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Are the OKC Thunder committed to Jeremy Lamb?

Andrew Kennedy — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:23:20 +0000

Take a look at this highlight video of Jeremy Lamb in the D-League this past season. Impressive, right?

Lamb has got talent and this coming season, we should start to see him playing a lot more.

The Thunder are more than likely not going to bring Kevin Martin back which will mean Lamb should start seeing some of those minutes. I could see DeAndre Liggins maybe getting some of those minutes at the start but there’s no reason to believe Lamb shouldn’t emerge in the backup two-guard role next year.

We don’t know yet how committed the Thunder are to Lamb. He hardly played for OKC last season and the Thunder didn’t actually draft him, as he was acquired as part of the James Harden trade. So we’re not sure exactly how much the Thunder saw in him.

And now headed into the upcoming NBA Draft, the Thunder will have three draft picks with one of those coming in the lottery. Basically, the Thunder will have an opportunity to get a young player other than Lamb if they decide that’s what they want to do.

We should get a good feel for how the Thunder feel about Lamb this offseason and around the time of the draft, especially. If the Thunder are trying to trade Lamb at that time, then Lamb’s days in OKC may be numbered. If the Thunder draft a big man in the lottery and then go international late in the first round, Lamb should be considered the prospect of the future for this franchise.

A lot of pressure is on Lamb now that Martin has clearly been labeled as a rental as part of the Harden trade. Lamb and the No. 12 pick in this year’s draft are the real assets OKC received for Harden.

Here’s what Royce Young of Daily Thunder said on the deal: “Allow me to rehash: The James Harden trade, which is already being labeled as a disaster by many, wasn’t about Martin. Martin was merely a stopgap while Lamb seasoned (get it? you get it). The trade really was for Lamb and what’s now the No. 12 pick. The Thunder may choose to keep Martin, but it would take him giving OKC a significant discount. He’s 30 years old and not the best fit in the world.”

Is it possible that they will someday be able to semi-replace the Beard? Only time will tell.

NBA Draft 2013: Dario Saric withdraws from draft

Andrew Kennedy — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 20:14:29 +0000

Croatian forward Dario Saric has officially withdrawn from the 2013 NBA Draft.

Saric was one of the highest projected international prospects and was even described as a European Magic Johnson. It’s interesting that Saric would withdraw considering how weak this draft is thought to be and the strength of next year’s.

Saric was drawing interest from a lot of teams, including the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder have three picks in the upcoming draft and the thought is that they would go with an international flavor with one of them.

Saric was projected to be anywhere from a lottery pick to a late first round selection. With the 12th pick, the Thunder could have gone with Saric with the idea of stashing him overseas for a a year or two.

It is still pretty likely that the Thunder will draft an international player with one of their picks.

Rudy Gobert from France is one potential prospect they could go after but like Saric, he may be off the board in the lottery.

The Thunder may also go with Giannis Antetokounmpo or Dennis Schroeder.

If the Thunder do go with an international players, the likelihood that we will be seeing him in a Thunder uniform any time soon is pretty slim.

Russell Westbrook Injury Update: No more crutches

Andrew Kennedy — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 15:44:23 +0000

Russell Westbrook has been killing it on Vine lately. Yesterday, it wasn’t the usual video of him singing Taylor Swift will strumming on his crutches.

It appears that Westbrook no longer needs crutches for the partial tear of his MCL that he suffered in Game 2 of the Oklahoma City Thunder’s first round series vs. the Houston Rockets.

Westbrook limps out into the backyard of his house with the crutches, then attempts to break them and throws the crutches into the pool. Then he shoots a basketball into the pool while saying, “I’m back.”

The injury Westbrook suffered courtesy of Patrick Beverley was actually not that serious, but it did come at a time so late in the season that he clearly would not have been able to return, even if the Thunder had made it to the NBA Finals.

It’s no surprise that Westbrook will have a speedy recovery from this and he will likely be 100 percent by the start of next season. Westbrook is after all a freak when it comes to injuries and this was the first time ever he was seriously hurt.

This is nothing like the situation Derrick Rose is in where he missed an entire season. Westbrook’s injury is one that NBA players typically return from in 6-8 weeks. The Thunder decided to play it safe and not try and rush him back to the court.

NBA Draft 2013: Kelly Olynyk is top, realistic prospect for OKC Thunder

Andrew Kennedy — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 16:48:12 +0000

May 16, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; Kelly Olynyk is interviewed during the NBA Draft combine at Harrison Street Athletics Facility. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

People never know exactly what’s going to happen in the NBA Draft. Take last year for instance when it was supposed to be an uneventful night for the Oklahoma City Thunder, only to be anything but as Perry Jones kept getting passed and passed until he fell into the lap of the Thunder.

This coming draft, the Thunder will have three picks, including the 12th overall. There’s been a lot of talk about what the Thunder might do with this pick and who they might take.

The consensus is pretty much that the Thunder will go with a big man here as they plan for the future in replacing Kendrick Perkins.

Adam Fromal of Bleacher Report says that Kelly Olynyk of Gonzaga would be the best, realistic prospect for the Thunder at this pick.

Fromal believes Nerlens Noel, Alex Len and Steven Adams will be off the board by the 12th pick leaving the Thunder to decide between big men like Olynyk, Cody Zeller, Rudy Gobert, Mason Plumlee and Gorgui Dieng.

Olynyk had a great season at Gonzaga last year as one of the most efficient players in the entire nation. He averaged 17.8 points, 7.3 rebounds and shot 62.9 percent from the field.

That immediately makes him sound like an upgrade offensively over Perkins, which is no hard task.

We know though that to gain playing time under Scott Brooks, you need to be able to produce on the defensive end, an area where Olynyk will have to work on upon entering the league.

You can still make the argument that perhaps Zeller has more upside than Olynyk. Zeller tested through the roof during the draft combine, although that doesn’t always mean everything.

The Thunder could also potentially see the likes of C.J. McCollum or Shabazz Muhammad slip to them at No. 12 and elect to go the route of two-guard.

Odds are though that the Thunder will go with a big man here.

NBA Draft Trade Rumors: Should OKC Thunder trade back with Atlanta Hawks?

Andrew Kennedy — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 15:00:09 +0000

Feb. 10, 2013; Phoenix, AZ, USA: Oklahoma City Thunder shooting guard Thabo Sefolosha against the Phoenix Suns at the US Airways Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The Oklahoma City Thunder will have three draft picks in the upcoming NBA Draft.

Their first one is the 12th overall pick and in what has been described as a pretty weak draft class, the idea of trading that pick may make sense.

Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman has proposed the idea of dealing with the Atlanta Hawks and sending them the No. 12 pick in exchange for the 17th and 18th overall picks.

The idea behind making this if you’re the Thunder is you double your chances in landing a solid player. There are never any guarantees in drafting someone in the middle of the first round.

Thinking this way to make this trade would almost be having less confidence in your ability to draft talent if you are Thunder GM Sam Presti. It’s hard to imagine him having that mindset, unless he just really has a few players he likes that he knows he can get at 17 and 18 and isn’t in love with anyone who will be available at 12.

I feel like Presti will eventually find someone that the Thunder can draft in the lottery that he really likes and believes can contribute right away. The Thunder and Presti have a really good track record in the draft and bringing in two or more rookies to this team doesn’t seem necessary as the Thunder roster is already pretty deep with quality talent.

I think there will be a better chance of Presti packaging the 12th pick and one or both of the Thunder’s other picks to move up a few spots and pick a player like Cody Zeller or Steven Adams.

The draft is less than two weeks away now, June 27.

NBA Finals 2013: Kevin Durant calls out Chris Bosh for flopping

Andrew Kennedy — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 14:26:23 +0000

Chris Bosh did some accentuating of contact during Game 4 of the NBA Finals last night.

On this drive by Gary Neal, Tim Duncan screened Bosh and then Bosh made it look like something else.

The play did not go unnoticed by Kevin Durant while he was watching the game.

Crazy flop by bosh ahaha too funny

— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) June 14, 2013

Bosh definitely flopped on this play. The Heat won the game easily so there’s of course no sense looking at one or two plays as being decisive in this game.

Flopping like this is just something we’re going to have to continue to get use to in this league. The fines won’t stop it and why would they? If you can earn points by flopping like Bosh did then why not accept the $5,000 fine?

One of the great things about the Oklahoma City Thunder is how rarely Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook flop. We had a big time flopper last year in James Harden.

Westbrook is the best though. He plays so fast there’s just no chance he will ever even think to flop.

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Will Kevin Durant have a better career than George Gervin?

Andrew Kennedy — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 14:19:03 +0000

Former San Antonio Spurs All-Star George Gervin joined First Take yesterday because the NBA Finals are currently in San Antonio.

Gervin was asked by Skip Bayless what he thought about Kevin Durant and if he thought Durant would end up being better than him.

Gervin said that he thought the comparison between himself and Durant was a good one and that Durant will be much better than he was.

This is obvious right? Gervin was a legend and one of the all-time great scorers but what we’re seeing from Durant so far in his career has to project him much higher than Gervin.

Gervin started out in the ABA then played in the NBA with the Spurs from 1976-1985. He led the league in scoring four times. His best season he averaged 33.1 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.6 assists while shooting 52.8 percent from the field in 1979-80.

That’s a great year but is dwarfed by the year Durant had this season when he nearly led the league in scoring while throwing up 50-40-90 shooting splits. Durant also pulls down many more rebounds and even assists this season.

Gervin got to the conference finals three times in his career and his team lost each time. Durant has already been to the Finals and the chances he returns multiple times seems almost certain.

The comparison is still a good one that Durant plays similarly to Gervin. He’s just a much better version of him.

Why this LeBron James didn’t show up in the NBA Finals vs. the OKC Thunder

Andrew Kennedy — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 14:21:06 +0000

Jun 11, 2013; San Antonio, TX, USA; Miami Heat small forward LeBron James (6) looks to pass against San Antonio Spurs power forward Tim Duncan (21) during the first quarter of game three of the 2013 NBA Finals at the AT

There is a common belief out there between most sports media members that something changed in LeBron James last year when he won his first NBA championship.

LeBron finally got over the hump and now he would be free to go on and win title after title for the rest of his career.

It starting to seem like the actual matchups and basketball being played on the floor was overlooked.

As we watch the NBA Finals this year, it’s impossible not to remember the way LeBron and the Miami Heat played in 2011 against the Dallas Mavericks.

LeBron looks passive and unsure of himself while the Spurs are executing a game plan to contain him.

It’s my belief that one of LeBron’s greatest strengths is taking what the defensive gives him. You could easily make the case that this San Antonio team and Dallas in 2011 have done the bets job in not giving LeBron much to work with on offense.

So what does LeBron do when he is looking to penetrate and sees two guys waiting in the paint for him? He makes the right basketball play and swings the ball on the perimeter hoping to find an open man. It can work and it did in Game 2 but the Spurs were more prepared last night and the constant deferring by LeBron seems to have gotten in his head and made him revert back to 2011 Finals form.

It also seems that LeBron is a little more passive than usual in the Finals. He definitely has been this year and in 2011 compared to the series leading up to it and even last year, he didn’t exactly dominate the Thunder by overwhelming them.

You could even say LeBron wasn’t aggressive last year. He posted up more but the Thunder allowed it and often had James Harden trying to defend LeBron in the post. Kevin Durant got in foul trouble far too often as well and the Thunder’s rotations resembled a chicken with its head cut off. They played right into what LeBron could do and it all came together for the King and the Heat. That’s how they won the title and there’s nothing wrong with that.

LeBron is a certain way though. He won’t overwhelm a good, disciplined team like the Mavs or Spurs and that’s what we’re seeing again in these Finals. He can’t just sit in the post and wait for a double and know he can easily pick apart the Thunder’s rotations.

This series looks like it’s going to demand LeBron to do something he’s not crazy about. He needs to force the issue more, work hard to create more for himself and in turn that will of course also mean creating more for his teammates.

The Heat should have a better chance to come back in this series than they did in 2011 simply because their opponent doesn’t have that Dirk Nowitzki.

But let’s not act like because the Heat are a really bad matchup for the Thunder that now LeBron is a different person, a champion who we don’t need to worry about on the biggest stage in the sport. LeBron is who he is and always has been. He’s simply not a killer, unless his opponent allows him to. The Spurs won’t and that’s why this series and what is to come will be so interesting.

NBA Draft 2013: List of players the OKC Thunder are working out

Andrew Kennedy — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 16:21:13 +0000

Apr 10, 2013; Bloomington, IN, USA; Indiana Hoosiers player Cody Zeller at a press conference for the NBA draft. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowksi-USA TODAY Sports

The Oklahoma City Thunder will have three picks in the upcoming NBA Draft, which will take place June 27. The Thunder will have the 12th, 29th and 31st overall picks.

