Oklahoma City Thunder Blogs

Focus on the last names:

 

Jeff GREEN.

 

Troy MURPHY.

 

They were meant to be Celtics.

 

If Danny Ainge stopped his trade deadline dealings at the two-for-two swap that sent C Kendrick Perkins and G Nate Robinson to Oklahoma City for Green and Nenad Kristic, then fan dread over Boston’s chances in the playoffs would be understandable.

Continue reading "Refreshed Bench"

With 7 seconds left who would you go to?  Kevin Durant no doubt.  If not, the blazing quick Westbrook.  Last night, the Pistons took both those options away, leaving Jeff Green one on one with Maxiell.  Green layed it up.  Oklahoma City took a one point lead with 2.5 seconds left.  What was more impressive is what Westbrook did next.  No one talked about it.  There was no post game interview, but Westbrook did something that every high school coach dreams of.  He turned his the dribbler not once, but twice in 2.5 seconds.  Ben Gordon got the ball on the in bounds and Westbrook forced him to change directions twice.   Every time you turn your defender, the defense has many advantages.  One, you can double team with his back turned. Two, as in this case, they don't make much progress up the floor.  And, three, it eats up clock.  He may be the best defensive point guard in the league.

Continue reading "Thunder Go Green on Pistons"

The Thunder open the season with a victory over the Chicago Bulls.  The defensive pressure led by Thabo Sefaloosha was too much for the Derrick Rose and the Bulls.  He had 4 blocks and 2 steals.

Continue reading "Oklahoma City Thunder run with the Bulls"

New comer Cole Aldrich did not play in OKC's first summer league game of the year.  in fact, the Thunder did not start a single rookie. 

James Harden did not make a single 3pt shot, but attempted 18 free throws and had 19 points for the Thunder. 2nd year player Eric Maynor had 5 assists and 15 poinsts.   DJ White continues to show he can score with 13pts on 29 minutes and 6 rebounds.  He may be needed this year if Serge Ibaka's injury is significant.  He went down with a knee injury but walked off the floor.  There is no word yet on what his condition is. 

Continue reading "Summer League Scare for Thunder."

Two of the biggest needs for the Thunder are inside presence and outside shooting.  They got the shooter by trading the 32nd pick to Miami for sharp shooter D. Cook and the 18th overall pick.  Wow!  The move helps Miami trim the cap space they are fighting while acquiring a very high second round pick to go along with the other 3 second rounders they already have.  Second round picks are not guaranteed like first round ones are. So, Miami doesn't have to keep the guys they draft. 

Continue reading "The Thunder keep getting better."

There are three ways an NBA team can improve:  1) Draft  2) Trades  3)  Free Agency.

 I've taken a look at how well teams have drafted since 2003.  I used the number of rebounds, points, assist, steals, and blocks to help me rank the teams on their ability to draft.  If a player was acquired via a trade, he counts towards the team that received him in the trade.  Also, the statistics that count are only the ones that the player acquired while with the team that drafted him.  So, if a player was traded and then became a good player, that team lost out.  Let's see the results.

Continue reading "NBA draft, Who Drafts the Best?"

I just wanted to congratulate Oklahoma City Thunder fans. Now you too know the joy of a "Beat L.A." chant that comes to fruition.

To be clear, I don't believe OKC has any hope of winning their seven game series. However, every game the Lakers lose is another they have to play to advance, and with their players advancing ages, one can hope that the Thunder's tenacity is taking its toll on the Laker team. So, while the celebrations are likely to be short-lived, I'll congratulate OKC and their fans one last time. "Beat L.A."!!!

Continue reading "Congratulations OKC !!!"

Before getting to the big races, most people like to wager on the races leading up to them. Here are some nice spot plays for 04/03/2010:

For each race, there will be a projected order of finish, listing, in order:

Continue reading "Spot plays 04/03/2010"

The Thunder needed to go 2 and 2 last week and that is exactly what they did.  They lost to San Antonio which put them into a tie for 6th. Then, they defeated Houston with an impressive comeback performance by James Hardin. They followed that with a romp of the Lakers.  Sunday was a defeat to Portland. 

Continue reading "The Thunder playoff chances."

Losing to Indiana last night was tough.  If they had one last night, they would be tied for the 5th seed with Phoenix and 2 games ahead of 7th in front of San Antonio.  But, that didn't happen.  All is not lost, it just makes this week more difficult.  Tonight they are at home against the Spurs.  They have a one game lead over them.  A loss tonight would put the Thunder in 7th.  A win would keep them in 6th and put 2 games between them and San Antonio and more breathing room going into the last 14 games.

