Background information.  They are trying to market this shoe with the slogan “Not for everyone.”  This obviously fits Russ perfectly. His crazed style of play continues to be criticized. Everyone agrees Westbrook is a phenomenal basketball player, but his style of player is definitely “Not for everyone.” Jordan is trying to play off of all those goofy shirts Russell wore last year during the playoffs. He created a huge buzz with strange things like fishing lures polo’s. Jordan is trying to reach a niche market of basketball hipsters with the Jordan XX8, which may or may not exist.  Overall, Westbrook is the perfect ‘Not for everyone’ basketball player on and off the court.

There is a fine line between not for everyone, and not for anyone. I first saw the picture below with the shoe unzipped.  I thought, hey this is kinda cool. It reminded me of the old Tmac 4′s which I used to wear in high school.  Then I saw it.

Picture from freshnessmag.co

OH MY GOD IT ZIPPES UP INTO SOME HIGH TOP MONSTROSITY.

Picture from freshnessmag.com

Sure it might provide some functional reason, such as support., but wow it looks like a giant zip up sock.  Notice how the shoe has to be unzipped to have the ’3′ emblem showing. Zip it up it looks like those awkward tall black socks old people wear with sandals.

So in summary, if you are going to buy these shoes to wear around town and keep them unzipped, great. A very cool sneaker that not many people will have. If you are going to buy these to play basketball and keep them zipped up, you better than game like Russ to be able to pull it off.

@CodyBrees 

It truly is a blue moon. Two features in one summer for Kevin Durant. This one was a bit more shocking with Captain Jack. Not really because Durant has no flow, but because of it was with Stephan Jackson. Let’s face it, Jackson is crazy. Also, with K-Mart not currently on a NBA roster that means Stephan Jackson is the unanimous choice for ‘NBA players I would not want to have a beef with.’  Don’t forget when Jackson called out Amare and Chandler for these pictures.

Is Captain Jack going back on his tweet that he ‘don’t hang wit nba cats’? Is Durant so trill he is acceptable to hang with off the court?  It probably helps that I have never seen him dress like whatever those fashionistas are wearing in New York. But this is not that time (nor is there ever a time) to try to figure out what goes on in Jackson’s head.

This song was off Jackson’s new studio album “Jack of all trades” which orignially had a relased date of Oct 30th, but it was pushed back for pomotional reasons. (I got your back) However the song has been leaked on youtube.

Honestly, this was a much better performance than Durant’s last song with Privaledge. I really love the whole, lonely at the top. Durant comes in with a strong second verse.  This time he actually is starting to song more like a hip hop artist, and less like a ball player. However, the rap name “Kevin Durant” just wont cut it.  Notice how Jackson used  Stak5. Figure it out Kevin.

Kevin and Jackson not rapping

First four bars go like this.
I’m staring down while these other boys climbing up,
I’m looking at my watch and I can tell their time is up.
Young boy in the game and I’m 23,
Money like a vet why fret over 100 g’s.

Woh, was that a jab at James Harden? I did the math, the difference between that max contract Harden wanted and the 4 years 55.5 million that Harden was offered was less than 100 g’s (93750 dollars) per month.  How much did Durant know about where Presti was going to draw the line in the sand? Even though this is probably not true, I am claiming right now Durant has beef with Harden. Kevin can tell your time is up Harden.

Durant goes on to talk about putting on for his city and continue to work hard. Typical Kevin things.  Overall, it is a much better song than I ever thought I would hear Captain Jack and Durant sing. But now that the season is starting, we will probably be seeing more basketball and less rap out of trill OG Kevin Durant.

@codybrees

The Thunder are a worse team today than they were Saturday afternoon. I don’t know how anyone could argue with that point. Here are some points up for discussion though.

First and the most obvious is cap flexibility. With the new CBA we still are not sure how this is going to effect teams with a large amount of salary tied up with three or four players. We are going to find out soon in Memphis is a small market team can pull it off, but there is no real president yet.  This means Maynor will likely be back also. (Hooray)

Kevin Martin will be able to replace Hardin’s scoring. He is a terrible defender and won’t match James’ play making ability but can score points. Martin has always been a good player on a bad team. Hopefully he will be able to settle into more of a supporting role which will increase his inefficiency.  Even thought Martin has been around for awhile, but has never been asked to do what he will with OKC. It will be interesting to see how he fits in.

Jeremy Lamb. He’s tall and has giant wing span. That is about all I know about him. But a young asset is always good so…. there is that.

Cook and Haywood leaving doesn’t hurt the Thunder at all. Perry Jones was going to take Cook’s minutes and production off the bench. Without Cole I am not sure who is going to back up Perkins. If anyone tries to tell me Thabeet can back him up I will get angry.

Draft picks. Top 20 protected pick from Dallas. They might not get that pick for several years, but again it is an asset. A top 3 protected pick from the Raptors however is very valuable.  The only thing that bugs me is the Thunder were in the NBA finals last year. They don’t need to get young assets, they need to win now. But that brings me to my next point/prediction.

