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It’s a key in any good mentor-protege relationship. You need a strong, vocal leader with experience. It’s why Jerry was such a good mentor to Bania. It’s why that ovaltine stuff killed.

And it’s a lot of the reason Serge Ibaka has taken such a leap the past few weeks. He has a mentor. A big, scary, mean mentor that’s pushing him, teaching him how to play with an edge.

The impression Kendrick Perkins has made on Ibaka has been obvious. Much in the same way that Kevin Garnett schooled Perk in the ways of nasty, physical, intimidating play, Perkins has begun to impart that same wisdom on Ibaka.

“Perk does a lot for him,” Kevin Durant said recently. “You can hear him say ‘Serge, go block that’, and Serge just automatically responds and he goes and blocks it. I think it’s just that little push there with a veteran guy down there with you. They’re playing well together. He’s gotta keep it up.” Read more…

Commentary Kendrick Perkins, Serge Ibaka

Morning Thunder people. Thank you for your support of DT. Drinks on the house!

Everything looks better in slow motion. Slam dunks, knockouts, swimsuit models coming out of the ocean, fat guys getting hit in the stomach — slo-mo just makes it all better. So put Serge Ibaka — someone awesome to watch in any speed — to slow-mo and you know you’ve got a winner.

Video Serge Ibaka

Larry W. Smith/NBAE/Getty Images

I’ll be honest. I really, really wanted to avoid having this discussion.

Not because I’m afraid of the discussion it’ll start or because I have some weird love affair with Jeff Green. (Though I really do love the guy.) It’s just something you’d rather not have to talk about. In some ways, it’s good because that means that Serge Ibaka is playing fantastic basketball and could possibly be worthy of starting.

But the other side is, that means that Jeff Green hasn’t played well enough to keep that starting spot. That means Green goes to the bench and the Thunder rotation really gets a complete makeover. Which is something we’re not used to, seeing how the same starting five played in 76 of the 82 games last season.

But the question is just unavoidable now. Oklahoma City is 3-0 with Ibaka starting and after his career-high 22 points to go with 11 rebounds and four blocks against the Jazz Monday night, Ibaka has forced his way into the discussion. I mean, with that jumpshot, those athletic abilities and that size, Ibaka is nearly a perfect, prototypical starting power forward. Which is what we all want, right? Plus, he’s not even begun to scratch what he can be.

So who should start the remaining 72 games? Jeff Green or Serge Ibaka? Read more…

Commentary Jeff Green, Serge Ibaka

As my wife pointed out, the best part of Serge Ibaka’s excellent dunk from last night is that he hits Gary Neal in the head trying to get his arms up to for the Air Congo. Anyway, here’s that oop if you missed it.

Video Serge Ibaka

He’s no Rachael Ray or Merril Streep in that one movie, but Serge Ibaka is a cooking fool. Serge is treating us to an African recipe of chicken and… something.

The video is about four minutes longer than it needs to be simply because Serge translates everything he says into the four languages he speaks. But much like John Hammond, it appears that Serge knows his way around the kitchen. But you be careful with those big knives, mister! No diced fingers for you!

I don’t really know what he cooked in the end, but I’m pretty sure I’d eat it. Especially if that’s what gives Serge his physique.

Video Serge Ibaka

UPDATE: I heard from Ibaka’s people who say this full name isn’t entirely correct. I’ll get you the right one when they let me know.

Just because everyone should know these types of things, Serge Ibaka’s full name is “Sergeballu LaMu Sayonga Loom Walahas Jonas Hugo Ibaka.”

And here I thought just “Serge Ibaka” was one of the best names in the NBA.

Via Trey Kerby

Other Serge Ibaka

AP Photo

With Darnell Mayberry’s tweet and Chris Silva’s blog reporting that Serge Ibaka will start at center for the Thunder tonight, I couldn’t help but remember the plethora of conversations, discussions, debates, and name calling incidents that have centered around where Ibaka should play and if he’s a true 4, a tweener 4/5 or somewhere in between.

So, let’s have a look at the potential positives and negatives of starting Ibaka at center for the Thunder’s first preseason game against the Charlotte Bobcats and beyond.

Pro: Serge will get to play with the starting unit. This is obviously a no-brainer for both sides of the “Serge is a PF/C” argument because both want to see him eventually emerge as a starter, so getting as much time as he could with the starting unit is a good thing considering the fact that he would have been coming off of the bench in any scenario not involving him starting at center.

Con: He won’t be playing at the position he’s most well suited for and spent the majority of last season at. While some would argue that any time on the floor is good time (and I typically support this idea), some other individuals would also claim that Serge seeing time at center will only highlight some of his deficiencies from last season, namely his poor boxing out and man-to-man iso defense against bigger opponents, unless he has significantly improved those already, and might cause him to play differently when he returns to PF when Krstic and Collison get healthy. Read more…

Commentary Nenad Krstic, Serge Ibaka

AP PHOTO

Well this is the end of our five part look into the things I’d personally like to see happen next season for the Thunder. Much like the previous four installments, this one has been a hot button issue for the fan base and I suspect it will continue to be until the players involved settle the debate organically by how they play.

But without further ado, here is Part V…

I want to see Serge Ibaka emerge as the Thunder’s starting PF.

I know a lot of people are going to see this as a shot at Jeff Green and it’s not. Not at all. The fact of the matter is that I have always and will always continue to believe that Jeff Green has a very important role for this team and the Thunder franchise (and yes, that role is on the court and not some weird KD BFF or “calming presence in the locker room” nonsense. Jeff Green is better than you probably think he is, trust me).

