Mark D. Smith-US PRESSWIRE

Oklahoma City Thunder free agent Nazr Mohammed will sign with the Chicago Bulls, according to a report by Peter Vecsey.

Mohammed was reportedly meeting with the Bulls and Brooklyn Nets and will now choose the Bulls.

The Thunder filled out their roster shortly after free agency officially started. They are letting go of Mohammed, Derek Fisher and Royal Ivey and replacing them with rookies Perry Jones and Hollis Thompson and also Hasheem Thabeet.

The Bulls signing Mohammed all but assures they will not match the Houston Rockets’ offer sheet they agreed to with Omer Asik for three years, $25.1 million.

The Rockets will not have signed restricted free agents Jeremy Lin and Asik this offseason to pretty heft contracts.

The No. 1 priority for Houston still is to trade for Dwight Howard. Having Lin and Asik on the books will give them less cap room but it shouldn’t impede their attempts to go after Howard. Lin and Asik at least will be something of a consolation if they do not get Howard.

The Los Angeles Lakers are still considered the frontrunner to trade for Howard. The rumored deal that could go down right now will include a third team in the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Andrew Bynum would be dealt to Cleveland although he has not been notified of this possibility and the Cavaliers would want Bynum to agree to extending with them beyond next season if they were to trade for him.

Howard will unlikely extend with anyone next season and instead plans to test free agency next summer. Whichever team he ends up with will be able to offer him the best contract to try and keep him however.

Thunder free agents Mohammed and Ivey have found new homes now this summer leaving just Fisher who is still in search of a new team. Fisher has also been rumored to have met with the Bulls and Nets as well as Dallas.

The Thunder do have a few roster spots to fill though with Derek Fisher, Nazr Mohammed and Royal Ivey all possibly coming off the books.

The Thunder aren’t going to outbid anyone for a free agent but here are a few possibilities for the Thunder:

Hasheem Thabeet, C

Thabeet was the first name brought up this offseason with the Thunder. The former No. 2 overall pick in 2009 has pretty much been a bust so far in his NBA career. Thabeet hasn’t gotten a lot of chances yet though anywhere he has played. At 7-foot-3, Thabeet is a physical specimen and was drafted No. 2 for a reason: he has a lot of potential. The Thunder may be a perfect spot for him to shine.

With Mohammed likely on the way out, the Thunder would be in the market for another backup big. Kendrick Perkins will be the starting center with Serge Ibaka starting at power forward. Nick Collison and Cole Aldrich are the immediate backup bigs and then there is rookie Perry Jones III. Signing another backup center if Aldrich doesn’t pan out would be a good idea for OKC.

Devin Ebanks, SF

Ebanks is an athletic wing that has drawn interest from a number of teams, according to Alex Kennedy of HoopWorld. The Lakers have extended a qualifying offer to him so they can match any offer he received from another team if they choose.

A backup small forward for Kevin Durant is a need for the Thunder. Daequan Cook served as Durant’s backup for most of the regular season making the Thunder second unit extra small. Ebanks could be an upgrade in this spot and provide some more versatility to OKC’s lineups.

Roger Mason

ESPN’s Chris Broussard tweeted that the Thunder are among a few teams interested in Mason. Mason is basically a spot-up shooter not much different than Cook. This signing isn’t one the Thunder would prefer over Ebanks but if they can’t get Ebanks, Mason could come into play.

Mason averaged 5.5 points per game in 52 games for Washington last season. He is a career .381 percent 3-point shooter.

Daniel Orton

Orton is from Oklahoma and a potential target for OKC, according to Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman. Orton was a first round draft pick by Orlando back in 2010. He has only played in 16 games in his short NBA career and never really showed much for the Magic.

With Thabeet expected to sign with the Thunder more than anything else, Orton seems unlikely to land in OKC.

Pleiss signed a 4-year deal to play ball in Spain, according to Sportando.

Caja Laboral made official the signings of Fabien Causeur and Tibor Pleiss to a four-year deal. Causeur comes from Cholet with whom he averaged 16ppg in Pro A, Pleiss spent the season with Brose Baskets Bamberg winning the German title averaging 8.3ppg and 5.5rpg in regular season.

The Thunder acquired the rights to Pleiss after he was drafted 31st overall in 2010. Pleiss is a 7-foot-1 center who can step out and hit jumpers. With Nazr Mohammed’s contract ending this summer, Pleiss could have been a potential replacement.

Pleiss averaged 6.5 points and 5.3 rebounds per game in Euroleague and 10.1 points and 6.0 rebounds per game in Bundesliga.

Richard Rowe-US PRESSWIRE

Kendrick Perkins has been a crucial part of the Oklahoma City Thunder all season. His value doesn’t always show up in the stat sheet but it’s definitely there.

Perkins injured his right hip in the first quarter of Game 4 vs. Dallas on May 5 and did not return in the game. The injury would normally keep a player out 10-14 days.

The Thunder will play the Lakers in Game 1 of the conference semifinals tomorrow night at 9:30 p.m. EST, Monday, May 14. That’s nine days since the injury making it seem unlikely that Perkins will be at 100 percent tomorrow night.

He could still play though if he’s not at 100 percent as it is playoff basketball. He was last seen Friday afternoon at the Thunder practice walking without crutches and with no noticeable limp. This type of injury would not necessarily make you walk different but when you are in the game running, getting into a defensive stance and banging is when it would be noticeable.

The Thunder made a tough decision last season to trade Jeff Green to Boston to acquire Perkins. They did it for this specific matchup with the Lakers. They lost to Los Angeles the year before in the first round and it was clear that they needed to get bigger to compete with the then two-time defending champs.

In Game 7 against Denver, the Lakers flexed their sizable advantage as Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum combined for 39 points, 35 rebounds (20 offensive) and 10 blocks. Denver doesn’t have the size that Oklahoma City would have even without Perkins but Gasol and Bynum are going to be quite a load to handle either way.

Perkins averaged 26.8 minutes per game this season but against the Lakers three times he averaged 36.0 minutes. He played well against L.A. averaging 6.3 points, 9.0 rebounds (3.3 offensive) and shot .571 percent from the floor.

Bynum averaged 16.3 points, 11.0 rebounds (3.7 offensive) and shot .444 percent from the field against the Thunder this season. Gasol averaged 18.3 points, 9.7 rebounds and shot .465 percent from the field.

The Lakers’ big men produced against the Thunder this season and needed to partly because of Kobe Bryant’s struggles. Kobe averaged 24.3 points against OKC and shot .307 percent from the field.

The Thunder won two of the three meetings this season against the Lakers and nearly swept them falling in double overtime in the final meeting. The shooting percentages of the Lakers big three were all considerably lower than their averages against the Thunder.

Without Perkins, the Thunder would likely start Nazr Mohammed and continue with their rotation bringing Nick Collison off the bench. Expect the Thunder to go small as much as possible too. Gasol usually starts the fourth quarter without Bynum on the floor so expect Scott Brooks to try and take advantage of that lineup by starting Kevin Durant in that quarter as well.

The Thunder will have a much tougher time matching up with the Lakers if they are without Perkins or he is playing much less than 100 percent. They should still be favored to win the series and win it without question.

The Lakers have much bigger issues in terms of matching up with Oklahoma City’s big three and that advantage for the Thunder should be enough for them to win the series.

Matthew Emmons-US PRESSWIRE

The Oklahoma City Thunder announced Sunday that Kendrick Perkins had suffered a right hip muscle strain in the first quarter of Game 4 against the Dallas Mavericks and is now listed as day-to-day.

Perkins likely would not have been able to play in any more of the Dallas series and may even miss some of the next round. That just adds to the importance of the Thunder’s 13-point fourth quarter comeback in Game 4.

Perkins had been the primary defender Oklahoma City used on Dirk Nowitzki in the series and Perkins’ value as a post defender may be in even higher demand if the Thunder play the Lakers in the second round, and it looks like they will.