Continue reading "Big Week for the Thunder"

If the Thunder win the next 12 out of 18 games, they will assure themselves of a playoff spot.  That's assuming Memphis wins every game here on out.  Memphis is in 9th place and has 16 games remaining. Should they win all 16, they would have 51 wins.  OKC may very well win 12 games.  But, either way it looks like they are going to make the playoffs.  Just where will they be is the question.  Right now they are in 5th place.  But, they are 1 1/2 games behind Utah for 4th!! They are also 2 games ahead of 8th.  So, they could finish anywhere.

Continue reading "Thunder playoff bound"

The Thunder won their 7th straight win over the newly assembled Dallas Mavericks.  Durant lead the way with 25 points and 14 rebounds.  He was followed by 3 who scored 17 each in Westbrook, Green, and Harden.

Continue reading "Thunder win 7 straight!!!"

The Oklahoma CityThunder outscored the Portland Trailblazers 30 to 16 in the 4qtr last night to win it's 6th game in a row.  The win also moved OKC a half a game ahead of San Antonio for the 6th spot.  The Thunder is also 3 games ahead of the 9th place Houston Rockets.  Things are looking good.

Continue reading "Thunder 30 wins"

Last night, the Thunder beat the Pacers, keeping the 8th spot in the playoffs.  

OKC only trailed once 37-36. But, that lasted for less than a minute.  They built an 18 point lead in the third quarter.  Then, Troy Murphy went on a little run and cut it to 10 at quarter's end. Then, they managed to tie it in the 4th.  But, Durant couldn't be stopped and there were no second chances for the Pacers.

Continue reading "Thunder beat Pacers"

Winning on the road is tough.  Winning on the road in the second night of back to back games is tougher.  Doing that after playing the Lakers to the end the first night and beating the Suns the next is attention getting.  OKC did just that.  They beat a very very good Phoenix Suns team.

Continue reading "Huge win for the Thunder"

Quick Strikes 

-          I had trouble deciding whether I should start Beanie Wells (vs. Lions) or Cedric Benson (vs. Chargers) in one of my fantasy leagues.  It was a tough choice but I decided to go with Wells.  He rewarded me with 110 yards and a touchdown.  Benson was a must start earlier in the season, but the injury has definitely slowed him down.  Hopefully he bounces back this week against the lowly Chiefs.

Continue reading "Quick Strikes"

Fantasy Update:

So for the last few months I have been pretty busy and I never updated you guys on my fantasy status.  Well I am happy to report that I am doing pretty well and am in the championship game in all of my leagues except one. 

Continue reading "Fantasy Land Update"

There is good news and bad news in last nights loss to the Lakers.  The bad news is that is put them at 13 and 14 and 2 1/2 games out of the playoffs.  And, with a back to back tonight at Phoenix, it's unlikely that will improve tonight.  

Continue reading "Thunder next 3 are big."

This is my first time trying to blog, so here we go. I have been a life long Thunder fan (well as long as they have been around). I was a season ticket holder for the first season, and renewed for this season. While the first season was rough, I love the direction this team is headed in. The general manager, Sam Presti, has this team positioned to do great things now, and well into the future.

Continue reading "My Entry Into the Game"

In their 4th preseason game, the Thunder played the big 3 more like a regular season game and came up with a win.  Kevin Durant, Jeff Green, and Russell Westbrook all had over 30 minutes.  Etan Thomas and Thabo Sefolosha also started and had over 20 minutes of play.  This will probably be the look to start the season with. 

Continue reading "Durant scores big against Heat"

Last year the OKC Thunder won 23 games.  I'm curious to hear from all you fans on how many wins you think they will win this year.  I am guessing 32.    9 games in one year is a big jump.  The key addition is draft pick Harden, whom I think is a very solid addition and keeps the team moving in the right direction.  Another key addition is last year's first round pick DJWhite.  He missed most of last yaer and looked good late in the season when he saw his first action.  He provides some inside hustle and scoring.  This team really lacks inside presence on both ends of the floor.  Let's see how much progress can be made this year.  Reply to this post with how many wins you think they will get.

Continue reading "Thunder wins???"

The Thunder traded away Damien Wilkins and Chucky Atkins for Etan Thomas and two second round picks.  The move was an even swap money wise.  Wilkins and Atkins make nearly 7mil together and that is what Thomas will make this year.  The Thunder are well under the cap and Thomas' contract expires this year.  So, not only will they have freed up money next year, they will also have 5 draft picks.  2 in the first round and 3 in the second round. 

Continue reading "Thunder continue to make small moves ..."

