be part of a long-term vision.

That’s the plan. And that’s why there’s a hold-up. It’s a negotiation though. Westbrook and more important, Westbrook’s agent, obviously sees him as a max player. While he probably is, or at least very close to it, in the best interest of the Thunder, he isn’t. I’m not saying it would be good for Westbrook to not play well enough to make All-NBA again, but if he didn’t, it wouldn’t be all bad.

Westbrook wants to remain a part of the Thunder and obviously the Thunder want to keep him. But it’s about dollars and cents lining up for the long-term sustainability of the team. I can’t say with any large amount of confidence that Westbrook gets an extension before Jan. 25, but I do believe he will be in OKC for the next few years.

But I guess we’ll get a better idea of that in eight days.

As Darnell Mayberry notes, Durant will be filming scenes during the Thunder’s Jan. 23 (or Jan. 25 against the Hornets) home game against the Pistons. Originally, scenes were to be filmed during one of the Thunder’s preseason games, but that didn’t happen because of the lockout.

There’s not a release date yet for the film. The plot of it can be found here.

Eric Maynor will miss the rest of the 2011-12 season with a torn right ACL, the team announced Sunday afternoon.

“It is unfortunate to lose a player like Eric, whose work ethic and leadership has contributed to the culture of our organization,” Sam Presti said in a release. “Knowing him and the mental toughness he possesses, we are confident that he will do everything necessary to come back from this injury and be prepared for the 2012-13 season. Injuries are part of the NBA, and although it is tough to lose Eric, we must move forward and focus on our continued improvement as a basketball team.”

This is really the first major injury the Thunder have had to deal with. There have been some rolled ankles and sprained knees, but nothing this serious to this important of a player. It will be a big test for the Thunder’s depth, but also on their mental toughness. Losing a player that’s so close to everyone like Maynor isn’t easy.

Reggie Jackson seems like the obvious replacement for Maynor’s 10-15 minutes a night behind Russell Westbrook, but don’t be shocked if Scott Brooks uses Royal Ivey in that spot as well. Ivey is a steady veteran that is an ideal guy to give you 10 minutes of smart basketball. He won’t make big plays like Maynor, but unless Brooks really trusts in his rookie from Boston College, Ivey is the safer choice, at least for now.

Or even James Harden. I think Harden is entirely capable of handling some point guard duties in stretches and if Brooks is looking for a playmaker and doesn’t entirely feel Jackson is ready and that Ivey doesn’t add enough, Harden can run pick-and-roll all day long. He’s a great passes and while the bench will take a hit in depth, just play Daequan Cook more minutes. It’s time for Brooks to coach a bit and figure out how to keep this team running while missing an important piece.

Obviously Presti could look at the free agent market a bit or the D-League or even a trade. But I’m sure the team is going to want to give Jackson a real hard, long look before they go that direction.

Early in the fourth quarter, Eric Maynor went down with what looked to be a pretty serious right knee injury. He was driving hard to the basket and jump-stopped when his knee buckled. Video of the injury is above, and it’s not pretty.

Maynor was in a pretty obvious amount of pain and had to be carried off the floor by his teammates. As of now, there isn’t any official information about his injury, but it looked bad. He will be evaluated Sunday in Oklahoma City and the team’s medical staff will run all necessary tests on it and then announce the injury and timetable. Updates coming whenever available.

Hold on to your butts. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook got mad at each other Wednesday.

Westbrook labored through maybe the worst game of his career Wednesday night in Memphis going 0-13 from the floor for just four points. But maybe there was a reason for it.

According to Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman, Westbrook had a second quarter confrontation with Kevin Durant that led to the two having to be separated on the bench.

Westbrook’s frustration appeared to have started with just 3 1/2 minutes remaining in the second quarter when he drove into the paint and kicked the ball out to Thabo Sefolosha in the corner. Sefolosha passed up a wide open 3-pointer, which prompted Westbrook to yell at Sefolosha “shoot the (expletive) ball.”

Sefolosha and other teammates, including Durant and center Kendrick Perkins attempted to calm Westbrook down immediately during an ensuing trip to the free throw line. But the emotions spilled over to the bench one minute later.

Durant appeared to again settle Westbrook, but Westbrook appeared to take exception to how Durant delivered his message. The two began shouting at each other and had to be separated.

Throughout the rest of the game Durant and Westbrook appeared to communicate well after the dust-up, giving high-fives and with Durant patting Westbrook on the head.

“We’re going to disagree sometimes, like I’ve always been saying,” Durant said after the game. “But I’m behind him 110 percent, and he’s the same way with me. And you seen when we came on the floor we clicked and everything started to work from there.”

Westbrook didn’t speak to reporters following the game, but before you get too excited about that, realize that it’s routine for Westbrook to skip out of the locker room quickly. Even after really good games.

Durant has tried to dispel every story and rumor about an issue between him and Westbrook saying that the 23-year-old point guard is “the only point guard for him” and different things like that. Durant has maintained quite often that Westbrook and him have disagreed quite a bit at times but that’s just the nature of being teammates.

Westbrook is a very emotional player that has admitted that’s an area he wants to improve in. He reacts, yells and gets very frustrated at times. It’s just who he is as a player. It’s what makes him great, and sometimes not so great. And Durant, as the leader of the Thunder, has to take it upon himself to calm Westbrook down, which sometimes results in a reaction. Which is what happened Wednesday.

Following the game, NBA TV spoke with Durant who reinforced his good relationship with Westbrook.

“Russell makes me so much better,” Durant said. “A lot of people may say this and that about our relationship, but we always try to get better, we’re always the first two guys in the gym, we always bounce ideas off each other too.”

There’s a hotter and brighter spotlight on the two though because of the mumblings that originated in the playoffs last season. Every time something like this happens, people will use it as a lightning rod to illustrate how the two are the next Kobe and Shaq. It’s not really true at all, but it makes for a great story.

Look, I’ve been in Oklahoma City’s locker room a lot. I’ve watched practices. These guys get along really well, but they’re all competitive and they get mad or frustrated sometimes with each other. It happens. You probably have gotten mad at your buddy playing pickup on a Saturday morning. You just didn’t have a fanbase and media ready to pounce on it to drum up some juicy, divisive story.

But the facts are that Westbrook and Durant got into it Wednesday at Memphis. Definitely wasn’t the first time and probably won’t be the last.

This was necessary for one, to get down to the required 15-man roster but also because there was absolutely no reason at all to keep Robinson on the roster. Now the Thunder can keep Ryan Reid as part of the team instead of being forced to waive him, in which they’d lose their rights to him.

(Since Reid was drafted by OKC 57th overall in 2010, Oklahoma City owns his rights but with the Thunder bringing him to camp, they’d forfeit those rights if they waived him. More than likely, the Byron Mullens trade was to open room to keep Reid more than anything else as OKC needed that extra roster spot in order to keep him, and Royal Ivey who has a non-guaranteed contract.)

Robinson is now a free agent able to sign anywhere, which is what he wanted. He was never going to see playing time with the Thunder and Oklahoma City didn’t want to just pay him to do flying motions and to scream on the bench. I’m sure Presti tried to unload him in a trade for a future pick, but there probably weren’t too many takers.