Now obviously I’m not one of the people who want Green dealt or dream up trades where somehow he gets traded for an All-Star caliber PF despite those very same people saying he stinks and somehow equating “stinky player + picks or expiring contracts” = “trading for an All-Star PF.” Fuzzy math is fun, just not very logical. Read more…

Commentary Jeff Green, Serge Ibaka

One for the ladies…

Serge Ibaka was part of ESPN the Magazine’s “Body” issue recently and there were some quality photos of him in tight shorts and well, that’s it. His muscles are glistening, his pecs are ripped, his abs are tight and his entire body may or may not be made of granite. Kind of similar to what I look like with my shirt off.

Other Serge Ibaka

Serge Ibaka has an Air Congo shirt… do you? If you don’t, Tree and Leaf will be re-stocking the entire catalog of DT-Shirts for the upcoming season. And also, we’ve got a handful of new designs that are pretty stinking outstanding. We’re working on a few other things as well (*cough* girls and kids stuff and maybe even onesies *cough*).

Shirts Serge Ibaka

Stephen Dunn/Getty Images North America

We’ve all heard of the sophomore slump and while it does exist in every sport at every level of competition, the NBA is an intriguing case study for the opposing phenomenon of the sophomore slump: The Sophomore Surge.

(By the way, it was really hard to not title this the sophomore Serge, but I resisted.)

You see rookies are known, if not even expected, to do two horrible things in their rookie season. They take unbelievably ill-advised and often rushed shots, thereby plummeting their FG%, AND they turn the ball over so much that coaches round the world simultaneously smack their foreheads and yearn to call for a sub.

Are there exceptions to this rule? Well, of course—but not really. I mean of course there are exceptions in that not everyone is going to suffer from both and some will do better in these categories than others but, pretty much across the board, a rookie is going to take better shots and take better care of the ball more in their second-through-retirement seasons than they will in their rookie season. In fact, I’ll go out on a very short limb and say it should come as no shock to any of us that professional basketball players get better the more time they have to play professional basketball up until that no fun thief known as age steals their youth and physical prime.

It’s called experience and adapting to the speed and level of play of the Association. So why all the references to the sophomore surge? Well, seeing as the Thunder are still one of the youngest teams in the league and have a core consisting of players all under the age of 23, we have witnessed that “jump” from the rookie season to the sophomore season in terms of production and development. In fact, we’ve also seen the jump (via Durant) from sophomore stud to junior All-Star and MVP candidate (though please don’t expect all Thunder players to make that jump).

And since there are three rookie pieces that are as essential to the Thunder’s rise to the next stage of competing for a championship, the sophomore surge of Serge, Harden and Maynor will greatly affect the current and futures success of this team.

So what can we expect?

Well, for starters, you might not want to expect the same dramatic jump that you saw from Durant, Westbrook and even Green make for the Thunder’s newest sophomores. And here’s why… Read more…

Commentary Eric Maynor, James Harden, Serge Ibaka

As I casually walked down the hall with toilet bowl cleaner Monday with the holiday weekend winding down, a voice came from the living room with a message that immediately gave me an excuse to quit on my chores.

“Serge Ibaka got hurt.”

What could be worse for the Thunder during summer league play than a long-term injury to No. 9? Some kid trying to make a roster who careens into Kevin Durant on the bench? (Don’t worry, I just knocked on some wood, and you should too. But seriously, maybe put him in a Popemobile on the sidelines? I love that he wants to be there, but PROTECT THAT MAN!)

Thankfully there’s no indication the injury is anything serious, and as of Monday night Ibaka was listed as day-to-day. Fingers crossed further examination won’t reveal anything worse than a boo boo. Read more…

Commentary Orlando Summer League, Serge Ibaka, Summer League

Yes, this absolutely deserves its own post. Serge Ibaka is now on Twitter. The player widely regarded by teammates as the funniest player on the roster will now hopefully grace us with his humor in 140 character or less.

Ibaka is and will likely always be one of the most intriguing and popular players on the Thunder roster. And for whatever reason, him being on Twitter finally just seems very important to me. Well, very important for a Sunday afternoon at least.

News Serge Ibaka

The Thunder were a unique team this year. Four players started all 88 games the team played in. The fifth guy only missed six games. For a full season, Oklahoma City had the most consistent, constant lineup of anyone in basketball.

And the big question going into the offseason is how it can get changed up. Kind of odd, isn’t it?

The thing is, one should expect it to change. James Harden wasn’t drafted to come off the bench for his career, though that might be a worthy role. Serge Ibaka made a push for more minutes and maybe a starting spot. Jeff Green’s place has been a topic of often discussion. But the rub is, do you mess with what worked? Do you tinker with a starting five that was so consistent, and oh yeah, surprised everyone by winning 50 games and pushing the defending champs and potentially eventual champs to six grueling games?

Darnell Mayberry asked the question earlier this week: Should Ibaka start next year? The obvious assumption is that Ibaka would replace Nenad Krstic in the five first, meaning Ibaka would play center. I think everyone would agree – Ibaka needs more minutes. If he showed anything this past season and especially in the postseason, it’s that he’s ready to affect games in a positive way for the Thunder. Read more…

Commentary James Harden, Serge Ibaka

In our short history of producing what I believe are stellar shirts, I’d say this might be the most highly anticipated of the bunch. Serge Ibaka has not only caputured the affection of the Thunder fan base, but also the full attention of the NBA. As Kelly Dwyer said very smartly, he’s your favorite player. You just might not know that yet. And we needed to attempt to capture his signature move on some 100 percent cotton fabric.

So now we humbly present AIR CONGO to you. This shirt is not yet for sale online at this moment, but soon will be either late today or tomorrow. It currently can be bought in store at Tree and Leaf. Go get one and be ready for when it’s entirely available to the pleading masses. I hope it meets your approval.

Shirts Air Congo, Serge Ibaka