One of the most accurate breakdowns of Russell Westbrook you’re going to read: “That’s an unusual path toward stardom, especially for a point guard. In theory, no position is more firmly rooted in established order. As floor generals, point guards typically execute their team’s offense with calm and discipline. There is an intrinsic leadership to the position that has seemingly predicated on structure. Some offenses may be less obvious (or more fluid) in their structuring than others, but it’s a point guard’s prerogative to regulate the players on the court to the specifics of a scheme. Westbrook still does that, but he does so in his own way. Nothing about Westbrook is typical. He routinely colors outside the positional lines, and redefines daily his unique vision of a point guard. His athleticism stands out even among his N.B.A. peers.”
Kevin Durant on the Kevin Calabro show doesn’t think Melo is getting dealt: “I think so, because with the dealing window, he would have been traded, I think a couple weeks ago, maybe even a month ago. So I think he’s gonna stay and you never know what’s going to happen in the summer, but just from watching what’s been happening this whole season, if he was going to get traded, he would have been traded a while back.”
Zach Lowe of SI likes Eric Maynor’s passing: “Maynor has some legit no-look ability, and he uses it well — particularly on pick-and-rolls. He’ll keep his eyes locked on the roll man, but if an opposing defender on the back line moves to help on the roll guy, Maynor will fire a pass to the other Thunder big man who has just come open — all while keeping his head turned toward the roll guy. That’s a useful no-look pass.”
Shaun Livingston is playing really well for the Bobcats. Good for him.
Stein’s power rankings: “Ringing up 30 isn’t as easy as we make it sound for Durant. He leads the league in 30-point games with 22 and he’d certainly get there more often if it were easy because the Thunder are a robust 18-4 when he cracks 30.”
Mapping out where the All-Stars came from.
Ben Golliver of CBS Sports says OKC is a pretender: “The issue all season has been defensive efficiency, a huge problem in the slow-it-down, grind-it-out, physical playoffs, when stops are at a huge premium and the shootouts stop after the first round. The Thunder’s solid frontcourt players – Jeff Green, Nick Collison, Serge Ibaka – are guys that you like, want to love, but don’t totally trust when the money is on the line. More often than not during the playoffs, Thunder fans will be left hoping those guys play above their heads to keep a match-up even rather than forcing or exploiting a mismatch against the opposition. The good news: to make the jump to contender, the Thunder only need to get older.”
Brandon Hartsell of My Expiring Contract: “Where at one point, I thought the Thunder were on their way to dominate the league, to become the next dynasty like the Spurs were, I now think they are tragically flawed. Until the braintrust shows some balls, I’m resigning my expectations to the 53 win team that can’t get out of the semi-finals because they can’t defend the paint. It’s going to take Brooks to allow Harden to grow into the team’s 3rd scorer and an extra playmaker, for a team struggling to move the ball, that’s not a bad idea. And most importantly, he needs to cement Serge Ibaka as the full-time PF. It’s going to take Presti to cash in on his assets, and spring for a quality big man. The Thunder are too talented at the top to keep being dragged along by their conservative powers-that-be.”
Darnell Mayberry thinks Serge Ibaka will be starting next year. The real question there is though, is that because he has to be?
The thing about Varejao and Nene is that we wouldn't be bidding on them in a vacuum. In particular, the Rockets are definitely looking for a center. Because of the Knicks, their draft picks trump ours and the players they are willing to give up trump ours as well. I think they would be willing to give up Brooks, Battier, Budinger, Patterson, Lee, Terrance Williams, Hayes, Jeffries (basically anyone but Scola and Martin and maybe Lowry) for a Center because they have so much "non-star" depth at every position. I'd love to get Varejao, but I'm not sure Green, MoPete (or Krstic) and the Clippers 1st round pick would get it done. While I wouldn't give up Ibaka, it might take Harden too to get it done.
Keith :@justinOk, fine, Harden and the Clippers pick for Nene. Then, just because we’re nice, we’ll trade one RFA at a position of greater need (Green) for another RFA that would otherwise be moved behind Harden on the depth chart (Afflalo).
