ESPN sources: Mo Cheeks has today agreed to take Detroit Pistons’ job. Story posting online at ESPN as we speak

— Marc Stein (@ESPNSteinLine) June 10, 2013

Cheeks was the head coach for the Portland Trail Blazers from 2001-2005 and then the Philadelphia 76ers head coach from 2005-2009. He has been an assistant coach for the Thunder ever since then.

He made the playoffs twice with the Blazers and once with the 76ers and never made it out of the first round. He won 50 games once in Portland in the 2002-03 season.

The Thunder have obviously been one of the best teams in the league the past few seasons and Cheeks has had some part in that.

Cheeks, a former point guard and member of the 1982-83 NBA champion 76ers, should be a good mentor in Detroit for their young up-and-coming point guard Brandon Knight. The Pistons actually have a somewhat attractive set of youngsters with Knight and big men Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond.

We haven’t heard anything yet about the Thunder looking for a replacement for Cheeks on the bench. I’m sure we will find out more in the coming days and weeks about that.

Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

The Memphis Grizzlies traded away Rudy Gay yesterday in part of a three-team trade with the Toronto Raptors and Detroit Pistons.

The Grizzlies sent Gay and Hamed Haddadi to the Raptors. Toronto sent Ed Davis to the Grizzlies and Jose Calderon to the Pistons. Detroit sent Tayshaun Prince and Austin Daye to the Grizzlies.

We knew that the Grizzlies were entertaining the idea of trading Gay. Gay has around $53 million left on his three-year contract including this season and Memphis would have likely had to deal with harsh luxury tax penalties if they tried to keep him.

It was a similar situation that the Oklahoma City Thunder were in before the start of the season with James Harden.

The Grizzlies will save money acquiring Prince who will take Gay’s starting spot and make only $7 million on average the next three seasons. Daye is a promising young big man who is in the last year of his rookie contract.

Davis is maybe the biggest haul for Memphis in this deal. He’s just 23 years old still in his third year in the NBA and has a fantastic PER of 18.1 this season. He was averaging 9.7 points and 6.7 rebounds in 24.2 minutes per game with the Raptors this season.

The immediate thought when you hear the Grizzlies are trading a former All-Star in Gay away is that the team will take a step back. Memphis got off to a great start this season and currently is 29-15, fourth in the Western Conference.

Many people even thought this might be the year the Grizzlies could make a run to the NBA Finals. They have something that very few teams can handle with their big frontline. They’re a great defensive team that forces a lot of turnovers and they don’t turn the ball over themselves.

Two years ago the Grizzlies knocked off the one-seeded San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the playoffs then nearly got past the Thunder, taking them to seven games in the next round. That playoff run was without Gay by the way.

That has to be a big reason why Memphis was okay with shipping Gay out. They have proven in the past that they can still be an elite team without him and maybe even a better one. It was still unknown whether the Grizzlies were really better with Gay in the lineup or if they’d be better off with Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol as the clear one-two punch.

The Grizzlies made their decision now and will move forward with one of the most lethal big man duos in the legal as the focal point of their team. Bringing in Prince to replace Gay in the starting lineup and big depth with Davis and Daye will help ease the transition too.

Prince is a real chemistry guy who made his name in this league winning championships as the fifth man of a starting lineup consisting of four other All-Stars. He won’t have any trouble committing to defense and doing whatever he needs to fit in.

The Grizzlies will start to resemble the team that made that great playoff push two years ago. That’s the plan any way.

We can safely assume that the Grizzlies are still going to be a tough matchup for the Spurs. The size and Randolph is what gave the Spurs trouble two years ago and that hasn’t changed.

Matching up with the Clippers may be more difficult for the Grizzlies. They lost to the Clippers in seven games in the first round of the playoffs last year. Gay did not have a good series while Chris Paul dominated.

The matchup with the Thunder will be an interesting one to look at. There is still a good chance the Thunder and Grizzlies will meet again in the playoffs this season. Gay was someone who could every now and then go blow for blow with a superstar like Kevin Durant. They won’t have that now and will have to rely solely on defense and great team ball to get past a team like OKC.

