Chad Ford of ESPN.com gave OKC a B- for the offseason: “The Thunder tend to be overly conservative during the offseason. In their case, it’s a virtue. Too many teams panic and believe they have to spend all of their money or the offseason is a failure. GM Sam Presti waits and waits and waits for the right deal to come to him. When it does (like the Celtics offering him Kendrick Perkins for Jeff Green at the trade deadline) he pounces. The truth is that there wasn’t a lot for Presti to do this summer. He has a team that is my pick to be the best team in the West this season and possibly for the next five years. Kevin Durant is locked up. Russell Westbrook will be shortly. Their supporting group of James Harden, Serge Ibaka, Nick Collison and Eric Maynor is strong. Their only major addition is rookie Reggie Jackson, who has enormous talent and slipped in the draft because of injury issues. If he blossoms the way some NBA scouts think he could, he could be one of the steals of the draft.”
New DT-shirt: This one is for those who love watching Daequan Cook rain from deep all day.
Kevin Durant on ripping off Dirk’s one-legged fadeaway: “Yeah, he’s the originator,” Durant said laughing. “I stole that from him a little bit. I’m not as good as he is at it. But I’ve been working on it, and it was the perfect time for me to do that with the defender playing the way he was playing. I’m glad I made it. I thought it was going to be an air-ball … I’m not afraid to use it. People might think that’s an easy shot to make but it’s tough. You got to get the right arch on the ball and you got to make a strong shot. I’ve been working on it all summer. Hopefully I make more than I miss.”
KD’s doing a Twitter giveaway involving his famous backpack.
KD on the rip move: “I guess you guys (reporters) think I do the rip move every play to get to the free-throw line, which is false,” Durant said. “I was just trying to be aggressive to the rim (against Dallas). Coach (Scott Brooks) drew up some good plays for me to get into good positions to be aggressive. I got the whistle a little bit (Sunday) night. I’ve got to continue to put that pressure on the defense and try to get to the line and also try to find my teammates as well.”
Ben Golliver of CBSSports.com previews the Northwest: “The biggest question for Oklahoma City is how they respond to being a target rather than a team on the rise. Having won two playoff series last year and entering this season with expectations of being a top-3 team in the West, their task becomes fighting off all the teams gunning for them rather than sneaking up on veteran teams or overwhelming average teams with their talent. Durant is as laser-like as superstars get so you can assume the Thunder will adjust smoothly, but that process is often easier said than done.”
Everyone wants to be the Thunder.
David Thorpe has James Harden as a breakout player: “Harden was on the floor for 55 percent of the total minutes Oklahoma City played last season, as Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook both logged more than 70 percent. As the Thunder’s third-best player, it’s fair to expect at least a 10 percent jump in his minutes this season. Harden is learning to be a more assertive offensive player — and athlete — and is too good of a passer not to be on the floor more often alongside Durant. He can help Westbrook score more efficiently as well, and spaces the floor perfectly for them thanks to his perimeter shot. His improved defense will earn him more minutes, and if he learns to foul less he’ll get even more time. It will be difficult not to start him, especially as the season wears on.”
Darnell Mayberry on the Mullens trade: “Something else to keep in mind is that the Mullens trade now extends the time the Thunder has to find a solution for Robinson. In other words, rather than be forced to iron out a buyout with Robinson before Saturday’s 5 p.m. deadline for rosters to be set, the Thunder could retain him into the season and wait for a more attractive trade offer to come along. For that to happen though, Oklahoma City must cut Reid, which seems an unlikely scenario considering league rules state the Thunder would forfeit its rights to the 57th overall pick out of Florida State now that he’s participated in training camp.”
IDK if It's been said or posted yet, but Reggie Jackson's player has been updated on 2k12....
Does anyone have insider? where do the thunder rank in Hollingers preview of west teams?
@RRRWHOAAAA 1st
Thunder fundamental post defense ranking:
1) Perkins
2) Collison
3) Aldrich
4) Reid
5) Mohammed
6) Ibaka
One possession game: who would I rather have defending Amare Stoudemire one-on-one, Reid or Ibaka? Probably Reid.
@DXL If we had that situation perk or collison would be on amare, do you honestly think brooks would play reid in a one possession game? Or even in that case that amare would get the ball in the post? melo would get the ball and he would isolate and amare would only get the ball if it swings around to him more than likely at the top of the key for a jumpshot.
@f5alcon I don't know about that. Brooks wasn't the only coach who tried to stop the Mavs and came up short. Granted, there were things the Thunder could have done better, but after seeing the way Dirk was shooting, I think it was just the Mavs' year.
@DXL if brooks was as good of a coach as adelman than we would be nba champions right now. Also in college senior year
hayes: 10.9ppg 7.7rpg
reid: 6.6ppg and 3.9rpg
hayes is much better than reid.