You really think anyone would start Harden over Afflalo? I don't.
@f5alcon
@Jax Raging Bile Duct
Haha! Okay, I think you guys are right. A kiss on the cheek sounds like the way to go. You're right-- the couples that don't kiss get booed like crazy. I'm gonna say you're wife's absolutely right about this one, but I gotta go with you on the full on face lick. I think it's worth the nastiness for the crowd reaction you'd get. Does your wife wanna be on kisscam? My girl wants to really bad.
What about trading for Javale McGee? Would Washington take Maynor, MoPete, and the project Center of their choice?
http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=6zy8w5z
@TempBoy Brandon
Kiss on the cheek.
It's the only way to satisfy the peer pressure kiss cam crowd AND let your girl know you weren't trying to get away with anything. I've passed this by my own wife, and she agreed that kiss cam kisses on the cheek are not a punishable offense.
However, I also found out that if mrs jax and I were to be on kiss cam ourselves, that a full on face lick IS ABSOLUTELY a punishable offense.
There are lots of kiss cam rules man. Lots of rules.
@TempBoy Brandon
kiss on cheek?
@Thomas
Ha! Now normally I would agree with you, but I'm very happily together with a knockout. And said knockout would probably knock me out if she got word about my extra curricular kisscamming. :)
@TempBoy Brandon
Hey now don't dismiss that so quickly, this could be your opportunity to take that friendship to the next level my man.
@gr8ball83
ha! I'd be a YouTube sensation! This is starting to sound better and better. You gonna be the guy that throws the beer at him right when he's about to pound me??
@H2HHombre
Thanks man! I'm really pumped about it! And I'm with you-- I hope I get to witness something special too! I like all those you listed. Hopefully they don't put us on the kiss cam though, cause she's just a friend, but nobody knows that, and I'll look like a jerk for not kissing her!
the less like football the cba is the better, the thought is that it will be more competitive like football, but with 7 game series for playoffs it wont be, in a 7 game series the packers might not have won the super bowl.
Wow nice job, proves that it never hurts to ask. Enjoy the game courtside. I hope for you and your girl that you get to see something remarkable tonight (KD for 50, Serge with a triple-double in pts, reb, and blks, or a game winner).
http://h2hhombre.wordpress.com/
@TempBoy Brandon
Wow!
@gr8ball83
Sweet. Thanks! I'm going to start hassling my rep whenever possible.
@Thomas
My ticket rep hooked me up. The friend that I share my season tickets with, it's her birthday. So I asked my ticket rep if we could get an upgrade. I was thinking maybe somewhere in the lower levels if I was lucky. And then she came back and said she was able to swing courtside seats! Pretty awesome! The Thunder organization is top notch.
@TempBoy Brandon
all you have to do is get him to chase you in to the stands. I'm sure someone will stop him before he catches you!!
@Thomas
I emailed my ticket rep and told him me and my gf got engaged on a trip to see the Thunder play the Mavs in Dallas, and asked if he could hook me up with courtside seats for her bday. I don't think you have to have the sentimental story part though :)
@andrew
Can't you only Franchise tag a player a certain number of times? And each time its only for 1 year?
@gr8ball83
lol, i was quoting jay-zs empire state of mind.
cousins is a big dude id not mess with him
Also, it would be incredibly disappointing if the new CBA has a franchise tag. Without one it looks like we will dominate our division for the next 5 years. If they do institute one, Carmelo and Deron Williams will likely be stuck where they are and our division will remain tough.
Anyone else see the latest on B-Roy? Basically that he has maybe one to two seasons left if he is lucky, and that the Blazers were idiotic to ever sign him to that contract and believe he could remain healthy.
@gr8ball83
@TempBoy Brandon
How did you all come by your respective court side seats?
@f5alcon
That's not a bad idea. I hadn't considered that.