The Grizzlies definitely didn’t take a big step back by trading Gay, maybe just a baby one at worse. Memphis keeps with its culture and made the right financial decision for the future. They should still be a top four team in the Western Conference this season.

Gay was always a fringe star player in this league that left you hoping for more whenever he showed glimpses of greatness but he never had the ability to do it every night. Teams don’t usually go far in this league with a player like that as their best player. Memphis made the tough decision to move on. In the end, it was probably the right one.

Mark D. Smith-US PRESSWIRE

The Oklahoma City Thunder have won their four last games including one of those wins coming against the Detroit Pistons.

The Thunder played the Pistons just three nights ago and beat them at home 105-94. The Thunder looked very good on that night shooting 53.5 percent from the field while holding the Pistons to 41.4 percent.

The Thunder got major efforts from Kevin Durant and Serge Ibaka who each dropped 25 points. OKC led for almost the entire game as everyone not named Andre Drummond struggled to throw it in the ocean for Detroit.

The Thunder have gotten their act together after a slight stumble out of the gates this season. James Harden is gone but Kevin Martin and Eric Maynor are doing their part replacing his production and then some.

Durant is off to a career year in term of rebounding and assists while Russell Westbrook is on a new path as well. Westbrook’s shooting percentages have been a disappointment but his growth as a playmaker and leader are making up for it.

The Pistons at 0-7 are easy yet dangerous. A win can come at any time in the NBA and a team winless after seven tries is as dues as any. Bu the Thunder just saw them. They’re fresh to their style and sneaking up isn’t really an option for a young Detroit squad.

The ball is in the Thunder’s court tonight as is per usual. Turnovers are a priority as well as getting to work on the defensive glass. The Pistons aren’t going to put up more points unless you let them.

The Thunder already received their wakeup call this season. Detroit doesn’t have that luxury tonight and barring a career-night from someone, OKC gets the nod.

Keep an eye on Ibaka scoring at a higher clip than ever before and Westbrook’s return to playmaking form. Unless Detroit can unexpectedly dictate the flavor tonight, the Thunder will walk away winners in their last five, something few teams can boast about this early in the season.

Mark D. Smith-US PRESSWIRE

Kevin Durant and Serge Ibaka each scored 25 points as the Oklahoma City Thunder won at home Friday night 105-94 vs. the Detroit Pistons.

The Thunder improve to 4-2 on the year while the Pistons remain winless at 0-6. It was a rather easy win for OKC who shot 53.5 percent from the field in the game while holding Detroit to 41.4 percent.

Ibaka’s 25 was a career-high as he continues to put it together offensively. Ibaka went 9-for-13 from the field and also had seven rebounds and three blocks.

Russell Westbrook had another off night shooting the rock at just 3-for-10 in the game but he played good defense and handed out six assists.

Westbrook’s backup Erick Maynor had his best scoring game of the year with 13 off the bench. Maynor made all three of his 3-point attempts and dished out three assists as well.

Kevin Martin continues his impressive streak of at least 15 points or more off the bench in each game this season. He finished with 16 tonight on 5-of-14 shooting from the field and he was 2-of-9 from three.

The Thunder cut down on the turnovers somewhat being back at home and continued to rack up the assists. Kendrick Perkins led the team with six assists on the night and also added nine points.

The Pistons kept the game from reaching blowout territory by working hard on the offensive glass for 16 boards. No one was consistent enough for them on offense to establish anything worthy of challenging the Thunder.

The most impressive Piston was rookie Andre Drummond who scored 22 points off the bench and went 8-of-10 from the field.

The Thunder will be off tomorrow night before hosting the Cleveland Cavaliers Sunday night at 7 p.m. EST.

Richard Rowe-US PRESSWIRE

The Oklahoma City Thunder will play their second game of a back-to-back tonight at home vs. the winless Detroit Pistons. The game will tip at 8 p.m. EST as the Thunder sport their new alternate uniforms.

OKC is coming off a tough win last night in Chicago vs. the Bulls. They trailed by six entering the fourth quarter then came back to win the game 97-91.

The Thunder haven’t gotten off to the greatest start this season but they’ve shown signs of improvement as the season has gone on.