Perkins’ return to play will be based on his progress and recovery in the coming days. Recovery time would normally take a week or longer for this type of injury but you’d have to assume that is he is close to being able to go then he will even if it’s a little too soon.

Day-to-day is not very telling of the injury as Thunder guard Thabo Sefolosha missed over a month while being listed day-to-day.

The Thunder would have to play next as early as this coming Saturday (7 days after the injury) or as late as next Monday or Tuesday (9 or 10 days).

The Thunder will have home court no matter what but dealing with the Lakers’ frontline of Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum won’t be easy without Perkins. The Lakers have the best 4-5 combo in the NBA and part of Oklahoma City’s success against Los Angeles has been their ability to contain the duo with Perkins and Serge Ibaka.

In the second half of Game 4 against Dallas, Brooks started Nazr Mohammed to stick with the usual rotation of bringing Nick Collison off the bench. If Perkins is not ready to play by Game 1 you would expect Brooks to do the same because you wouldn’t want to sacrifice the chemistry Collison and James Harden have with the second unit.

The Thunder should still be favored in a series with the Lakers even without Perkins but remember last year Oklahoma City traded Jeff Green for Perkins for this exact matchup with the Lakers.

Richard Rowe-US PRESSWIRE

It’s been quite a season for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Coming off a Western Conference Finals berth, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook were looking to take the next step as they gained another year of experience.

The lockout halted all basketball action for a while until the new CBA was settled. Finally, ten teams including the Thunder, opened up the season on Christmas Day relieving the six-month wait for basketball fans across the country.

The excitement in Oklahoma City was greater than it has ever been. For the first time since moving from Seattle, this franchise was a favorite to represent the West in the NBA Finals. They got off to an incredible start, winning 16 of their first 19 games and solidifying themselves as championship contenders.

The Thunder hit an early speed bump when backup point guard Eric Maynor went down for the season with a torn ACL. An already shaky bench situation was thrown for a loop. Reggie Jackson had to suffice as Westbrook picked up more minutes.

The season went on and the Thunder won more games. Then Thabo Sefolosha went down for around six weeks, forcing Daequan Cook to start while James Harden continued to come off the bench.

Both Durant and Westbrook gained All-Star nominations, with Harden just missing out. The Thunder went into the break at 27-7 and were on their way for the #1 seed in the conference.

A 7-5 start once the season resumed brought the team back down to Earth. Wins against the Miami Heat, Los Angeles Lakers, and Chicago Bulls in an eight-day period were the peak of the season. Kevin Durant looked like the MVP and the Thunder were settled in the top spot in the West.

Unfortunately, they lost their next three games leading to a 7-7 finish in which they ended up as the #2 seed in the conference. Still, 47 wins in a shortened season isn’t half bad and the Thunder have a great shot at making the NBA Finals.

Their road to the Finals begins on Saturday against either the Denver Nuggets or defending champion Dallas Mavericks, whom they beat 2-1 and 3-1 in the season series, respectively.

Now let’s give these guys some grades.

Kevin Durant- A+     28.0pts/8.0reb/3.5ast/1.4stl/1.2blk   26.2 PER

Having established himself as one of the elite players in the league with many individual awards, Kevin Durant is ready to take his achievements to a team level. He quickly turned the Thunder into a legit Finals contender with an MVP-type season.

Unless Kobe Bryant scores 38 or more points tonight, KD will win his third straight scoring title, and will most likely be selected to the All-NBA team again.

He set career highs in rebounds, assists, and FG%. What really made this season different for Durant was his improvement defensively. His isolation defense is ranked 20th in the league, at 0.57 points per possession compared to 0.74 last season.

Mark J. Rebilas-US PRESSWIRE

The main reason that Durant most likely will not win the MVP is because of LeBron’s defensive advantage. Even so, the gap is closing, with his athleticism and length Kevin can be a top notch defender which will lead to a few MVPs and hopefully some NBA titles.

Quite possibly the high point of the season for the Thunder star was scoring a career best 51 points against Denver in February. He had four 40+-point games to go along 18 double doubles. Missing that elusive triple double, Durant came within three assists three times.

Now, all of these stats and awards will mean nothing if the Thunder get knocked out in the first round of the playoffs. Basketball is a team game, and Durant will need to be a leader to take his team all the way.

Russell Westbrook- A     23.6pts/4.6reb/5.5ast/1.7stl   22.9 PER

Another great season for Russell Westbrook. Coming off a playoff run where he gained a lot of criticism for his shooting tendencies, Westbrook put that all behind him and played wonderfully.

He was rewarded with a second straight All-Star appearance while he continues to improve his play.

Shooting the ball at a higher rate, he raised his FG% 15 points. Although this led to a pretty significant drop in his AST%, his turnover rate dropped from 15.9 to 14.2.

As Westbrook continues to cutback on the turnovers, his play will get much better and more efficient. The Thunder run one of the most isolation dependent offenses in the league, which will lead to a lower Assist/Turnover ratio. Just over thirteen percent of the plays run are isolations, usually by Durant, Westbrook, or Harden.

For a point guard on one of the top teams in the league, you would think it’s surprising that Westbrook only had four games with double-digit assists, and none with more than 11. Honestly, I don’t see that as a problem for the Thunder. They are going to score at any rate, and he is really more of a shoot first point guard.

What to look for from Westbrook going into the playoffs is how spread out the scoring is. The Thunder will be under a huge spotlight due to their star power, and people will pay attention to how many shots he takes in relation to Durant. As long as they are both in the upper teens-20s, and are making shots, it shouldn’t be a problem.

James Harden- A     16.8pts/4.1reb/3.7ast/1.0stl   21.1 PER

Five days ago the Thunder were in great shape going into the playoffs. Nobody was injured and the players were getting ready to make a playoff run. Then Harden took an elbow to the head from Ron Artest (he was suspended 7 games), missing the final two games of the season while recovering from a concussion.

Now, Harden is cleared to play in the first round, but concussions are always a touchy subject. It’s hard to tell how effected a person is by a hit to the head, whether they can play to their full ability or not. We’ll see how he reacts to the injury when he plays this weekend.

Besides this unfortunate incident, James Harden has had an incredible season. After a great showing in last year’s playoffs, he was met with expectations of becoming that third All-Star caliber player for the Thunder.

He did just that.

Harden is a shoe-in for 6th Man of the Year, along with being a candidate for Most Improved Player. He could start for pretty much any team that isn’t the Heat, Lakers or Spurs, but coming off the bench is what the Thunder need from him. When Durant and Westbrook are out of the game, he gives the team multiple ways to score.

For a while now I have been saying that James Harden is the best passer on the Thunder. He is able to run a quality offense with what little offensive talent the Thunder bench holds, and is given the point in many clutch situations.

Once Eric Maynor went down, Harden was on his own in the backcourt. He either assisted or scored a majority of the points while the bench unit was in the game. Nick Collison was the only other person on the bench to play significant minutes and be productive.

Averaging 16.8 points while shooting 49.1%, Harden just missed out on an All-Star berth. Surely he will make plenty in the future if he keeps on improving at this pace.

In just his third season in the league, Harden has become one of the most efficient scorers in the NBA. His points per possession of 1.12 ranks seventh in the league, his .660 TS% is the best for a backcourt player in the league’s history. True Shooting percentage incorporates FG%, 3P% and FT%, which means he gets to the charity stripe often, and can hit shots from anywhere on the court with consistency.

A prime example of his efficiency is the stat line Harden put up against the Phoenix Suns eight days ago. In one of the most exciting games this season, James Harden scored a career high 40 points on just 17 shots. He hit five of eight 3-point attempts, and all 11 free throw tries.

This type of play is the reason why he will be the X-Factor for the Thunder going into the playoffs. If Durant or Westbrook struggle, they can count on Harden to score and take over the game if necessary.

Serge Ibaka- B+     9.1pts/7.5reb/0.4ast/0.5stl/3.7blk   19.0 PER

IBLOCKA!