@gr8ball83
I'm all about taking one for the team, but if it came down to the Thunder getting a W or me getting punched in the face by an unstable 6'10 maniac, sorry guys, but we're gonna ride a 2 game losing streak into the All Star Break.
justin :
Let’s all be honest though. In all likelihood, nothing will happen at the deadline, we’ll have Jeff Green, Nenad Krstic, and Thabo Sefolosha starting the rest of the year, and we’re going to have a looooong offseason with a lockout to wonder if Sam Presti is going to do anything to fix the roster.
Sadly, this.
@f5alcon
its funny you say that, the courtside seats i had earlier this year were for a particularly poorly officiated game, and it was really hard not to yell inappropriate things at the ref when he was standing 2 feet away from me. So I just told him he was really bad at his job.
@TempBoy Brandon
Have fun man, don't pick a fight with Cousins! Or maybe you should... get him out of the game
@justin
Ok, fine, Harden and the Clippers pick for Nene. Then, just because we're nice, we'll trade one RFA at a position of greater need (Green) for another RFA that would otherwise be moved behind Harden on the depth chart (Afflalo).
@prye05
One sign of a fan is that we care about the team. Care enough to want to see it reach its potential. Call it tough love. That doesn't mean we don't experience a visceral thrill from seeing the team do well, or that we are not supportive. Go Thunder!
prye05 :
Why are you people fans of this team?
Because I'm from Oklahoma City and this is our team. Also I love KD, Russ and the rest of the guys on the team. I even like what I know of Jeff Green as a person. I just don't think he's a good fit here as a basketball player in the role he's being asked to fill.
@prye05
because i am not a sheep, not going to follow along blindly to my slaughter just because they tell me too
@TempBoy Brandon
trip a referee?
@prye05
I see that question posted here all the time.
Being a fan of a team doesn't mean you blindly support it's every facet. You can appreciate what you find good, and you can disagree with what you find bad. Easy.
@justin
Yeah, exactly. Question is, would you take this as a sign that the philosophy of the front office is fatally flawed when it comes to building a championship contender? Guess it depends on what happens in the offseason, we'll just have to wait and see. Hard to have patience, especially when the fo has been content so far to make lateral moves, make "value" acquisitions like Maynor who shore up the team at the margins but not in the center, and stockpile young players they don't develop and draft picks they have no room for.
I scored courtside tickets to tonight's game! I will seriously be close enough to smell Kevin Durant's butt sweat. And no kidding, I'm hoping that one of the guys dives into me going for a loose ball. I've always thought that would be really cool. It'd be a badge of honor, a story that I'd forever tell. Oh, and the girl I'm with will be busy staring at Serge's arms all night, I have no doubt.
Why are you people fans of this team?
@Thomas
it depends on who has the most clout among owners, mclendon i think wants a title and is more willing to pay for it, nothing factual just a feeling from what i have seen of him, the rest just want to break even or make a small profit each year, none of them are jerry buss, mark cuban, jerry jones, robert kraft or the steinbrenners who want to win no matter the cost.
@justin
If that happens I would say it confirms Hartsell's worst suspicions about the organization, that they are too conservative and too comfortable resting on their laurels.
That Hartsell piece is a must read by the way for all Thunder fans. Its cathartic.
@justin
if both nfl and nba lockout i think it doesnt hurt either as much as if one did and one didnt.
@prye05
Bass, Q-Rich, Reddick are better players, reddick shoots 40% from 3, bass is a better rebounder than green, and q rich is on a really cheap contract. Aldrich is an unknown and green they could sign to an offer sheet anyway.
@justin
No...it can't be so. I can't watch this starting lineup for another 2.5 months...
@justin
You're right Melo and Nene are on the exact same field in terms of value...
Also the latest proposal that the Knicks turned down was what 10mil expiring contract, Felton, Galinari, and multiple first round picks for Billups and Melo... so getting more first round picks, green, aldrich, and expirings is SO much different than that package for a non-Superstar (Nene).