Kevin Durant is averaging just 21.4 points per game this season as he is trying to focus on other things like rebounding and passing. He scored six points in the final 46 seconds to close out the Bulls last night. Tayshaun Prince will likely try to check Durant tonight and is one of few players in the league that could do a decent job on him.

Russell Westbrook has been up and down to start the season with last night being a little of both. His shot was off as he went 7-for-22 from the field but he dished out a season-high 12 assists. Detroit doesn’t have the kind of guards that could bother Westbrook so he should have his way with them tonight.

The Pistons have the third worst defensive efficiency in the NBA right now while the Thunder offense is 8th most efficient. The Pistons are particularly bad vs. the pick-and-roll, allowing 1.00 points per possession on those plays, 28th in the league.

The Thunder rely on the pick-and-roll more than anything else for offense but have been less efficient with it this year, partly due to James Harden’s departure. The Thunder are still fully capable of hurting their opponent in the pick-and-roll and Detroit’s defense provides a perfect opportunity for the Thunder to get back on track there.

A key component to the Thunder pick-and-roll game this season is Serge Ibaka who is coming off his best game of the year vs. the Bulls last night. He had 21 points to go with nine rebounds and four blocks and was very aggressive looking for his shot. The pick-and-pop opportunities should be aplenty for Ibaka again tonight with Westbrook expecting to find Ibaka a lot as well.

It’s hard to imagine much standing in the way of a Thunder victory tonight especially because they are playing at home but Greg Monroe is a player for Detroit that will have to play big for them to have a chance. Monroe recorded a triple-double in Detroit’s last game vs. the Sacramento Kings.

The Thunder always shoot a little better at home and turn the ball over less. Detroit just hasn’t shown anything this year that shows they can hang with the Thunder and that’s why the line is OKC by 11.5 and the Thunder should win.

Richard Rowe-US PRESSWIRE

Detroit Pistons Team Overview

The Pistons finished 10th in the East last year with a 25-41 record on the year. They are in a rebuilding mode.

They would end up with the ninth pick in the upcoming NBA Draft where they would select Andre Drummond. Drummond was considered to have as much potential as anyone in the draft but slid partly because of how deep this draft was. The Pistons are glad to take on a project like Drummond and team him with a promising big with a good head on his shoulders in Greg Monroe.

Detroit also drafted Khris Middleton and Kim English. They traded away Ben Gordon and received Corey Maggette back from Charlotte. They also added Vyacheslav Kravtsov via free agency.

The Pistons have a solid young core also consisting of Brandon Knight and Austin Daye. They are far away from competing for a playoff spot but there are some young players to get you excited about this team’s future.

Last year

The Oklahoma City Thunder played the Pistons once last season at home on Jan. 23. They easily beat them 99-79 to improve to 14-3 on the year.

No starter played more than 30 minutes for the Thunder as Russell Westbrook led the way with 24 points and six assists. Kevin Durant had 20 points and James Harden had 24 points in 25 minutes off the bench. Harden was 8-for-11 from the field and the Thunder were plus-32 while he was on the floor.

The Thunder shot 53.2 percent from the field and had 21 assists in the game.

The Pistons shot just 34.1 percent from the field. Knight led them with 13 points. Monroe had 12 points but was 3-for-14 from the field. Daye had nine and was 3-for-10 from the floor.

The matchup

The Pistons’ offense last season ranked second to last in terms of points per possession. There is no real area where they would have any kind of advantage vs. the Thunder on the end of the floor.

Monroe is someone who is developing nicely in the post and as a roll man in the pick-and-roll but the Thunder are more than capable of matching up with him.

Without a true point guard last season, it made things that much more difficult for Detroit to get good shots.

The Pistons were not much better on defense ranking 24th in the league. They were dead last against isolation plays while the Thunder are one of the best teams in the league going one-on-one.

The Pistons were only 23rd in the league vs. spot-up plays and 25th in the league vs. the pick-and-roll too.

The Pistons have a lot of work to do to improve but simply growing up some will be the biggest factor in their growth.

Next year

The Thunder and Pistons play twice next year with the first meeting coming early in the season on Nov. 9 in OKC. The teams will then play just three days later back in Detroit.