The Thunder have started working out players for the draft. Below is a list of who is known to be working out for the Thunder, via The Oklahoman:

Steve Adams, Pittsburgh
Vander Blue, Marquette
Robert Covington, Tennessee State
Gorgui Dieng, Louisville
Mouhammadou Jaiteh, France
Ray McCallum, Detroit
Kelly Olynyk, Gonzaga
Mason Plumlee, Duke
Adonis Thomas, Memphis
Janis Timma, Latvia
Cody Zeller, Indiana

These are all players the Thunder should have a chance to draft with their current picks. There is a chance that Adams or Zeller could be off the board by No. 12 but everyone else should be available at one point or another for the Thunder.

Adams has been gaining the most steam as a potential draft pick for the Thunder along with Olynyk, Zeller and Dieng.

We see a few international players on this list as well. Many people think the Thunder will once again go the international route with one of their picks and since they don’t exactly need to add three rookies to their roster.

OKC Thunder: Time Is All They Need

Cyrus Geller — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 11:00:26 +0000

May 11, 2013; Memphis, TN, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder small forward Kevin Durant (35) shoots a free throw in game three of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedEx Forum. Mandatory Credit: Spruce Derden-USA TODAY Sports

While watching this year NBA finals, you can’t help but think what would happen if OKC had gotten this far, and if Westbrook hadn’t gone down in the first round against Houston, they probably would have rolled to the finals. However, even with a healthy Westbrook I think they would have gotten shellacked by the Heat. OKC is just not ready to take down the Heat quite yet. Sure, they have all the talent they need and they really have the experience as well. But, this team is a very different team from the one that advanced to the finals in 2011. It may not appear that way on paper, but they are in fact a very different ball club.

The major roster change that we see is the fact that James Harden was replaced by Kevin Martin. This may not seem like a giant change, but it totally alters how the Thunder play basketball. If Harden was still in OKC, I wouldn’t be saying that all the Thunder need is time. They would have already had a lot of time being in that “Harden era” and they would know how to win basketball games playing as that type of team. But now it is very different. They don’t have to start from square one, but they definitely have to take a step back and survey their basketball team.

They don’t need any high profile free agents, or any high draft picks. This would only slow the process of winning a championship even more. If they added a guy like Dwight Howard, the chemistry would be thrown totally off, and the identity of the team would be lost, and it would take a long time to find it again. With Martin now in the fold for OKC, the way they attack the game is very different from the way they did when Harden was here. When Harden was in OKC, for the most part the game-plan for the Thunder would be to let KD and Westbrook do their thing for the first three quarters of the game, and then Harden would command the fourth. Harden would take the ball up the floor nearly as much as Westbrook did, and he would take control of the offense. Harden was a master in the pick and roll, and he knew exactly what to do with the basketball. He would get KD a lot of open jumpers, and Westbrook was rewarded with a lot of one on one coverage. This tactic worked tremendously for them, and if Harden had been here in 2012, then they would have given the Heat a run for their money in the finals. The reason they would have given them a better series this year is because they would have had time to get even better as a group.

Now that Harden is gone, they have had to seriously adjust the way they play the game. The biggest change comes in the fourth quarter in my opinion. KD is now much more of a distributor and Westbrook has a lot more free reign than he did when Harden was in OKC. I am not saying that this is a bad thing, in fact two or three years down the road I think this will turn out to be a good thing for the Thunder. But as of right now, they still struggle a bit as a team in the fourth quarter. Kevin Martin is a very good basketball player, but he is no James Harden. He is no James Harden in terms of talent, and in terms of how they play basketball. Martin is a very good spot-up shooter, while Hardens game is much more focused on getting the ball to the basket. What this means for OKC, is Durant must take on a much bigger role in commanding the offense and there was definitely a lot of learning curves in 2012. He was used to being just a scorer, and then all of a sudden he had to learn how to be a distributor as well. However, over the year he got a lot better and by the time the playoffs rolled around, I think he really was starting to get the hang of it. But it takes time. Time. Time. Time. Give Durant and Westbrook another whole year of playing without Harden, and I think they will be ready to take down Miami. Westbrook has gotten even better as a scorer, and he has also learned to play much more under control. If Westbrook played in 2012 like he did in 2011, then the Thunder probably are stuck with the three or four seed, because Harden wouldn’t be there to settle down the offense. But Westbrook has learned, and just like Durant, if you give him another whole year of learning to play like that, I think they will be ready to give Miami a good run for their money. Martin is really just a complementary piece to the Thunder’s “machine”. Harden was one of the big cogs in the machine, and the Thunder just have to get used to KD and Westbrook taking most of the responsibility.

The bottom line in all of this,is the Thunder have all the talent needed to beat Miami, but they still need the time to gel as a team, and work out all of the problems that they have. The Miami Heat really are a perfect example. They failed to win the title in 2010, but they came back, learned from what happened and came out a much better team. This is what the Thunder must do, they must recognize what they need to work on, and with time, they will come out as a much better basketball team.

OKC Thunder assistant Maurice Cheeks to become Detroit Pistons head coach

Andrew Kennedy — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 22:22:42 +0000

We had been hearing for a few weeks now that Maurice Cheeks was a strong candidate to become the new head coach of the Detroit Pistons and today it looks to becoming official.

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.

NBA Free Agency Rumors: Serge Ibaka backtracks on Kevin Martin departure comment

Andrew Kennedy — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 19:24:24 +0000

Feb. 10, 2013; Phoenix, AZ, USA: Oklahoma City Thunder power forward Serge Ibaka against the Phoenix Suns at the US Airways Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

A rumor that Kevin Martin was not going to re-sign with the Oklahoma City Thunder surfaced a few days ago with comments Serge Ibaka made to a foreign media outlet.

Ibaka said this: “There will be changes, like the departure of Kevin Martin. We have room for improvement and we have to add something to improve our play.”

Ibaka has since backtracked from those comments telling NBCSports.com: “I definitely don’t know nothing about it. I’m a player like him, so we just go play. That’s the kind of question you need to ask the (general) manager.”

I think we all had a suspicion that Ibaka didn’t really know anything here and that his words were either taken out of context or not translated correctly.

The fact still remains however that Martin’s departure from OKC is very likely. The Thunder probably aren’t going to want to offer him enough money to stay and whatever they do end up offering him, might be taken as an insult.

Martin has said that he is willing to accept less money to stay in OKC and that he really loves being a part of the Thunder franchise but it feels like his time here will only be remembered as a rental in the James Harden trade.

It’s for the better at the end of the day and puts the pressure on Scott Brooks to play Jeremy Lamb more which is something the Thunder need to commit to for the future of this team.

NBA Mock Draft Round-up: OKC Thunder linked to Steven Adams more than anyone else

Andrew Kennedy — Sun, 09 Jun 2013 16:06:25 +0000

January 19, 2013; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers center Steven Adams (13) battles for position with Connecticut Huskies forward Tyler Olander (right) during the first half at the Petersen Events Center. The Pittsburgh Panthers won 69-61. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

The 2013 NBA Draft is now less than three weeks away.

The Oklahoma City Thunder will have the 12th and 29th overall picks in the first round. Many believe the Thunder will go with a big man with their first pick with the idea that they will need to replace Kendrick Perkins down the road.

Steven Adams of Pittsburgh has been linked to the Thunder more than any other big recently and he even worked out with the Thunder last week.

After that first pick, many believe the Thunder will draft someone they can stash overseas for a few years. That’s why we’re seeing below names like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Alex Abrines.

ESPN’s Chad Ford
12. Steven Adams, Pittsburgh
29. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Greece

Draft Express
12. Kelly Olynyk, Gonzaga
29. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Greece

NBADraft.net
12. Steven Adams, Pittsburgh
29. Nate Wolters, South Dakota State

NBA.com
12. Kelly Olynyk, Gonzaga
29. Alex Abrines, Spain

CBS Sports
12. C.J. McCollum, Lehigh; Gorgui Dieng, Louisville
29. Dennis Schroeder, Germany; Ricky Ledo, Providence

The only change here from last week is NBADraft.net of course who is always changing their mock drafts, especially in the later parts of it. They’re also the only site that has the Thunder picking a U.S. player with their second pick of the first round. There’s really not a lot to take away from that.

Nike stands behind Kevin Durant in Oklahoma tornado victims relief effort

Andrew Kennedy — Sat, 08 Jun 2013 14:07:25 +0000

Nike.com

Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder became a hero in the real sense a few weeks back when he donated $1 million to the Red Cross to aid in the relief efforts of the tornado victims of Moore, Oklahoma.

It was an act that exemplified Durant’s generosity and commitment to the community that he has earned a reputation for.

Durant definitely set the tone in terms of athletes and people from the sports world reaching out to help with this tragedy.

Nike has backed its superstar baller in the relief effort, matching KD’s donation of $1 million as well as all profits of Durant’s new shoe (pictured above), the Oklahoma City KD V Elites that are sold on Nike.com or in Nike Retail Stores between May 23 and June 15.

The official release from Nike:

Nike stands with Kevin Durant to support the victims of the Oklahoma tornadoes. Nike will donate $1M worth of Nike products to those affected by the tornadoes, and all profits from Oklahoma City KD V Elites sold on Nike.com and in Nike Retail Stores between May 23 and June 15 will be donated equally between KaBOOM!, a national non-profit that builds playgrounds for children in need, and the Moore Public School Foundation, an Oklahoma non-profit that supports the Moore Public School District.

I think I speak for everyone here and who lives in Oklahoma, thank you Kevin Durant and thank you Nike!

Head on over to help out with the relief effort and buy a new pair of KD V Elites here.

Kevin Durant to join Jay-Z’s Roc Nation Sports, leave agent Rob Pelinka

Andrew Kennedy — Sat, 08 Jun 2013 13:54:51 +0000

Feb. 10, 2013; Phoenix, AZ, USA: Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (right) and center Kendrick Perkins on the bench against the Phoenix Suns at the US Airways Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Kevin Durant is teaming up with Jay-Z and leaving his current agent Rob Pelinka.

News broke yesterday that Durant would be joining Roc Nation Sports, which is rapper Jay-Z’s agency.

According to Yahoo! Sports, Durant said that he wants Jay-Z to handle his branding and that he had a chance to be with his idol and couldn’t say no. Durant also said that he doesn’t want a traditional NBA agent anymore.

This will be the third different agency that Durant has had in his NBA career and the change now comes at an interesting time since Durant’s contract won’t end until after the 2015-16 season. This was clearly a move that goes behind simply handling his contract in the NBA and is probably an effort for Durant to grow his name and his brand.

The rumors have already started that by Durant joining forces with Jay-Z that he may be more prone to leave the small market that is Oklahoma City when his contract is up. That is a long time from now and a lot can happen between now and then, including many things outside of this that could push Durant out of OKC.

Now is definitely not the time to consider if Durant’s days in OKC are numbered. We will see if anything noticeably changes for KD with this move like for instance, if Beyonce will come perform at Chesapeake Energy Arena next year.

The agency Durant left, Landmark Sports Agency, also reps Kobe Bryant, James Harden and Derek Fisher.

NBA Free Agency Rumors: OKC Thunder parting ways with Kevin Martin?

Andrew Kennedy — Sat, 08 Jun 2013 13:42:44 +0000

May 13, 2013; Memphis, TN, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder shooting guard Kevin Martin (23) brings the ball up court in game four of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedEx Forum. Memphis Grizzlies defeat the Oklahoma City Thunder 103-97, and lead in the series 3-1. Mandatory Credit: Spruce Derden-USA TODAY Sports

Serge Ibaka has been overseas in Treviso as a special guest of the Adidas Eurocamp and recently spoke to reporters.

“There will be changes, like the departure of Kevin Martin. We have room for improvement and we have to add something to improve our play.”

Via Ara

It’s not going to surprise anyone if Martin doesn’t re-sign with the Oklahoma City Thunder but we certainly have yet to hear for sure whether he will or not.

Martin himself has been very candid in saying that he would love to re-sign with the Thunder and that he is willing to take a paycut to do so.

It’s going to be extremely difficult for OKC to re-sign Martin. They’d really have to get him to accept about $5 million per year or maybe even less to ensure remaining below the luxury tax. That seems pretty unlikely.

Ibaka seems to know something here and maybe it’s common knowledge within the Thunder organization that Martin is definitely on the way out.

