Daily Thunder.com

Empty the Bench recaps the NBA season in 40 lists. Click and read. It’s awesome. Oklahoma City finished on top of a couple including team Andrew most watched, team most likely to improve and Kevin Durant, Thabo, Jeff Green and Russell Westbrook are all mentioned throughout.

BDL power rankings: “As has been stated many times in many places, this team could have rolled over, but it fought and worked and genuinely enjoyed playing with each other. Bright, bright future for the Thunder.”

Bill Simmons will his full MVP list with appearances by Nenad Krstic and KD, but this is noteworthy: “Follow-up note: Presti wins 2009 Exec of the Year for shrewdly building a nice foundation — Kevin Durant, Jeff Green and Russell Westbrook as his Big Three; Krstic, Nick Collison and Thabo Sefolosha as three legit rotation guys, a top-six draft pick coming, multiple first-rounders in the hopper, cap space galore, a genuinely good coach in Scottie Brooks, and the NBA’s single strangest bench guy in Robert Swift. There’s just a lot to like. By the way, if they make a “Children of the Corn” remake and DON’T include Swift, I’m going to be furious.”

The poll says “Yes!” Players wants Scott Brooks back but Sam Presti still not saying anything: “A survey by The Oklahoman of all 15 Thunder players yielded 13 players who are in favor of Brooks returning as the full-time coach. Chucky Atkins declined to comment, and Russell Westbrook was non-committal. But even with overwhelming support from players and a growing segment of the fan base in favor of lifting Brooks’ interim tag, general manager Sam Presti has been unwavering in his desire to defer contract talks until the off-season.” Keep Reading…

Marc Stein’s power rankings with a pretty strong note: “Was this the one and only season in the Durant Era that the good folks of OKC had to stomach a ranking that was always in the 20s? The answer is YES unless the whole league is guilty of overhyping this situation.”

SLAM awards: “O.J. Mayo? Are you kidding me? Russell Westbrook? Word? Look. This rookie class has been exceptional. I see about eight future All-Stars. But there shouldn’t be a discussion, here.  Rose came into the season facing the pressure and shouldering the burden of being the No. 1 pick, playing for his hometown Bulls. He was thrust into a starting role in the game’s most demanding position. To make matters more challenging, he was playing on a young squad without a leader and for a coach whom many of his teammates disliked. Through a season that included a coaching change and roster overhaul, he’s put up 16, 6 and 4 and helped the Bulls get into the postseason. Meanwhile, O.J. and Russ play for two of the worst teams in the League and O.J. has often played like the typical “numbers guy on a bad squad.” Rose better be a unanimous pick.”

NBA.com looks at potential Most Improved candidates:

Layup Drill has five players it wishes were in playoffs: “1. Kevin Durant: KD is the truth. The kid is making Portland wish they had went in a different direction a few seasons ago when bypassed Durant for Greg Oden. The Thunder have built the franchise around their lanky swingman, who averaged career highs in points, assists, and rebounds this year, and should have been selected as an All-Star. There’s always next year though.” Keep Reading…

Let me just tell you, Kevin Durant may be a better person than basketball player. And that’s obviously saying something. He is so incredibly humble as showcased in his intereviw with Jenni Carlson. And the fact that he’s going to school this summer also says something about his committment.

HoopsWorld tells us what’s right, what’s wrong and where the Thunder go from here: “Fan support is unbelievable right now; OKC is ranked 11th in the league for overall attendance, 10th in the league for percentage of tickets sold and will end its debut season with 18 sellouts. Just need some more wins to keep these numbers steady. Other good news: Oklahoma City residents voted last year for a short-term extension of a 1-cent sales tax to pay for $100M in improvements to the Ford Center and construction of a new $20M practice facility for the team. Pieces are already coming together to build a solid franchise. The Oklahoma City Thunder have a smart general manager, a (thankfully) behind-the-scenes owner, a player’s coach and a hungry city….plus a very young, high-energy team eager to learn what it takes to move to the next level in the NBA. And for Pete’s sake, name Brooks the permanent head coach sooner rather than later.”

David Thorpe looks at the sophomore class and has some high praise for Kevin Durant: “The 2008 rookie of the year has seen an increase in almost every statistical category this season while decreasing his turnover rate. He has established himself as a strong All-Star candidate for years to come and is arguably the best small forward in the world not named LeBron James. And he won’t turn 21 until a few days before training camp starts next season. Next up for him: spearheading a Thunder team that looks ready to compete for a playoff spot next season, and likely some playing time for the next Team USA.”

Could the Tar Heels beat one of the NBA’s worst?: “Life would not be as hard for Roy Williams group against the Thunder as his big men should be able to get some work done inside against the likes of Nenad Kristic, Nick Collison, and D.J. White. They are outmatched inside, but it’s nowhere near to the extent that they would be against the Clippers. Where the Tar Heels would really struggle is in the back court going up against Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant. Perimeter defense was the weakest aspect of Carolina’s game this season and although they did go up against some pretty talented guards, none of them were Westbrook or K.D. The two would carry the Thunder to a convincing victory and Jeff Green would play a major role as well. In the 2007 Final Four Green had 22 points, nine rebounds, and three assists as the Tar Heels had no answer for him.” I also broke this matchup down months ago and I had it as a no doubt win for Oklahoma City. Keep Reading…