The Thunder learned a few things in Las Vegas this summer.  One was the James Harden was a good pick.  Not only does he fit with the team image and chemistry they have established, but he can score, shoot, rebound, and handle the ball.  He averaged 14 points 3 rebounds 3 assist and 1 steal and 3 turn overs.  He also shot the ball well.  He will be starting by year's end if not sooner.  I don't think they will be able to keep him off the floor.

Continue reading "Thunder summer league."

Earl Watson has been released by the Thunder.  He began last year as the starting point guard.  Then, became the backup to Russell Westbrook.  Towards the end of the season, Oklahoma Ci

Continue reading "Thunder release Watson signs with Pacers"

             The heat of summer is ratcheting up and afternoon thunderstorms roll in like bad Finebaum columns. TV reruns, boorish Home Run Derby

Continue reading "Dog days of summer; Is it time for kickoff yet?"

I have done some research and tinkering with numbers and came up with a way to determine a player's value in wins.  As I discuss rosters, trades, draft picks, etc.., I will be talkng about a players wins.  LeBron James had the most wins with 15.  Kobe Bryant had 12 as did Chris Pual.  The system I have in place splits up the wins a team earns during the year based on the player's statistis.  Two players can have close to the same numbers but earn different win totals.  That is because they have one major number that is different, team wins.  There are players that score over 20, but can't win games.  Ricky Davis is an example of that.  Statistically, at one time, was very good.  But, he never won games. 

Continue reading "NBA and player wins"

The Thunder are in great cap shape.  They have a payroll of $42 million while the cap is somewhere near $57million.  They also have an option on Chucky Atkins at $3million.  I don't think they will sign any big names this year, but things are looking really good for next year.  The team has managed itself well.  Earl Watson has a 6mil salary and Damien Wilkins has a 3mil salary that both will expire after this year.  That frees up another 9.  This is a big year for Wilkins.  If he is to stay on the team and get a good contract, he has to show he is worth it this year. 

Continue reading "Thunder cap"

The Minnesota Timberwolves are in a world of hurt, and it's likely to get worse before it gets better.  Ryan Gomes, Al Jefferson, and Sebastian Telfair each earned 3 wins last year, while the res

Continue reading "Minnesota Timberwolves"

One of the numerous rumors going around this week is that the Thunder are going to make an offer to Utah's restricted free agent Paul Millsap. He is a good young player that filled lifted his game when Okur and Boozer were out.  I like the things he can do for OKC. Or any team for that matter.  What I hope we don't do is pay to much for him.  Since Millsap is a restricted free agent, Utah can match any offer to keep him.  They are likely to do that since it appears thata they will be about 3 million over the cap.  They can trade Boozer and keep Millsap at a cheaper price.  This is  very likely because Boozer has another year left on his contract and isn't guaranteed to stay in Utah.  So, they may trade Boozer for some future stock.  Teams can start talking with players today and get verbal commitments.  However, contracts don't become official until July 8th.  The team spends this week determining the new salary cap.  Last year it was 57 million dollars.  A team may go over the cap to resign it's own players, or by offersing the mid-level one year contract of around 5 million dollars.  If it goes over the cap, it must pay a tax to the league.  This next couple of week's should be exciting.

Continue reading "Rumor "Mills"ap"

The Thunder drafted James Harden Thursday night.  He is a 6-5 shooting guard from Arizona State.  The buzz word with Harden is "NBA ready".  He may start right away and fit right in.  He is compared most to Brandon Roy who torched OKC badly when Portland came to town.  Harden was only a sophomore this past season, so he has a lot of growing room.   Later in the draft, OKC moved up one spot by giving Dallas a future 2nd round pick.  Then, they selected 7-1 BJ Mullens from Ohio State.  He is pretty athletic for a big guy, but still seems like he is learning the game.  I don't think he will start, but he will give the Thunder some inside help.  In the second round the Thunder traded for SG Robert Vaden, a 6-5 player from UAB.  They got the player from Charlotte at number 54.

Continue reading "Welcome to OKC James Harden"

The Thunder made some improvement as the year went on and this week's draft will there will be more improvement.  Although there is a lot of speculation on who they will take at #3, let's take a look at how successful the third and 25th picks have been.

Continue reading "OKC Thunder draft chances"

This year the Thunder made some good trades and lots of improvement the second half of the season.  The continued growth of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and Jeff Green will be carried onto next year.  One player overlookd was DJ White.   He showed some promise at season's end.  The Thunder are in great position with the 3rd overall pick and another late first rounder.  But, what about free agency?