It will be a big loss for the Thunder but not one that will be impossible to recover from. Martin definitely provided scoring that will be tough to replace quickly but overall, the Thunder will be better in the long run moving on from Martin quickly.

Jeremy Lamb will be expected more than anyone to produce and get playing time in Martin’s absence. Reggie Jackson also should see a large increase in minutes perhaps.

Then of course we don’t know who the Thunder will be taking in the lottery of the upcoming NBA Draft. There too they could be looking for some help replacing Martin.

Ibaka also said this about whether he would be playing for Spain in the Eurobasket: “There’s time left to make a decision. I’m more tired than in previous seasons, but that’s no excuse. (…) I’ve had three years with no rest and I have the give thought to what I will do.”

NBA 2K14 cover to feature LeBron James for the first time ever

Andrew Kennedy — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 18:22:05 +0000

The 2K Sports team was building up 6.6.13 as a day where they would reveal something big about NBA 2K14 and that ended up being the cover.

For the first time in the history of the franchise, LeBron James of the Miami Heat will grace the cover.

This is obviously something that is long overdue and now is a pretty good time to get the King on the cover.

Last year, it was Kevin Durant, Derrick Rose and Blake Griffin sharing the cover. The year before it was Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird and the year before that (NBA 2K11) it was Jordan alone.

Each year since bringing MJ back to the game, 2K has done something big. They included over 30 classic NBA teams and last year included both the 1992 Dream Team and 2012 US Olympic team.

It is likely that they will keep some classic teams in the game this year but the number of those teams and legends on them did decline last year.

With LeBron gracing the cover, expect the franchise to start focusing more on the current NBA and the future there. They still have some work to do with modes like MyPlayer and online play. I doubt we will see as many legends as we have been in the past few years.

That’s okay because you can’t expect 2K Sports to dish out the kind of money necessary to keep getting those legends into the game. Plus, NBA 2K11-13 should still be very playable over the next few years.

NBA Draft 2013: Dario Saric may withdraw from draft, stay in Croatia

Andrew Kennedy — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 14:35:33 +0000

Sam Forencich/NBAE/Getty Images

The Oklahoma City Thunder have three picks in the upcoming NBA Draft and many people believe they will go with an international player with one of their picks that they can stow overseas.

One of the players that has been linked to the Thunder is Dario Saric of Croatia, who has been described as an international Magic Johnson.

Saric is ranked No. 11 by ESPN.com and was projected as a lottery pick. The New Orleans Pelicans, Portland Trail Blazers, Oklahoma City Thunder and Dallas Mavericks had all shown significant interest in Saric.

via ESPN.com

There are reports now that Saric may decide to withdraw from the draft and stay in Croatia another year. Saric will have until June 17 to decide.

Saric is 19 years old and averaged 15.7 points and 9.3 rebounds per game in the Coratian playoffs and was named the MVP of the finals.

If the Thunder are to pick Saric, they may have to do so with their lottery pick as many mock drafts have Saric getting picked as high as the early teens.

If the Thunder are to draft an international player that won’t come over right away with their lottery pick, it will really say a lot about what they think of the talent in this draft and that they are committed to Jeremy Lamb’s development.

NBA Finals Prediction: Heat, Spurs to face challenges they’ve yet to see in Playoffs

Andrew Kennedy — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 14:15:29 +0000

Nov 29, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; San Antonio Spurs center Boris Diaw (33) is pressured by Miami Heat small forward LeBron James (6) during the second half at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

The NBA Finals will start tonight with Game 1 tipping off at 9 p.m. EST in Miami. The Spurs will be looking for their fifth title since 1999 and the Heat will be looking for their second straight championship.

The matchup of the Heat and Spurs will feature four former Finals MVP’s and as many as six future Hall of Famers and maybe even more. The Heat and Spurs were at least two of the best three teams in the league this season along with the Oklahoma City Thunder, whose title chances ended with Russell Westbrook’s injury.

This is a matchup that we’ve all been waiting for. It could have easily happened last season as well. Remember how good the Spurs were playing up until Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals last year? They aren’t being touted as highly this year but within the team they do seem to feel they are better than a year ago and they only lost twice so far in these playoffs and swept both the Los Angeles Lakers and Memphis Grizzlies.

The Heat needed seven games to get past the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals, the only series that was a challenge to them so far in this postseason. Dwyane Wade hasn’t looked nearly himself and has only scored over 20 points twice so far in the playoffs. Chris Bosh was pathetic vs. the Pacers and averaged just seven points per game in the final four games of that series.

The Heat still have LeBron James and that is something that no one can match up with. The Pacers were built as well as any team to slow down the King and they did a solid job overall but LeBron still managed to average 29.0 points, 7.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game.

Overall, the Heat and Spurs haven’t played very many meaningful games since LeBron took his talents to South Beach. This season, both meetings did not include full rosters for either team and last year they only played each other once because of the lockout-shortened schedule. We don’t have a lot to go on in terms of prior meetings with these two teams.

Here are some important things to know going into this series:

The Spurs are not as good defensively as the Pacers or Bulls

Let’s not forget that the Pacers were the best defensive team in the NBA this season and they surely played the part in the ECF. The Spurs are good defensively but they aren’t the Pacers. Even the Bulls are a better defensive team than San Antonio. This is important because it means we should see the Heat able to get into their offense a lot better vs. the Spurs. We should see better ball movement, LeBron and Wade able to penetrate with more ease, more looks for Bosh and more open looks for Miami’s three-point shooters.

I think that Miami will be able to overwhelm the Spurs at times in the way that the Thunder started to do so last year in the WCF. This doesn’t mean Miami will definitely win the series because of this but don’t expect to see Miami to continue to struggle offensively the way they did against the Pacers.

The Spurs are by far the best offensive team Miami will see in the playoffs

This is pretty obvious but the Spurs’ offense will be something Miami has yet to experience in the playoffs. They are the definition of a well-oiled machine and if Miami has any defensive lapses like they did in a few games vs. Indiana, the Spurs will pick them apart.

The key to the Spurs’ offense is of course Tony Parker. If he can get into the lane with ease and dominate in the pick-and-roll then Miami will be in trouble. But if Miami can play defense the way they did in Game 7 vs. Indiana and force Parker into turnovers and the Spurs to not be able to get into their offense until late in the shot clock, the Spurs will be in trouble.

A lot of responsibility will lie on the shoulders of the Spurs’ role players as well. They will need to continue to make the open shots they will get and make other plays off the dribble against what will be a very aggressive Miami defense. We saw San Antonio’s role players kind of shrink away in the WCF vs. the Thunder last year and that can’t happen again.

The 2-3-2 format and the Spurs’ rest

The Spurs haven’t played since Monday, May 27 and that time off might make them rusty heading into Game 1 in Miami. No team ever wants to have that much time in between games but if there was a team that you think could handle it and use it to their advantage, that team is the Spurs.

The 2-3-2 format is always interesting too. Sometimes, the team with the worse record seems to have an advantage since they get three games in a row at home and can really steal the momentum of the series that way. The pressure will be off the Spurs in the first two games and if they can simply steal one of them, then going home for three in a row will be huge for them.

When you look at the Spurs and Miami, both teams are fully capable of winning on the road and won’t get into panic mode if they fall behind in the series.

The verdict

I think this series has to be a very close one. I don’t see how any team could really blow the other team out of the water and win in five games or something. Remember though that the Thunder outscored Miami overall in the first four games of the Finals last year so a series could still have close games and end early.

Each team will present the other with a new challenge they haven’t experience so far in the playoffs. And both teams have proven that they are able to rise to the occasion when they need to.

I think this series will go seven games much like the ECF did. If no team is able to win two games in a row, it wouldn’t surprise me at all. I do like Miami at the end of the day though. I think it will be too tough for San Antonio to defend the likes of LeBron and even Wade in this series for seven games and we may see Miami starting to dominate the deeper into the series we get, a la OKC last year in the WCF.

Prove me wrong though San Antonio. I wouldn’t be surprised if you do.

When will Jeremy Lamb’s time come for the OKC Thunder?

Andrew Kennedy — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 14:37:10 +0000

Apr 17, 2013; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Jeremy Lamb (11) attempts a dunk against the Milwaukee Bucks during the second half at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

One of the big pieces the Oklahoma City Thunder received from the Houston Rockets when they traded James Harden was Jeremy Lamb, who was drafted 12th overall by the Rockets in the 2012 NBA Draft.

Lamb was hardly seen during the regular season wearing a Thunder uniform as he spent most of his time in the D-League playing for the Tulsa 66ers.

Lamb played in 21 games in the D-League and averaged 21.0 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game for the 66ers. He was also named to the D-League Showcase team.

With the Thunder also acquiring Kevin Martin from the Rockets and the emergence of Reggie Jackson and signing of Derek Fisher, Lamb was not needed for the Thunder.

That may change next season as Martin is unlikely to be re-signed by the Thunder and the same goes for Fisher. Lamb says he has been patiently waiting for his time.

“They just told me be patient,” Lamb said, “and my time will come.”

via The Oklahoman

Lamb also said that he embraced his time in the D-League and that it made him a better player.

Lamb clearly showed an ability to score in a variety of ways playing with the 66ers. He has deep three-point range, a reliable floater from midrange and he is long and athletic enough to finish at the rim.

The main reason he wasn’t getting run with OKC this year was his inexperience and that he was playing behind a bunch of veterans. Scott Brooks also demands a certain defensive intensity from all of his players. Lamb has never been known for being a great defender and as a rookie last year, probably didn’t show enough to Brooks on that end of the floor to earn more of a chance.

Lamb should get a chance next season though. He’s been patient enough and if we don’t see him cracking the rotation next season, it will be reason for concern.

OKC Thunder Player Report Cards: Bench Edition

Eli J. Friedman — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 11:00:13 +0000

May 13, 2013; Memphis, TN, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Reggie Jackson (15) finishes a dunk as Memphis Grizzlies forward Darrell Arthur (00) and guard Keyon Dooling (55) look on in game four of the 2013 NBA Playoffs and lead the series 3-1. Memphis defeated Oklahoma 103-97 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

After looking at the starters this year for the Thunder, it’s now time to grade the bench mob this past year in Oklahoma City. With the draft coming up, this lineup may be different heading into next year so we will see if these guys will see be in the rotation.

Reggie Jackson

Stats from2011-2012: 3.1 points, 1.6 assists, 1.2 rebounds a game

Stats from this year: 5.3 points, 1.7 assists, 2.4 rebounds a game

Grade: A

Analysis: Out of the whole bench this year, Reggie Jackson had the best season. Improvements across the board, and he stepped up when Westbrook went down with the knee injury. Jackson proved himself in every possible. He matured, and even showed that he can be a candidate for 6^th man of the year award next year. So excited to see #15 next year even better.

Kevin Martin

Stats from2011-2012 with Rockets: 17.1 points, 2.8 assists, 2.7 rebounds a game

Stats from this year: 14 points, 1.4 assists, and 2.3 rebounds a game

Grade: C+

Analysis: I can’t really tell if I’m being too hard on Martin because I feel I shouldn’t be comparing him to Harden. Overall though, Kmart had an extremely inconsistent season. One night he’ll go for 25 points, and the next night he’ll finish with six points. That kind of stuff can’t happen. When Westbrook went down, his responsibility level increased, and sometimes he responded to it and other nights he just didn’t show up. I wouldn’t be surprised if Presti lets Martin go and has trust in a guy like Jeremy Lamb.

DeAndre Liggins

Stats from2011-2012 with Magic: 1.9 points, 0.3 assists, 0.9 rebounds a game

Stats from this year: 1.5 points, 0.4 assists, 1.4 rebounds a game

Grade: B

Analysis: Liggins isn’t a stat guy as he just loves to play his role. The former Kentucky guard spent his season going back and forth from Tulsa to Oklahoma City. He is a defensive specialist who just loves to get after it with his hustle and energy. He had a great week mid-way through the season which put himself in the rotation for a little while.

Nick Collison

Stats from2011-2012: 4.5 points, 1.3 assists, 4.5 rebounds a game

Stats from this year: 5.1 points,1.5 assists, 4.1 rebounds a game

Grade: B

Analysis: An improvement scoring the ball this year, but other than that I didn’t see much improvement from Collison. He had great games and then games where he just didn’t show up. I would consider this year a bump in the road for Collison, but he is still a fan favorite.

Hasheem Thabeet

Stats from2011-2012 in Portland: 1.9 points, 0 assists, 2.3 rebounds a game

Stats from this year: 2.9 points, 0.2 assists, 3 rebounds a game

Grade:C-

Analysis: I was excited when Sam Presti signed this guy, not going to lie. I thought he’d come into Oklahoma City and turn his career around. Evidently that didn’t happen. There’s not much to say about Thabeet, other than he is a waste of his 7 foot body. Who knows though? Maybe Thunder big man coach Mark Bryant can work with him and help his game a lot.