Presti will make another move this season to move some combinations of assets  for a better veteran piece.  I have no idea who, but I don’t believe the Thunder are going to stand pat for the rest of the season.   Three first round picks and multiple young talents should make quite the package for any team.

So after almost  a day to process, I truly believe this make the Thunder worse for this and next year, but better in the long term future. Which is frustrating for a team with championship aspirations, but the Thunder have shown commitment to the team and a team philosophy by trading now both Jeff Green and James Harden.  Now we just have to wait until Thursday to see how this really changed the team.

“This is my second year—this is my sophomore season. Everybody don’t just come in and ball out. The Lakers or the Miami Heat drafted me where there’s already LeBron and D. Wade on the team.”

CyHi draws a strong comparison Harden being signed to G.O.O.D. music which includes such rappers as Big Sean and Kayne West, similar to being on OKC with Durant and Westbrook.

The start of the 2012-2013 season should start much as the season before. Maynor will have had eleven months to rehab his torn ACL, so I suspect he will be available to start the beginning of the season.  That being said Presti and Scott Brooks might look to limit Maynor’s minuets to reduce the risk of re-injury.  Jackson spending a year in the offense and an off season training should help better prepare him to contribute if called upon this upcoming season.  Unlike Cole Aldrich, Jackson is coming off a well played summer league. He even had himself a poster dunk, which was the dunk of the summer league.  He was able to frustrate opposing point guards, and scored just over 15 points per game in his time in Orlando.

Even with the improved summer league play, Jackson still showed some areas of improvement that were issues last year. In the summer league he only shot 41% from the field. This was ultimately the reason the Thunder pursued veteran point guard Derrick Fisher last year. Last season Jackson only managed 32% from the field, and 21% from behind the three point arc.  To compound this problem, Jackson is more of a Russell Westbrook lead guard, and not a true point guard. With Harden doing much of the ball handling for the second unit, this leaves Jackson is more catch and shoot opportunities that are not his strength. This shows by the fact that Jackson took almost as many threes last year as two point shots. Someone who is as athletic as Jackson needs to be taking more shots at the rim than shooting threes. However, he only shot 44% at the rim last year, so that could use some work too.

I suspect that the improvement we saw in the summer league to carry over to the NBA for Jackson and his NBA season numbers to be closer to what he did in the summer league. With Jackson expected to see very little playing time, it is tough to gage any sort of per game stats. I do expect his averages to be up this year, but still needing work. If Jackson is able to shoot 40%+ from the floor and 30%+ from three that would be a great improvement from last year. I am fairly confident he will be able to achieve these shooting numbers in limited time and should continue to improve over the season. Another stat to look for would be Jackson’s assist to turnover ratio. Last year it was just under 2 at 1.97.  I suspect that number to raise slightly this season and settle around 2.5 this year, which again is an improvement but something that needs some work.

Even thought I suspect Jackson to see very limited minutes this season, I predict we will see improvement almost across the board with his season averages. Jackson continues to be an offensive project for the Thunder. Perhaps the most important issue regarding the development of Jackson is the decision to keep back up point guard Eric Maynor.  Thunder will be looking to keep salaries down if they pursue an extension for James Harden. This could push Maynor out and Jackson will have to be ready for the backup point guard role. Hopefully he will be ready.

Check out the other player previews.

@codybrees

Cole has had a disappointing career up to this point.  He has had a difficult time living up to the hype, after the Thunder traded up for him at the number eleven pick in the 2010 draft. With the departure of veteran Nazr Mohammed, Cole could earn some rotation time this year. With potential playing time on the line, in the 2012 NBA summer league Cole looked like much of the same player as the last two years. Cole never scored more than ten points, or grabbed more than seven rebounds, against what would be considered sub-par competition for a player going into his third year.  In addition he only averaged one block per game, and in only 16 minutes against the Pacers, he was charged with seven fouls. (You are allowed ten fouls in the summer league)  Fouls have been a major concern so far in Cole’s NBA career, averaging 5.9 fouls per 36 minuets of play, and are more than likely a point of emphasis of the Thunder coaching staff going forward.

US PRESSWIRE

With the above concerns, you can tell why the Thunder signed Hasheem Thabeet,  Hollis Thompson, and Daniel Orton. Cole’s role on this team is in no way safe. Unless Cole can show significant signs of improvement,  I don’t expect the Thunder to pick up his 3.2 million dollar team option for the 2013-14 season(Over three times as much as Thabeet or Daniel Orton). Looking to save all the money they can to give to Harden, they will not be able to pay the 12th man on their bench over 3 million dollars. In addition, if Cole continues to under perform do not be surprised to see Thabeet or others dressing and possibly taking Cole’s spot toward the end of the bench. That being said, currently if coach Scott Brooks wants to go big with the second unit, Cole is the only viable option to replace Nazr. Of course with Dwight Howard coming to the Lakers, it would be ideal to have as many big bodies to throw at him as possible. Other than against the Lakers, I suspect the Thunder to play smaller and faster with Nick Collison playing minutes at center.  Playing smaller allows the Thunder to play more up temp and play their best players, which does not include Cole.