You may have heard this a bit this year. Serge Ibaka has become the blocking king of the league. Averaging close to four blocks per game, he became the first person to block 241 shots since Marcus Camby in 07-08, and that’s even with the shortened season.

The breakout game for the 22(???) year old big man came on a day where the Thunder had two 40+-point scorers. Ibaka collected his first triple double by blocking 11 shots to go along with 14 points and 15 rebounds.

Richard Rowe-US PRESSWIRE

When someone is that dominant in the paint, they usually get looks for Defensive Player of the Year. Certainly people will give Serge votes, but it’s not time for that, yet. He really needs to improve all of the other parts of his defensive game, including pick and rolls, guarding smaller players, and not biting on pump fakes.

What I was really impressed with was Serge’s production on the offensive end. He may have dropped around a point per game from last year, but that really isn’t what matters with all of the scorers on the team.

The way he advanced his game was by adding more ways to score. His post moves are improving at a nice rate, and he has found a mid-ranged jumper. He hit shots from 16-21 feet at 45.5%, up from 41.8% last season. With more practice, his shot selection will improve, increasing his FG% and scoring average.

Against some of the smaller teams, we have seen Ibaka’s minutes go down under 20 due to his struggles guarding players outside the paint. With more time, he will be fit to play 30+ minutes every game.

We will see what Scott Brooks does once the playoffs start. Will he trust Ibaka to play a majority of the game with the season on the line?

Kendrick Perkins- C     5.1pts/6.6reb/1.2ast/0.4stl/1.1blk   8.7 PER

I don’t have a problem with Kendrick Perkins starting and only scoring five points, IF the only shots he gets are off offensive rebounds and the occasional wide open dunk. The worst thing the Thunder can do, is give the ball to Perk in the post, because he has ZERO post moves. It’s painful watching it.

Now on the defensive end, Perkins is really good. He is a solid pick and roll defender, and very good in isolation. That is how the Thunder will get the most out of the former Celtic. Keep him out of the offense and let him do his thing on defense.

This season, Perkins only scored double digit points eight times this year, with all but two of them coming after March 22nd. He also led the league with 13 technical fouls.

Kendrick Perkins doesn’t fill up the stat sheet, but he is still an above average NBA player, and is an able start for a championship contender.

Thabo Sefolosha- B     4.8pts/3.0reb/1.1ast/0.9stl/0.4blk   9.8 PER

Thabo played about just under 2/3 of this shortened season. His foot hindered him; he missed six weeks at the end of January into early March. The Thunder’s defense was affected by his absence, as Sefolosha is one of the premier wing defenders in the league.

Against smaller, faster teams, like the Nuggets, Sefolosha plays a more important part. When he is in along side Durant, Harden, and Westbrook, the Thunder’s defensive rating is better than normal at 1.01 ppp.

Thabo can hit 3-pointers at a nice rate. He shot 43.7% from beyond the arc, shooting 1.7 per game. His FT% is also in the upper 80s, so he isn’t a problem late in close games.

Defense wins championships, so Thabo will be an integral part in the Thunder’s run to the Finals.

Nick Collison- B+     4.5pts/4.3reb/1.3ast/0.5stl/0.4blk   12.1 PER

Mark J. Rebilas-US PRESSWIRE

I have really enjoyed watching Nick Collison come off the bench. He has good chemistry with James Harden, and is a stickler on defense.

When the bench comes in, the main offense run by the unit is either Harden isolation, or the two-man game with Harden and Collison. He may not score much, but he is very effective in running a system and helping players get open shots. Evidenced by his 121 offensive rating (basketball-reference).

I like to think Collison is a similar player as Joakim Noah. He may not have the same talent, but they play the same type of game. Both players have high motors, will do the dirty work necessary to be a factor in the game. Every team needs that guy who hustles 100% of the time, and Nick is that guy for the Thunder.

Daequan Cook- C-     5.5pts/2.1reb/0.3ast/0.4stl/0.2blk   9.2 PER

The thing with PER is, it only takes into account quantifiable stats. So the only defense it uses is blocks and steals, that’s why Perkins and Sefolosha have a lower PER, their defensive skills are more than just statistics.

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for Daequan Cook. He is nowhere near a quality defensive player, and really isn’t even that good on offense.

Cook is supposed to be a 3-point specialist, that is why, of his 5.2 shots per games, 4 of them are 3-pointers. The best 3-point shooters are in the mid-40% range, above average shooters are in the upper-30s. Generally, if you are only on the team to make 3′s, you should be in one of those two categories.

Daequan Cook shot just 34.6% from range this year. That is not good. It’s not even like he just had a down year, he is a career 36.5% 3-point shooter.

When Thabo went down, and Cook had to step in and start, that’s when it got bad. There was a stretch of six games in the middle of February, where Cook made 4 of 34 attempts from beyond the arc. That is not good.

His minutes will be way down for the playoffs. I would be surprised if he got more than 10 minutes in any game that isn’t a blowout.

Eric Maynor-        pts/ reb/ ast/ stl/ blk   PER

In case you couldn’t tell, talking about Eric Maynor makes me sad. He was one of the best backup point guards in the league, and was really fun to watch. He would’ve helped this Thunder team out a bunch, by taking some of the load off James Harden with the bench unit, and also spelling Russell Westbrook at times.

Most of all, if Eric Maynor had not torn his ACL after nine games, the Thunder WOULD NOT HAVE DEREK FISHER. More on that coming later.

We can only sit and wait until next year to see Maynor play again. It should be a joyful time, and very Fisher-less.

Nazr Mohammad, Royal Ivey, Reggie Jackson, Cole Aldrich- C

This bench unit was not very productive this year, outside of Harden and Collison. Reggie Jackson was getting some minutes until Fisher showed up. He showed some skill, but apparently not enough, as he hasn’t played much since the Thunder brought in the 5-ringed veteran.

Nazr Mohammad appeared in most games, yet had minimum impact. He scored just 2.7 points and grabbed 2.7 rebounds.

These guys won’t get more than five minutes in any playoff game, barring injury, and shouldn’t have an impact on how the Thunder’s season turns out.

Derek Fisher- D     4.9pts/1.5reb/1.4ast/0.6stl/0.1blk   5.9 PER  (20 games for OKC)

Halfway through writing my feelings on Derek Fisher, I decided to quit and save it for another time. It was getting too long, and it needs to be justified.

So I’ll just give some quick little notes on Derek Fisher’s season with the Thunder.

The positive impact Fisher brings to the team is purely his veteran leadership. He has been to the NBA Finals multiple times, and if the Thunder happen to end up there this season, that’s where he will help.

On the court, Fisher has not played well at all. He shot 34.3% from the floor on 5.4 shots. Any respectable player, playing over 15 minutes a game, should be shooting much better. That isn’t even that good for a 3-point%.

His defense isn’t much better. Fisher gets beat by quicker guards all of the time, and doesn’t have much to give on the defensive side of the ball.

I’m not a fan of giving Derek Fisher minutes, but if Coach Brooks isn’t going to play Reggie Jackson, then somebody has to do fill that backup PG spot, and it might as well be him.

The Thunder didn’t play their best game last night losing to the Jazz 97-90 and this definitely wasn’t one of the finer moments of the night for the Thunder.

Jamaal Tinsley with his street ball attitude showed up Nazr Mohammed by dribbling between his legs then drilling the jump shot.

Tinsley was big for the Jazz last night and scored nine points in the first half.

The Thunder will look to rebound from this loss tonight when they take on the Los Angeles Clippers.

Richard Rowe-US PRESSWIRE

Just like last time, the Thunder suffer a one point loss to the Houston Rockets, 104-103.

The game was close throughout, until the Thunder took an 11 point lead with 2:29 to go in the game.

Their only basket from there on out was a Russell Westbrook free throw. The Thunder were outscored 13-1 to end the game.

