Did I wake up from my slumber and get the date wrong? Surely Oklahoma City isn't fighting for a playoff spot in 2010, so all the nasty Midwest weather must have set the clocks ahead 2-3 years at the very least. A belated Happy New Year to all, and the Thunder don't look to be waking up either any time soon.
Kevin Durant likes winning a lot, and he could be a strong factor in how free agency is approached by the surprise team in the NBA. OKC resembles the visiting Spurs more and more every day, and it will be an exciting contest tonight. Both teams sport 8-2 records over the past ten games and have momentum on their side.
San Antonio took the defending champs to the cleaners last night, knocking out Kobe and the Lakers by 20 points points at home. But if the Spurs have one main weakness, it appears to be on the back-end of playing consecutive games. That bodes well for a Thunder squad who is refreshed after a light five games this month.
Durant's All-Star like play isn't the only thing that should drive San Antonio crazy, but OKC does want to make its star happy no matter what. Enter my drum-beating for an out of left field approach starting as soon as the current campaign ends. Jeff Green is a nice complementary piece, let me just say that from the start. He can play the PF or SF role, as the last two seasons have proven.
The problem is what to do with Green and KD....and Russell Westbrook while not forgetting about everyone else on the roster. To me the answer is push Green to the 6th man role next year and bring in the perfect piece to the Thunder puzzle. I have said this before, but Chris Bosh can really do very little wrong on the court.
Pairing two of the hardest working, toughest-to-guard players on the planet doesn't guarantee a championship (see Jazz, Utah) but can you imagine the lineups you could throw out there on a nightly basis!
Oklahoma City can't help but have fun right now, and that is okay. What GM Sam Presti has to do, however, is look across the Ford Center tonight and remember where he got his start. San Antonio never stopped trying to improve the ENTIRE roster, and you only get one chance to make a first impression.
Oklahoma City attempted to shock the NBA world by starting the season 3-0 but fell into a common theme from last year. The Thunder forgot how to hold onto the ball or make shots when it counted, and Portland pulled away at the end. Now comes the fun part, as both Finals teams travel to the Ford Center this week with a trip to Houston in between. All of a sudden the exciting start to 2009 could result in familiar territory for the second-year franchise.
Maybe I should have continued my sabbatical until oh....XMas or so just to see how the Thunder handle the pressure of being named basketball's team on the rise. Whichever publication you prefer to browse, everyone seems to have fallen for the OKC medicine this flu season. The group of young guns may be fun to watch but another high draft pick still appears more likely than a playoff run.
Don't get me wrong -- I want to be talking Thunder come May, so here's hoping my predictions are completely off-base. If the league switches New Orleans (KC?) Hornets to the Northwest and puts OKC in the Southwest, the postseason is much more of a possibility. The Spurs and Rockets are aging, and Dirk can't carry Dallas forever in the SW. Denver and Portland should own the NW for awhile, and Utah seems to hang around as well.
Kevin Durant needs to be the man every time out for the Thunder to be competitive, and to me that is still the downfall for Scott Brooks' crew. The 09-10 campaign will be a growing period for OKC, and now is the time to find out if Jeff Green and Russell Westbrook are truly ready to be KD's running mate. Because if they are not up to the challenge, Chris Bosh will be waiting with open arms and an open bank account.
That title can mean many things, from my break away from writing here to Oklahoma City playing the waiting game. The Thunder front has been all quiet since the Draft, but that changed earlier today.
In a no-brainer trade, OKC swapped 2-for-1 with a pair of veteran guards getting a new home. This is actually the second key move since free agency started, but the Thunder added only one body to the mix. Etan Thomas returns to Oklahoma, where he starred in high school and will be a personal favorite of mine. Thomas has the distinction of sharing the world's worst birthday with myself, so I will be rooting hard for him to make the rotation.
GM Sam Presti now has the option of sending two players to Tulsa and not rushing either Byron Mullens or Serge Ibaka. He also cleared up some playing time issues in the back court by sending Damien Wilkins and Chucky Atkins to Minnesota. Earl Watson, who started last season at point guard, was released earlier this month after no trade partners became available.
These two moves signal a definite youth movement for OKC but were necessary to improve the culture of the squad. The Thunder played addition by subtraction perfectly so far and by not jumping into free agency, the options are unlimited during the 09-10 campaign. A veteran contract can now be part of the equation without issue, or the team can just throw a ton of money at Chris Bosh in the off-season.