Overall,  Cole has above average athleticism and if he could ever put together the tools that made him the number eleven overall pick, he could play some significant minuets with the second unit. He has a good hook shot from the low block that he can perform with either hand, which is more than anyone can say about Kendrick Perkins.  I suspect he will be able to get some time early in the season at center with the second unit. Hopefully Cole will be able to grow this season and fill the need of a backup center that the Thunder are searching for. In a month hopefully we will have a better idea of Cole’s role when we see the Thunder play a few preseason game. Until then, we are just left to wonder.

@codybrees 

A little background…

Privaledge is a Philadelphia rapper that is ‘affiliated’ with Kevin Durant and James Harden. I say affiliated because it has been reported that they actually have a signed contract with Privaledge, but I suspect it’s most likely that Kevin and James pay for studio time, and they get to come hang out whenever they want to hang out.

Kevin Durant is a basketball player for the Oklahoma City Thunder.

T.I. aspires to be Durant on the court, and in the rap game. (probably not)

So how do I like the song? I would say on a scale of Eddy Curry to LeBron James, I would give it a Michael Beasley. It is fun and cool to see Durant off the basketball court, but it’s really average at best. I was really hoping for some basketball related lyrics, but Durant stuck with typical rap themes of “I am pretty cool” and “I have a lot of money.” Durant’s flow was pretty good, so I think he has some talent (hip hop) in him, he just needs someone to ghost write for him like every other rapper. Ex:

Lead my team right through yours,
It looks like I’m Moses on the hard wood.
I’ll baptise you non-believers,
Call you Brendon Haywood.

So while it is fun to watch Kevin Durant in movies, and listen to him rap, in just a couple shorts months we will be able to see Durant doing what he is actually good at again. Basketball.

@codybrees

The first is Iggy going to Denver. This will improve Denver, but not enough to make them a series threat in the Western Conference. But dear Lord how fun is this team going to be to watch? Denver and OKC have already had some of the most memorable regular seasons games with their up tempo style of play, and Iguodala will  play right into that.

Mar 14, 2012; San Antonio, TX, USA; Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard (12) shoots a free throw during the first half against the San Antonio Spurs at the AT

Second of course is bring Dwight to LA. It is pretty much set that the Lakers will start Nash, Kobe, Metta, Pau and Dwight. That is a lineup that will scare quite a few teams. The biggest issue is that if the Lakers land Dwight(and he is 100% healthy) that pretty much means that….. gulp, OKC can’t amnesty Perkins.

It’s a well known fact that OKC will be cap burdened in the near future.  With the emergence of Ibaka and Harden, it was going to be tough to afford the current roster in two years. There was a glimmer of hope however, Presti signing smart short term deals kept the possibility alive of being able to resign Harden and Ibaka, and amnesty Perkins. This is absolutely impossible if the Lakers get Dwight Howard.  With all-star shooters Dwight in crunch time, it will be nearly impossible to double Dwight on the block.  There are going to be other articles showing that Perkins vs Howard is overrated and Perkins doesn’t dominate this match up as much as thought. I am just going to go out and say it, that I don’t care about any stats for Dwight on offense the last three seasons. Literally every team either hard doubled Dwight or dug down with a soft double since the Magic were horrible.  Perkins is absolutely the best one on one defender to defend against Dwight. It isn’t even a question.

It is still early to speculate, but Dwight and Pau both in LA almost cements  Perkins in OKC for the duration of his contract. As much as it hurts, we might have to start realizing the fact the Harden could walk as a restricted free agent. As more details emerge, Thunderous Intentions will keep you up to date on all trade related talk and reactions.

@codybrees 

It’s hard to separate emotion from sports, and even harder with a player as polarizing as LeBron James, but try to for a paragraph or two. Remember back to when he was in high school, remember back when Clevland won the LeBron lottery and the home town kid was sent to be a savior for the Cavs.  LeBron was  never meant to be hated. After carrying the weight of a entire city on his back to the finals in 2007, we all knew his ascent to basketball glory was going to happen. Then things started to fall apart. Maybe the Cavs weren’t good enough, maybe he didn’t want it enough, maybe his personality got in the way. No one will really know, but at one point in time everyone KNEW LeBron was going to be one of the best ever.

