Kevin Pelton of ESPN.com in a 5-on-5: “This feels like his year. With his improvement as a rebounder, defender and playmaker, Durant’s all-around game no longer pales in comparison to LeBron’s. Statistically, KD has been the most valuable player so far this season. Despite the threat of Chris Paul, the annual summer Durant MVP hype will finally translate into an actual trophy this spring.”
Rob Mahoney of SI.com says KD is winning MVP: “But Durant and the Thunder — despite a great start after the departure of Sixth Man Award winner James Harden — have been almost completely eclipsed by the Knicks’ shiny success, the Lakers-inspired schadenfreude and the Heat’s occasional malaise. Durant may have years of feel-good coverage working in his favor, but in the most impressive season of his career he’s been oddly under-covered. That quiet isn’t likely to last, but in today’s world of minute-to-minute reporting it’s almost refreshing to see Durant very quietly close the gap on three-time winner LeBron James to the point where he makes for a credible MVP choice.” Keep Reading…










Thunder Player Power Rankings: 2012 down, 2013 ahead
WEEK 1 | WEEK 2 | WEEK 4 | WEEK 5 | WEEK 6| WEEK 7 | WEEK 8
For the Thunder, 2012 was pretty good.
A whole lot happened. An NBA Finals appearance, the heartbreak that came with losing that, three players winning Olympic gold, one of them being traded, the emergence of Kevin Martin, the development of Kevin Durant and a 12-game win streak. That’s just the quick and dirty.
Question is, will 2013 be better? That’s very much up in the air, especially with the Western Conference revving up. The Clippers look absolutely unstoppable. The Spurs are of course good. The Lakers seem to be putting some things together. The Grizzlies, Wolves and Warriors are all improved from a year ago. The race to the Finals this time around could be quite the challenge. Keep Reading…