My money is on a sign-and-trade or how bout this potential blockbuster...D-Wade gets tired of not having help in Miami and joins KD to form the most potent 1-2 punch in the NBA! That is purely fiction, but dreaming in Oklahoma City may soon be a reality.
This Draft will go down in history and not just because it was the first. The Thunder did have to trade up for their guy, but B.J. Mullens comes quite a bit cheaper than first thought. As with most things, the hype surrounding the legit 7-foot center nearly made Oklahoma City pay a premium price if you believed the rumors.
Mock drafts everywhere had Mullens, an Ohio State product, going at the end of the lottery or just after. The same 'experts' had Thunder GM Sam Presti looking to trade up in hopes of taking the big man for D-League Tulsa. I do not expect Mullens to play much this season, but he is definitely the type of player that can help in 2-3 years when OKC is battling in the Western Conference playoffs.
Dallas was kind enough with the 24th pick to take the guy Presti wanted, and all it will cost is a future 2nd round pick. That is a far cry from what the Thunder may have given up to grab the potential center of the future. I am looking forward to seeing Mullens during summer league play and will make a number of trips down I-44 to watch him dominate for Tulsa.
My take on the third overall pick, James Harden, can be summed up in one word -- perfect. I was not a Rubio fan and honestly hoped Memphis took Thabeet. The one thing missing from OKC's core was a legit shooter from the outside, and they not only accomplished that but also took a guy familiar with his backcourt mate.
According to the Thunder Official site, Harden and Russell Westbrook have known each other since their early teen years. They played together growing up and now have a chance to form a potent duo to the front court pair of Kevin Durant and Jeff Green.
UPDATE: Robert Vaden, another big-time shooter, joins OKC after a trade with Charlotte. He is a great addition to the Thunder and almost certain to start out next to Mullens in Tulsa. More on that pick-up next week as I look at the roster from top to bottom.
Oklahoma City officially made a move in the NBA Draft, and it wasn't a flashy one by any means. The Thunder stayed at No. 3 and picked James Harden, the perfect addition to the already young squad. Ricky Rubio slipped to the fifth spot which means OKC didn't think a trade was going to work in their favor.
While there will be more on this pick later, the big question now is whether or not the Thunder try to trade up to get a big man. Rumors have had a trade in the works for a mid-teens pick, and I expect a deal will be made.
The Draft news keeps coming a mile a minute, but my attention has strayed in the recent days. Oklahoma City continues to keep most information close to the vest, and I really can't determine what counts as a 'rumor' anymore. What I do know, however, is that the Thunder are positioned to make some noise on Thursday AND the beginning of next month.
NBA Draft night is typically full of last-minute deals and 2009 is no different. Honestly I would hate to make a guess of how many before, during, or after trades are going to happen all in the first round. So many teams are struggling with getting under the salary cap that some definite head-scratching moves are bound to happen.
That leaves OKC in prime position to pull off a number of interesting moves. I am starting to get on the Thabeet band-wagon a little more but only because I feel it would allow for another, more expensive foreign player to join the mix. Hedo Turkoglu made himself quite a bit of money during Orlando's run to the Finals, and the basketball world knows it.
Now the Thunder just need to find a way to make an up-and-coming team a contender.
First, they need to stay away from any guard in the first round and focus on the UConn center. That will be the signal that Turkoglu is looking for in my opinion, as he wants to go to the best situation (and make $$$). Right now OKC has plenty of pieces and all that is missing is the 'glu' to keep it together.
How does this look for a line-up on Opening Day?
PG - Westbrook SG - Durant SF - Turkoglu PF - Green C - Krstic
You then have Livingston and Sefolosha as a powerful back court to go with Thabeet, White, Collison, and Weaver as the reserves. With a few improvements here or there, few if any NBA teams could match that kind of depth.
I am not much of a hockey fan anymore, but I could see some situations in Oklahoma City where you have 3-4 different 'lines'. It would all depend on the game situation, but that is a luxury you get with flexible players. Of the starting five listed above, each can play multiple positions and offer match-up problems along the way.
The Thunder hold all the cards with cap room and the willingness to take chances few teams will. GM Sam Presti continues to pull rabbits out of his hat, and I can't wait to see what he does next.
Tony Parker continues to run the show expertly for the Spurs, and now the Thunder have a chance to duplicate it with Ricky Rubio. Oklahoma City has been following the San Antonio model ever since GM Sam Presti took over, but this may be going a little far in my opinion.