To me LeBron’s personality is exactly like Westbrook’s game. Both are exceptional and have unique qualities that make them great, and some make you just want to run head first into a wall. With Westbrook it’s often a pull up jumper or frustration foul. With LeBron? It’s the decision. It’s the statements he made about Cleveland. It’s caring more about his brand than loyalty. Everyone has their faults and some are more visible than other. Even with what Westbrook takes off the court with questionable decision making he brings back so much more. No different than LeBron. Some people chose to dwell on these negatives with both athletes, instead of living in awe of their greatness.  All of a sudden LeBron wins a title and it seems all is forgiven. Maybe that is all people really wanted from him? Now it feels like that greatness that we knew was going to happen happened overnight. We knew it was going to happen, just didn’t think it would take this long.

This same theme can be seen in every fiber of the Thunder’s season. No team is supposed to get this good this fast only working through the draft. The Thunder were meant to be a project, not a contender. Just three short years ago no one thought Westbrook could ever become a good point guard. No one thought Harden deserved to be the number three overall pick. No one thought Durant would be able to play physical and play defense against bigger players. No one thought a young coach in Scott Brooks could ever coach on the biggest stages.

After a remarkable season, people forgot everything we knew about the Thunder. After sweeping the defending champs and dismissing the Lakers in five games everyone forgot the doubts about the Thunder personal.

Once again the Thunder faced a mountain no one thought they could climb, the Spurs. No one thought the Thunder would be able to play the style of offense needs to beat the stellar Spurs defense.  People said the Thunder role players would crumble under pressure.  Then the exact opposite happened. It was the Thunder’s role players stepping up. It was the Thunder flying around on defense forcing the very technical Spurs offense into countless mistakes and fast break opportunities. After the Thunder won four games in a row, everyone forgot what we knew about the Thunder being too young, being too inexperienced.

Going into the finals, majority of people were picking the Thunder. Everyone thought both teams were the exception to the rule. Everyone thought the Thunder didn’t need to go through the growing pains that every championship team goes through. Everyone forgot that LeBron was built for championship basketball and could only remember last year’s blunders. Game one only magnified these thoughts. It seemed as if the torch had been passed by LeBron to Durant without ever being lit.

Then everything that was supposed to happen all happened at once. Suddenly the Thunder role players that had played so well started to freeze up. Scott Brooks was out coached by Spolstra after just out coaching arguably the best coach in the NBA in Gregg Popavich. Thunder’s offense regressed back into the ISO offense everyone thought was a thing of the past. Everything that people thought would happen, only a round later than it was supposed to.

At the same time, everything happened for LeBron. For years everyone said if LeBron stopped taking jumpers he would be unstoppable, then he did. LeBron was able to do everything in the series from scoring to passing to rebounding to defense. This was the total dominance that everyone knew LeBron was capable of. Then people started to remember how they used to view LeBron from five years ago, and how Durant was too skinny to play in the NBA. The heat role players that were brought in to make big shots starting hitting shots at a rate everyone forgot they could.  Before we could even catch our breath it was over.

This series seemed to surprise everyone, but if you woke up from a five year coma and this was the only thing you watched on TV you wouldn’t be surprised one bit. A bunch of young kids playing against the best player of his generation came up short and played scared? What is surprising about that? Everything that happened in this series was meant to happen. Thunder are meant to be a finals team, just not near this soon. LeBron was meant to win MVP’s and championships, just not this late in his career. In a few years we will all look back and remember how everything we thought we happen in the NBA happened, just not when we expected it to.

Thunder Side:

As Shaq would say “If the general doesn’t panic, the troops won’t panic.” In the start first quarter, everyone panicked for the Thunder. The Durant hit two big threes that seemed to calm everyone down. Going forward I think the Thunder will come out with less nerves, so this issue solves itself.

Westbrook needs to stop pressing, and let his offense come in the flow of the game. Same story as all season right? I think in the first half Westy pressed the issue a little bit and forced some things. In the second half he played much more controlled and picked his spots much better. Going forward he is going to need to remain patient, as well as aggressive for the Thunder.

Perkins needs to play less going forward. I love Perk to death, but he has little value in this series. If Heat are going to start Battier, he can’t play with Ibaka. I would love to see Harden coming in sooner to go small in the first quarter.

Heat Side:

LeBron can not guard Durant all game, and Wade can not guard Westbrook all game. Post game LeBron talked about being worn down. The Heat scored 40 points in the second half which won’t cut it verse the Thunder. They got away with playing both stars for 46 minutes and guarding the best offensive player in the Eastern conference because no team was going to put up 100 if they did this. Durant and Westbrook are going to get 50 per game no matter what.

Heat need to go further into their bench. This will also help LeBron and Wade not wear down so much over the course of the game. Not sure who they bring in, or if its just playing Mike Miller more, but it needs to be done.

If Durant gets going, he needs to be double teamed on the catch. I was trying to think of how to guard Durant in the 4th quarter, but I couldn’t. Only way I can think is just to hard double as soon as he catches the ball and make him pass it. You have to make Thabo beat you, not allow Durant to beat you.

No need to panic after game one, but some changes need to be made. It will be very interesting to see how both teams decide to play game two.