Kevin Durant had the opportunity to win the game, but missed a jumper.

Serge Ibaka got the rebound and was blocked on the Thunder’s final attempt to score.

Similarly to the game against the Cavs, they struggled to close out Rockets late in the game. Durant led the team in scoring with 28, followed by Westbrook’s 19.

Kevin Durant- A-     28pts/12reb/4ast/1stl

Durant had a pretty average game for him this season, scoring 28 points on 18 shots. He took advantage of the smaller Rockets lineup to grab 12 boards. The four turnovers did not help, but overall a solid game from Durant.

Russell Westbrook- C     19pts/4reb/4ast/1stl

Not a very good shooting night for Westbrook, shooting only 39% from the floor, missing all of his 3-point attempts. He also only had four of the team’s 22 assists. When Kendrick Perkins has more assists than Russell Westbrook, it is either a really good game, or a really bad game, the latter being the case last night.

Serge Ibaka- B-     12pts/8reb/1ast/2blk

When Chandler Parsons went to the four, at times, Ibaka was forced to go out to the perimeter to guard him. That spread out the defense, allowing the Rockets to have more options on offense. Ibaka is the key to the Thunder defense, holding down the paint, to give the guards a little more leeway. Again, Ibaka’s jumper has been great, as of late, he hit two more 15-footers this game.

Kendrick Perkins-B     2pts/4reb/5ast/1stl

Perkins played 30 more minutes of solid defense for the Thunder. His offense was nowhere to be found, but it’s never really been there, so I’ve given up on that. With the trade deadline looming, it doesn’t seem likely that anyone gets moved, but you never know what could happen.

James Harden- C+     16pts/4reb/7ast/1stl

It seems like Harden never shoots that well against the Rockets. They have good guards, defensively, and it looks like they have figured out how to guard him when he is the only threat on the court. He will always find ways to score, but he needs a little help off the bench to be more efficient.

Rest of the Thunder- B+

As a group, everyone else really stepped up their game last night. They combined for 24 points, which isn’t all that great, but a lot better than usual. Nazr Mohammed led the group with 10 points and 6 rebounds. Nick Collison put in some quality minutes, as well.

Douglas Jones-US PRESSWIRE

Apparently the Orlando Magic talked with the Oklahoma City Thunder about a trade involving Dwight Howard for James Harden and Serge Ibaka.

The Thunder was not interested and I don’t blame them.

The first reason why they would not do this is because they would basically be renting Howard for this season. They would have the best Big Three in the league teaming Howard with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook and would probably win the title this year.

The Thunder organization essentially is turning down as close to a guaranteed championship as possible this season to continuing building what they started. The Thunder’s sights are set higher than just one title.

Oklahoma City has the best record in the Western Conference right now and is right up there for the best record in the NBA so it’s not like they are from winning a title right now anyway.

Harden is having a huge breakout season and is taking the next step toward becoming a perennial All-Star. Ibaka too continues to improve most notably this season leading the NBA in blocked shots per game. Both are also just 22 years old.

I personally feel like Harden is going to emerge as the best shooting guard in the NBA in a few years and pairing that with also possibly the best player in the NBA in Durant alongside Westbrook and Ibaka is way too lucrative to not see it play out.

The trade with the Magic would also have to involve sending Kendrick Perkins and Nazr Mohammed to work.

You can see why the Magic would love to do this. At this point they’re trying to get anything for Howard and this is about the best one out there.

You have to imagine that the Thunder had to think about this at least for a second but what they’re building right now could lead to multiple championships coming to Oklahoma City. If the Thunder can keep their core of Durant-Westbrook-Harden-Ibaka, they’re going to get very comfortable playing in the NBA Finals for years.

They and head coach Scott Brooks have a reputation for not running good offensive sets. While this may be true overall, it doesn’t mean the Thunder don’t have some money plays they use to get easy baskets.

Here is a play the Thunder showed for the first time this season last night against the Golden State Warriors. The Thunder were having their way with Golden State and putting on quite a highlight show in the first half.

With 3:22 left in the first half Russell Westbrook advanced the ball across halfcourt to set up the offense.

It’s a basic play where Kevin Durant and James Harden both cross and come off downscreens on the wing. The Thunder do this a lot for Durant and Harden to either get them looks for open jump shots or in position on the wing to attack the basket.

Serge Ibaka sets the screen for Durant on the left side of the floor and Nazr Mohammed sets the screen for Harden on the right.

Westbrook passes off to Durant whose man, Klay Thompson, is trailing over the screen and Durant curls the screen to get in position to attack the rim. Again this happens a lot for the Thunder when they run Durant off screens. Durant’s defender tries not to go under so that he can take away the jump shot and wait for help on Durant’s catch.

Durant will usually get the jump shot if it is there or look for the screener rolling to the rim if he is doubled or immediately pass back to Westbrook if his man also helps.

On the opposite side of the floor we see Harden fading into the corner instead of up to the wing like he normally would. Also, Mohammed does not stay on the opposite block and instead clears out to the left block near Ibaka.

By this point we know it isn’t a normal play for the Thunder. On the catch Durant is already waiting for Harden to sneak backdoor for the designed lob. Harden’s man, Stephen Curry isn’t in good position and loses sight of Harden here as his body is fully turned toward Durant as he receives the ball.

The timing is right and it’s a highlight for the Thunder as Harden sneaks behind Curry for the pass and finishes strong with his sneaky athleticism.

This is the first time I have seen the Thunder go to this specific lob play. It was a designed play out of a timeout and something that the Thunder staff obviously thought would work.

The Thunder don’t run a ton of stuff so it is easy to get lulled to sleep defending them while expecting to just watch Durant and Westbrook go one-on-one on most possessions. Brooks has done a great job this season taking advantage of this and getting a lob or two every game for Oklahoma City.

Richard Rowe-US PRESSWIRE

It was a highlight show in the first half for Oklahoma City as they raced ahead of the Warriors on their way to a 110-87 victory at home Friday night.

The Thunder didn’t seem too happy with the rim as they put together dunk after dunk and led 58-48 at halftime. Kevin Durant led the way with 23 points, 10 rebounds and six assists while Russell Westbrook added 18 points but did injure his ankle in the third quarter.

James Harden was also in his best form collecting 25 points and nailing 4-of-7 from beyond the arc.

Kendrick Perkins did not start or play in this one and Nazr Mohammed started in his place. Mohammed wasn’t needed to do much but might be a better finisher than Perkins in the paint. The intimidation is always missed though without Perkins and Golden State took advantage to some degree with their work on the offensive glass (22 offensive rebounds).

Cole Aldrich also got some run in Perkins’ absence and was very active but unpolished and was called for two defensive three seconds violations.

The Thunder were truly firing on all cylinders in this one and shot 52.7 percent from the floor and made 10-of-24 threes. The Thunder also had 24 assists in the game which is a very high number for them.

Monta Ellis, who scored 48 points the last time these two played, had only 11 tonight.

Oklahoma City (23-7) is off tomorrow and will host Denver (17-14) on Sunday at 8:00 P.M. EST. The game will be on ESPN.

Nazr Mohammed will start in place of Perkins. Nick Collison will surely play a ton of minutes tonight a he usually does against the Warriors and we may also even be treated to a Cole Aldrich sighting if necessary.

Thabo Sefolosha is also still out tonight and has missed the last 11 games now including tonight. Daequan Cook will remain the starting two-guard and will need to do a better job tonight checking Monta Ellis, who scored 48 points the last time these two teams met.