NBA Draft 2013: Adonis Thomas’ workout with OKC Thunder a success

Andrew Kennedy — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 14:22:34 +0000

Mar 16, 2013; Tulsa, OK, USA; Memphis Tigers forward Adonis Thomas (4) drives around Southern Miss Golden Eagles forward Jonathan Mills (24) during the championship game of the Conference USA tournament at the BOK Center. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

Most of the focus around the Oklahoma City Thunder and the upcoming NBA Draft has been around their first pick, the 12th overall pick they have via the Toronto Raptors.

The Thunder also have three more picks in the draft and while they probably won’t end up drafting and keeping four players, they will have a chance to get someone else after the lottery.

Adonis Thomas, who left Memphis after his sophomore season, worked out with the Thunder yesterday and called it a success.

Oklahoma City Thunder workout was a success! Great workout with a great group of guys! Thanks to #OKC for having me! Next stop……….#DC

— Adonis Thomas (@AllDayThomas) June 3, 2013

Thomas averaged 11.7 points and 4.5 rebounds per game with the Tigers last season. He is 6-foot-7, 240 pounds and will likely be a small forward in the NBA.

He is a physical specimen that can’t really shoot. He needs to develop into a great defender who can rebound to make it in this league. One day it would be nice if he could shoot the corner three.

Thomas isn’t even projected to get picked at all by DraftExpress so the Thunder probably won’t be thinking about him until the end of the second round.

Thomas is the kind of player that would probably be a nice addition to the Tulsa 66ers as there is no doubt he that he won’t have a chance to play with the Thunder next season.

The other player we know that the Thunder worked out yesterday was Steven Adams from Pittsburgh, who is a player the Thunder will consider with their first pick.

NBA Draft 2013: OKC Thunder working out Steven Adams

Andrew Kennedy — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 19:41:58 +0000

Jan 16, 2013; Villanova, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers center Steven Adams (13) dunks during the second half against the Villanova Wildcats at the Pavilion. Pitt defeated Villanova 58-43. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

One of the players picking up the most steam heading into the 2013 NBA Draft has been Pittsburgh’s Steven Adams.

Adams was extremely impressive during the NBA Draft Combine not just because of how athletic he is for his size but his ability to consistently stroke the midrange jumper.

Most people are predicting the Oklahoma City Thunder will draft a big man with the 12th overall pick in the NBA Draft and Adams’ name has been one that has been coming up.

The Thunder are even working Adams out today.

Steven Adams is in Oklahoma City and is working out with the Thunder today: on.fb.me/12pIfyG

— Royce Young (@dailythunder) June 3, 2013

I like the idea of drafting a big with the 12th pick for the Thunder. They definitely need to replace Kendrick Perkins sometime down the road and there are a few bigs projected in this lottery that do seem to have at least some potential.

Adams is athletic and skilled enough to knock down jumpers which are two things that make him seem like a pretty good fit in OKC.

Aside from Adams, a couple of other bigs that could be good fits in OKC include Alex Len, Cody Zeller or Gorgui Dieng.

NBA Mock Draft Round-up: OKC Thunder most likely thinking big man in lottery

Andrew Kennedy — Sun, 02 Jun 2013 20:38:43 +0000

Feb 18, 2013: Pittsburgh, PA, USA: Pittsburgh Panthers center Steven Adams (13) finishes a dunk against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the second half at Petersen Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Pugliese-USA TODAY Sports

Update: Steven Adams is working out with the Thunder.

Not a lot has changed in the past week in the various NBA mock drafts around the Internet.

The Oklahoma City Thunder, who will be picking 12th and 29th overall in the first round, are most likely going to take a big man in the lottery according to many of these mocks.

The thought process behind the Thunder going with a big man is that they will eventually need a replacement for Kendrick Perkins when his deal is up. Aside from that, the Thunder may look to draft a player that they can stow away overseas for a few seasons.

ESPN’s Chad Ford
12. Steven Adams, Pittsburgh
29. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Greece

Draft Express
12. Kelly Olynyk, Gonzaga
29. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Greece

NBADraft.net
12. Steven Adams, Pittsburgh
29. Reggie Bullock, North Carolina

NBA.com
12. Kelly Olynyk, Gonzaga
29. Alex Abrines, Spain

CBS Sports
12. C.J. McCollum, Lehigh
29. Dennis Schroeder, Germany

CBS Sports is the only mock that has the Thunder going non-big with their first pick. McCollum would be a great fit and there has been some talk that the Thunder would like to take him to help replace Kevin Martin if he is available.

There’s a lot of love for Adams too. Adams was very impressive at the draft combine in particular shooting the midrange jumper. His stock has been rising ever since and he is a great athlete too which would make him a good fit with OKC.

Only NBADraft.net has the Thunder taking a non-international player with the 29th pick. The Thunder essentially stow away players in the D-League these days now too so they don’t have to necessarily draft an international player if they’re looking for someone who may not be playing right away.

With four picks in this draft, the Thunder will more than likely be looking to make some trades. They definitely don’t need four more rookies on the roster next season.

Thunder Player Report Cards: Starting Five

Eli J. Friedman — Sat, 01 Jun 2013 19:41:49 +0000

Jun 2, 2012; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) leads center Kendrick Perkins (5) and forward Kevin Durant (35) up-court in the final minutes of the game against the San Antonio Spurs in game four of the Western Conference finals of the 2012 NBA playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. The Thunder beat the Spurs 109-103. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

We’re about 17 days past the last Thunder game of the 2012-2013 season. The starting five for the Thunder, according to hoopsstats.com, averaged 156.8 minutes, 75.1 points, and an 89.9 efficiency rating a game. Now it’s time to give each starter a grade for the season.

Russell Westbrook

Grade: A-

Stats from 2011-2012: 23.6 points, 5.5 assists, 4.6 rebounds a game

Stats on the year: 23.2 points, 7.4 assists, 5.2 rebounds a game

Best Game: Against the Lakers at home on March 5^th as he went for 37 points and 10 rebounds.

I keep saying it to myself and it keeps lingering on me: With a healthy Westbrook, the Thunder would be in the same position the Spurs are in right now. It hurts to say that, but it’s true. Westbrook had a wonderful year. He is starting to become an all-around player on both ends of the floor. The stat that really jumps out at me is that he increased his assists a game from 5.5 to 7.4. He made the all NBA 2^nd team for the third straight year. I can’t wait to see the crowds standing ovation when they announce his name on opening day.

Thabo Sefolosha

Grade: B+

Stats from 2011-2012: 4.8 points, 1.5 assists, 3.0 rebounds a game

Stats on the year: 7.6 points, 1.7 assists, 3.9 rebounds a game

Best game: Against Houston on March 20^th, as he went for 28 points on 6-10 from deep. Hello.

Look at those stats again. All improvements. Small ones, but still improvements. I think Sefolosha had an overall great year. He shot about 41 percent from deep this year, and played his role. His ability to hit timely threes were big, and helpful. When Durant or Westbrook got into the lane, Sefolosha was able to relocate and usually be the one stepping into a three. I don’t think Sam Presti should let him go.

Kevin Durant

Grade: A

Stats from 2011-2012: 28 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists a game

Stats on the year: 28.1 points, 7.9 rebounds, 4.6 assists a game

Best Game: Against the Mavs in Dallas, when he went for 52 points. Not too bad.

Did he win his fourth scoring title in a row this year? No. Did he win the MVP? No. Did he carry his team back to the Finals? No. Did he hell one hell of a season? Yes. Its beyond stats for KD at this point. His leadership, his ability to do legit everything now for this team(not only score), and still be unselfish amazes me. Durant averaged close to 6 assists a game, which is such an underrated stat for this guy. I would love to see KD come back next year, win the MVP, and a ring with his sidekick back and healthy. The limits to his game are endless.

Serge Ibaka

Grade: C+

Stats from 2011-2012: 9.1 points a game, 7.5 rebounds a game, and 3.7 blocks a game.

Stats on the year: 13.2 ppg, 7.7 rebounds a game, 3 blocks a game

Best game: Double-double with 17 points and 14 rebounds in a Game 4 loss to the Grizzlies.

Looking back at the 2012-2013 season, many players made a big jump and improvement from the previous season. One of those guys was the Congo native, Serge Ibaka.

He improved, and you can’t deny it. He got better and grew, just as the Thunder organizes stressed: Progression. Did Ibaka have the year Thunder fans wished? Maybe not. But he still improved. His mid-range game improved. His ability to come over from the weak side and alter a shot improved. However, he still has tons of work to do as he needs to work on finishing around the basket, getting stronger, and continuing to try to become a knock down 15 foot shooter.

Kendrick Perkins

Grade: D-

Stats from 2011-2012: 5.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists a game

Stats this year: 4.2 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.4 assists a game

Best Game: None come to mind.

Don’t mind those stats you just read. How about this one?

Perk’s stats from 08-09 in Boston: 10.1 points a game, 7.6 rebounds, 1 assist a game

Stats from this year in OKC: 4.2 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.4 assists a game

Where is the Boston Perk that Sam Presti traded for in exchange for Jeff Green? Welp.

Part two of the player report cards will be posted soon. Stay tuned!

OKC Thunder with second brightest future in NBA behind Miami Heat

Andrew Kennedy — Sat, 01 Jun 2013 13:55:14 +0000

Mar 17, 2013; Dallas, TX, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) celebrates with guard Russell Westbrook (0) during the game against the Dallas Mavericks at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

As we watch the Miami Heat in the playoffs this year, we are seeing signs of their eventual demise.

LeBron James is playing like the player he was in Cleveland because he has to at this point with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh unable to contribute at All-Star levels. Beyond their big three, we’re talking about mostly veterans on the last legs of their careers.

Yet, the Heat still have the brightest future in the NBA according to ESPN’s Future Power Rankings. It’s a poll position that used to belong to the Oklahoma City Thunder and one that we all thought would continue to belong to OKC for years to come.

Apparently, the loss of James Harden costs this much. Now the Heat just need to have LeBron to be considered in better shape heading forward.

The ironic thing now too is that with the Houston Rockets acquiring Harden, they now sit in the number three spot on this list.

These rankings aren’t exactly guaranteeing the future and perhaps they are a little off projecting in light of what we are seeing most recently from Wade and Bosh.

So do the Thunder still have the brightest future in the league other than the Heat?

I’d say they definitely do. When you have Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, that’s two players who should be considered top five players in the league over the next five years. No other team can say that.

There is some talk that Serge Ibaka may be starting to hit his ceiling but that is really unfair to say especially considering that he is just 23 years old right now.

The rest of the Thunder is still pretty young too and they have some really young talents in Reggie Jackson, Jeremy Lamb and Perry Jones that all have chances to blossom into quality players as well.

When Sam Presti made the Harden trade, it was in an effort to have the Thunder set up to compete at the highest level for the next 10 years. I think it is still safe to say that they can do just that.

The Thunder may have taken a step back this season (and the Westbrook injury of course didn’t help) but going forward things are as bright for OKC as any other franchise in the NBA.

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FanSided — Fri, 31 May 2013 23:05:05 +0000

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NBA Draft 2013: Shabazz Muhammad a natural fit with OKC Thunder?

Andrew Kennedy — Fri, 31 May 2013 15:51:55 +0000

May 16, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; Shabazz Muhammad is interviewed during the NBA Draft combine at Harrison Street Athletics Facility. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

There was a time when Shabazz Muhammad was thought of as a potential number one overall draft pick.

Now, he’s threatening to fall out of the lottery.

Muhammad, who played one season at UCLA before deciding to turn pro, was recently described by ESPN’s Chad Ford as a “natural fit” with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Outside of the top 10, the Oklahoma City Thunder, Dallas Mavericks and Utah Jazz all are natural fits. While a draft range of No. 8 to 14 is far from the No. 1 pick, it might just be what the doctor ordered for Muhammad. After being hyped his whole career, an escape from such crushing expectations might give him the freedom he needs to live up to his lofty potential.

via Chad Ford/ESPN

Muhammad definitely wouldn’t have much pressure on him if he were drafted by the Thunder. He wouldn’t have to start right away and may not even be getting much playing time since he would be starting out behind the likes of Reggie Jackson and possibly Jeremy Lamb.

Overall, Muhammad was a disappointment in his one season at UCLA but that doesn’t mean he will be a disappointment in the pros, especially if he is drafted by a steady franchise like the Thunder.