@f5alcon Houston would use Chuck Hayes like that, one defensive possession against a tough offensive player. Reid's not a stiff, he can move his feet against perimeter players, too.
@DXL I'd rather have Robert Vaden spotting up from 3PT range than Thabo Sefolosha, doesn't mean he belongs in the NBA.
@[censored] Post defense is rarer than 3-point shooting ability. I believe the Thunder rated Reid as one of the best individual post defenders in his draft class, ahead of a lot of famous names, and drafted him on that basis.
Check out this awesome James Harden shirt I just found. Ordering right now:
http://nbamashups.spreadshirt.com/james-harden-logo-A7906598
Everyone that talks about upgrading from Sefolosha needs to ask how much more this new wing is going to cost the team. Because every dollar that brings the Thunder closer to the tax line is a dollar that we won't be able to offer Harden/Ibaka. Thabo is cheap and useful in the right role. The idea that we somehow need to trade him to prevent Brooks from himself is absurd.
@SammyThunderer Unless we trade him for a draft pick or a trade exception and use Harden as the replacement.
@Jax Raging Bile Duct@SammyThunderer the best option is roughly 6 million per year for the next 2 years, with a team option for a third. Aka Fransisco garcia of the Sacramento kings. So the cost is thabo + Nate and maybe the mullens pick. however with this condensed schedule, starting games fast will be important. So hopefully they will start Cook. and offensively blow teams off the court with a 10 man rotation.
Ooh, yay. Brooks says Reggie Jackson'll get more minutes tonight.
@SammyThunderer thats good, i hope we see him at both the 1 and 2
Love it:
"Robinson's spot can — and perhaps likely will — be filled with rugged forward Ryan Reid."
Read more: http://newsok.com/oklahoma-city-thunder-trades-byron-mullens/article/3633304#ixzz1h5w7kQXI
@DXL No offense, but I would rather have the open roster spot than Reid or Nate. Nate simply has no place on our team and isn't that good to begin with. Reid I don't even think is an NBA player. More, I can't see any minutes at all I would want Reid playing unless we were already up by 30.
@Keith00@DXL Thing about Reid is that it's not like Mullens who has some athletic upside and might learn some things at the end of the bench. The guy is a poor athlete by NBA standards and doesn't really do anything well except hustle. If they keep him on the roster, I don't get it. Roster spots are valuable especially in a compressed season, to be giving them away to practice players.
@DXL What? He has not proven to be a defensive stopper, thabeet was a defensive stopper in college and look at him. reggie jackson will probably play 3 or 4 times the number of minutes reid will. reid was an above average college player and above average dleague player, there is nothing to show that he will be good enough to make our rotation ever, he is a 25 year old rookie. he will be 30 years old by the time collison retires. The rotation has no room for him.
Reid would be better off on other teams where he could see the floor.
It isn't that we are defense averse because of thabo, it is that you seem to be anointing reid the savior of our defense when he hasnt played a minute in the nba and has not had great numbers at any level, is not athletic, is old, plays a position where we have depth.
@Jax Raging Bile Duct@DXL
Great question Jax.
@f5alcon But is any rookie likely to play much on this team? Did Aldrich, a lottery pick, play much his rookie year? No, but he still has a future on this team. Reid won't play much this year, but he still has a future with the team. Presti loves him.
It's interesting that there's such an outpouring of skepticism and derision against Ryan Reid. Is it because fans only care about scoring and don't care a bit about defensive stoppers? The Thabo-aversion syndrome, that must be it.
@DXL yes it is likely because of the new rule that we sign him or lose him, yeah he might sign a multi year deal, but it wont be more than what ivey has. which was 2 years only 1 year guaranteed. So he migh tbe here more than 1 year but he can keep the end of the bench warm, if he plays more than 50 minutes all season I will be very surprised. He certainly wont play in front of hayward at the 3 and the ibaka/collison/durant combo at the 4 will not leave many minutes there.
@f5alcon Darnell Mayberry considers it "likely" that Reid was brought up to take the 15th roster spot. 2nd round picks don't usually sign 1 year non-guaranteed deals. They sign multi-year pacts. Get used to him, Ryan Reid is going to be a Thunder player for a while.
@DXL he might have brought up lat will for camp if he wasn't already in spain, the ACB is the 2nd best basketball league in the world, and is a step up for latavious over the dleague. Also reid is 6 years older than williams and had a full college career, so if he was not better on defense i would be surprised. With the new rules it is obvious that reid is going to get signed hopefully 1 year non guaranteed with a team option for a second year. I do not have a problem with signing reid as he is just going to get garbage minutes, but he is not going to contribute in a meaningful way on the court with the thunder, we already have a 10 man rotation and somehow need to incorporate reggie jackson. I would not be surprised if we sign reid and send him back to tulsa.
