Howard Smith-US PRESSWIRE

The Oklahoma City Thunder have filled their 15-man roster for the 2011-12 season and will be parting ways with three players from last year’s team: Derek Fisher, Nazr Mohammed and Royal Ivey.

The Philadelphia 76ers are reportedly going to sign Ivey to come on and be their backup point guard, according to phillyblurbs.com. Ivey is believed to sign on for $1.23 million per season.

Ivey played for the 76ers from 2008-10 before coming to the Thunder. Ivey played the last two seasons with OKC and appeared in 59 games for them.

Ivey averaged 2.1 points per game last season and got some decent playing time while Thabo Sefolosha was injured. He established himself as a solid defender and reliable spot-up 3-point shooter shooting .340 percent from beyond the arc on the year.

Jrue Holiday started at point guard for the 76ers last season but they have parted ways with their backup point and super sixth man Lou Williams. Ivey will come in and do his best to fill that void.

Fisher and Mohammed are now the two final Thunder players from last season still in search of a team for next season. Fisher has gained interest from many teams including the Chicago Bulls, Brooklyn Nets, Dallas Mavericks and Cleveland Cavaliers.

There hasn’t been much news yet about where Mohammed may end up.

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.

Richard Rowe-US PRESSWIRE

Thunder guard Thabo Sefolosha will return to the starting lineup tonight with the Thunder traveling to take on Denver tonight at 8 p.m. EST.

Sefolosha missed the last 23 games due to an injured right foot. James Harden started two games in his absence and Daequan Cook the other 21.

Sefolosha was missed in a lot of instances. He is one of the premiere perimeter defenders in the league. Being matched up with opponent’s starting twos was a tough task for Cook these past weeks.

The Thunder will also be able to get back to their original rotation using Cook off the bench. Cook was forced to play a lot of minutes starting and then remaining in the game with the second unit with Sefolosha out.

Royal Ivey has been getting a lot of minutes lately as Cook has struggled.

Sefolosha should also be helpful when the Thunder go small and need more defense at the end of games. The Thunder struggled in some games during his absence playing Cook late and did not have enough defense and rebounding on the court.

Richard Rowe-US PRESSWIRE

The Thunder have to be the most exciting team to watch in the NBA this season. And they also have had some of the more memorable box scores this season.

The Thunder had their Big Three each score 30 or more points and Serge Ibaka come two points shy of a 20-20 game.

Oklahoma City beat Phoenix 115-104 and only five players scored for the Thunder. Kendrick Perkins had six.

For three quarters it was not Kevin Durant’s night. He struggled mightily from the field and simply was not letting the game come to him, and he usually does.

Trailing 84-68 with 4:13 left in the third quarter, Oklahoma City would cut the deficit to just 88-84 by the end of the quarter. The Thunder were on a 30-7 run with eight minutes left in the fourth and ahead 98-90.

Durant after a frustrating night in which he didn’t feel he got the calls he should have, got going in the fourth and scored 12 points to give him 30 on the night.

Durant got into foul trouble picking up two cheapies in the first and Russell Westbrook and James Harden stepped up. With Harden in the Thunder finished the first period strong but still trailed 34-25.

Steve Nash had seven assists in the first and Marcin Gortat 12 points. Nash would get up to 13 assists by halftime but wouldn’t drop another dime the rest of the game.

Richard Rowe-US PRESSWIRE

Westbrook was schooled by Nash in the first half but came out with much better defense in the second half. Westbrook also matched Nash’s offense and then some as he scored 31 points and had 10 of his own assists.

Harden was a machine tonight off the bench and the Thunder were plus-27 when he was in the game. He scored 30 points on 12 shots and made 10-of-11 free throws.

With five minutes left in the third quarter, Royal Ivey entered the game for the first time. He did not score and missed all four of his three-point attempts but he played the rest of the game and the Thunder outscored Phoenix by 23 with him in.

Ivey certainly played great defense and helped stretch the floor on offense as Phoenix showed a lot of zone.

The Thunder were only able to go small in the fourth because of Ibaka’s career game and total control of the boards. Nine of Ibaka’s 20 rebounds were offensive too and he added three blocks as well. Ibaka and Westbrook would prove to be a very solid weapon for Oklahoma City’s offense tonight.

The Suns had 28 assists in the game with 23 of them coming in the first half. Oklahoma City did the most of their damage with 31 fast break points against the old knees of the Suns.

This game again felt like one that the Thunder should not have won for three quarters but then they just give their opponents too much to handle for 48 minutes to lose. They seem to never get tired and never give up in any game this season.

The Thunder now improve their NBA-best record to 31-8 this season and will play next Friday night when they host Cleveland (13-23).

