Daily Thunder.com

Berry Tramel hopes Scott Brook is watching the Finals: “Series tied 2-2. Game 5 in San Antonio. The Spurs’ title hopes a little precarious. So Gregg Popovich got serious. He moved Manu Ginobili into the starting lineup for the first time in what seemed like forever. Ginobili played great. But so did the Thunder, which prevailed 109-103 and went on to win the 2012 Western Conference Finals. Lineup shuffling can work. But it’s not always a panacea. Has been in these NBA Finals, of course. Erik Spoelstra summoned Mike Miller to the starting lineup for Game 4. Miller’s marksmanship off the bench had sufficiently scared the Spurs to never let him free, the Heat spaced the floor and rolled to easy victory. Then Popovich countered by starting Ginobili for the first time since that Thunder series a year ago, and Ginobili looked like his old self as the Spurs sprinted to a 3-2 series lead and made Miller’s spot in the starting lineup not such a big deal. We wouldn’t know about rearranged lineups here in OKC. Scotty Brooks doesn’t change his lineup even under threat of bayonet.”

Ken Berger of CBSSports.com: “Attorneys for Derek Fisher and his assistant filed a motion for a change of venue Monday in the lawsuit filed against them by Billy Hunter, the former executive director of the National Basketball Players Association. Among other things, the motion presented evidence of an alleged conflict of interest between Hunter and the presiding judge in the Oakland, Calif., court where the lawsuit was filed. According to the attorney for Fisher and assistant Jamie Wior, Hunter had no legal basis to sue in the Superior Court of Alameda County because neither defendant lives there and because the NBPA is headquartered in New York City. Hunter sued Fisher, Wior and the NBPA on May 16, claiming defamation and breach of contract stemming from his dismissal from the NBPA in February.” Keep Reading…

John Rohde on Shabazz Muhammad: “Much of the Thunder’s success has come in vetting its draft prospects. General manager Sam Presti is quite particular in what type of player will best fit the organization. Whenever possible, Presti observes a player in his family environment to see how well-rounded a prospect is away from the court. So where exactly does this leave Shabazz Muhammad? Is he even on Presti’s radar? The Thunder does not share information throughout the draft process concerning scouting, interviews or workouts. There is no evidence Muhammad has worked out in OKC, nor has he posted any recent messages about the Thunder on his Twitter account.”

Darnell Mayberry thinks OKC should trade down: “In Chad Ford’s latest mock draft on espn.com, he has the Thunder taking Pittsburgh center Steven Adams at No. 12. He then has the Hawks selecting French big man Rudy Gobert and San Diego State swingman Jamaal Franklin. Which of those two drafts would you prefer? The website nbadraft.net also has the Thunder taking Adams at 12. Their current mock has the Hawks taking UCLA guard Shabazz Muhammed and Duke center Mason Plumlee at 17 and 18. Again, advantage Hawks. Steven Adams might be the next Andrew Bogut for all we know. Or he could be a bust. If the potential of the players are considered roughly the same, I’d rather take my chance on two players panning out than one. I don’t think that’s a tough decision or logic that’s hard to comprehend. Who else could the Thunder take at 12? Cody Zeller? Kentavious Caldwell-Pope? Michael Carter-Williams? Who knows? But are any of them that much better than the duo than can be had at 17 and 18? Again, I don’t think they are.” Keep Reading…

Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.com writing beautifully about the Spurs: “Over the past two decades, the Spurs have created some of the league’s most valuable intellectual property, a gift to the game. Their innovative approaches to the draft, international prospects, player development and the D-League have been groundbreaking. Subtle examples of their influence include the way Kevin Durant speaks almost as a co-owner of the Thunder, not in a presumptuous way, but as a young player who has claimed a rare accountability for the team’s future because management has empowered him. That’s classic San Antonio Spurs, where Thunder executive vice president and general manager Sam Presti cut his teeth working for Popovich and Buford. The Spurs’ coaching and managerial tree has spawned numerous acolytes who apply the Spurs’ best organizational principles to their own team-building. Parker and Duncan boast a bit about this: You may not care, but people inside the NBA worship the Spurs, marvel at how easy they make the day-to-day enterprise of a basketball franchise seem.”

Darnell Mayberry on Mason Plumlee: “Mason Plumlee is 23 years old. Strike one. He’s a four-year college player. Strike two. He lacks post moves, has a funky shooting motion and has trouble containing the ball. Strike three. So why would the Thunder even consider taking a chance on the Duke center with the 12th overall pick? Maybe because Oklahoma City concentrates more on what players do well rather than dwelling on what they don’t. Maybe because Plumlee’s four years of college experience will be viewed as a positive instead of a negative. Maybe because underneath all his perceived warts, Plumlee has a skill set that just might fit perfectly with the Thunder.” Keep Reading…

Doug Gottlieb of CBSSports.com on Victor Oladipo: “Could he be a tenacious defensive backup guard/athlete like Bledsoe? Sure. But is that the role you expect from a top-10 pick? Depends on who is doing the picking. If you want to make him into a starting two-guard from day one and he doesn’t fit your needs, you may be severely let down. Oladipo will likely be best off the ball in the half court and he will have to stretch his range as a catch-and-shoot guy. If you believe Oladipo can be a poor man’s Tony Allen (without the baggage), you love his energy, his personality and his lack of shot ego, and you are willing to admit this may be a starless draft, then take him. He may have no real definable position on offense, but will you win more games because he is on your team? I believe so. Would I draft him? If I had an elite point guard who could create shots for him and have him float away from the basketball … absolutely.”

Jenni Carlson: “That sounds a bit risky, but frankly, this whole thing seems a bit risky. Roc Nation Sports has never had a client of Durant’s stature. But here’s the deal, why shouldn’t Durant take a chance like this? Even though he’s still young — only 24 years old — he’s already one of the world’s most recognizable athletes. He’s already got the traditional endorsement deals. The shoes. The sports drink. The cellphone. Why not see what else is possible? Why not shoot for world domination? So much for Oklahoma City being a place where an NBA player couldn’t be a superstar. It sure doesn’t seem to be holding back Durant. Nothing does.” Keep Reading…