Muhammad is a lefty whose game somewhat resembles that of James Harden. Of course, no one now expects Muhammad to be of the same caliber in the NBA that Harden is but if he can do a poor man’s imitation that might work in OKC.

Scouts still believe Muhammad has the ability to become an elite scoring talent in the NBA. With Kevin Martin likely on the way out in OKC, trying to replace him with a guy who can score may be a great fit with Muhammad.

NBA Draft Rumors: OKC Thunder intrigued by C.J. McCollum

Andrew Kennedy — Thu, 30 May 2013 13:52:47 +0000

May 16, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; C.J. McCollum is interviewed during the NBA Draft combine at Harrison Street Athletics Facility. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

Most people have the Oklahoma City Thunder drafting a big man with the 12th overall pick in the upcoming NBA Draft.

Reports have surfaced that the Thunder are also intrigued by C.J. McCollum, the 6-foot-3, 200-pound guard from Lehigh.

While Oklahoma City has mostly been linked to bigs in the draft, a source insists the Thunder are intrigued by McCollum and think he could be an upgrade over Kevin Martin in their system. Other names to watch in the first round with the Thunder are Kelly Olynyk, Steven Adams, Rudy Gobert, Jeff Withey, or Gorgui Dieng as the search for Kendrick Perkins’ eventual replacement.

via Sheridan Hoops

McCollum was a career 20-point per game scorer in the Patriot League but missed over half of his senior season with an injury.

McCollum is apparently fully recovered from his injury and ever since his draft stock has been rising.

McCollum is seen as a combo guard who isn’t a true point but can really fill it up. Last year in college, he shot 51.6 percent from behind the three-point line and averaged 2.8 makes per game.

It’s hard to imagine that McCollum could be an upgrade over Kevin Martin immediately as a rookie but maybe he could be down the line.

Remember too that to get playing time under Scott Brooks, you need to be extremely committed on the defensive end. Otherwise, as Brooks has proven in recent years, a young player won’t be getting any run.

Many mock drafts have McCollum being selected well before the 12th pick too so if the Thunder are really sold on drafting him, they may have to trade up to do so.

If the Thunder really do like McCollum and don’t like Jeremy Lamb, they could package him together with a few draft picks to move up a few spots.

How much should the OKC Thunder offer Kevin Martin?

Andrew Kennedy — Wed, 29 May 2013 13:59:20 +0000

Kevin Martin will be an unrestricted free agent this summer and the Oklahoma City Thunder will have to decide if they want to try and re-sign him.

Martin made $12 million this season and would have to take a major pay cut to remain with the Thunder going forward. Martin has been very vocal in announcing how much he loves playing in OKC and that he would love to stay with the team past this season.

The problem is that with Serge Ibaka’s extension kicking in, he will be going from a rookie contract to $12.25 million next season. Most of the other players will also be making a little more next season as well.

Martin will likely be able to get $6-7 million somewhere else in free agency. The Thunder probably won’t be able to offer him even $5 million per year and anything less than that would be an insult to Martin.

Martin is not worth the price if it would put the Thunder into the luxury tax, which OKC would like to avoid at all costs.

The Thunder won a franchise-record 60 games this season and before the injury to Russell Westbrook, looked to be the favorites in the Western Conference. Martin averaged 14.0 points per game in the regular season and shot 45.0 percent from the field and 42.6 percent from downtown.

In the playoffs, Martin averaged 14.0 points per game as well but saw his shooting percentages drop to 38.0 percent from the field and 37.0 percent from the three-point line.

This decline in the playoffs, where the competition is tougher and the Thunder played the Memphis Grizzlies in the second round, was expected from Martin if you watched him in the regular season. It’s not that he shies away from tougher competition as much as it is that his game is much less effective against sound defense.

Martin feasts off open spot-up looks, getting fouled in the midrange on drives to the basket in which he initiates the contact and the fastbreak. All three of those things are much less frequent in the playoffs.

With the main goal of this franchise being to win a championship in the very near future, Martin seems like less of a need. The Thunder might take another step back in the regular season with his absence but replacing his output in the playoffs should not be too difficult.

Martin was for the most part a delight this season in OKC. When he played well, it was great to watch. He loved being here and was fully committed to the team and winning.

But the reality is that the Thunder don’t need him enough to pay him this summer. Martin will be remembered as a one-year rental from the James Harden trade in a season that the Thunder didn’t get past the second round.

OKC Thunder: the NBA equivalent of a college football option-style team

Andrew Kennedy — Tue, 28 May 2013 13:21:36 +0000

Feb. 10, 2013; Phoenix, AZ, USA: Oklahoma City Thunder small forward Kevin Durant (35), point guard Russell Westbrook (0) and center Kendrick Perkins (5) against the Phoenix Suns at the US Airways Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The Oklahoma City Thunder are a really interesting team if you think about it. Despite running an offense that is so predictable and nothing close to as complex as the Spurs or Heat, they are right up there with them in efficiency.

I’m starting to view the Thunder as the basketball equivalent of an option running college football team.

Think about the similarities. Both are offenses where you know what’s coming but if you’re not prepared to defend it, or are overmatched personnel-wise then they can destroy you.

Russell Westbrook is like the quarterback who can create big runs out of seemingly nothing. Kevin Durant is the great running back who is always good for five yards. You can even draw the parallel in that a running back on an option team won’t carry the ball as much as a typical running back because there are so many options. And Westbrook gets the most carries as the quarterback because he is always keeping the ball and not pitching.

Is Kendrick Perkins the fullback that gets two carries for two yards every game? I think so.

Traditional option football is becoming extinct in college football today. Teams have shifted to the spread and almost everyone is no longer playing under center. In recent years, what was it that made option teams still able to be successful? They either needed elite defenses or just had to have more talent than their opponent.

The Thunder were on track to be a team that would just have way more talent than anyone before they traded James Harden. Now in terms of overall talent, they are closer to the field.

So defensively is where the Thunder need to get better. They have all of the tools to be a great defensive team. In terms of athletes, you can’t get much better than Westbrook, Durant, Serge Ibaka and Thabo Sefolosha. They still have a long ways to go though.

The Thunder finished tied for third in the NBA in defensive efficiency this season but they were exposed a little bit in the playoffs (albeit without Westbrook). Ibaka can still get lost at times, Perkins didn’t look right and the Grizzlies and Rockets were able to really hurt the Thunder with the pick-and-roll.

The Thunder are still young if you think about it and growing defensively when it comes to the things they need to improve upon is still achievable.

The ultimate point is this though: given the current offense that the Thunder run, they aren’t winning a title until they also have the best defense in the league.

That sounds like a bold statement because you wouldn’t say a team needs to have the best offense and the best defense to win a championship in the NBA and that’s surely what would happen if the Thunder become the best defensive team.

Scott Brooks cares about defense more than anything. If you wonder why rookies like Jeremy Lamb and Perry Jones didn’t get minutes this season, it’s because they’re not good enough defensively yet. Brooks won’t play you until you are.

The Thunder will get a little extra rest this offseason and try and figure things out next year. Will they be able to become an elite defense next season? Or will the Thunder be forced to go in another direction from Brooks to finally win a title?

NBA Draft 2013: How the OKC Thunder can move up to pick Ben McLemore

Andrew Kennedy — Mon, 27 May 2013 16:53:25 +0000

Mar 16, 2013; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas Jayhawks guard Ben McLemore (23) drives to the basket against the Kansas State Wildcats in the second half during the championship game of the Big 12 tournament at the Sprint Center. Kansas defeated Kansas State 70-54. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports

The Oklahoma City Thunder have the 12th overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft and they will be able to move up if they want to.

The Thunder also have the 29th and 32nd overall picks along with Dallas’ 2014 first round pick. Throw in two promising rookies in Perry Jones and Jeremy Lamb and the Thunder might be able to put together a package to move up into the top five.

It is being reported that the Cleveland Cavaliers are considering drafting Otto Porter with the first overall pick. That means that Nerlens Noel could then be taken second with the Washington Wizards’ third overall pick coming up.

The Wizards wouldn’t want to pick Kansas’ Ben McLemore a year after picking Bradley Beal, who plays the same position.

There’s a chance then that the Wizards would be interested in trading back. It might be a great opportunity for the Thunder to come in to try and get McLemore, as first suggested by Royce Young of Daily Thunder.

Remember that the Thunder considered trading James Harden to the Charlotte Bobcats last year at the time of the draft so they could pick Beal second overall. I bet we all wish that trade would have ended up happening.

McLemore is a lot like Beal in that he is a great shooter, moves well off screens and can create his own shot. He would be an ideal fit alongside Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant for the long haul.

Offering Washington a package they would consider for the third pick may be tricky though. It would definitely involve as many draft picks as the Thunder could send their way. In a draft that is supposed to be one of the weakest in years, that may not be so interesting for the Wizards.

In terms of young assets, Jones would definitely have to be included in the trade. You wouldn’t think Lamb would sweeten the deal at all especially if Washington is trading back to not pick a shooting guard. The Thunder could consider including Reggie Jackson in the trade too. They really don’t have much else other than that to offer.

Even though Lamb barely played at all this season, you have to wonder how much better the Thunder would see McLemore is. Is McLemore so much better that the Thunder would give up Jackson too? I kind of doubt it.

It will definitely be very interesting when the draft comes around and the days leading up to it if we here of any players Sam Presti and the Thunder are targeting.

NBA Mock Draft Round-up: Who the OKC Thunder are taking in the lottery

Andrew Kennedy — Sun, 26 May 2013 17:18:21 +0000

Feb 16, 2013; San Francisco, CA, USA; Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Kelly Olynyk (13) during the first half against the San Francisco Dons at War Memorial Gym. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Every Sunday from now until the NBA Draft, which is Thursday, June 27, we will take a look around the web at all of the respected NBA mock drafts to see who everyone has the Oklahoma City Thunder taking.

As a refresher, the Thunder have the 12th overall pick via the Toronto Raptors, and their own 29th overall pick in the first round.

ESPN’s Chad Ford
12. Steven Adams, Pittsburgh
29. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Greece

Draft Express
12. Kelly Olynyk, Gonzaga
29. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Greece

NBADraft.net
12. Dennis Schroeder, Germany
29. DeShaun Thomas, Ohio State

NBA.com
12. Kelly Olynyk, Gonzaga
29. Alex Abrines, Spain

CBS Sports
12. Kelly Olynyk, Gonzaga; C.J. McCollum, Lehigh
29. DeShaun Thomas, Ohio State; Dennis Schroeder, Germany

Just about everyone thinks the Thunder will take a big man with their first pick. This makes sense because they could definitely stand to improve their depth there and will eventually need someone to replace Kendrick Perkins. All of these mocks have players like Alex Len and Cody Zeller off the board before the Thunder can pick.

With their second first round pick, everyone has the Thunder taking someone they can stash overseas for a few years. The Thunder have done this before with Serge Ibaka and Tibor Pleiss and it makes sense unless someone falls into their laps like how Perry Jones did last year.

NBA Playoffs 2013: How far would a healthy OKC Thunder team have gone?

Andrew Kennedy — Sat, 25 May 2013 15:05:41 +0000

Apr 15, 2013; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) puts up a defensive front against the Sacramento Kings during the first half at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

The less you play the “What if?” game, the more successful your franchise is. This season, the Oklahoma City Thunder had two big “What if’s?”

We’ve talked enough about the James Harden trade and what the Thunder could have possibly been had they kept him.

How good was the Thunder team this season had Russell Westbrook not gotten hurt? Would they have been up in the Western Conference Finals right now looking like a team headed back to the NBA Finals?

The Thunder won a franchise-record 60 games this season. They were once again one of the most efficient offenses in the NBA and became a top five defense as well. The chemistry was there too. With Westbrook, everyone knew their role and their place. The lost look that the Thunder showed after the Westbrook injury would not have been seen had he never gotten hurt.

The Thunder lost to the Memphis Grizzlies in five games and lost four in a row after narrowly winning the first game. Memphis was playing great basketball at the time of that series and would have been a tough out for the Thunder even if Westbrook was healthy.

Westbrook always tended to struggle against Memphis too, shooting around 40 percent from the field over the past few years and saw his turnovers increase as well. There’s no question the Thunder would have been in better shape to beat Memphis with Russ, but maybe not as much as you would think.

It’s safe to say that Mike Conley wouldn’t have dominated as much if Westbrook was around. Conley’s play ended up being the difference in the series. For all of the production that came from Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol, the Thunder could have survived despite that had they been able to keep the others in check.