With the matchups coming so early in the season, it’s hard to imagine a team like Detroit competing with the Thunder. Detroit has the potential to come together and start playing decent basketball next season but that probably won’t happen until later on in the season.

For now, expect the Thunder to easily handle the Pistons when they play and pick up the easy W’s.

Rookie Perry Jones did not play for the Thunder. He sprained his ankle in the Thunder’s second Summer League game on Tuesday and will not play the rest of the week.

Reggie Jackson led the Thunder with 15 points, five assists and seven rebounds. Jackson continues to look good in these games and has been most impressive with his ability to finish at the rim.

Lazar Hayward had another nice showing scoring 15 points. Garrett Temple also scored 15 points and made two threes.

Cole Aldrich had his best game of the week so far although still has been struggling overall. Aldrich scored 10 points and had seven rebounds but still gets pushed around a little too much and has worse hands then you’d expect.

The No. 9 overall pick from the 2012 NBA Draft, Andre Drummond, scored 10 points and had nine rebounds for the Pistons. Drummond is an incredible specimen on a basketball court and looks to have near-Dwight Howard potential in terms of athleticism.

The Thunder will play again tomorrow vs. the Brooklyn Nets at 1 p.m. EST.

Here are draft grades for every team:

New Orleans Hornets
No. 1 overall – Anthony Davis, PF, Kentucky
No. 10 overall – Austin Rivers, G, Duke
No. 46 overall – Darius Miller, G/F, Kentucky

The Hornets really couldn’t go wrong possessing the first overall pick in the draft and chance to take Anthony Davis. Davis has a chance to be a franchise changer and playing alongside Eric Gordon in New Orleans is a good start. The Hornets took Rivers 10th overall which is what they wanted to do. The Hornets believe Rivers can play some point for them although he is a scoring guard at heart. Gordon is a good playmaker himself though so the two may be able to share ball handling duties a la Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry. The Darius Miller pick is nice too. He is an athlete that could make it in the NBA and was a teammate of Davis’ at Kentucky.

Grade: A+

Oklahoma City Thunder
No. 28 overall – Perry Jones, III, F, Baylor

To win a championship, sometimes it takes a little luck. The Thunder got the steal of the 2012 NBA Draft with the No. 28 pick. Perry Jones III we knew was going to fall because of concerns mainly surrounding his knee but sliding this far to a franchise that is perfect for him just seems unfair to the rest of the league. It was a Spurs-like snag for OKC and they know it already. Jones III has lottery talent and top-5 pick potential. One knock on him is that he never really stepped up and dominated and was more of a supporting role type of mindset and player. Well, come on down to OKC that sounds just fine!

Grade: A+

Charlotte Bobcats
No. 2 overall – Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, SF, Kentucky
No. 31 overall – Jeffrey Taylor, G/F, Vanderbilt

The Bobcats were supposed to either trade the No. 2 pick or take Thomas Robinson if they couldn’t. Instead, they shocked everyone selecting Michael Kidd-Gilchrist second overall. MKG is a player that will shine no matter where he plays, even in Charlotte. He has the potential to be the second best player in this draft class and it was a wise choice to make here by Michael Jordan. Jeffrey Taylor is a good pick too in the second round. Taylor was projected to go a little earlier in the draft and is a nice value find at 31.

Grade: A

Washington Wizards
No. 3 overall – Bradley Beal, SG, Florida
No. 32 overall – Tomas Satoransky, G, Czech Republic

The Wizards got the man they wanted at No. 3 but had to hold their breath and pray before doing so. As the Bobcats were shopping the No. 2 pick, any team that may have gotten it was probably going to take Bradley Beal second overall. The Wizards desperately wanted an elite shooter and wing to place alongside John Wall and they believe Beal is that guy. Beal measured just under 6-foot-5 so he’s not huge but he is physical and can do a lot of things on a basketball court. Tomas Satoranksy in the second round apparently is friends with Jan Vesely which makes that pick awesome too.