Let's all be honest though. In all likelihood, nothing will happen at the deadline, we'll have Jeff Green, Nenad Krstic, and Thabo Sefolosha starting the rest of the year, and we're going to have a looooong offseason with a lockout to wonder if Sam Presti is going to do anything to fix the roster.
@justin
I think Denver is playing chicken with Melo. They are banking that the extension is more important than playing in NY/Chi/LA. And I think Denver is right. Melo would sign the extension before June 30th if not traded. He'd be terribly unhappy, but he'll sign.
I only brought up Biedrins b.c of the Daily Dime article. I'd prefer a move for Dalembert over Biedrins based on contract length. Take my trade, Krstic, Peterson, OKC 2011 pick for Dalembert and I'd be happy - again assuming we don't get Nene, Gasol, Bogut, etc.
@prye05
Yep and that sure seems to be the Nuggets strategy with Carmelo, right? Did you happen to see the latest Knicks proposal that NY shot down?
Even if Carmelo leaves, Denver won't just trade Nene for scraps because they are afraid of losing him.
@Thomas
Nene has an opt out clause after the season, so yes they could keep him, but is he going to want to stay there for a team that is rebuilding? So if you're the nuggets you can trade him and get something for him as opposed to not getting anything for him and having him opt out and leave during the off-season.
tonight's mojo...
Go Suns
Go Warriors
Go Pacers
Go Bobcats
@justin
yeah, i just meant that we could hope for people to return to previous form, mostly i was just agreeing that i wouldn't trade for biedrins. But I think if Green was playing 36 minutes a game, shooting 39% from three, averaging 16.5 and 6.7 with 2 assists and a steal per game we'd be happier with him. I was hoping he would return to that this year :(
@f5alcon
And how is that package (Bass, Q-Rich, Reddick) better than Green, multiple picks, aldrich, and expirings for a team in Den that would be in rebuilding mode?
@justin
Further I didn't say we couldn't trade Harden or Ibaka, just that the offer we has is more than a lot of other teams without including them, regardless of whether or not you think Green sucks. This is a league where money and picks actually go a long ways.
@Thomas
Whoops, messed up the blockquote.
"This is sort of along the lines I was thinking when I said up thread that we don’t have much to offer Denver. I mean, why wouldn’t they just keep him. He’s better than Green and an expiring Mo Pete + Clipper pick isn’t he?"
justin :@prye05
It is dumb because Denver will get much better offers for a player like Nene, and really, there’s not much reason to even trade him if Melo goes unless they get equal talent back. So what if Nene leaves in the offseason? They’ll have cap space to sign whoever they want, even Jeff Green to an offer sheet that the Thunder probably wouldn’t match.
This is sort of along the lines I was thinking when I said up thread that we don't have much to offer Denver. I mean, why wouldn't they just keep him. He's better than Green and an expiring Mo Pete + Clipper pick isn't he?
We’d need to give up Harden or Ibaka as part of a package to get Nene. Young players on rookie contracts, that’s what rebuilding teams really want. Not mediocre RFA’s they could sign in the offseason…
gr8ball83 :@justin
I agree, but if we were getting jeff green of 2008-2009 we would have resigned him already and would have a stretch 4 that shoots 39% from 3
When I said 2008-2009 I meant those two seasons i.e. 07-08 and 08-09.
Green couldn't defend power forwards in 2009 either, even if he shoots 39% from three point range he's still not a power forward... but it'd definitely help him out.
@justin
Yeah who is going to sign with them during the off-season if they don't have Nene, Melo, or Billups and are in rebuilding mode? Cap space means nothing if you can't get anybody to sign there. Getting something for nothing does mean something regardless of whether you're arguing to the point that they aren't worth that much. You can think what you want about the pieces on this team, but I assure you if the Nuggets trade Melo they'd rather get something for nothing than nothing at all.
@prye05
other teams might offer more for nene, the magic need a backup center, could offer reddick, bass and q rich for nene
@justin
I agree, but if we were getting jeff green of 2008-2009 we would have resigned him already and would have a stretch 4 that shoots 39% from 3