Richard Rowe-US PRESSWIRE

Thunder (2-game winning streak)
105.9 Offensive Efficiency (2nd)
99.3 Defensive Efficiency (14th)
95.9 Pace (5th)

Rockets (2-game losing streak)
101.9 Offensive Efficiency (9th)
99.9 Defensive Efficiency (16th)
95.0 Pace (11th)

The Thunder have won their last two games, both against Utah, and now sit atop the NBA with the best record at 22-6. Tonight they will play the Houston Rockets who are a similar opponent to the Jazz. The Thunder beat the Rockets twice already this year on back-to-back games played in the first week of January. Kevin Durant had big games in each of those as well as James Harden. The Rockets have a similar issue when it comes to guarding Durant that Utah had in that they will be putting young players on him with Chandler Parsons and Chase Budinger. The Rockets were without Kyle Lowry in both of those games however and he will be suiting up tonight.

Thunder keys to the game

1. Kevin Martin

Kevin Martin has been in one of the biggest slumps of his career the past few games and the Thunder need to keep it that way. He did not score a single point for the first time in six years last night and is only averaging 7.3 points per game over his last six games. Martin can get hot easily and can beat opponents from the outside, an area of weakness for the Thunder defense. Thabo Sefolosha is still day-to-day and unlikely to play so the defensive assignment will go to Daequan Cook whose forte isn’t on the defensive end.

2. The Thunder bigs

Oklahoma City’s big men have been great lately. Serge Ibaka has been a monster blocking shots and now leads the league in that department. Ibaka didn’t do much the first two times Houston played and has been much better lately. Luis Scola had a 28-point game when Houston played at home against Oklahoma City but Ibaka should be able to slow him down tonight. Scola is similar to Paul Millsap in his craftiness on offense so the Thunder bigs should be used to his style tonight. Kendrick Perkins has been productive of late too including a career-high six assists last night. His screen-setting to free Durant and get him going early will be crucial. Nazr Mohammed had a season-high 17 points the last time the Thunder played the Rockets. Oklahoma City wouldn’t say no to a repeat of that tonight.

3. Rebounding

The Thunder are on a back-to-back tonight and the Rockets are one of the better rebounding teams in the NBA. Houston is third in the NBA in total rebound rate and fifth in offensive rebound rate. Oklahoma City will need to be focused tonight to make sure they don’t get killed on the glass. Durant is the leading rebounder for the Thunder but will have to respect Parsons and Budinger on the perimeter tonight so won’t be able to hang around the paint to get defensive boards. Perkins and Ibaka need to be focused on boxing out every possession and especially so since Houston shoots a lot of threes. A good rebounding night will lead to fast breaking for one of the best teams in the NBA in transition and an easy win for the Thunder.

Prediction: Oklahoma City wins 109-106.

Russ Isabella-US PRESSWIRE

It looked like it was going to be tougher than this. After one quarter the Utah Jazz led Oklahoma City 30-27 and looked like a team that was ready to play tonight.

The Thunder were just too talented, as they so often are for their opponents.

Russell Westbrook had the best game for Oklahoma City scoring 28 points on 10-of-20 shooting. He also had three assists, six rebounds and five steals.

Westbrook was especially efficient with his pull-up jumper in the game and when he’s hitting that shot, he’s just an impossible cover.

A real key to the Thunder victory was the production from their bigs. Oklahoma City usually relies almost entirely on Westbrook, Kevin Durant and James Harden to score but tonight got 36 points from their four big men.

Serge Ibaka led the way with 16 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks. Kendrick Perkins added a rare double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Then Nick Collison and Nazr Mohammed combined for 10 points and seven rebounds off the bench.
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That was with a roster of Russell Westbrook, Thabo Sefolosha, Kevin Durant, Jeff Green and Nenad Krstic.

Two months later, the Thunder pulled a trade-deadline move to give up two of that starting five in exchange for basically center Kendrick Perkins.

The Thunder went on to make a run to the Western Conference Finals, even though Perkins was largely a non-factor in the playoffs. Nick Collison came back, Serge Ibaka developed and newly-acquired Nazr Mohammed helped on the inside. Perkins was overweight and out of shape, contributing mostly vocal leadership and attitude. So the team shook up 2/5ths of the starting lineup midseason and went to the Western Conference Finals.

Now the Thunder is set with a lineup of Westbrook, Sefolosha, Durant, Ibaka and Perkins. Once again, the team is considered a favorite in the Western Conference.

It might be time to look at what that trade did to the flow of the Thunder offense. That problem is largely blamed on Westbrook and has been since late last year. The problem more to do with a lineup that is now way out of balance offensively.

Before the trade, Sefolosha was the only starter with limited offensive abilities. Westbrook could run the show, have Durant as a first option, and also have Green and Krstic spreading the floor as offensive weapons. Defenses had to play everyone straight up, with some doubling off Sefolosha to help with Durant. That left the floor open for Westbrook’s drives and cuts and plenty of places to pass the ball when they needed a bucket.

Now, when Westbrook has the ball he only has Durant who can get his shot. Sefolosha can shoot in streaks, but not create offense. Ibaka has a decent jumper, but can’t create offensively like Green. Perkins is a zero on offense, where Krstic was a decent release valve. Suddenly, if Durant is doubled and can’t get a shot, Westbrook is the only player that can bail out the offense and create a shot. Hello Durant-Westbrook conflict.

Now is the time to do something about this lineup. Something has to give to get more offensive threats on the floor.

The obvious option is starting James Harden over Sefolosha. Then you at least have three scoring options, one on each side of the floor to open it up for Westbrook. The Thunder got a look at that last night in the loss to Portland. Harden was the saving grace for the starting five. With Durant and Westbrook both having rough nights offensively, Harden was the only reliable scoring option on the floor. Sure it was a loss, but consider how lopsided that game would have been if Sefolosha was getting those starter minutes. The Thunder would have had zero offensive options in the starting unit with Durant and Westbrook struggling. In the past, Green and Krstic were talented enough offensively to drop 20 points on those nights. Green had enough offensive talent to fill in stretches when Durant couldn’t play. If Durant is out now, Harden has to start out of position at the three.

The trade last year has left OKC with only three scorers on the team. Daequan Cook can help in spurts, but is limited. The Thunder have Durant (26.1 points a game), Westbrook (17.1) and Harden (17.0), then no one until Ibaka’s 7.4 scoring average. Starting Harden helps the starters, but leaves the bench short a scorer. It might be time for the Thunder to look for another trade or a free agent scorer to balance out the floor.

Kevin Durant left all the Thunder fans smiling

Russell Westbrook finally had his moments. Serge Ibaka had a stretch of dominance. But with 1.4 seconds on the clock, Kevin Durant stole the show and added another highlight to his legend in Oklahoma City.

With the Thunder down a point, Durant curled around a screen and nailed a long three-pointer at the buzzer to give OKC a 104-102 win over the defending NBA champion Dallas Mavericks. The shot answered a long three-pointer by Dallas’ Vince Carter that stunned the crowd and gave the Mavericks a late lead. The Thunder were a point behind and only a prayer left, but Durant has a way of coming through in those clutch situations. KD let his teammates have their time, he let the Mavericks think they were going to steal a win, then he pulled the rug out on the Mavs to keep the Thunder undefeated and the Mavs winless.

The shot gave Durant 30 points, putting him over 30 for all four games this season. He added 11 boards and six assists.

Until the last two minutes, the game looked to be a story about Russell Westbrook coming out of his slump. For three and half quarters the living hell of Russell Westbrook’s season continued. Missed shots, turnovers and charging fouls all left him slumped on the end of the bench. Then with one fast-break dunk, the heavens opened. Westbrook took a foul on one arm and still elevated to finish with a dunk to give the Thunder a 93-91 lead and his season the kick-start it needed. In the last 3:17, Westbrook hit three out of four shots, pulled down a rebound and hit a free throw. The pressure seemed to release and send everything back to normal for the all-star point guard. Westbrook finished with 16 points, four assists and two steas. If not for Durant’s miracle at the buzzer, the story of this game would be Westbrook’s late dominance and his return to the good graces of the Thunder fans.