Grade: A

Sacramento Kings
No. 5 overall – Thomas Robinson, PF, Kansas

It was impossible not to fall in love with Thomas Robinson watching him break down after being selected fifth overall by the Kings. He won over a lot of fans with that reaction. Robinson is touted as one of the surest things at the top of this draft. The Kings wanted him bad too at No. 5, more than anybody else. Sacramento was going to pull off a trade with this pick with Houston if Robinson was off the board but obviously that didn’t happen. Robinson and DeMarcus Cousins are going to be able to get a lot of rebounds playing together.

Grade: A

Detroit Pistons
No. 9 overall – Andre Drummond, PF/C, Connecticut
No. 39 overall – Khris Middleton, SF, Texas A&M

The Pistons are extremely happy that Andre Drummond fell to them. Before the draft, they were hoping for this but planning to settle on John Henson. Drummond has as much upside as anyone in this draft. There are questions surrounding him but he is very young. It was the right pick here for Detroit without question. Khris Middleton isn’t someone that jumps out as a great pick here but at No. 39, there’s not a lot to expect.

Grade: A

Milwaukee Bucks
No. 14 overall – John Henson, PF, North Carolina
No. 42 overall – Doron Lamb, SG, Kentucky

The Bucks were pretty happy to see John Henson at No. 14 especially after trading down from 12 with Houston. Henson is the kind of guy Milwaukee wanted and someone who will block a lot of shots and grab some rebounds but really needs to put on some weight first. Doron Lamb is another player they were happy to see at No. 42. He could have gone in the first round and is an irrational confidence guy who can shoot and play some D too.

Grade: B+

Cleveland Cavaliers
No. 4 overall – Dion Waiters, SG, Syracuse
No. 17 overall – Tyler Zeller, C, North Carolina

It wasn’t a huge shocker that Cleveland took Dion Waiters No. 4. They were planning on possibly doing so and after being unable to trade up to No. 2 and take Beal, Waiters was the next guy on their list, probably just ahead of Harrison Barnes. It wasn’t an overly popular pick but Waiters has an NBA-ready body and next to Kyrie Irving should do well. With Tyler Zeller sliding in the draft, the Cavaliers pulled the trigger on a trade with Dallas to get to No. 17 and take the North Carolina center. They gave up three picks for Zeller so they must really like him. Now with a core of Irving, Waiters, Thompson and Zeller, Cleveland’s future looks kind of alright.

Grade: B

Portland Trailblazers
No. 6 overall – Damian Lillard, PG, Weber State
No. 11 overall – Meyers Leonard, C, Illinois
No. 40 overall – Will Barton, SG, Memphis

Before the Draft, Portland was intent on keeping their 6th and 11th picks and they also loved Damian Lillard. Six may sound high for Lillard but Portland did something smart: picking their favorite guy and not caring where they did it. They then filled a need at 11 with Meyers Leonard, the center from Illinois. Portland was projected in some mocks to take Andre Drummond and either Austin Rivers or Jeremy Lamb. That sounds a little better than what they ended up with. They get Will Barton at No. 40 which is another solid value pick as he was projected late-first by many.

Grade: B

Golden State Warriors
No. 7 overall – Harrison Barnes, G/F, North Carolina
No. 30 overall – Festus Ezeli, C, Vanderbilt
No. 35 overall – Draymond Green, F, Michigan State
No. 52 overall – Ognjen Kuzmic, C, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Despite his overall disappointing feeling, many still feel Harrison Barnes can be an All-Star in the NBA. Getting him at No. 7 was a pretty solid pick for the Warriors, who are starting new next year post-Monta Ellis and with Andrew Bogut. Festus Ezeli with the last pick of the first round is understandable too and he is a high-character guy who will work hard for them. Draymond Green is another good pick to get in the second round. The Warriors didn’t have a flashy draft but they made some value picks and that’s always a good strategy.