1) Thunder win. Everyone proclaims the Thunder are the team to beat for the next decade: This of course would be the best/worst situations for the Thunder/Heat. Everyone will claim that Durant is better than LeBron, and that he can never win a title. Everyone will crown the Thunder the elite team in the NBA for years to come, and put the Heat in the background. Talks will come to blow up the Heat, fire the coach, everything that you can imagine.

May 31, 2012; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder small forward Kevin Durant (35) reacts to a foul call during the game against the San Antonio Spurs in game three of the Western Conference finals of the 2012 NBA playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Oklahoma City won 102-82. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-US PRESSWIRE

2) Heat win a close series. LeBron plays exceptional. Everyone proclaims the Thunder are the team to beat for the next decade: People will finally be able to say the LeBron figured it out and won a title. Unlike LeBron, Durant and the young Thunder will not receive the back lash for not winning a title as LeBron has for the past five years. Everyone will simply point out that the Thunder hung in tough, and made another important stride in team success. I really don’t see how anyone could say anything negative about either team if this is the result. This will only build the desire for a re-match next year.

3) Heat win. LeBron plays average: This would obviously mean Bosh or Wade step up huge, or else the Thunder would win. This really wouldn’t help either team public perception. On the Heat side, again people will say that LeBron faded in the finals. We all know that story. For the Thunder everyone is going to be quick to claim the Thunder aren’t who we thought they were. They need to wait another year or so before they can truly contend for an NBA title.

I basically believe that no matter what the outcome is, the Thunder have made a strong enough statement that they will be contending for years to come, and the path for the title will come through them. No one expected the Thunder to become this good, this fast. The Heat are at their peak, if they don’t win now people will seriously question if this team can ever win a title. I don’t need go talk about LeBron in pressure situations, and from what I can tell, all the pressure is on him.

11:02 – Westbrook doesn’t get back on defense and LeBron finds Wade for an easy pass ahead and the assist. Durant did not look happy about Wade getting beghind everyone.

10:38 – Durant takes it to the hole and gets it stripped, after a couple of bounces it is still OKC ball.

9:45 Durant takes the ball up the court and fails his arms to get the foul in the lane. Caught Haslem reaching. That’s a no-no on Durant.  Durant makes them pay at the line, hitting both free throws.

9:30 LeBron gets the ball at the elbow and has no place to go, good D by Durant

9:10 Durant gets sloppy up top and Wade steals, then on the next possession he misses Ibaka under the hoop. Two quick turnovers for Durant.

8:00 Durant cathes the ball on the inbound and knocks down the 20 footer. Hubie calls him the best catch and shoot guy in the NBA

7:46 LeBron gets fouled going to the rim, comes down awkwardly and turns his left ankles. Looks like on one of the camera people.  Miami fans already bringing out the MVP chant. LeBron hits both.

6:15 Westbrook steals a lazy inbounds pass. Durant drives hard past Bosh and puts Turiaf on a poster.  LeBron is going to have a tough time beating a dunk like that. Highlight plays in this key game will help Durant out if they get the win. Miami timeout.

5:32 Durant breaks up a 2-1 Wade and LeBron fast break. Dont see that often.

4:10 Battier comes in and he is D-ed up on Durant. This is not what we want LeBron, be a man.

3:40 LeBron hits a trailing three from the top of the key. Thunder up 18-16.

2:43 – TV timeout after Ibaka destroys Cole’s layup attempt.

1:58 After another turnover Durant rims out a 30 ft jumper, then on the same possestion Durant gets another dunk attacking the rim for his 8th point.

1:28 LeBron hits a three right in Durant’s face. Durant shows disgust.

:40 Harden finds Durant alone in the corner for the three. Might want to guard that guy.

:29 LeBron going for the two for one just attacks the rim and forces the foul. Makes both free throws.  LeBron has 10 of Heat last 12 points.

— End of quarter —

7:27  Long rest for LeBron and Durant as they re-enter the game with Thunder up 36-25.

6:47 LeBron dribbles right past Durant for the easy layup.

5:45 Perkins with the hard foul on Wade. Teams start talking a bit as they review the foul. Teams are starting to get chippy. Flagrant-one called. This does not make anyone happier.

5:33 Westbrook tackles LeBron on a break away. LeBron made it look alot worse than it was. Westbrook grabbed his left shoulder and LeBron acted like he got shot. Durant talking some major smack to Chalmers while LeBron shooting FTs.

4:09 Thunder zone LeBron on the weak side. It results in a ball reversal and a Chalmers 3.

3:38 LeBron hits a three right in Harden’s face. Only reason Heat are in this game is because of the three point shooting.

3:17 As LeBron misses a three a Westbrook sucks chant breaks out.

2:10 LeBron jumps the passing lane and has a typical run out dunk.

0:00 LeBron hits a 22 footer to end the half. Miami up 50-49. Probably the best regular season game of the year. Amazing defense and intensity.

