Daily Thunder.com

Chad Ford of ESPN.com: “Jones slid on the draft board because of a concern about a knee issue. Teams were also concerned about his motor. But at this point in the draft he’s a no-brainer pick and a great get for the Thunder. He’s long and athletic and he should thrive in their system. Great pick at 28.”

Matt Moore of CBSSports.com: “Jones fell even harder than expected, to the very precipice of the first round. And all of a sudden, what would have been a terrible pick in the low teens is a great pick for Presti at 28. That’s how it goes. Jones gives the Thunder exactly what they need in the frontcourt, an athletic scorer, Serge Ibaka through the looking glass. Great pickup for OKC at such a low risk with this pick.” Keep Reading…

Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com has OKC taking Draymond Green: “He doesn’t look the part, but he can do a little bit of everything. He’s tough, can shoot it, makes his teammates better and also rebounds the ball.”

Pablo Torre of SI.com on Royce White: “Until then, he will keep grappling with the same old stressors. Already a light sleeper, White has traveled across the country, alone and wide-eyed, for the first time since he was a teenage recruit. “And I’m scared as hell,” he admits. White flew commercial to five cities before Vye canceled his remaining workouts last week, fueling the latest round of intrigue—Is Royce hurt? Scared? The recipient of a first-round promise? In those visits, puzzled execs liked to play casting director: Who are you? What can you be in the NBA? Magic? LeBron? Boris Diaw? The questioning was tense—not to mention ironic. The answer, tattooed and transparent, is still staring everyone in the face.” Keep Reading…

David Thorpe of ESPN.com on OKC’s pick: “Miller is an intriguing choice, as the Thunder do not have a legitimate small forward behind Kevin Durant. What I like about Miller is, if he ends up being the player his upside foreshadows, then the Thunder will have a lottery talent at that spot behind Durant, giving them the option of slowly working Durant more as a power forward in spots. That’s exactly what Miami did, to great success, with LeBron in the postseason. As Durant continues to strengthen, as he has each year, he’ll be even more effective as a big forward and give his team a lot more variability as to how they can play.”

Jonathan Abrams of Grantland with a great Royce White profile: “White traces his first encounter with anxiety to long before his diagnosis. At the age of 10, his best friend, LaDream Yarbrough, collapsed after wind sprints during basketball practice. Drool trickled down his face as White looked on. Yarbrough, who was suffering from a previously undetected heart abnormality, was rushed to the hospital and survived. But White was never the same. After that moment, he lived in constant fear, a fear that he, too, would one day collapse on the court. His anxiety was constantly creeping.” Keep Reading…

David Thorpe of ESPN.com on KD: “That is what I thought of as I watched Durant grieve after Game 4. No, the series was not officially lost that night, but Durant probably knew right then that winning a ring in 2012 was not likely. Game 5 almost seemed like a foregone conclusion for most of the Thunder players, perhaps even Durant, who didn’t go down swinging as he might have. Just as LeBron emerged a far better and tougher postseason player after last season’s debacle, so too will Durant, who has played beautifully since late April. An improved Durant can go head-to-head with LeBron for league MVP … and win.”

David Aldridge of NBA.com: “ESPN’s Marc Stein reported Friday that the Thunder was indeed contemplating the Zen Master, or ABC/ESPN’s Jeff Van Gundy, if talks with Brooks fall apart. OKC’s thoughts on Brooks, I’m told, are that while management understands the central role has played in developing the likes of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and the other members of the team’s core, there remains a question of whether Brooks is the guy who can drive that group over the top to a title. On the surface, it’s not an unreasonable question, given the paucity of coaches who have actually won titles the last two or three decades. On the other hand, it’s unlikely in the extreme that players as offensive-minded as Durantula and Westbrook would be all that eager to settle into the triangle. They made the Finals playing their way — up tempo, shooting from all over.” Keep Reading…