Grade: B

Houston Rockets
No. 12 overall – Jeremy Lamb, SG, Connecticut
No. 16 overall – Royce White, F, Iowa State
No. 18 overall – Terrence Jones, F, Kentucky

The Rockets were stockpiling draft picks with one thing on their mind: Dwight Howard. That hasn’t happened yet and now feels like it won’t. They were hoping to move up to No. 5 to take Andre Drummond but since Thomas Robinson fell to the Kings there, they weren’t trading that pick. The Rockets will settle for three pretty solid players starting with Jeremy Lamb at No. 12 who has a lot of pro potential as a scorer. When they took Royce White at No. 16, you knew they weren’t trading their picks anymore. White has gotten a lot of buzz this draft as a more athletic Boris Diaw who plays a little like Charles Barkley too. Terrence Jones two picks later is another talented forward that can do a variety of things. You always feel players Daryl Morey drafts are guys who can find a spot in the NBA. The Rockets just had bigger sights for this draft than this.

Grade: B

Phoenix Suns
No. 13 overall – Kendall Marshall, PG, North Carolina

It’s just about official now that Steve Nash is on his way out in Phoenix. Kendall Marshall is their point guard of the future. Marshall was one of the best assists men in college the past two seasons and has drawn comparisons to Mark Jackson and Andre Miller so yeah, he’s not quick. He’s fun to play with and will make the players around him better. They like that in Phoenix.

Grade: B

Chicago Bulls
No. 29 overall – Marquis Teague, PG, Kentucky

The Bulls were either going backup point here or combo-guard shooter. Marquis Teague is a talented player with this pick and someone who may be able to play alongside Derrick Rose some. It’s nothing special for the Bulls but a good pick nonetheless. Bulls fans were dying for Perry Jones III to slip one more pick into their laps.

Grade: B

Toronto Raptors
No. 8 overall – Terrence Ross, SG, Washington
No. 37 overall – Quincy Acy, PF, Baylor
No. 56 overall – Tomislav Zubcic, PF, Croatia

The Raptors would have loved to see Harrison Barnes fall one more pick into their laps. They would have loved even more to move up and snag Dion Waiters. They settle for Terrence Ross who can do things that will make him have a solid NBA career: shoot threes and defend. Quincy Acy in Round 2 could be a Reggie Evans type which is something this franchise has experience with. Tomislav Zubcic will not come over right away. If Toronto gets Steve Nash, a lot of their problems will appear solved.

Grade: C+

Orlando Magic
No. 19 overall – Andrew Nicholson, PF, St. Bonaventure
No. 49 overall – Kyle O’Quinn, C, Norfolk State

The Magic are in a weird situation and have been ever since Dwight Howard started pouting. Howard ran their head coach and GM out of town and still wants out himself. He hasn’t gotten it yet but it’s really only a matter of time. Orlando’s picks of Andrew Nicholson and Kyle O’Quinn may have been logical, but they won’t make their fans feel better yet

Grade: C+

Boston Celtics
No. 21 overall – Jared Sullinger, PF, Ohio State
No. 22 overall – Fab Melo, C, Syracuse
No. 51 overall – Kris Joseph, SF, Syracuse

We knew Jared Sullinger would drop, we just didn’t know how far. The Celtics are in a rebuilding stage now and looking to bulk up their front court with Sullinger and Fab Melo. The Celtics were hoping for Royce White here or to trade up and take Doc Rivers’ son Austin Rivers in the lottery. The best case scenario for Kris Joseph (taken No. 51 overall) is Gary Forbes, according to DraftExpress.

Grade: C+

Philadelphia 76ers
No. 15 overall – Maurice Harkless, SF, St. John’s
No. 27 overall – Arnett Moultrie, PF/C, Mississippi State

Philadelphia fans are not happy with the decision to take Maurice “don’t call me Moe” Harkless 15th overall. When you draft a guy who plays the same position as your best player at No. 15, it never feels like it makes sense. Harkless came out after just one year at St. John’s and is said to have some pro potential but he’s nothing special. The 76ers traded up with Miami to get Arnett Moultrie at No. 27. It’s just another lateral move here for Philly. Their fans want more than that.

Grade: C

Denver Nuggets
No. 20 overall – Evan Fournier, SG, France
No. 38 overall – Quincy Miller, G/F, Baylor
No. 50 overall – Izzet Turkyilmaz, PF, Turkey

The Nuggets surprisingly went with Evan Fournier at No. 20 despite some talent sitting on the board. Fournier will not come over to the NBA next season but was the highest rated international prospect of the draft. The Nuggets clearly weren’t looking to try and strike gold with late first round picks this year. They’ve already accomplished that with Ty Lawson and Kenneth Faried. Their pick at No. 38 felt a little better. Some fans wanted Quincy Miller with the 20th pick so getting him this late is a win in that sense. Miller is young with a ton of potential but has the usual question marks. Denver went with another international product late in the second round that we won’t see in the NBA right away.