– Half –

9:16 Slow start until LeBron leaks out and gets a dunk after Durant smacks him in the face. Converts the and-1.

7:37 LeBron fouls Durant before the inbound, Durant to the line for just his third and fourth free throw. Makes both.

5:25 17th foul on the Thunder already this game. Miami in the penalty.

3:54 In a slow quarter, Collison picks up on the foul on LeBron as he drives to the basket. LeBron hits his 28th point.

:45 Durant missed back to back threes on the same possession. Durant has 8 turnovers and LeBron has completely thrown him off his offensive game.

:3 Durant hits a floater on LeBron to end his slump and bring OKC back to only down 7. LeBron has dominated this matchup for the first three quarters. We will see if Durant gets any rest going into the 4th.

–End of quarter–

11:20 Without LeBron in, Durant goes to the high post and shots over Battier.  Maybe Durant can get things going without James in the game.

6:54  After a sluggish start a LeBron pick and roll ends up in back to back Battier threes in the corner. Scott Brooks calls a timeout to make some adjustments. Last shot giving LeBron his 10th assist.

6:13 Durant finally hits a three to bring it to two point game. Durant now with 26.

5:26 Durant gets the ball stripped away for his 9th turnover, he chases LeBron down and Durant blocks the dunk. So I give the posession  a meh.

5:10 LeBron scoring a quick four points. This game is going to go down to the wire.

LeBron out duels Durant in a Miami rematch.

2:33 – Westbrook finds Durant on a back door oop. Durant throws it down hard in what is now a one point game.

2:12 LeBron gets block by Ibaka and gets his own rebound. He takes it out then gets tangled up in what results in a jump ball for Haslem and Ibaka. Ibaka wins the tip.

1:30 LeBron forces Durant into a fall away that hits the side of the backboard.  Thunder still down one.

:43 Durant gets stripped going to the hole by Wade. Three point game and Thunder ball.

:41 Perkins misses two FT’s to cut into the lead. LeBron with the board.

:20 LeBron misses a fall away dagger over Westbrook. Game still at three points with OKC ball. Time out.

:16 Durant misses a three on the inbound. Air ball. Looking like the game as Wade heads to the line up 3.

:00 The Wade FTs seal the deal. 98-93 Miami.

It is fair to say that LeBron controlled Durant from start to finish. Even with 30 points Durant had a career high nine turnovers. He was limited to four rebounds and three assists. Looks like the pair split wins and losses and dominate performances. LeBron took a solid step forward in the MVP race with this performance. He finishes with 34-7-10 and a defensive performance to boast about.

But with a month left for voters to be swayed, who knows what will happen?

What jersey will Dwight be Wearing in a week? Credit: Richard Rowe-US PRESSWIRE

The first thing to consider is the Thunders young and very talented core.  The Thunder can realistically only make two types of trade. The first to add a role player. The second move a major piece to acquire another major piece.

The hot topic on the trade wire is Dwight Howard. The Thunder definitely have enough assets to trade for Dwight.  The problem here is that the Thunder have not appeared on Dwight’s list of teams he will resign for. This leaves two options yet again. Convince Dwight to sign and trade to OKC, or gamble and hope he loves winning and OKC in his short stay enough he would resign.  I don’t think the Magic could turn down an offer of Westbrook/Harden, Ibaka, and a 1st round pick. This would obviously mean flipping Perkins, or since he was signed before the new CBA, the Thunder could use their amnesty clause.  Likely-hood of any of this happening? Very very little. But its fun to dream.

Another player quietly on the trade market is Andrew Bogut. His salary for the next two years is only 13 and 14 million dollars a year. When healthy Bogut is arguably the second best center in the league.  I have read rumors that the Bucks are only willing to trade Bogut if they can unload Stephan Jackson in the deal. While Bogut’s contract is very team friendly, Captain Jack’s 10 million dollars next year isn’t. The only positive is Jackson’s contract is only one more year after this. I am not cap expert but I believe the Thunder could offer Perkins, Reggie Jackson and sign and trade Ibaka for Bogut and Jackson. This should still leave enough room to resign Harden also. Would the Bucks take Ibaka, Perkins and Jackson for Bogut and Jackson? I really doubt it.  Harden and Ibaka would be much more interesting….

For a minor trade I would love the Thunder to go after Warriors guard Klay Thompson. Klay would essentually play the same role as Cook/Ivey, but he is shooting 15% better from behind the arc. The Thunder could offer Cole Aldrich. The Warriors might want to add depth to their bigs, with the injury to Kwame Brown and Biedrins turning to mush right before our eyes. Some excellent shooting in both the first and second units would really help the Thunder. I would love to see a small ball lineup of Westbrook, Klay, Harden, Durant, Perkins/Ibaka. Would the Warriors be likely to part with their young three point shooter? Highly unlikely.