Continue reading "Thunder Free Agency"

Every Oklahoman wants to see Blake Griffin in an Oklahoma Thunder uniform.  The only way this is to happen is to trade with the Clippers.  The best chance the Thunder has is to trade both of

Continue reading "Thunder to get Blake Griffin?"

The Thunder are in a very good situation.  They can take either Rubio or Thabeat with the third pick.  Whichever is available.  They can also trade out of it.  I think Rubio is the best pick for the team.  I'm not sure how excited he is to come to OKC.  The team chemistry is one of the strong points of the Thunder.  Some argue that they don't need another PG.  Yes they do.  With the NBA game 48 minutes long, that is 96 minutes for the two guards that play there.  Westbrook and the 2 guard and Rubio could easily get 30 minutes each.  He is young and exciting and already has name recognition.  He would add more to the OKC fan base.  Could you imagine OKC Thunder shirts being sold in Europe?

Continue reading "Thunder and the 3rd pick."

According to Chad Ford of ESPN, the Wizards are in preliminary talks to discuss a trade with the team holding the no. 3 choice in the NBA Draft, the Oklahoma City Thunder.  It is said that Ricky Rubio's agent is somewhat driving a potential deal because his client would prefer not to play in Memphis or Oklahoma City.  It is the same agent as Yi Jianlin with the same desire, for the player to play in a larger market.  They see Washington and Sacramento as having fanbases more suitable for Rubio who is, I am assuming, looking for a latino population to attract to his games.  Fair enough, if this means the Wizards could get Rubio I am for it.  It is said that we would have to give up Javale McGee and our no. 5 pick but that may be worth it for Rubio.  I think Grunfeld is taking a chance on this because he really wanted Griffin or Rubio, the two players who are most likely to be All-Stars in the NBA.  I think ideally we would get a player that can contribute and for cheap on a rookie contract.  If this doesn't work out, many, including those at ESPN, think that Grunfeld will trade the choice for a veteran and/or cap relief.

Continue reading "Wizards May Trade to Pick Rubio"

Big Baby: Triple Double, 19 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 stitches -- this was a good day for the Boston Celtics. They are now home after a long road trip, and as Doc says, " this is big because we need a break to get our legs back underneath us."  The C's played the Oklahoma City Thunder in what started as a close game until the C's stepped up the D and held OKC to 39 points in the second half after having a tie game at the half.  For the 3rd straight game Glen "Big Baby" Davis was in the starting lineup for 'the day by day' Kevin Garnett,  and Big Baby left his sweat out on the court as well as some blood. 

Continue reading "Boston Celtics: 10 Stitches"

It's been almost two years since the mayhem of the 2007 Draft, when the question on everyone in Rip City was Oden? or Durant? As everyone knows and really, everyone expected, the Blazers chose Greg Oden, the towering behemoth center out of Ohio St. NBA history has always taught us that a dominant big man is the ultimate blue print to an NBA Championship.

Continue reading "If Only We Got the Second Pick"

Oklahoma City's next game is against I-35 "rival" the Dallas Mavericks. The 34-23 Mavericks would normally look like a tall order for the 13-44 Thunder, but a strange pattern has emerged for

Continue reading "Luck in Favor of Thunder Against Mavericks"

 On Tuesday, the Los Angeles Lakers played the Oklahoma City Thunder. Despite what the final score suggests, the game was actually pretty close down the stretch. One of the best players in the NBA today, Kobe Bryant went toe-to-toe with Kevin Durant, one of the nation's rising young stars. Durant is in hot pursuit of the record for most 30+ point games by a player before hitting the age of 21. The current holder of this title? A little known guy by the name of LeBron James.

Continue reading "Old School/New School Clash & The ..."

I have been watching college basketball since the age of on and have seen some really good college players fail miserably in the NBA.  This mock draft is my own version of who I think should take

Continue reading "The New Hope for Bad Teams"

After all the Amar’e Stoudemire chatter and the Chris Bosh rumors, GM John Paxson and the Chicago Bulls have once again failed to pull the trigger and bring a big name to the windy city. They did however; make three trades in the last two days of dealing, receiving two former Bulls in return. Here’s my take on what were reported as Paxson’s last transactions.

Continue reading "Joe's Trade Breakdown: Chicago Bulls"

One day after the NBA Trade Deadline passed, many Knicks played like they had a world of pressure taken off their shoulders.  With much speculation swirling around whether or not the Knicks would deal away enigmatic guard Nate Robinson and workhorse David Lee, both were able to breath easier last night knowing that they'd be playing in New York for the remainder of the season.

Continue reading "Relieved Post-Deadline Knicks Beat ..."