Grade: C

Atlanta Hawks
No. 23 overall – John Jenkins, SG, Vanderbilt
No. 43 overall – Mike Scott, F, Virginia

Nothing special here for Atlanta. John Jenkins could be decent but he won’t turn any heads. He can really shoot it though and might get some run for the Hawks where Josh Smith is on the way out. It would have been great if Atlanta had decided to draft Marquis Teague here and run an all-Teague backcourt with his brother Jeff. Love the Mike Scott pick.

Grade: C

Dallas Mavericks
No. 24 overall – Jared Cunningham, G, Oregon State
No. 33 overall – Bernard James, C, Florida State
No. 34 overall – Jae Crowder, F, Marquette

It doesn’t seem like Dallas was trying to do a ton in this draft. They dealt their 17th overall pick to Cleveland probably because there was no one they were in love with. They got three picks back for it and didn’t do anything crazy with them. One of the cooler moments in the draft though was Bernard James having his name called and walking to the podium. The crowd started chanting “U-S-A” because James served three tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. Dallas’ main priority this offseason is wooing Deron Williams and/or Dwight Howard.

Grade: C

Memphis Grizzlies
No. 25 overall – Tony Wroten, Jr., PG, Washington

The Grizzlies wanted a point guard and a lot of mocks had them going with Marquis Teague but they choose Tony Wroten, Jr. instead. Jay Bilas calls Wroten, Jr. a taller Rajon Rondo. That means he’s a good passer and can’t shoot a lick. Maybe it’s what Memphis needs and there is some upside there.

Grade: C

Utah Jazz
No. 47 overall – Kevin Murphy, SG, Tennessee Tech

Utah has enough young players from the last few drafts that they didn’t care too much about this year. Kevin Murphy is the only player from this draft to score 50 or more points in game last year in college. Why not?

Grade: C

Miami Heat
No. 45 overall – Justin Hamilton, C, LSU

Miami could have had Perry Jones III at No. 27 and it would have been just as scary as OKC getting him if not more so. They just didn’t want to have to pay a first rounder this year. Their cap space will be tight the next few seasons. They trade down here and get a 7-footer which they need. Something tells me we won’t see a ton of Justin Hamilton playing for the defending champs.

Grade: C

San Antonio Spurs
No. 59 overall – Marcus Denmon, G, Missouri

The Spurs drafted him so he’ll be an All-Star in four years. Marcus Denmon feels a little Patty Mills/James Anderson. The Spurs probably aren’t expecting too much from Denmon though.

Grade: C

New York Knicks
No. 48 overall – Kostas Papanikolaou, F, Greece

Not doing anything here. The home crowd really loved this pick at least.

Grade: C-

Los Angeles Clippers
No. 53 overall – Furkan Aldemir, PF, Turkey

Love this pick. He may never play in the NBA but he is a great rebounder and can only score on putbacks, according to Fran Fraschilla. What’s not to love?

Grade: C-

Los Angeles Lakers
No. 55 overall – Darius Johnson-Odom, SG, Marquette
No. 60 overall – Robert Sacre, C, Gonzaga

Darius Johnson-Odom plays the wrong sport. He’d be an awesome football player and used that to his advantage in college for Marquette. He will look a lot smaller in the NBA. If Robert Sacre is playing for the Lakers next season, it won’t be a good thing.

Grade: C-

Brooklyn Nets
No. 41 overall – Tyshawn Taylor, PG, Kansas
No. 54 overall – Tornike Shengelia, PF, Georgia
No. 57 overall – Ilkan Karaman, PF, Turkey

Brooklyn not trying to go crazy here. They are just praying for Deron Williams and Dwight Howard to hookup in their new city. Tyshawn Taylor might make it as a backup point in this league but nothing more. Tornike Shengelia goes by “Toko” and is a 6-foot-9 scorer who is good at attacking and can score around the rim well but has no jumper. Ilkan Karamen has a ton of tattoos and may “never play in the NBA” according to Fran Fraschilla.