Think about how close those games were even without Westbrook. Never did the Grizzlies blow OKC out. There were always about five possessions per game too where the Thunder offense looked very ugly. Those were the possessions where Westbrook was always so valuable. He could create something out of nothing. Sometimes it was a forced shot but it always had a decent chance of going in or would at least produce a better offensive rebounding opportunity as he would always draw a lot of attention as he shot.

It’s no guarantee, but I think the Thunder get past Memphis with Westbrook. Homecourt would have been huge in determining this. Remember, Westbrook always played much better at home and the Thunder went 1-3 at home in the playoffs without him. They really missed him there.

Beating the San Antonio Spurs would have been a much greater challenge for a healthy Thunder team. OKC really needed what James Harden gave them last year in the Western Conference Finals and it would have been hard for them to find that production from either Kevin Martin or Reggie Jackson this season against San Antonio.

With homecourt advantage, the Thunder wouldn’t be losing in five to the Spurs, I can guarantee you that. They would have played them close in the series would have been decided in six or seven games. The Thunder have Kevin Durant and the Spurs do not. That may have been enough to close out a few games and get the Thunder past San Antonio.

Waiting for the Thunder in the Finals would most likely have been Miami. If somehow Indiana beats the Heat, then Thunder fans should be extremely upset that they didn’t get a chance to return to the Finals this season because a championship would have been very likely against the Pacers.

Miami dominated the Thunder in the regular season but make sure you notice how bad Dwyane Wade has looked in these playoffs. He’s hurt and not the same guy. I’m convinced that this would have given the Thunder a much better chance vs. Miami.

A champion will be decided in the next coming weeks and this year, an asterisk really needs to go by that team’s name. The injuries have been ridiculous this season and none was more impactful than Westbrook’s.

NBA Trades: Should the OKC Thunder trade Jeremy Lamb on NBA Draft day?

Andrew Kennedy — Fri, 24 May 2013 15:31:15 +0000

Apr 17, 2013; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Milwauee Bucks guard Monta Ellis (11) handles the ball against Oklahoma City Thunder guard Jeremy Lamb (11) during the first half at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

When looking back and evaluating the James Harden trade, one of the disappointing things is that we haven’t seen yet what Jeremy Lamb can do on the NBA court.

Lamb killed it in the D-League this season but got very few opportunities with the Thunder.

One of the reasons the Harden trade made at least a little bit of sense at the time was that Lamb, who was the 12th overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, looked like he could possibly emerge into a star one day.

Obviously, it’s early but it’s still worrisome that Lamb didn’t get a chance at all in his rookie season.

There has been some talk that Lamb wasn’t able to give the same intensity during practices that has become commonplace with the Thunder organization. We also know that Scott Brooks will not play you if you are unproven on the defensive end and not totally committed to contribute on that end of the floor.

Will the Thunder think about trading Lamb on the day of the NBA Draft before even giving him a shot in the NBA?

We have to think this is a possibility. The Thunder will have the 12th overall pick in the upcoming draft. I’ve been saying all along that if they see someone they like in the draft, they have the tools to move up and go after him. One of the tools is Lamb and the idea of trading him.

A player like Victor Oladipo is an intriguing one. He looks like a player who can come in and play right away. We know he is an elite athlete that should be able to become a very solid defender quickly in the NBA, meaning he could see more early playing time than most of the recent Thunder rookies.

Right now, there are some mocks out there that have Oladipo going around pick number five which would be tough for the Thunder to move up that high. But if Oladipo is still around a few picks later, don’t be surprised if the Thunder think about moving up to get him.

We saw how much Reggie Jackson improved from his rookie season and how he broke out in the playoffs this year. Should we expect Lamb to make the same jump?

Lamb isn’t Jackson and it’s still pretty unknown if he has shown the same signs Jackson did this season with the Thunder.

If he hasn’t, then don’t be surprised if the Thunder decide to cut ties with Lamb on the day of the draft.

We should start to hear a little bit more about who the Thunder are interested in drafting in the coming weeks. That will tell us a lot more about the potential trading of Lamb.

Kevin Durant named to All-NBA First Team, Russell Westbrook makes Second Team

Andrew Kennedy — Thu, 23 May 2013 17:45:03 +0000

April 11, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder small forward Kevin Durant (35) celebrates with point guard Russell Westbrook (0) after the third quarter against the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena. The City Thunder defeated the Warriors 116-97. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

The NBA announced the members of the All-NBA Teams today.

Kevin Durant was named to the All-NBA First Team and Russell Westbrook was named to the All-NBA Second Team.

Joining Durant on the First Team is LeBron James, Tim Duncan, Kobe Bryant and Chris Paul.

Joining Westbrook on the Second Team is Carmelo Anthony, Blake Griffin, Marc Gasol and Tony Parker.

James Harden made the Third Team along with David Lee, Paul George, Dwight Howard and Dwyane Wade.

Durant making the First Team was of course expected. Westbrook getting the nod on the Second Team is pretty impressive. I thought maybe Harden would have made it ahead of him.

Stephen Curry looks like a pretty big snub right now. I thought he would have made it over Wade. You could also make the case for Zach Randolph making the team ahead of a few players.

First Team
G – Chris Paul, Los Angeles Clippers, 537 points
G – Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers, 521 points
F – LeBron James, Miami Heat, 595 points
F – Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder, 555 points
C – Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs, 392 points

Second Team
G – Tony Parker, San Antonio Spurs, 273 points
G – Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder, 306 points
F – Carmelo Anthony, New York Knicks, 397 points
F – Blake Griffin, Los Angeles Clippers, 132 points
C – Marc Gasol, Memphis Grizzlies, 295 points

Third Team
G – James Harden, Houston Rockets, 253 points
G – Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat, 145 points
F – Paul George, Indiana Pacers, 73 points
F – David Lee, Golden State Warriors, 79 points
C – Dwight Howard, Los Angeles Lakers, 203 points

Other players receiving votes, with point totals: Brook Lopez, Brooklyn, 132 (7 First Team votes); Stephen Curry, Golden State, 72; LaMarcus Aldridge, Portland, 62; Chris Bosh, Miami, 59 (4); Joakim Noah, Chicago, 56 (3); Zach Randolph, Memphis, 45; Al Horford, Atlanta, 31 (2); Paul Pierce, Boston, 24; Al Jefferson, Utah, 20 (1); Tyson Chandler, New York, 19 (1); Roy Hibbert, Indiana, 9; Luol Deng, Chicago, 8; Kevin Garnett, Boston, 8; Ty Lawson, Denver, 8; Josh Smith, Atlanta, 7; Deron Williams, Brooklyn, 6; Pau Gasol, LA Lakers, 4; Serge Ibaka, Oklahoma City, 4; Omer Asik, Houston, 3; Kenneth Faried, Denver, 3; Raymond Felton, New York, 3; Kyrie Irving, Cleveland, 3; Carlos Boozer, Chicago, 2; Mike Conley, Memphis, 2; David West, Indiana, 2; Rudy Gay, Toronto, 1; J.J. Hickson, Portland, 1; Andre Iguodala, Denver, 1; Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas, 1; Nikola Pekovic, Minnesota, 1; Rajon Rondo, Boston, 1; Nikola Vucevic, Orlando, 1.

NBA Awards: Predicting the All-NBA Teams

Andrew Kennedy — Thu, 23 May 2013 14:45:28 +0000

May 15, 2013; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat small forward LeBron James (6) during the second half against the Chicago Bulls in game five of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at American Airlines Arena. Miami Heat won 94-91. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

The last awards to be given out this season will be the All-NBA teams. There’s really no better way to look back on a season and remember who impacted it the most than by looking at the All-NBA teams.

Here are my picks below for the three All-NBA teams:

First Team
G – Chris Paul, Los Angeles Clippers
G – Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers
F – LeBron James, Miami Heat
F – Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City Thunder
C – Marc Gasol, Memphis Grizzlies

Second Team
G – Tony Parker, San Antonio Spurs
G – James Harden, Houston Rockets
F – Carmelo Anthony, New York Knicks
F – Zach Randolph, Memphis Grizzlies
C – Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs

Third Team
G – Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
G – Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder
F – David Lee, Golden State Warriors
F – Blake Griffin, Los Angeles Clippers
C – Dwight Howard, Los Angeles Lakers

The first team was pretty easy to determine. You could have made a case for Parker or Harden making it over Kobe but I think Kobe deserves and will get the nod.

The forward position got tricky for me with the second and third teams. I decided that Duncan was a center and coming up with the second forward after Carmelo was a tough one. I went with Randolph but I don’t feel great about it. I could easily see Lee or Griffin making it at that spot.

Forwards like Paul George, Josh Smith and Chris Bosh got snubbed by me and again you could easily make a case for either of them to make it as well.

Curry is close to making the second team over Harden. I think the top six guards are pretty clear though with the exception of Dwyane Wade, who was probably my biggest snub.

What do you think about these picks? Who do you have making the teams?

NBA Draft 2013: Who the OKC Thunder should consider picking in the lottery

Eli J. Friedman — Wed, 22 May 2013 17:01:39 +0000

Apr 2, 2013; New York, NY, USA; Maryland Terrapins center Alex Len (25) puts up a shot against the Iowa Hawkeyes during the first half of the NIT Tournament Semi-Final at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

In case you missed last night’s draft lottery, the Raptors failed to gain a top three pick, meaning the Thunder gained the rights to the 12th pick in the 2013 NBA draft.

In so, it’s time to make some phone calls, do some scouting, and watch film of possible draft picks for Sam Presti.

In terms of who the Thunder are looking for, it’s pretty evident what the Thunder are missing. An inside scoring presence. Yes, Serge Ibaka continues to improve. Yes, Kendrick Perkins does a great job defending the post and being a leader. No, the Thunder do not get enough production in the paint.

So, who will do that job for the Thunder? Let’s take a look at possible candidates for who Sam Presti will call on June 27^th to become the newest member to play for the blue and orange.

1. Gorgui Dieng, Louisville

Dieng is 23-years-old who had a few years of experience, and was a big part of the championship run for Louisville. Despite him only averaging 9.8 points a game, he grabbed 9.4 rebounds a game. Ibaka and Perkins had trouble finishing all year, and Dieng shot about 72% at the rim this season according to hoop-math.com, which is huge for the Thunder. If Dieng is the guy where Durant or Westbrook can get in the lane and drop it off to him, I’ll be happy to see the Louisville big man in a Thunder uniform.

2. Kelly Olynyk, Gonzaga

Olynyk is a solid seven footer with a versatile game. Many scouts say he has the ball handling ability of a SF, and can shoot the ball very well. He averaged 18 points a game this year, to go along with shooting 63.1% from the field.

3. Alex Len, Maryland

Len is also seven foot and weighs 225 pounds. Len had surgery to stabilize stress fracture in his ankle, and many question his ability to stay healthy. Len only averaged 11 points a game, but can really play around the rim.

4. Rudy Gobert, France

Don’t be surprised to see his named get called with the 12^th pick. At the combine, he reached a 7’8.5” wingspan and a 9’7” standing reach, which is incredible. There are question marks with him being 231 pounds. According to Draft Express, “He shot almost 80% from the field in Pro A, while showing impressive potential as a rebounder and shot blocker. The progress he’s made since last season is extremely promising, and he’s maturing at a terrific rate.” To me, this seems like a high risk, high reward type of situation.

5. Guards like Dennis Schroeder (Germany), CJ McCollum (Lehigh), and Michael Carter-Williams (Syracuse)

In 2011, the same scenario happened. We all thought Sam Presti would get a big man to complement Ibaka and Perkins, and Presti decided to go with Reggie Jackson (great idea). You never know what Presti has up his sleeve. The more reasonable pick if the Thunder were to get a guard, would be CJ McCollum. He went down with a season-ending injury early this year, but says he’s 100% healthy. McCollum averaged 23 points a game last year, and even though he played at Lehigh, he put up 26 points in the first round of the 2009 NCAA Tournament against Kansas.

NBA Draft 2013: OKC Thunder looking to make major move for Dario Saric?

Andrew Kennedy — Wed, 22 May 2013 13:37:00 +0000

www.court-side.com

The Oklahoma City Thunder came away with the 12th overall pick in the upcoming NBA Draft from the lottery last night.

It hasn’t taken long for the millions of mock drafts to come out now with the draft order set.

The Thunder are a team that may look to be on the move according to some experts.

There is increasing chatter among NBA executives that the Thunder — who have two first-round picks and young talent in Jeremy Lamb and Perry Jones — will look to make a major move on draft night. If they keep this pick, Saric, a smooth, mobile big man one executive describes as “the best passing big man in the draft,” is a nice find. Saric isn’t the bruising post-up scorer Oklahoma City craves, but he is exactly the kind of high-potential talent GM Sam Presti loves to develop.