Ibaka also has had a slow start to the season, but came alive in this game after a scuffle with Carter resulted in double technical fouls with 7:44 left in the game. Ibaka came out of that and blocked a Dallas shot out of bounds, hit a 17-footer and a free throw to help the Thunder to a late three-point lead. He finished with 16 points, eight boards and three blocks, his best numbers of the season.

The Thunder move to 4-0 on the season going into a home New Years Eve game against the Phoenix Suns. The defending champ Mavs are 0-3.

Russell Westbrook has been getting some unwanted attention early this season.

The game was supposed to be the first real road test for the young Thunder this season. A matchup against another up-and-coming Western Conference contender that took the Thunder through a brutal 7-game series in the playoffs last year.

The Thunder answered that challenge with a convincing win on the road without ever really trailing, but no one is talking about the game. Instead two major story lines emerged to create drama for the Thunder.

Russell Westbrook vs. Kevin Durant — the Thrilla in M…M…Memphis?

Westbrook and Durant were involved in a major argument on the Thunder bench in the middle of the game. The two had to be separated and were so heated the first few rows of the Memphis crowd stood to get a better look at the throwdown.

Russ was in the middle of one of his worst nights of his career on the court. He finished 0-for-13 from the field. He was beyond frustrated and KD stepping up as a leader didn’t set well with him. Give the two credit for brushing it off and finishing the game strong to get the win. KD was unstoppable and Russ manned up to take the last in-bounds pass knowing he’d have to hit two free throws to seal the game, which he did.

But the two will be something to watch going forward. They say everything is fine, it’s just two competitive guys. That could be true. It could be one or the other will eventually get tired of it also. All the other guys are talented and competitive and we don’t see them getting into yelling matches in the huddle. Makes that Westbrook/Perkins for Howard trade idea seem a little bit better now.

Kendrick Perkins vs. Chris Webber

In his new role on TV, Webber has been opening critical of Perkins’ defensive skills. He’s called him an overrated defender. He’s said his reputation is in the media and not with the players. He’s said he has no lift so offensive players are confident they can get their shot off over him. Webber played against Perkins, so he’s speaking from experience.

Perkins fired back on twitter saying, “and im tired of chris webber hatin on me get a ring first and then i can respect ya comments other wise keep my name out of ya mouth.”  To be fair, Webber was always the best player on those Kings teams that he got pretty close to a ring, while Perk had the benefit of Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett at his side to get his one ring in Boston.  Perk should address the comments as a challenge and not distract with a poorly backed insult.

Last season Perkins was overweight and out of shape. He’ll admit that. The knee injury is the reason, but there is really no good reason for that for a professional athlete. Even with a knee injury you can work out and eat right. The team was making a run to the Western Conference Finals. That should have been motivation. He was an non-factor against Memphis and sat on the bench mostly through key stretches, while Collison came in to spark the team in the middle. He absolutely couldn’t finish offensively.

This season, Perkins has lost 30 pounds and we’re told he’s at 100%.  The man in the middle for OKC had four rebounds in the win last night. He’s averaging 5.3 rebounds a game. The guys he was guarding last night at different times, each had 12. He still having stretches where he doesn’t run the floor because he’s out of breath. There aren’t many practices in this condensed season to work on conditioning, so Perk has to address this on his own. It’s not “hatin,” it’s an issue.

Kendrick Perkins defending against Dwight Howard in the game Sunday.

As the season goes on, Perkins performance will get more attention. This is his season to prove things have changed. It’s only three games in, so he can’t expect everyone to be sold just yet. He addressed the issue again this morning on twitter in two tweets saying, “…But to say on TV that I’m not a one on one defender was very disrespectful when I defend night in and night out, one on one…So that’s just it I felt real disrespected about that when I do this every night from my Boston days to my OKC days.”

Perkins has not been a one-on-one defender down low last year or this year in OKC. Not too many people in the NBA are really.

Against the Magic it was a team effort against Dwight Howard as expected. Last night, he was getting double team help with either Zach Randolph or Marc Gasol. Memphis isolated Z-Bo twice late in the game to go at Perkins guarding him, OKC brought help. Dallas helped the cause by getting rid of Tyson Chandler, so tonight it should be a good night for Perk. But he has something to prove to everyone this year. He can do it, or people will be agreeing with Webber as the season goes along.

Russell Westbrook reacts to a Kevin Durant dunk in the Thunder's season opening win over Orlando.

Everyone has seen the spoiled kid at Christmas. All the presents are unwrapped, they are sitting there with every toy on the planet and every electronic gadget known to man. Somehow there is always one thing they didn’t get that has their total attention and ruins their entire holiday.

Today, this blog is that kid.

The Thunder are 2-0 with a foundation of the youngest talent in the NBA. There isn’t one single NBA team right now that wouldn’t trade roster for roster with the Thunder. None.  That said, in the spirit of constant improvement, here’s a few things Thunder fans didn’t get for Christmas:

OKC didn’t try to trade for Dwight Howard
Sure, the Thunder just held Howard to less than a dozen points, but Howard is clearly the best center in the NBA and he’s most likely going to be traded somewhere. Why not OKC? Perk has a reputation as a defender, but Howard is a multiple Defensive Player of the Year. Plus he’s about the same age as Kevin Durant. With Howard, Ibaka, and Durant on the same team the Thunder might have one of the best front court’s of all time and easily the most marketable.

So how do you get Howard in OKC? How about trading Russell Westbrook and Kendrick Perkins for Dwight Howard? Westbrook is a GREAT young player, but Howard is the only player of his talent level at his position in the NBA. Orlando could build around Russ and let him have full control of the offense. He could be their Derrick Rose. Perkins would be an adequate center to replace Howard. OKC could throw in a pick if it helped. If push came to shove, OKC could throw in Thabo and start Harden. Westbrook is already going to be a max-contract guy. Wouldn’t it be better to pay a max contract to Howard? He wants to win, the Thunder would be instant favorites for the next 10 years with Howard and KD on the same team. The marketing of those two together in OKC could draw national-level attention without being a huge market like LA or NY. On the court, a legitimate inside scoring threat drawing attention while KD and the other Thunder shooters camp out for 3s? Unstoppable. It also solves the Eric Maynor issue for the Thunder. Right now, he’ll probably be lost as a RFA at the end of this year. With the trade, OKC signs him long-term as the starter. He’d be hard pressed to find a better position.

Of course, the thought is that the Thunder have a young team and just need to hold steady and let them develop. No need for upgrades. Don’t mess with chemistry. That’s exactly what fans thought before the trade for Perkins. No one wanted to mess up the starting five of Krstic, Green, KD, Thabo and Russ. Where would OKC be with that lineup right now? Not the expected top seed in the West. Trading for Howard would make OKC the favorites in the NBA, not just the West. Every other team the Thunder is competing with has attempted to upgrade. Trading for Howard might be the only way to keep him away from the Lakers or Mavericks also. That’s another huge benefit.

No Free Agents were pursued, except OKC free agents
With Durant getting a bump up in salary from the the new CBA the Thunder were up against the salary cap. Guys like Shane Battier, who Durant actively recruited on Twitter, were never called by OKC. Thunder fans can be glad Battier isn’t in Memphis anymore to hassle Durant in the Western Conference playoffs, but now he’s waiting in Miami if both teams live up to expectations and make it to the NBA Finals. Battier ended up being a bargain for the Heat with his three year deal for a total of around $9 millon. Having Battier would have been a nice luxury, but with the Thunder depth he might not of had an interest. Maybe if the Thunder were involved with the talks Miami would have had to pay more. Any chance to stick it to the Heat or Lakers should not be skipped.

Cell Phone Service in The ‘Peake is still horrible
According to a report in NewsOK.com, the Chesapeake Energy Arena installed a new antenna to boost cell phone service inside. AT&T is lagging on hooking into the antenna, so everyone with an iPhone is still out of luck. For an NBA arena, this should not be an issue. If it’s the arena’s fault, the cell phone company’s fault or the Thunder’s fault, it really doesn’t matter. They each should be pushing each other to make this happen before the end of the home game with Dallas. There is no reason it can’t work. The arena went through millions of dollars of improvements in the off-season and all the talk is about not being able to text.