My favorite trade that actually could happen is this. Reggie Jackson and Thabo for Luke Ridnour from the Timberwolves. This would have been much more likely a week ago before Rubio tore his ACL. I still think this trade can happen however. Luke would probably be much more suited to start at PG for the Timberwolves than Barea or Jackson, but with a .500 record in the West, Timberwolves playoff hopes look bleak. Why not add depth and a true shooting guard (who doesn’t shoot that well) in Thabo for next year when Rubio comes back? Luke would be the perfect backup PG beside Harden. He is a proven knock down shooter that can set up the offense with the second unit.  This trade has a chance, but still not sure if the Wolves would spring for this one.

Overall, its awesome to speculate about NBA trades right before the deadline. It is one of the things that truly makes the NBA amazing. With less than three days before this deadline, no one knows how teams will look at this time next week. While it seems unlikely the Thunder pursue any trade, the possibility is still looming out there. Will it happen? We will have to wait and see.

Howard Smith-US PRESSWIRE

Scoring

Harden: 16.8 ppg, TS 63.4%
Williams: 15.7 ppg, TS 52.4%

Harden has the slight edge in points per game, and a huge edge in efficiency. Lou Williams actually leads the 76ers in scoring from the bench, while Harden is behind Durant and Westbrook in scoring. Harden is second in the NBA in points per shot only behind Dwight Howard. Lou Williams is 46^th. For a guard to be second in the league, ahead of people like Tyson Chandler who only dunks is truly remarkable.

Advantage: Harden

Assists/Turnovers
Harden: 18.6% AST, 13.8 TOV%

Williams: 23.7% AST, 7 TOV%

Williams comes in as the point guard and Harden at shooting guard, so that plays into these stats. However Harden handles the play plenty and they are both guards so no excuses. Lou takes care of the ball really well for his high usage rate, helping lead the 76ers to a league low in turnovers per game.

Advantage: Williams

Rebounding/Defensive Stats
Harden: 7.3 TRB%, 1.6% STL, .6% BLK
Williams: 4.7 TRB%, 1.7% STL, .7% BLK

These stats are so close it really doesn’t make a difference. Harden rebounds slightly better, that is about it. Some people might wants to over analyze all these miscellaneous stats, but I don’t.

Advantage: Nerds

Other Stuff
Harden: 21.5% Usage rate, PER 21.03
Williams: 28.8% Usage rate, PER 21.30

Both Harden and Williams have almost identical player efficiency ratings, but with Harden having the lower usage rate. PER is measured in a per minute basis, and doesn’t account for usage rate. So Harden is more efficient in his player efficiency rating, doing more with less. If that makes any sense. If it doesn’t blame John Hollinger.

Advantage: Harden

Finally, team records of course come into play. Right now Thunder are have a league best record of 27-7. That is seven games ahead of the 20 and 14 76ers. So as of right now it looks like it is going to be a run away victory for James Harden. His scoring and team wins should wrap this up comfortably. Both guys are great at embracing their 6^th man role and helping their teams to some great playoff seeding. Lets hope they 6^th man shooters stay hot for the second half.

Advantage: NBA fans.

Follow me on Twitter: @CodyBrees 

Westbrook continues another great year for OKC sports.yahoo.com

The last week in the NBA has been arguably the best week thus far. It has everything that the normal NBA week has, ridiculous dunks from Blake Griffin and a crazy 30-20 game from Kevin Love. Kobe Bryant and Paul Pierce breaking huge milestones and the biggest story of the year Jeremy Lin. Jeremy Lin has single-handedly made the Knicks exciting AND relevant in just five games. This great week was capped of with Lin winning the East player of the week award along with…. o ya Westbrook winning it in the West.

With all this excitement Westbrook and the Thunder continue to be second page news. I want to say it right now, I am not taking anything away from Jeremy Lin. The kid can absolutely ball. Not only is he winning, he as made New York exciting. His arsenal of moves amazes me. I saw him crossover, spin. Euro-step, throw oops and drain threes all in one quarter. He absolutely deserved the player of the week award, but so did Westbrook.

Lin tallied 27.3 points, 8.3 assists and 2.0 steals and a perfect 4-0 record from Feb. 6th through Feb 12th. Truly amazing numbers from some guy considered a bum coming from the D-Leauge and sleeping on couches to rejuvenate the Knicks. The energy he has brought not only to New York, but to everyone in America is the things they make movies about. If you haven’t watched this kid play yet you need too.

So that leaves us with Westbrook flying a bit under the radar. Westbrook, in his second player of the week award, put up 30.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 2.5 steals. The Thunder had a record of 3-1 in that week, playing all four games on the road in five nights. Each game Westbrook has at least 28 points providing a very consistent scoring option beside Durant.

Even with Westbrook’s great week you still hear the typical naysayers saying that Westbrook needs to pass more and are slow to give Westbrook his credit. Maybe he does need to make better decisions, but with Ibaka and Perkins starting, the Thunder need more great offensive weeks like this from Westbrook to maintain the best record in the NBA.

