Daily Thunder.com

Per a press release:

Oklahoma City Thunder Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti announced today that the team has acquired guard Eric Maynor from the Utah Jazz in exchange for the draft rights to Peter Fehse. To consummate the transaction the Thunder also assumes the contract of forward Matt Harpring. Harpring will not report to Oklahoma City. “We are pleased to add Eric Maynor to our organization,” said Presti. “Eric possesses a work ethic and team first mentality that we feel will help us in our continued growth.”

Maynor was selected by the Utah Jazz in the first round (20^th overall) of the 2009 NBA Draft. The 6-3 guard is averaging 5.2 points, 3.1 assists and 1.5 rebounds in 26 games with the Jazz this season. The Raeford, N.C. native currently ranks fourth in assists, 19^th in steals and 24^th in scoring among NBA Rookies.

The Thunder organization originally drafted Fehse in the second round (49^th overall) in the 2002 NBA Draft. In order to complete the transaction the Thunder has waived guards Shaun Livingston and Mike Wilks. “This was a difficult decision as we appreciate Shaun and Mike’s contributions to this basketball team on and off the floor,” added Presti. “We wish them nothing but continued success.”

Wow. I’m a little stunned. But let me say, I LOVE this deal. Love it in every way. I loved Eric Maynor before the draft and I love him today. Did I say love yet? I’m completely convinced that he’s going to be a solid role playing backup point guard at some point. I had actually hoped OKC would take him with its second pick last June. And to acquire him for virtually nothing, well, that makes me happy. (Maynor’s season stats)

Taking on Harpring’s contract is actually something to not be overlooked, especially if Presti decides to hold on to it. Combine Harpring’s $6.5M with Etan Thomas’s nearly $8M and the Thunder has some SERIOUS trade bait for the deadline. (Harpring’s contract can be traded before the deadline still because he hasn’t officially retired yet.) In the trade, Utah saved around $9 million. That’s why they did it.

I’m sad to see Shaun Livingston go though. I truly am. A total class act and a guy that’s fighting to come back from a devastating injury. I really hoped he would work out. But with a mind toward what’s best for the Oklahoma City Thunder, this is a home run.

News Eric Maynor, Mike Wilks, Shaun Livingston

Ah, so this is why he hasn’t been playing. From a press release:

Thunder forward Shaun Livingston will undergo an arthroscopic procedure on his left knee it was announced today by the team.  “Recently, Shaun has experienced an increase in swelling following activity,” said Thunder Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti. “Although his knee is structurally sound, after consulting with the Thunder medical staff and Dr. James Andrews, it was determined that the best course of action was to perform a minor procedure to resolve the swelling and allow Shaun to continue full activity in the coming weeks.”
 
Dr. Andrews will perform the surgery today, in Birmingham, Alabama. Dr. Andrews will remove staples from Livingston’s knee that have recently caused some swelling in the knee. The staples were originally placed during Livingston’s knee reconstruction that was performed by Dr. Andrews on March 13, 2007.
 
A timetable for Livingston’s return will be determined after the procedure.

News Shaun Livingston

We took a look at a list of goals for the entire Thunder team a couple weeks ago. But let’s get detailed. Let’s get specific. I’m going to dig in and hit on some individual goals for a few players that would define a successful season. So what meters for success should we set for Nenad Krstic and Shaun Livingston?

Nenad Krstic

Average at least seven rebounds a game. Here’s something that might shock you: Nenad Krstic is 7-feet tall. He also averaged just 5.5 rebounds a game last year. Now I realize Krispy is a jumpshooting, finesse big man that’s not going to grab 15 rebounds any given night. I know this. But the Thunder needs him to at least be a little stronger on the boards. They can’t afford him to be overmatched by other big men in the league. He’s big enough, strong enough and smart enough to post this number. I think it comes down to being consistent on a night-to-night basis for him. He grabbed 254 boards out of a possible 2,216. That’s just an 11.5 percent rebounding percentage. In other words, not great.

Likewise, record at least 15 double-doubles. Last season in 46 games Krstic had just four double-digit rebounding games with a high of 15 against Sacramento. When you’re a big man that can score, double-doubles should be there for the taking. It’s about effort and position and Krstic should be able to at least score 15 of them. Read more…

Commentary Nenad Krstic, Shaun Livingston