Daily Thunder.com

Darnell Mayberry has an excellent breakdown of the schedule: “Time to gain ground: With so many teams improving this off-season it’s hard to find a month in which the schedule turns in the Thunder’s favor. But February looks to be the month of least resistance for Oklahoma City. The Thunder will play six games against five teams that didn’t make the playoffs last season — Golden State, New York, Minnesota (twice), Phoenix and Toronto. The remaining teams in the month — Atlanta, New Orleans, Portland, Dallas and San Antonio — are all teams the Thunder played relatively well last season which should bode well this year.”

Lang Whitaker of SLAM transfers NBA players to college football: “So Dwyane Wade is our starting tailback. How many times have you seen Wade dribble at the top of the key, then somehow weave between three or four defenders and get to the rim untouched? That elusive quality will serve him well as our feature back, plus Wade is strong enough to fall down seven times and get up six, or something like that. D-Wade is backed up by Tony Parker, Baron Davis and Russell Westbrook … And for a punter, I couldn’t think of anyone obvious, so I went with Kevin Durant. My thinking is that he probably won’t have to punt much anyway, and besides, I want him around this team, encouraging guys, working hard, staying out of trouble.”

Shaun Livingston is back in his hometown for his annual basketball camp: ”Shaun Livingston knows he isn’t 100 percent. But he also thinks 100 percent isn’t far away. The former Peoria High School All-American is back in his hometown for his annual basketball camp this week. The camp is free to all the players as it is underwritten by the five-year NBA veteran.” Keep Reading…

The 2009-10 NBA schedule comes out in a few hours (around noon Oklahoma time). I’ll have it up as soon as I get it and then I’ll surely overanalyze it to death.

But I won’t be letting it out of the bag early. Three teams got in trouble for doing so: ”The Cleveland Cavaliers, Houston Rockets and Minnesota Timberwolves were penalized, an official with knowledge of the decisions told The Associated Press on Monday. The official requested anonymity because the fines weren’t publicly announced. The NBA will release its 2009-10 schedule on Tuesday afternoon. The league forbids teams to release any details before then.”

A list ranking the most reliable GMs in the league: ”Presti, a Buford disciple, has been GM of the Thunder since June 2007. In that short time, he has elevated the Thunder from the laughingstock of the NBA to the league’s most dangerous sleeper. Presti has built a solid young core in Kevin Durant, Jeff Green, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden, while maintaining enough cap space to make a run at significant free agents in 2010. Though he initially made a mistake by hiring P.J. Carlesimo (a colossal disappointment) as head coach in 2007, Presti redeemed himself by replacing Carlesimo with Scotty Brooks last season. Brooks immediately connected with Durant and Westbrook and inspired the team to improve in the second half of the season … Presti’s team-building strategy is simple. Draft well and focus on team chemistry (evidence of which can be found in Durant’s visit to Summer League this year and the bond that Thunder players share on Twitter). It’s a strategy that works for Buford in San Antonio and appears to be having similar results in Oklahoma City. With Durant coming into his own as a superstar-caliber player, the Thunder will be a playoff contender sooner than you think.” Keep Reading…

More on the debate that won’t go away: ”Even in his second year in the league, LeBron James was a significantly better dribbler, passer and finisher than Durant was last season. Last time I checked, those are NBA skills. The only argument in favor of Durant is that he is younger and he has a better jump shot. Well Reggie Miller had a better jump shot than Michael Jordan, but no one is putting those two guys in the same sentence. I will agree that jump shooting is the most aesthetically-pleasing element of the game, but I will argue every time that a strong layup is far more effective when it comes to winning games. And LeBron does that better than any other player in the game.”

Fanhouse’s mailbag looked at it: “Kevin Durant personally wants no part of any comparisons to LeBron James; he said so himself via Twitter. But yes, Durant seems poised to be the guy that takes that leap into the LeBron/Kobe/Wade stratosphere.”

Susan Bible of HoopsWorld ranked the Western Conference and OKC finshed in the top 10: “After a 23-59 season last year, it would seem quite a stretch to place the Thunder in the playoffs already – it will be close, but they probably need another year to develop their young players before having a post season. Rebuilding through the draft (with recent key additions of Shaun Livingston, Thabo Sefolosha, Nenad Krstic) around franchise face and future All-Star Kevin Durant is GM Sam Presti’s plan, which should net them at least 15 more wins next year. Shooting guard James Harden, drafted third overall, will be an immediate contributor. PG Russell Westbrook’s performance in the summer league was off the hook showing growing maturity in his play and decision-making. Acquiring defensive-minded Etan Thomas will provide needed frontcourt depth and bodyguard duties for Durant. Most of you know I cover the Thunder – surely you’ll give me a little credit for not placing them in the playoffs just yet (believe me, other homers are not resisting the temptation) but you have to admit, they are a team on the rise.” Keep Reading…