The Thunder have such great community relations outside the arena and on the court, then the fans are frustrated in their seats with no way to text, facebook, or tweet about the amazing experience. It’s good word-of-mouth advertising completely missed and replaced by frustration. Wi-fi could be set up TODAY if they made it a priority. If the cell phone companies are the holdup, then the Thunder should push The ‘Peake to do that now. At least as a stop-gap and keep it up while they see if the additional antenna works. In today’s world, fans expect to be able to stay connected and it benefits everyone to make sure that is the case.

Here’s a break down of the Thunder roster that has many experts picking OKC to be in the NBA Finals this year against the Miami Heat:

Starting Five

PG: Russell Westbrook. No one takes more grief for the Thunder losses in the playoffs. For the most part, it’s undeserved. Sure he has some bad plays. Every PG in the league does. Westbrook is one of the few starters who can get a shot whenever he wants one, so that puts him creating shots more often than some people would prefer. It’s perfectly fine with the Thunder players and got him to be All-NBA second team in just his third season in the league. Expect him to be even more reliable, fewer mistakes and better defensively this season. Russ is a bonafied superstar.

SG: Thabo Sefolosha. The most questionable of the Thunder starters and the one backed up my a rising star in James Harden. Thabo will need to improve over last year to keep his spot. He built is starting reputation on great defense for a team that had other scorers in the starting lineup. Now, with Nedad Krstic and Jeff Green no longer scoring for the starters and replaced by weaker offensive options in Kendrick Perkins and Serge Ibaka, Thabo’s defensive only spot is more glaring. The defense improved with the change, but a shooting guard that doesn’t score puts you behind the curve in the NBA. Fans didn’t want to replace Krstic and Green in the starting lineup, but sure didn’t miss then when they left after seeing the improvement. Thabo is the same type of starter. Harden is an instant upgrade just waiting to happen.

SF: Kevin Durant. The cornerstone of the franchise just keeps getting better and better. The Thunder get by with basically three defensive players in the starting lineup thanks to the offensive brilliance of KD and Westbrook. KD is set up to lead the league in scoring again, first team All-NBA again, and if the Thunder contend for the top playoff seed in the West he’ll be in the hunt for the NBA MVP. Al while being one of the most fan-friendly players in any pro sport. It doesn’t get any better than KD. Now if he just didn’t like the Longhorns.

PF: Serge Ibaka. A great fit at power forward, all Ibaka needs is a little more offense to start getting all-star attention. Young, athletic and hard-working, Ibaka could be the catalyst for the Thunder improvement this season. All the young players are expected to improve and help the team, but if Ibaka brings more offense to the inside to go with his shot-blocking and transition offense, the Thunder take a huge leap.

C: Kendrick Perkins. The third player in the Thunder starting five that fans either love or question. Perkins dropped 30 pounds over the off-season and does look slimmer. The question is how was he, as a leader, ever 30 pounds overweight to begin with last season? He has ground to make up to show he’s more than just a yeller and a scowler. In the playoffs last year, the Thunder was better when he was on the bench. He struggled against Denver, Memphis and Dallas on defense. Now, he’s slimmer and that isn’t going to happen. At least that’s what we’re told. Chris Webber recently called him out on NBA TV for being an overrated post defender. If center brings little to no offense to the table, he better be an anchor in the middle. Perkins has this season to convince the fans. Everyone is optimistic his work ethic will show benefits. Plus, he’s excellent on twitter. Could he even venture to all-star level thanks to the weak crop of centers in the West? Boom or bust type season ahead.

Bench:
James Harden. He shouldn’t be in this spot for long or at least be getting starting minutes as the sixth man if he is still not starting. Harden has shown maybe the most improvement of all the Thunder players in the preseason. He’s been more aggressive offensively, the low three’s have been rolling, and he’s always fiesty on defense. Harden, along with KD, Russ and Ibaka, also fits in with the athletic young group that loves to run the floor and finish with a dunk over anyone in the way. He’s a legit starter currently on the bench.

Nick Collison. He was missing part of last season and his return sparked the Thunder to a run up the West standings. His defense in the middle saved the Thunder in the playoffs when Perkins was a non-factor. The guy does everything you need him to do to win. Nearly perfect bench player with a great contract situation for the cap.

Nazr Mohammed. The only guy that’s been in the NBA more than 8 years to show the youth of the Thunder team. Nazr bounced around the league some, but in OKC he’s dropped into a great role. He’s not going to score many points, but that’s not expected. He is a 6′ 10″ big man coming off the bench to provide solid defense when Perk sits down. He was just as important as Collison in the playoff run last season. Every team in the league could use a guy like Nazr on the bench.

Eric Maynor. Maybe the best backup point guard in the NBA. Either way, he’s solid off the bench enough to be starter quality on some teams. He’s a RFA after this season, so it might be the last year to have this luxury.

Daequan Cook. Why are the Thunder favorites through a short, condensed season? This is 10 players deep with solid players an almost all of them young and improving. Cook is another player with a great role for OKC. He won’t be a starter in the league, but as a guy coming off the bench to shoot three’s, he’s as good as anyone. If he’s hot, it’s a bonus on top of the other offensive weapons. The more often he’s hot, the more dominate the Thunder offense will be this year.

Cole Aldrich. The tallest player on the Thunder roster and a former lottery pick, Aldrich should be about to emerge as a solid player for the Thunder. Actually last year before Perkins came back from the injury, Aldrich got some minutes and played pretty well against the Clippers for one. If he can follow his fellow KU alum and be a Collison type player off the bench for the Thunder at center, things keep getting better in OKC.

Reggie Jackson. This year’s first-round draft pick hasn’t seen much playing time in the NBA yet and probably will struggle to break this rotation this year. The most minute against NBA talent he’s seen was in KD’s charity all-star game in OKC. He had some moments there and showed the athleticism expected of the Thunder guards. Get him spot minutes, let him develop and he’s ready to cut into Cook or Maynor’s minutes next year.

Lazar Hayward. Doesn’t expect to get much playing time, but will be an athletic young player with potential. The Thunder traded for him, so you never know when Sam Presti might be finding a gem. Maybe he has Byron Mullens’ spot, which is maybe a push with better upside.

Ryan Reid. A rookie behind Ibaka, Collison, etc. at the power forward spot. He might get some trips to Tulsa for the 66ers if the Thunder follow how they treated Aldrich and Byron Mullens last year. All upside that just needs time.

Royal Ivey. Saved him for last on purpose. Seems to be a great guy, but not sure how he fits on the Thunder. This will be his eighth year in the league, He’s not going to get minutes over any of the Thunder guards. He doesn’t have upside to develop. It seems like another young player with potential should be in this spot. Maybe OKC should cut him or trade him to see if he can get to play somewhere else before he gets too old? Maybe he’s a veteran influence on the young players that you don’t see on the court. If he’s the Nate Robinson this year, that’s an improvement.

Kevin Durant and the Thunder will need defensive stops like this on the road to rise to the next level

The Oklahoma City Thunder will play this NBA season is a newly remodeled Chesapeake Energy Arena.  Legends aren’t made in the cozy confines of home though in the NBA. Wins in The ‘Peake may make Loud City even louder, but on the road is where the Thunder will stake its claim for greatness. They earn their reputation when they walk on someone else’s floor and come away with wins, consistently.

Here’s a look at the top ten Thunder road games in chronological order:

1) December 28 @ Memphis: It took the Thunder seven games to eliminate the Grizzlies last year in the playoffs. This season the two rising young teams should be battling again in the playoffs. Memphis gets O.J. Mayo back and has a OKC-level home court advantage. This might be a bigger challenge than the Magic at home on Christmas night.