Westbrook’s continued growth from year to year seems to go overlooked. The learning curve for someone only playing point guard for four years is extremely step, and many people clamor for a trade. Maybe Westbrook isn’t the best fit for OKC, but all the guy does is continue to work hard every day. The biggest thing is Russ WANTS to be in OKC. In a week where Brandon Jennings said he will sign his qualifying offer, a move almost unheard of by people exciting their rookie contract, we have to remember that keeping stars in small markets is always a big challenge.

So while Westbrook might not be resurrecting basketball in the Mecca, or at the center of trade sending him to the Lakers, he should not go overlooked. Stories will always come and go in the NBA, and all Westbrook seems to worry about is working hard and winning. So maybe it’s time we start giving Westbrook some of the respect in which he has rightfully earned.

Sad Perkins does not like to get dunked on sportsgrid.com

Now let’s remember that NBA players are people too, just like us! Most of them took to Twitter just as fast as the rest of the NBA fans. So what do people do when hundreds of NBA players do something? We focus on LeBron James!  LeBron tweet moments afterward “Dunk of the Year!! @blakegriffin just dunked on Kendrick Perkins so hard!! WOW!! I guess I’m #2 now. Move over #6.”  Apart from the strange reference to himself in 3^rd person by his number, not sure why people are reacting so much to LeBron tweeting. With the hundreds of other NBA players tweeting much more ridiculous things, such as Amir Johnson saying “Perk just needs to sit down for the rest of the game SMH” and Al Thornton saying “Got damn Blake!!! Perkins career is over with!!!!”

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A couple less turnovers will result in more happy and akward jumps for the Thunder. zimbio.com

What do you do when your favorite team has the best record in the NBA? Nitpick!  So that is what this article is about.  The Thunder are currently 3^rd in the NBA in offensive efficiency and 14^th in defensive efficiency, but they could be much better. Many teams would love to have the problems that the Thunder have, but this blog isn’t about those teams.  Let me explain my mindset, so you can understand my displeasure in the Thunder’s offense this far in the season.

Results oriented thinking is defined as letting the outcome of the situation affect how you feel about it, instead of focusing on the process to get the results.  This is popular for poker players who analyze statistics during a poker hand to determine their course of action. The idea is to not be results oriented, but to make the correct decision every time.  A basketball example of this is when Westbrook pulls up for a jumper on a fast break. Westbrook is talented enough to make a number of these shots, but the idea is to not focus on the results make or miss. Even if he makes it, statistically it is the wrong shot to take; you have much better odds to run the offense and try to get a better shot. I don’t get upset when the Thunder play well and lose (See Clippers). I get upset when the Thunder play bad regardless of winning or losing the game.

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Get well soon Eric Maynor. welcometoloudcity.com

It has been less than a month since backup point guard Eric Maynor tore his ACL.  Maynor’s thrust rookie Reggie Jackson into the role behind Westbrook.  Maynor was arguably the best backup point guard in the league (and if you argue with me you will lose).  This is a lot of pressure to run the second unit on a team with championship aspirations, but this is exactly why the Thunder took Jackson with the 24^th pick in last year’s draft.  Now Jackson only has 19 games in the NBA, and only 10 since Maynor tore his ACL. Is that a terrible sample size to determine how a player is doing after being forced into a role he might not have been ready for? Absolutely. Am I going to do it anyways? Sure why not.

It is important to remember that Maynor and Jackson are different types of point guards. Maynor was a true point, he maintained pace, and his best skill was setting up teammates. Jackson is more of an athletic, score first point guard.  It is challenging to compare two different styles of players because they will each do some things better, and some things worse in the same situation. I am going to present a few different stats to try to best see how Jackson is doing with his new teammates.

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Thabo takes offense a little more serious this year bballmatchup.com

Known primarily as a great wing defender, Thabo is the shooting guard in a starting lineup that has glaring offensive weaknesses.  Perkins and Ibaka are great on the defensive end, and combined pull down about four offensive boards per game, but have a very limited scoring ability on offense to say the least.  The Thunder starting five is also not very good behind the arc either.  Westbrook is taking over 2 threes a game and shooting 26%, while Durant is taking 4.5 threes a game and only shooting 33%. This really creates some offensive problems since teams can help off the bigs down low, and don’t have to worry about any true three point threat behind the arc.

Thabo does a great job of spacing the floor while still deferring to Durant and Westbrook for the majority of the shots.  I am not saying I want Thabo to shoot the ball ten times a game, but just the threat of the improved Thabo gives Durant and Westbrook more space to work.  Thabo has one job and one job only on offense, catch the ball and shoot.  For all his three point shots this year, 92% are assisted.  But unlike most years, Thabo is making them. Thabo is shooting at a blistering 50% from three, a 23% increase from last year.

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