Grade: C-

Minnesota Timberwolves
No. 58 overall – Robbie Hummel, SF, Purdue

Kevin Love, Chase Budinger and now Robbie Hummel. Good luck rest of league.

Grade: C-

Indiana Pacers
No. 26 overall – Miles Plumlee, PF, Duke
No. 36 overall – Orlando Johnson, SG, UCSB

This may have been the worst draft pick ever, worse than Sam Bowie. With names like Perry Jones III, Draymond Green and Festus Ezeli on the board, Indiana elects to take the worst Plumlee brother, Miles. If they weren’t Indiana and known for their white hoopsters, this would be an even worse pick. It’s still so horrible though words can’t describe it. There’s nothing that could make this pick ever make sense. They get Orlando Johnson from UCSB in the second round who was a 20-point scorer last year and might do something for them.

Grade: F

Soobum-Im-US PRESSWIRE

The Oklahoma City Thunder have found themselves in a tough spot. Being down 0-2 in an NBA Playoff series is not a good place to be.

In the history of the NBA, only 14 teams have comeback from a 0-2 deficit to win a playoff series. Three times it happened in the NBA Finals, three times it happened in the Conference Finals and three times it happened in a 5-game series.

The Thunder will have to do just that against the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Finals if they don’t want their season to end.

The problem is that the Spurs are playing like the best team in the NBA right now. They’ve won 20-straight games, which is tied for the third most ever in the NBA, and haven’t lost since April 11.

But it has happened before and if there is one thing you can say about the Thunder it is that they never give up and stop fighting.

How do teams come back from a 0-2 deficit? What usually happens?

The Thunder can look at a couple of teams that may show them a possible blue print.

2007 ECF: Cavaliers beat the Pistons 4-2

LeBron James and Cleveland lose the first two games 79-76 each time in Detroit. Those weren’t fun games to watch.

Then LeBron makes the leap. He has the memorable 48-point game five and it feels like the NBA will never be the same because LeBron is becoming the most unstoppable force ever.

The Cavaliers would lose to the Spurs in the NBA Finals but LeBron gave us a glimpse of just how talented he could become.

Kevin Durant has a chance to do exactly what LeBron did in 2007 in this series. It’s time for him to step up and have a huge playoff series. Only once in his career has he averaged more than 30 per game in a playoff series.

Durant may need to suddenly jump to another level of greatness for the Thunder to win.

2006 Finals: Heat beat Mavericks 4-2

Dallas proves why they are a much better team than Miami in Games 1 and 2 then Dwyane Wade and the referees take over the rest of the series.

Wade shoots 739 free throws in the final four games of the series and puts up historic NBA Finals numbers.

The Thunder are a team with a ton of bogus-foul calls potential. Couldn’t you see Durant, Westbrook and Harden start flailing their bodies into the Spurs over the next four games and getting every call?

Doesn’t David Stern and the NBA want to see LeBron vs. Durant in the Finals? Let’s make this happen.

1993 ECF: Bulls beat Knicks 4-2

The Thunder are reminiscent in many ways of the late-80’s, early-90’s Chicago Bulls teams. They may not have a Michael Jordan but overall they look comparable from time to time.

The Bulls lost the first two games on the road to the Knicks in this 1993 series. Those games were physical and the Bulls were not in their usual rhythm until they returned home and showed why the more talented team won the series.

The Thunder and Spurs games haven’t been especially physical but the Thunder have been out of rhythm so far in the series and haven’t been playing to their potential yet.

There is a ton of potential for this series to look a lot different when it gets to OKC on Thursday and that could propel a Thunder comeback.

Conclusion

It is possible but very unlikely for an NBA team to come back from a 0-2 deficit in a playoff series. It is even harder when you are playing a team as good as the Spurs.

But if you were going to pick a team to do this wouldn’t it be a team like this Thunder team? A team on the rise who shows tons of potential but not all the time? A team with the best player in this series who is on the verge of “making the leap?”

There’s still hope.