I recently wrote this piece for RealGM.com and it has a thorough comedic breakdown of my thoughts on the Knicks deals at the deadline. 

http://realgm.com/src_feature_pieces/746/20090220/a_trade

Continue reading "Trade Deadline Ends With Knicks On Top"

  As quick as the Oklahoma City Thunder accepted the trade for big man Tyson Chandler, the sent it right back.  Late Wednesday night, Tyson Chandler of the New Orleans Hornets was shipped back to Louisiana due to a failed physical. One of the Thunder doctors gave him a physical and examined his big left toe.  He decided that the risk of injuring it again was to great to give him a clean bill of health.  Tyson Chandler has turned into one of the solid big men in the league but has really never lived up to his potential after being drafted second overall in the 2001 NBA draft by the Clippers and then traded to the Bulls for former rookie of the year, Elton Brand.  Chandler has averaged 8.2 points per game and 9 rebounds per game since he went pro in 2001.  This trade not going through may have helped the hornets more then people think though.  When Chandler gets healthy they'll be one of the top teams in the Western Conference again and maybe make a title run.  Then again if this trade would have gone through the Hornets would have had a potentially a deep, playoff experienced, team.  They could send more guys off the bench if the trade would have gone through and that could give them more fire power against Western Conference powerhouses like the Lakers.  The big question here is, will it be awkward to come back to a team who would just ship you off with no second thought?  It would feel to me like I was not appreciated there and why should I stay there when they do not want me around.  I would feel betrayed.  Then again I am typing on here and he is in the NBA, it is his choice. 

Continue reading "Trade That Never Happened"

So tonight all the cards are upright so we should definitely win this game. I'm still trying to adjust to the new demands on my time so here's a brief rundown of the reading. First card up is the Empr

Continue reading "Tarot reading for the Blazer/Golden ..."

All-Star Reserves ballots were due yesterday at 3p.m., and for the all the Eastern Conference coaches who tune in to my blog, I provided some help, a cheat sheet if you will, to aid in their quest to make the proper selections. Call it an East Coast bias, but time did not allow me to do the same for the West. Hopefully, they managed on their own.

Continue reading "The Sports Don Reveals His Western ..."

Tonight, the Mavs will play their 7th and last home game in a row against the Denver Nuggets. The Mavs have been playing strong 5-1 so far in this homestand beating the Clippers, Suns, Hawks, Bobcats, and Thunder. Their only loss came against the San Antonis Spurs in a double overtime game. Despite the 5-1 run, they're still 1.5 games behind the Southwest leader, the same amount of games before they started this home stretch. And, they are still 4th in the division. Nothing has changed.

Continue reading "Dallas Mavericks still 1.5 games ..."

While the Grizzlies didn't get off to the start they envisioned for their payback game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, they were just setting themselves up to exact their revenge in a familiarly painful fashion. Only this time they would be the ones inflicting the pain.

Continue reading "Grizzlies get their revenge on Thunder"

In a development that seems to be straight from the "You Have Got to be Kidding Me" line of reasoning, the Grizzlies have reportedly agreed to send guard Javaris Crittendon to the Washington Wizards and a second-round draft pick to the New Orleans Hornets in exchange for a conditional first round draft pick they had sent to the Wizards last year.

Continue reading "Grizzlies involved in three-team ..."

As a fan of good basketball on tv i am fed up with great teams such as the New Orleans Hornets and them playing the bottom feeders of the NBA such as Oklahoma City Thunder on Espn. I mean i love to wa

Continue reading "New Orleans Hornets on TV"

The Magic bounced back after a subpar performance against the Celtics to defeat the Timberwolves 100-89 Wednesday night.  Dwight Howard, Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkoglu combined for 68 points and Orlando, as a whole, shot well, knocking down 57% of their field goals.

Continue reading "Courtney Lee Helps Magic Topple T-Wolves"

Last night, the Mavs trailed the entire game until the final seconds to beat the Clippers. This is obviously far from an impressive outing. We're talking about the Clippers here. Their record is now 3-14. Dallas should be running laps around the Clippers. They shouldn't need to come from behind to beat them by just 2 points.

Continue reading "Mavericks come from 15 points behind ..."

The Grizzlies had their best chance to snap a five-game losing streak on Saturday with the relatively harmless Oklahoma City Thunder, losers of 14 straight, in town.  Unfortunately, the Grizzlies choked away a double-digit lead in the second half and suffered a humiliating 111-103 defeat instead.

Continue reading "Thunder 111, Grizzlies 103"

Every expert on television, news columnist, sports reporter to your chat room and forum users all say the Houston Rockets can go deep into the playoffs if A: They can keep Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming healthy and

Continue reading "Unity leads Rockets past Mavs"