2) January 2 @ Dallas: The NBA seems anxious to get this OKC-Dallas rivalry fired up for the new season. With two preseason games and one game at OKC in December and opening the new year with this early road trip, we should know just how the two Western Conference favorites shape up.

3) January 16 @ Boston: Only Kendrick Perkins remains from the trade between these two teams last year with Jeff Green sidelined with the heart condition. Perkins against his old team, KG talking junk, Rondo vs. Russ…it all makes for an interesting game for a TNT national audience.

4) January 30 @ Los Angeles Clippers: The Clippers are the buzz of LA as much as they will be the buzz when they show up in OKC. The Thunder need to prove they can beat teams on the road. Winning against the Clippers and Grizzlies will also be good statements for keeping the best young team in the NBA label.

5) February 10 @ Utah: The Jazz may or may not be contenders in the West this season. What makes this game one to watch is it finishes off a stretch of five road games in seven days. A brutal trip from San Antonio, across the West coast, then to the Jazz. The Thunder’s young legs will be tested there for all to see on a Friday night national ESPN telecast.

6) March 1 @ Orlando: By this time Dwight Howard might be a New Jersey Net for all we know, but if he’s in Orlando this is a big game for the Thunder to prepare for the playoffs. No one has a big guy like Howard. If they can handle him on the road, the interior defense is ready for the playoffs.

7) March 29 @ Los Angeles Lakers: Two road trips to the Lakers in basically the last month of the season. The NBA either helped the Lakers out by giving them a better chance to finish strong, or hurt the old folks with the Thunder running them ragged. Winning in LA is a statement the Thunder need to make.

8 ) April 4 @ Miami: The capstone of one of the toughest stretches on the Thunder schedule is the only trip to Miami for the Heat. It’s fine to beat contenders at home, but you make your name winning on the road. This late in the season a win here could possible make the Thunder the favorites for the title going into the playoffs.

9) April 29 @ Los Angeles Clippers: Maybe it’s overkill putting two Clippers games on the road list also, but with the talent the Clippers have put together they should be a solid playoff contender. Every NBA fan in Oklahoma will be watching this one with Blake and CP3 playing the hometown favorites.

10) April 22 @ Los Angeles Lakers: A Sunday afternoon ABC game against the Lakers. It doesn’t get any better than that outside of the playoffs. This is the Thunder’s last road game and a huge opportunity to capture the nation’s attention. Look forward to a Kobe smirk on national TV while the Thunder wrap up the top seed in the Western Conference for the playoffs.

Russell Westbrook will have plenty of tomahawk dunks for Thunder fans at The 'Peake.

The evil NBA lockout is over. The preseason tease is over. Now Oklahoma City fans are sitting around like kids staring at packages under the Christmas tree waiting for the December 25th home opener at the Chesapeake Energy Arena.

It’s a perfect storm for anticipation. The Thunder is coming off the trip to the Western Conference Finals last year. The NBA lockout stretched out the wait. Now, two preseason wins over the NBA Champion Dallas Mavericks have the Thunder fans primed to get this season started.

Here’s the top 10 OKC home games on the schedule in chronological order:

1) December 25th vs. Orlando: The Thunder’s position as a marquee team in the NBA is solidified with opening night prime-time ESPN game against the Orlando Magic. Some of the luster of this game was at risk in recent weeks with the Magic attempting to trade all-world center Dwight Howard. Now he appears to be starting the season on the Magic roster, so Thunder fans get to watch one of the most entertaining players in the NBA to start the season. With Howard, the Magic are a contender in the Eastern Conference. It should be an early statement game with the entire country watching.

2) December 29 vs. Dallas: The defending NBA champs back in OKC to set the tone for who will be contenders for the #1 seed in the West. The Mavs won the war last year, but so far OKC has won the battles this year with the two preseason wins. Now Dirk will be back playing, Kidd won’t be sitting on the bench and the Thunder will have to prove the preseason wasn’t a fluke. Dallas lost Tyson Chandler and that pesky JJ Barea in the offseason. They added Khloe and Lamar Odom and some E! TV cameras. Odom looked like he brought his LA attitude to Dallas in the preseason games. When the games count this rivalry might spark to new levels. The biggest question of the night will be if since it’s the TNT primetime game, if Charles Barkley will make his appearance in OKC with the crew. If so, someone arrange a horse and buggy to pick him up at the airport please.

3) January 8 vs. San Antonio: The Spurs were one of the top four teams in the West last season, but that isn’t what makes this game one to watch. Thanks to the crammed schedule this is will be the Thunder’s third game in three nights. The stretch starts with a home game against Houston, then the Thunder fly to Houston the next night, then fly back home to take on the Spurs the next night. Not only three games in three nights, but two flights included. That should help the aging Spurs against the young Thunder legs. Interesting the Thunder’s only other home game against the Spurs is the night following a road game at Denver. The schedule makers made the Spurs games as tough as possible for OKC.

4) January 14 vs. New York: The only OKC appearance of the New York Knicks since trading for Carmelo Anthony. In Denver, Anthony got a lot of credit from the national press for winning his matchups with Kevin Durant. The only appearance ‘Melo has made in OKC since the trade was for KD’s charity game during the lockout. Now with the Thunder as contenders and the Knicks looking solid in the East, the two young superstars will battle it out again for bragging rights.

5) February 3 vs. Memphis: The Grizzlies gave the Thunder a severe test in the opening round of the NBA playoffs last year. Both teams are young and loaded. Both brought all their key players back. Both are set to contend in the West again. This late in the season the Thunder will have already played twice in Memphis, but now the home crowd in The ‘Peake gets its chance to see the two fight it out. It’s the ONLY home game for OKC from January 26 through February 13th stuck between eight road games. The players should be elated to be home and the crowd should be starved for NBA basketball.

6) February 23 vs. Los Angeles Lakers: The Lakers only appearance in OKC this season, compared to two Thunder trips to LA. By this time of the year the aging Lakers will either be walking dead or killing teams like basketball zombies. With Kobe, Gasol and Bynum still around the Lakers are still the Lakers. By this time of the year, they might have traded for Dwight Howard for all we know. Thunder fans would prefer they just be showing their age and take a beat-down. The NBA scheduled a break for the Lakers here too, giving OKC a home game against the Celtics the night before and the last of four home games in five nights.

7) March 21 vs. Los Angeles Clippers: Finally the best team in LA makes a trip to OKC. Besides Blake Griffin returning home, it’s now a dual homecoming with Chris Paul returning to OKC where he played for the Hornets. The Clippers superstars once owned OKC when they played in the metro area. Now they will get some fans and some applause, but it’s KD’s town. This might be the hottest ticket of the season actually with Blake/CP3 back in OKC. It could be an important game in the West too. The Clips look to be contenders this year. This game starts off the most important stretch of the schedule for the Thunder. In the eight games, the Thunder has the Clippers, Twolves, Heat, Blazers, Lakers, Bulls, Grizzlies and Heat again. Put up a winning record through that stretch and the Thunder are playoff favorites.

8 ) March 25 vs. Miami: The only two games with the Heat are in this 8-game stretch. The one time the Heat play in OKC for the season is a Sunday night national ESPN game. Right now it’s the two teams most experts are picking to play in the NBA Finals. It’s the best of the West against the best of the East.

9) April 1 vs. Chicago: Another game in the defining stretch, the Bulls make their only appearance in OKC for the regular season. MVP Derrick Rose in OKC for April Fools Day. This was last year’s marquee season opener for the Thunder. Now it’s Russell Westbrook vs. Rose for a Sunday noon ABC national audience.

10) April 11 vs. Los Angeles Clippers: The Clippers second meeting in OKC. OKC fans would probably rather see Blake/CP3 than even the Heat. This game versus the Clippers is the last big home test, followed by road games against the Clippers and Lakers. The Thunder’s late season schedule should set up some wins with three games against Sacramento in the last two weeks of the season for example. Maybe the last home game against Denver jumps up, but that has more potential to be a rest game than an important game for playoff seeds.