Howard Smith-US PRESSWIRE

Russell Westbrook couldn’t make a jump shot and couldn’t hang on to the ball but he still found a way to play like an All-Star and lead the Thunder to a 92-88 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers Wednesday night.

Westbrook shot 7-for-20 from the floor and turned the ball over seven times but he led the Thunder with 13 rebounds and seven of the offensive variety and played lockdown defense down the stretch.

Leading by one following an Andre Iguodala three-pointer with five seconds left in the game, Kevin Durant stepped to the line to shoot two free throws. He made the first then missed the second but Westbrook was there to steal the offensive rebound and get back to the line making both of his free throws.

Westbrook was great early in the game getting to the rim at will in the first quarter but Philadelphia head coach Doug Collins adjusted and the 76ers took away Westbrook’s driving lanes for the rest of the game. Westbrook was forced to settle for more jumpers and wasn’t hitting and became visibly frustrated.

The Russell Westbrook from a year ago or even earlier this season may have hung his head low down the stretch in this one. The Russell Westbrook of today stepped up and made crucial plays when the Thunder needed him.

Howard Smith-US PRESSWIRE

Durant scored only 23 points in the game and was 7-of-18 from the floor. James Harden added 16 points and eight boards and Serge Ibaka 10 points, eight boards and three blocks.

The Thunder’s physical, athletic defense down the stretch won them this game.

Oklahoma City trailed 84-77 with 5:31 left in the game. The 76ers would miss their next 11 shots after this point and score only four points the rest of the game.

Kendrick Perkins played one of his better games of the season scoring only three points but grabbing 11 rebounds and helping Ibaka control the paint.

The Thunder grabbed 19 offensive rebounds in the game and turned the ball over 17 times. They held a huge edge at the free throw line attempting 34 compared to only 12 for Philadelphia.

Iguodala and Jrue Holiday played very good games for the Sixers standing face-to-face with Durant and Westbrook. The entire night until the last five minutes it felt like the Sixers were playing great and the Thunder poor. That just goes to show the superior talent on the Oklahoma City roster.

Royal Ivey gave some great run for the Thunder especially in the second half and did a very nice job on Lou Williams. Ivey and Harden together drew the assignment of Williams for most of the ngiht and held him to 3-of-11 shooting.

The Thunder improve to 28-7 on the season and will play in Orlando (23-13) tomorrow night on TNT.

Richard Rowe-US PRESSWIRE

After a tough loss two nights ago, the Thunder left no doubt this game, defeating the Golden State Warriors 110-87. They ran the Warriors out of the gym, shooting 52% from the field and 41% from three. The only real negative we can take from this game is that Westbrook went down with an ankle injury in the third quarter. Hopefully he’s not seriously injured and can come back as soon as possible. Let’s give the team some grades.

Kevin Durant- A     23pts/10reb/6ast

Durant had an MVP-like game tonight. Contributing on both ends of the floor, he shot 64% while going perfect from beyond the arc. If the game would’ve been closer, he would’ve had a shot at his first career triple double.

Russell Westbrook- A      18pts/3reb/3ast

The main focus on Westbrook tonight is his injury. If he is out for an extended period of time, the Thunder will either have to rely on Reggie Jackson or make a trade for another point guard to fill his role. His injury is the one dark spot on an otherwise great game for the Thunder.

James Harden- A+     25pts/4reb/2ast

He did everything right tonight. Harden was in control, shooting lights out, and running a quality offense when Westbrook was out. Durant trusted him to take control when he was in the game. He put on a show for the Thunder Nation.

Serge Ibaka- B     9pts/6reb/2blk

Its games like these where you really don’t need Ibaka to play all that well. The Warriors are a shooting oriented team, and Serge did all he needed to for the Thunder to win. Golden State did manage to grab 22 offensive rebounds, which will not go over well with Coach Brooks. A little more effort out of Ibaka should help fix that problem.

Nazr Mohammed- B-     4pts/3reb/1blk

Mohammed started the game, but still only played 17 minutes and managed minimal stats. Cole Aldridge and Nick Collison played the majority of his minutes, and there wasn’t much to take from this game.

Daequan Cook- C     1pt/3reb/3ast

Unfortunately, Daequan did not show up tonight. He missed both of his field goal attempts, and made a few bad plays with the ball. Come playoff time, he should only be used as a 3-pt specialist.

Rest of the Team- A-

All healthy players got at least 5 minutes tonight, and they showed they can play. Royal Ivey and Reggie Jackson played well for the situation. Ivey hit three triples, and Jackson dished out four assists coming in after Westbrook went down. If the reserves can come in and play like they did tonight, the Thunder will be a tough team to beat throughout the rest of the regular season.

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.