@f5alcon Again, D.J. White is an NBA player. Ryan Reid will also become an NBA player.
Reid is much more fundamentally sound than Williams on defense. That's why Presti's brought him up to the Thunder's NBA roster, while Latavious Williams now toils in Europe.
@Jax Raging Bile Duct@DXL williams had 13.2ppg on 63% fg 8.6rpg in 8 less mpg than reid. lat will had better stats.
@DXL Those numbers are decent for the d league,but dj white had 20ppg on 60% shooting 11.9rpg 1.2 apg in 39 mpg and that translated to 8.4ppg 4.4rpg in the 20 mpg he had with the bobcats last year.
@DXL Well I hope you're right. I'm a sucker for underdogs and hard luck stories. I'm also a sucker for the no-stats all star types. Reid sounds like a bit of both.
@Jax Raging Bile Duct Reid and Williams were both good last year. But everyone agrees Latavious Williams will make an NBA roster eventually. The skepticism about Reid's ability to even be a 15th man in the NBA is absurd. Reid already has one NBA-ready ability: low post defense. That's better than a lot of stiffs at the ends of NBA benches drafted for their height and length. This guy can play, he's proven it at summer league and in the D-league.
@DXL Was he significantly better than Latavious Williams? Latavious had some pretty impressive rebounding stats as well.
@courtsense@DXL I think that would be a best case scenario for us (similar to trading Green last year). Keep starting Thabo even though he's not playing great, then pull a three team trade at the deadline to move Robinson and Thabo for a guy that can play solid minutes behind Durant and Harden and score some on his own when needed. Thankfully, last year proves that Presti is willing to trade guys that Brooks loves. Who could we trade for?
Ryan Reid's D-League stats this year indicate that he could be a NBA player: 11.8 ppg on 50% shooting, 8.9 rpg, 1.4 assists per game, in 34 minutes per game. Those are terrific rebounding numbers per minute. If his defense lives up to its billing, then he does just enough in other areas (rebounding, scoring, passing) to make an NBA roster.
Ryan Reid was waaaaay better than Mullens in summer league last year, especially on defense. He outplayed a first round pick. I saw it with my own eyes. He deserves a shot just based on that performance.
@DXL@[censored]@Keith00 If Reid does become the next Chuck Hayes, then he's worth the 15th roster spot and I'm cool with it. But don't you think it's more likely that Reid is just a solid practice player? Someone who's only purpose is to provide fundamentally sound one on one defense to the low post? I'm not saying that isn't valuable. But if Ivey, Haywood and Reid are all signed for this same practice-player reason, isn't that getting dangerously close to the limit of roster spots that you should use on guys like that?
I've never seen him play, but if Reid's strong suit is low-post defense, he might come in handy later in the season when it's time to deal with the Grizzlies.
@DXL I have no problem with Reid being the 5th or 6th big behind Perk, Serge, Nick, Nazr, and possibly Aldrich. That position isn't going to merit anything but garbage minutes anyway, and hence the greater value is what that person can bring ot the practice court to make his teammates better.
The real question remains, how can Presti spin Sefalosha and Robinson into an athletic 6-8/6-9 wing who can run the floor and score a few points when needed.
@DXL Ryan Reid is 25 years old he's probably not going to be developing much of anything from this point forward. Are we really comparing him to Chuck Hayes???
@DXL You know your team is good when fans have a passionate debate over who the 15th roster spot should go to...
Why "waste" a roster spot on Ryan Reid? Because he has ability, with patient development, to become an elite low-post defender in the NBA.
@[censored] @Keith00 Is Chuck Hayes a great athlete by NBA standards? Does he have any offensive ability? Heck no. But his defense just got him a $21 million contract (since recinded for non-play-related health issues).
Leonard Hamilton raves about Reid's defensive abilities: "I would recommend anybody buy a video of him teaching people how to guard the low post." Sam Presti, more importantly, praises Reid's defensive abilities: "This is a guy who brings a physicality and toughness to the defensive end of the floor."
From ESPN on the Mullins trade:
"The Bobcats hope he can fill the void left by Kwame Brown, who signed with the Warriors."
Now that is funny... dude could not fill a void after eating a box of twinkies.
I'm certainly in the "Start Harden" camp, but can't agree on getting rid of Thabo. As has been said, let's see how he does defensively now that he's healthy before making any rash judgements.
As far as the offseason grade, I don't see how you can give the Thunder a B- and then say they did exactly what they should have done. If locking up your existing players is the wisest move, you focus on doing things - which sometimes means not doing things - that help you achieve that goal.