Via Chris Mannix/SI.com

It’s no surprise that the Thunder will be looking to do more than just draft a player with this pick. I’ve been saying for awhile now that soon we will hear that the Thunder really like certain players. They’ll have the ability to go after them on draft day and move up a few picks if necessary.

This is the first I’ve heard of the Thunder potentially being interested in Saric, a 19-year old 6-foot-10 small forward from Croatia. But it’s not surprising.

The Thunder are in position right now to get better over a long period of time. They won’t necessarily be looking for a player in the lottery who can immediately come in and help the team.

Saric seems like the type that would be a project. He may not even come over to the NBA right away and if he does for the Thunder, that will likely mean a lot of Tulsa 66ers time for him.

Saric has been described as the European Magic Johnson. If this is true, then I hope the Thunder pick him but it’s hard to believe any comparison with Magic can be true.

Draft night will be an exciting time for the Thunder. With so many options, there’s a lot the Thunder could choose to do.

NBA Draft Lottery Results: OKC Thunder will pick 12th overall

Andrew Kennedy — Wed, 22 May 2013 01:00:25 +0000

Mar 14, 2013; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas Jayhawks guard Ben McLemore (23) shoots a jumpshot in the first half of the game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders during the second round of the Big 12 tournament at the Sprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

The Oklahoma City Thunder will keep the Toronto Raptors’ draft pick as they end up with the 12th overall selection in the upcoming draft.

The Raptors would have kept the pick had the lottery slotted them in the top three, but there was only about a one percent chance of the happening.

This was pretty much expected for the Thunder. The Thunder will have a lot of options come draft day.

The Cleveland Cavaliers won the lottery and will be selecting first overall. The Cavs had a 15.6 percent chance to win the lottery.

The Orlando Magic, who had the best chance to win the lottery at 25 percent, will be selecting second overall.

The Washington Wizards, who had just the eighth best chance of picking first overall, snuck into the top three and will get the third overall pick.

Here is the official NBA Draft Lottery results:

1. Cleveland Cavaliers
2. Orlando Magic
3. Washington Wizards
4. Charlotte Bobcats
5. Phoenix Suns
6. New Orleans Pelicans
7. Sacramento Kings
8. Detroit Pistons
9. Minnesota Timberwolves
10. Portland Trail Blazers
11. Philadelphia 76ers
12. Oklahoma City Thunder
13. Dallas Mavericks
14. Utah Jazz

Kevin Durant donates $1 million to Red Cross for Oklahoma tornado victims

Andrew Kennedy — Tue, 21 May 2013 16:26:42 +0000

May 15, 2013; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder small forward Kevin Durant (35) checks the replay screen during game five against the Memphis Grizzlies in the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. The Grizzlies defeated the Thunder 88-84. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

One of the first things I thought of when watching the tornados destroy so much of Oklahoma City yesterday was the Thunder players and how you just knew they would come out and help with the relief effort for the victims.

@kdtrey5 steps forward and gives $1mil matching gift to the ARC for disaster relief, text “REDCROSS” to 90999 for a $10 donation.

— Red Cross Oklahoma (@redcrossokc) May 21, 2013

It didn’t take long for Durant to start it off with this $1 million donation to the Red Cross.

This won’t be the last we hear of Thunder players helping out with this cause and of NBA players and people around the sports world in general.

It is one of the things that makes this team so great though. They really do feel like a big part of the community and represent Oklahoma.

Praying for the victims of the Tornadoes in OKC these last few days..Everybody stay safe!

— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) May 20, 2013

This pretty much sums up Durant perfectly from Daily Thunder’s Royce Young:

Here’s the thing that says it all with KD’s $1 million donation: It’s the least surprising thing ever.

— Royce Young (@dailythunder) May 21, 2013

If anyone would like to donate to the relief effort, text “REDCROSS” to 90999 for a $10 donation.

NBA Draft Lottery Odds: Do the OKC Thunder even want this pick?

Andrew Kennedy — Tue, 21 May 2013 14:36:37 +0000

May 16, 2013; Chicago, IL, USA; Nerlens Noel is interviewed during the NBA Draft combine at Harrison Street Athletics Facility. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

The NBA Draft Lottery is tonight at 7 p.m. EST and the Oklahoma City Thunder are actually in the lottery.

As part of the James Harden trade, the Thunder also received the first round pick of the Toronto Raptors.

The pick is top-three protected meaning that if the lottery results in the pick being in the top three, it goes to the Raptors and the Thunder won’t see it until next year.

Here are the official odds for getting each pick:

#1 – 0.7 percent chance
#2 – 0.8 percent chance
#3 – 1.0 percent chance
#4-11 – 0.0 percent chance
#12 – 93.5 percent chance
#13 – 3.9 percent chance
#14 – 0.0 percent chance

As you can see, more than likely the Thunder will end up with the 12th pick in the draft. Do the Thunder want this pick or are they hoping that the Raptors miraculously get a top-three pick so they can again get their first round selection next year?

This draft has gained a reputation as being particularly weak. Usually what that means more than anything is that there aren’t a lot of obvious future stars who are going to be taken early on. We’ve learned in recent history that can be misleading. The 2011 draft that produced Kyrie Irving as the top pick was also supposed to be very weak and turned out to not be.

The Thunder ending up with the 12th pick doesn’t mean they’re going to necessarily keep that pick either. The Thunder will also have their own first round pick (29th) and the Charlotte Bobcats’ second round pick (32nd) to work with. This will give the Thunder flexibility to move up or down a few slots if they see a reason to.

We haven’t heard much about who the Thunder might be interested in taking yet. There’s a lot of talk that they might be going for a big man who would eventually replace Kendrick Perkins as the starting center. But if an athletic wing like Victor Oladipo is on the board, they could go in that direction as well.

It will be very interesting what the Thunder decide to do on draft day. Trying to piece together what direction they might be going in will start tonight with the lottery.

Why The OKC Thunder Will Win the NBA Title Next Year

Cyrus Geller — Tue, 21 May 2013 11:00:18 +0000

April 11, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder small forward Kevin Durant (35) celebrates after dunking against the Golden State Warriors during the second quarter at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Despite the Thunder’s second round exit in this years playoffs, I really believe that OKC can win the NBA title next year. There was not much holding OKC back heading into this past year, but Russell Westbrook’s injury during the Rockets series prevented them from having the chance of winning the championship. However I think that this will be the reason why I think the Thunder can bec0ome the champions next season.

First, assuming Westbrook comes back healthy there is nobody in the western conference that will be able to challenge OKC next year. They still have that core of Durant, Westbrook, and Ibaka and because of Russ’s injury in the playoffs we have seen guys like Reggie Jackson and even De’Andre Liggins progress as players. I think that these guys will make very good contributions to the Thunder next year and make an already great team even better. Even though it seems impossible, KD and Westbrook both improved greatly last year. KD became a much better facilitator and all around player, and Russell learned to play much more under control. These two factors alone helped the Thunder become a much better team and I think that this will continue next year. The main contenders for next season will still probably be the same teams as this past year. Teams like the Spurs, Clippers, Nuggets, and Grizzlies. None of these teams have the firepower to keep up with a healthy OKC team, and that is why I think that the Thunder will win the western conference next year.

Now the real issue is the Miami Heat. The Thunder just haven’t been able to get past them, whether it is the regular season or the NBA finals. I think that the Thunder have the talent to beat them in a seven game series, but there is some mental road block that they have yet to hurdle. However, I think that they may now have the perfect thing to be able to overcome the Heat. I believe that Kevin Durant will now begin to receive a lot more criticism in this upcoming year. We can call it a less extreme “LeBron treatment”. When LeBron couldn’t carry a team to a championship in his early years with the Cavs or even in his first year with the Heat, he got a lot of criticism heaped onto him. I think that KD is going to begin to feel this next year because of his failure in the playoffs this past year. Now, I don’t think that he will deserve any of this because he did just about all he could in the Thunder’s playoff run without Russell Westbrook, but that is just how America operates. Everybody always jumps at the opportunity to criticize a player as good as Durant or LeBron. The reason that I think this will help the Thunder in beating the Heat, is because I don’t think that all of the talk and criticism of KD is going to resonate very well with him. I really think that KD will bring a 2011 LeBron mentality to the table for the Thunder. In that year LeBron had the mindset of “championship or championship” he was not going to let anybody take that from him and he got rewarded. The Thunder have all of the players needed to beat the Heat, but they just have to get over that mental hurdle of “we can’t beat the Heat”. If that 2011 LeBron mindset shows up in KD for next year, I think that the Thunder will be able to get over that hurdle and overtake the Heat for the NBA championship.

The Emergence And Growth Of Reggie Jackson

Eli J. Friedman — Mon, 20 May 2013 19:52:07 +0000

May 13, 2013; Memphis, TN, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Reggie Jackson (15) in game four of the 2013 NBA Playoffs against the Memphis Grizzlies. Memphis defeated Oklahoma 103-97 in overtime and lead the series 3-1. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

There are always positives to take out of a bad and negative situation. Oklahoma City beginning their off season a tad bit early was heartbreaking, and hard to take in.

But when you sit down and just think about how the playoff run helped the Thunder long-term. One thing comes to mind: Reggie Jackson.

Sam Presti always talk about the words growth, development, process, maturity and youth. And that is what Jackson has done. He was drafted in 2011 with the 24^th pick out of Boston College, and many questioned: Why another PG? What is Sam Presti doing?

But, in the end, it all worked out. Maynor went down with the ACL injury, and Jackson had to step up. He didn’t. Jackson turned the ball over too much, played at a bad pace, and just didn’t fit in with Harden and the second unit. The Thunder brought in Derek Fisher before the playoffs, and he produced. Jackson played in the summer league in Orlando with Mark Bryant, and just looked like a whole new PG. He looks mature on the floor, and basically ran that summer league team, and what do you know, this year the Thunder dealt Maynor at the deadline to Portland, Westbrook went down in the opening round of the playoffs, and it was Jackson’s opportunity again.

This time, the kid just took the opportunity to heart and didn’t look back.

During the season, he only averaged 5.3 points a game, in about 14 minutes of time on the floor a game. When he was given the chance to play big time minutes with Westbrook out, Jackson exploded on the scene. 14 points a game to go along with a solid five rebounds and a good four assists in 33.5 minutes a game. But, the stat that really jumps out at me is that he shot 47.9 percent in 11 games.

Jackson did all he could. Jackson showed all the things Presti talks about with his amazing growth. I would even but him in the contention as one of the best back-up point guards in the NBA right now along side Norris Cole, Andre Miller and Eric Bledsoe.

And for what’s next? Jackson seems excited. Real excited.

“I’m ready to flash forward to camp right now,” he said.

Who is the better player: Russell Westbrook or James Harden?

Andrew Kennedy — Mon, 20 May 2013 17:04:59 +0000

Feb 17, 2013; Houston, TX, USA; Western Conference guard James Harden (right) of the Houston Rockets and guard Russell Westbrook (left) of the Oklahoma City Thunder react after a three pointer in the fourth quarter of the 2013 NBA all star game at the Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

This comparison and debate was brought up on Twitter the other day. It’s one that you think would be more common but I don’t remember giving it much thought.

Who is better? Russell Westbrook or James Harden.

Not very long ago there was an easy answer to this. Just about everyone would have given the nod to Westbrook.

Since Harden has gone to Houston and had a breakout season, the question is now much tougher to answer.

The first thing that needs to be decided in a debate like this is what makes a player better than another one. You’ve got overall impact, raw ability, potential, value to one’s team, etc. There are really so many factors that there’s no right answer especially when the player’s are this close.

Overall Impact

This is what I think is the most important factor in determining if a player is better than another. How much does a player affect a game and how much does he have his fingerprints on?

Westbrook was second in the league (and ahead of Kevin Durant) in terms of usage percentage for the second straight season. Only Carmelo Anthony and Kobe Bryant used more possessions than Westbrook did the last two years. This is important because it represents the amount of a load that Westbrook carries with the Thunder and the argument that he does less because he plays with Durant is clearly not very relevant.

Harden was ninth in the league in usage percentage this season right behind John Wall and ahead of Brook Lopez for some perspective.

Harden has a reputation for being much more efficient than Westbrook and in many respects he definitely is. Harden boasts a 60.0 true shooting percentage this season while Westbrook was only at 53.2 percent. Harden took 16.1 shots per game and got to the line 9.6 times while Westbrook took 18.7 shots and got to the line just 7.0 times per game. Since Harden is a clearly superior outside shooter, he is much more efficient.