Rubio is by far a top-5 pick, but the question still remains if he is better as trade bait or the answer at the third spot. Bringing the issue to a boil, how would last year's number one, Russell Westbrook, feel about adding another point guard to the mix.
My gut tells me that another NBA Draft trade is in the works, and the Thunder are right in the middle of the action. Unfortunately, it will not be a move up to the top spot where Blake Griffin is firmly holding down the fort. I think a team in the 4-7 spot will pony up a player and a pick for the chance to draft their PG of the future.
And that would be the best answer OKC could ask for next to Griffin free-falling in a miracle. Hey commissioner -- you listening out there?
As I watched LeBron make one ridiculous shot after another last night, I realized that he is all but certain to end up in another uniform. No one can predict the future, but the Cavs lack that second star that is needed to win a title. And that may be good for King James, who will have his pick of where to play and with whom to do it.
But it is bad for everyone else who wants to see Cleveland find a way to keep their star. I say this not as a fan, just a casual observer who wants to believe Oklahoma City has what it takes to put to rest any question of where Kevin Durant will be playing for the next decade.
The Thunder are very much like the Cavs, but the big difference is how OKC handles its first official Draft. Carbert and I held an A.T.L. version of a mock draft, and the possibilities greatly outweighed the consensus when the dust settled. The final outcome possibly won't be known even after the third selection is called following Blake Griffin in the top spot and whomever is behind door number two.
I take a different approach than my co-writer, however, as I prefer to think 4-5 years down the road. He initially went with the UConn center who is currently getting press about a date with Memphis. If that is the case, the Thunder are left with three potential options in my opinion.
The trio will be covered in length the rest of June, so I will leave that be for now. My five year OKC plan honestly has nothing to do with the 09 or even 2010 Drafts. GM Sam Presti now has his team positioned to compete as early as next season AND has the funds to go after any number of free agents.
This is where my brain starts working overtime because the options are fantastic and much less of a risk than taking a certain Spanish point guard. D-Wade has to be 1B to LeBron's 1A when the next big FA class hits the open market. Miami should do everything possible to keep their star, but the grass may very well be greener closer to his Chicago-area home.
While the Thunder can try to pair KD with another big-time scorer, my choice from day one has always been an inside threat. Griffin still could land in his home state with some draft-day fireworks, but I prefer to be realistic. If it was my call to make, OKC would be putting all the eggs in the Chris Bosh basket.
Bosh and Durant provide the foundation for a playoff team, while Green and Westbrook do the little things well. Heck, I see a situation where NONE of the possible draft picks this year or next could be starting if Thabo's defense keeps him in the lineup. The future is getting brighter by the day in OKC, and the rest of the NBA needs to be paying attention before it is too late.
After a much-needed hiatus, we are back with plenty to talk about. I have to admit the NBA does have the best playoff system, even if it seems nearly every series is threatening to go seven. That is because the teams involved are not letting anything get in their way, much like what Oklahoma City needs to do next month.
The Thunder nearly won/stole the Griffin Lotto but are positioned nicely at number three. They jumped past Sacramento and Washington, two teams with many more question marks than the league's newest franchise. All of this is setting up for an exciting roller-coaster of events.
Carbert and I will be debating options from now until Draft night, as OKC holds multiple options. My current favorite is the looking backward approach, where the Thunder target a team with a veteran shooting guard. They can then pull off a trade and better the team in the present and the future.
Enjoy the Holiday Weekend everyone and let's get ready for some Summer Basketball!
The NCAA finally got a couple of things right when it comes to basketball. I like the two new decisions made about the draft, as college athletes will now have less time to decide their future. I love this one given that you should really know which way you are leaning before even making the leap.
Now the process will move along quicker and if you are staying in, one of three choices is left on the table. Either you get drafted, you go play overseas, or hello D-League! Taking away the option of returning to school is a bit of a head-scratcher, but I can understand their point. College teams can't afford to sit around and hold a scholarship just in case, and they need closure.
Much like a divorce, these two changes bring answers to the table, and that will help the NBA and teams like Oklahoma City the most. Now the Thunder can use second round picks on projects or foreign players instead of that tweener player that should have gone back to school.
I only wish the other change made would have secured the rights to Blake Griffin staying in his home state, but I will keep my fingers crossed that the lottery hits all OKC numbers!
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