@MartzMimic yeah let's see how thabo does, his defense on carter was not that great though, carter got to the rim a few times.
@f5alcon@MartzMimic Carter averaged something like 27 points a game against us last season too.
@f5alcon@MartzMimic B- is probably because Presti didn't get one of the amnestied guys for a pittance.
It is funny that many people think KD gets his all Free-Throw by rip move.
@shiki Yeah, I also like that people think the new rule "kills" the rip move. It's still a foul, if a non-shooting one, and that adds to the team and opposing player's foul totals. So, I think KD's still going to use it because it still punishes overly aggressive perimeter defense. Plus, it irritates me when people say Durant's rip-move isn't a real shot. Sure it looks ugly, but he still comes surprisingly close on those shots.
@shiki yeah last year he only did it maybe once every 3 or 4 games at the most.
Im not falling for our stand still stance as a sign of "virtue."
@Lambchop I think it was the right move this year. Patience helps a lot long term.
@DSMok1 We need an upgrade from Thabo. At the very least, Chris Douglas Roberts would fulfill that wish. My dream would be Wilson Chandler
@f5alcon@Keith00@JimboSlice Yeah, it seems like Nazr is just around until Aldrich passes him up.
@sammasaaron@Keith00@JimboSlice well we will get a better look at him live tonight to see how his defense is. The other benefit of more KD at the 4 means more nick at the 5 and less nazr, who also didnt look great last game.
@Keith00@JimboSlice I don't disagree and I have to admit Brooks' commitment to Thabo worries me, too. I just think it's silly to watch a preseason game and then conclude that Thabo can't play defense anymore because Vince Carter did well.
@[censored]@Keith00@sammasaaron@JimboSlice I don't mind KD at the 4 and Thabo at the 3. IF that means no more than 10 minutes a game.
@[censored]@Keith00@sammasaaron@JimboSlice durant at PF is fine against backup PFs, i just don't want to see him guarding gasol again.
@sammasaaron@Lambchop @DSMok1 yes, but after those few games, let's make sure we ship him out lol
@Keith00@sammasaaron@JimboSlice I have a feeling we're just going to see Durant play more PF just so Brooks can keep Thabo in the game while giving Harden more minutes.
@sammasaaron@JimboSlice The problem is that all of us have the sinking feeling that Harden will never start unless Thabo is traded. It happened before, remember? Green was consistently outplayed by anyone with a pulse, but Brooks kept throwing him out with the starters and giving him 35+ minutes. I don't want to go back to that.
I want to believe Brooks is a good coach, but his actions aren't very supportive.
@JimboSlice Yeah, and I wouldn't have been opposed to trading him before, either. It just seems like everyone's overreacting a bit to the Thabo vs. Vinsanity matchup in the first game. I mean, I get why, but cripes give the guy a chance.
@Daniel Plainview @DSMok1 CDR isn't in the league! He's been released by an NBA team, and is not an NBA-level player. He's a proven malcontent and a bust, who's accomplished zilch in the NBA. This is who you want to replace Thabo?
@Lambchop @f5alcon@DSMok1 I remember he is RFA so it is not easy to get him.Nuggets can match our offer.
And I think he doesn't want to get less than Afflalo who get $43m/5yrs.I prefer to pay $50M/5yrs for Harden
@sammasaaron
I can agree with this assertion.
However I would've been willing to trade him before the preseason game. But I do agree, one preseason game of 25 minutes is a horrificly small sample size.
@Lambchop @DSMok1 chandler will probably get 7 or 8 million a year. roughly what afflalo got.
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Sorry, trade of Mullens
@f5alcon@DSMok1 With the relase of Mullens and soon to be Nate, is that not enough?
@Lambchop @DSMok1 yeah wilson chandler would be great, but we do not have the money to get him and he is stuck in china until march.
@sammasaaron@DSMok1 Not just this season. He had a very good year two years ago. He was mediocre on Defense last year, his alleged strength, and the drop off was credited to plantar facitis., which the off season was suppose to have remedied. His guarding of VC was foreboding. Thers no reason at all to think he will rekindle his defense of two years ago,
@Lambchop @DSMok1 I agree that Harden should be getting more minutes than Thabo and preferably starting, but judging Thabo's value for this season based on one preseason game is a little overboard, particularly after the success he had overseas during the lockout. Let's give him a few games to get back into the swing of things before we're ready to ship him out.
@DSMok1 Also, anotehr poster in here, sorry I cant remeber your name, suggest if we wish to keep Harden on the second unit, we should start Cook. Im all for this.
@DSMok1 thabo is supposed to be healthy this year, and like a poster said about his guarding of Carter the other night, it made Vinsanity look ten years younger. THIS.IS.BAD.NEWS.