Harden did turn the ball over more frequently than Westbrook this season (14.9 percent of possessions compared to 13.2 for Westbrook). Westbrook averaged more rebounds per game and assists per game but large margins. Of course, the two play different positions. Harden can safely be considered a better passer for his position than Westbrook is but the same must be said for Westbrook being a far better rebounder, especially on the offensive side.

At the end of the day, Westbrook had a higher PER than Harden this season which may be surprising to some. Westbrook was at 23.9 while Harden 22.9. Considering that PER takes into account your production compared to the rest of the league at your position, this is even more impressive for Westbrook as the point guard position is far deeper than shooting guard is.

Defensively, Westbrook should be the clear-cut winner when compared to Harden. Westbrook has the potential to be one of the best defenders in the league but his lack of discipline and desire to play the passing lanes and take risks has kept him from this status. Not to be too harsh here, but Harden is a really weak defender. His disinterest level is much higher than Westbrook’s and while he was able to still average the same number of steals per game as Westbrook this season, his overall impact on that end of the floor isn’t as high. When focused, which is a pretty decent way to judge defense really, Westbrook definitely is a step above Harden.

Ability/Potential

We are getting away from determining who is the better player right now by delving into this but I still think it is at least somewhat relevant because potential can simply mean how high a player can perform in certain instance throughout the season.

I consider Westbrook to be the best athlete in the NBA because he is most consistently playing at an elite athletic level compared to anyone else. I think for the most part, people would say LeBron is the most athletic player league then Westbrook and then there’s a pretty big drop-off.

So Westbrook is definitely more athletic than Harden which immediately gives him a big advantage in the potential category since we’re talking about a game where athleticism can overpower almost anything.

But you can definitely make the case that there is a lot of room for improvement for both of them in their careers. Imagine if Westbrook became more efficient and a better point guard. Imagine if Harden became a 50-40-90 player and a lockdown defender. There’s a lot that could happen in the next few years.

In two years or maybe even sooner, we might be talking about the NBA and saying Westbrook is the best point guard, Harden is the best two-guard and Durant is the best small forward. Great trade by the way!

The situation they are in

What if you traded Westbrook for Harden right now? What changes?

Westbrook would still be an All-Star and probably would put up huge numbers in the Rockets’ system. With more spacing, he would shoot a higher position, get more assists and more rebounds with the higher pace.

We have a pretty good idea of what Harden would be in OKC. He’s pretty much a super Ginobili with some Paul Pierce thrown in. He will pick you apart in the pick-and-roll and the more spacing, the better. He will destroy you in transition. It’s safe to say though that Houston is a spot where Harden’s abilities are being maximized as opposed to OKC for Westbrook.

If you go through the list of NBA teams, there will be a handful that would prefer Westbrook and a handful that would prefer Harden. It’s a manner of taste and need and fit.

Trying to come up with an answer

Like I said before, I don’t think there is a right answer here necessarily. But I’d go with Westbrook and not just because I’m an OKC fan. Trust me, I was a much bigger Harden fan than Westbrook fan the past two years.

Westbrook simply has a bigger impact on the game. Look no further than the PER rating. Shouldn’t Harden have a better one than Westbrook? That’s how valuable Westbrook is and shows how much of the game he affects.

You will shake your head at things Westbrook does 100 times more per year than Harden. Harden is textbook in his approach to the game. Westbrook is a loose cannon.

This debate has only started though. As the year’s go on, it will probably become one of the most prevalent ones in the NBA. There will be times when you’d take Westbrook and times when you’d take Harden. But for now, give me Russ.

Russell Westbrook injury update: expected to have full recovery by next season

Andrew Kennedy — Sun, 19 May 2013 15:27:44 +0000

Apr 4, 2013; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) celebrates a 3 point basket against the San Antonio Spurs in the second half in Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

It was hard to believe when Russell Westbrook was ruled out for the playoffs after injuring his knee in Game 2 of the Oklahoma City Thunder-Houston Rockets series.

Westbrook hadn’t missed a game in his entire NBA, college and high school career before then. The Thunder were simply not the same without him losing in five game to the Memphis Grizzlies in the next round and going 1-3 at home without him.

Thunder GM Sam Presti spoke to the media yesterday about a number of things. He also added this about Westbrook and his injury.

Presti said Russell Westbrook should have a full recovery and be the same player, in terms of health, he was prior to the injury.

— Royce Young (@dailythunder) May 18, 2013

This is pretty much expected. Westbrook tore his right meniscus, which is an injury that typically keeps an NBA player sidelined for 6-8 weeks. This isn’t even close to tearing an ACL like Derrick Rose did.

Westbrook will have plenty of time this summer with no Olympics to fully recover and be ready for next season.

Next year’s Thunder team should again look a bit different. Kevin Martin’s future with the team seems unlikely and Derek Fisher won’t be coming back either. That will leave two players within the regular rotation to be replaced.

We saw Reggie Jackson really step up in the playoffs without Westbrook and Presti said this about rookie Jeremy Lamb, who hardly played this season.

Presti: “Jeremy [Lamb] is somebody we feel really good about. He’s definitely going to be a contributor to our team in the near future.”

— Royce Young (@dailythunder) May 18, 2013

What will remain the same is the presence of Kevin Durant and Westbrook. Watching the team without Russ in these playoffs was an unpleasant experience. Let’s hope we never have to go through that again.

OKC Thunder: Sam Presti speaks on Kendrick Perkins and the amnesty clause

Andrew Kennedy — Sat, 18 May 2013 16:33:50 +0000

May 15, 2013; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Reggie Jackson (15) and center Kendrick Perkins (5) watch the game against the Memphis Grizzlies from the bench during the second half of game five of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. The Grizzlies defeated the Thunder 88-84. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Many people think that amnestying Kendrick Perkins is a good idea for the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Perkins had the worst playoff performance in the history of the NBA this year and it increasingly seems like there is just no room for Perkins on this team anymore.

Thunder GM Sam Presti commented about Perkins and the idea of amnestying him today.

Sam Presti on the amnesty clause: “We just haven’t considered using the provision…We think Perk has a lot of value to our team.”

— Darnell Mayberry (@DarnellMayberry) May 18, 2013

I wrote about yesterday how amnestying Perkins does seem like something that is very unlikely now. The Thunder wouldn’t benefit enough by doing so and wouldn’t save enough money to make a significant move elsewhere.

The hope if any now is that the Thunder trade Perkins or simply stop playing him as much, which seems very unlikely.

The worry here is that Presti says Perkins has a lot of value to the Thunder. Whatever value that may be, it certainly doesn’t show up on the court. Maybe he’s a great leader or whatever in the locker room but the Thunder are clearly much worse when he is playing basketball for them.

Something needs to be done about Perkins this offseason whether it’s trading him or amnestying him. It’s just hard to imagine him being on the roster and Scott Brooks not starting and playing him 25-plus minutes per game.

Hopefully Presti was just being nice with this comment and he is looking to get rid of him somehow.

Reggie Jackson to be the new 6th Man for the OKC Thunder next year?

Andrew Kennedy — Sat, 18 May 2013 15:26:13 +0000

May 15, 2013; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Reggie Jackson (15) grabs a rebound in front of Memphis Grizzlies power forward Zach Randolph (50) during the second half of game five of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. The Grizzlies defeated the Thunder 88-84. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

The Oklahoma City Thunder thought at one point like they would have a perennial Sixth Man of the Year Award winner on their roster for the next decade.

Remember when we actually envisioned James Harden might stay with the Thunder, continue to embrace his role coming off the bench and win multiple championships with this team?

That obviously didn’t happen and when Harden left last year, replacing him in the Sixth Man role was Kevin Martin, who overall did a pretty good job. Martin wasn’t Harden by any stretch but averaging 14.0 points per game and shooting 42.6 percent from behind the three-point line was still a solid season.

Martin was in the last year of his contract this season making over $12 million. The Thunder have a decision to make on whether or not to re-sign him this season. How much do you want to pay a Sixth Man putting up the kind of numbers Martin did?

Making matters more interesting is the emergence of Reggie Jackson this season and in the playoffs. Those who watched the Thunder closely all year, saw Jackson progress all season and look like a completely different player than he was as a rookie, in terms of confidence and everything else.

In the playoffs after Russell Westbrook got injured, Jackson stepped into the starting role and averaged 15.3 points, 3.7 assists and 5.3 rebounds in 36.2 minutes per game while also shooting 47.2 percent from the field.

As crazy as it may sound, Jackson actually resembled Harden at moments this season. They both are very adept at getting to the rim (with the eurostep) and finishing. The Thunder ran some of the same exact sets that they did for Harden with Jackson this season. Jackson was a monster in transition just like Harden too.

Jackson’s play looks to really be on the rise and the idea that he could fill the Sixth Man role may make the Thunder think less about re-signing Martin.

Martin would really need to take a severe pay cut to remain with the Thunder. OKC can probably only realistically offer him $5-6 million per year and they may not even want to pay him that much.

There’s also the Jeremy Lamb factor. He hardly played this season but was very good in the D-League. If he improves similarly to how Jackson did after his rookie season, then the Thunder may have another solid player for their rotation to make Martin even more useless.

The Thunder will have a lottery pick in the upcoming draft too. There may be some wing players available like Victor Oladipo or C.J. McCollum that the Thunder could pick to help replace Martin too.

What we’re going to see with the Thunder next season will likely be a team with two of its players in the playoff rotation this year gone. Derek Fisher and Martin will probably not be on the team. So who will replace them? Lamb seems the most likely then maybe Perry Jones, III as well.

The Thunder have a lot of options coming up this summer and we will get a better idea of what Thunder team will be taking the floor next season soon.

NBA Trades: Where can the OKC Thunder send Kendrick Perkins?

Andrew Kennedy — Fri, 17 May 2013 17:40:31 +0000

May 15, 2013; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol (33) and Oklahoma City Thunder center Kendrick Perkins (5) fight for position under the basket during the first half of game five of the second round of the 2013 NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

It’s hard not to think about amnestying Kendrick Perkins after watching what he did in the playoffs this year.

Perkins literally had the worst playoff performance in the history of the NBA, finishing with a PER of -0.7, the worst number of anyone in league history that played at least 200 minutes.

The Thunder need to get rid of Perkins or at least completely change his role with the team. Amnestying him sounds like the easy way to do this but it probably isn’t.

The Thunder would still have to pay Perkins $18 million over the next two seasons if they amnestied him. They wouldn’t be saving any money by dong so even if they dipped into the luxury tax a little bit next season.

The only way it seems then that the Thunder could get rid of Perkins’ contract would be to trade him. Let me tell you, it isn’t easy trying to find a potential suitor that would welcome Perkins to their team.

The Thunder would have to decide what they want out of a Perkins trade. The goal should be to get rid of his contract and bring back someone who is only on a one-year deal so that the cap space would be saved in 2014-15.

Here are a few players on one-year deals that match up with Perkins’ salary: Charlie Villanueva ($8.58 million), Rodney Stuckey ($8.5 million), Marcin Gortat ($7.73 million), Shawn Marion ($9.3 million).

There’s just not a lot out there and it’s hard to imagine the Pistons, Suns or Mavericks wanting to take Perkins on. The Thunder would really have to sweeten a deal for them by throwing in multiple draft picks and some combination of Reggie Jackson, Jeremy Lamb or Perry Jones to even make this feasible. Now were getting to the point where the Thunder probably wouldn’t even want to do this.

Now, it’s still possible to have Perkins eliminated from the rotation. Just because they’re paying him, doesn’t mean he has to play. Serge Ibaka and Nick Collison can easily play a little more and the Thunder can commit more to small ball with Kevin Durant and Jones playing the four.

The Thunder also will have a lottery pick in the upcoming draft where they could go after a big man like Alex Len, Cody Zeller or Gorgui Dieng.

The problem is still that $9 million per year is a lot of money that could bring in one and maybe even two big pieces to help the Thunder make a run at a title. The Thunder would surely want to find a way to use that money instead of just wasting it on the bench in Perkins.

The other huge part of this situation is that as long as Perkins is on the roster, you know Scott Brooks is going to play him. You can’t blame Perkins for being a greta leader and likable to coaching staffs but Brooks needs to see beyond this and realize that Perkins is playing way too much and is killing this team at the end of the day.

The end of the season wasn’t exciting for Thunder fans but the offseason definitely will. There are a lot of things the Thunder can do before the start of next season. This is a franchise that has pulled the trigger on big moves in the past and one that I think understands the importance of putting a team on the court that can win.