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Durant day-to-day with an ankle injury

by Royce Young on February 27, 2009 at 10:29 pm 4 Comments

From ESPN.com:

Oklahoma City forward Kevin Durant is day-to-day after he sprained his right ankle in the first quarter against the Dallas Mavericks on Friday night. Durant, the NBA’s fourth-leading scorer was on crutches and wearing a protective boot as he was leaving the arena. He did not speak to reporters after the Thunder lost 110-108 in overtime.

X-rays on Durant’s ankle came back negative. He finished with a season-low six points.

“I don’t know how long he will be out,” Oklahoma City interim coach Scott Brooks said.

Replays showed Durant stepping on Dallas forward Josh Howard’s foot while drawing a foul with 7:13 left in the quarter. He remained in the game for about three more minutes before walking off the court with a slight limp. Trainers examined Durant on the bench before he headed for the dressing room.

Durant, who averages just more than 26 points per game, had scored at least 30 points in nine of his last 10 games. He trails only Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant in scoring.

I doubt he will play Saturday against Memphis out of smartness, but fortunately, it doesn’t seem serious at all. Sucks that KD got just six when he was well on his way to another 20-point game giving him 13 straight, an NBA season high.

Thunder at Mavericks: Pre-game primer

by Royce Young on February 27, 2009 at 2:38 pm 8 Comments

okc9 vs. dal

Thunder (13-44, 3-24 road) at Dallas Mavericks (34-23, 20-8 home)

TV: FS Oklahoma (Cox 37, HD 722)
Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1 FM, 640 AM)
Time: 7:30 CST

Offensive Rating: Thunder: 103.6 (27th), Mavericks: 108.9 (12th)
Defensive Rating: Thunder: 110.3 (24rd), Mavericks: 107.2 (13th)
Pace: Thunder: 94.0 (7th), Mavericks: 92.0 (14th)

Is it weird that I still get really excited about basically every Thunder game despite the team being 31 games under .500? That’s weird right? I guess it’s because the team is darn fun to watch, win or lose. So that’s a good thing. Sort of.

But the Thunder come into tonight’s game against Dallas on a six-game skid (seven in a row on the road), while the Mavs have been playing well lately winning 9 of 13 as they’re entrenched in a battle for the West’s eighth spot. So Dallas shouldn’t be taking OKC lightly at all tonight. Shouldn’t.

The biggest problem during this six-game losing streak is that the Thunder’s giving up 115.6 points a game. The Thunder have surrendered 100 points or more in 11 of their past 12 games. That’s, uh, poor defense. And Dallas scores the ball pretty well. So let’s hope OKC scores it back. Keep Reading…

Friday Bolts – 2.27.09

by Royce Young on February 27, 2009 at 9:55 am 7 Comments

Bill Simmons talks about the financial situation of the NBA and mentions why he thinks the Tyson Chandler deal fell thunderbolt2318through the way it did: New Orleans tried to give away Tyson Chandler (only its third-best player) for expiring contracts before [the Oklahoma City Thunder] vetoed the trade because it “didn’t like his physical” (or, as many insiders believe, because co-owner Aubrey McClendon had second thoughts about taking on Chandler’s contract since McClendon reportedly lost close to $2 billion in the Wall Street crash).

Durant reminds this writer of… Kobe?: “And yes, it’s not a fair comparison. Bryant was playing on a championship team with Shaquille O’Neal, while Durant is doing his best just to keep his team in games on a nightly basis. It’s a valid argument that on this Thunder team Bryant’s numbers very well could be higher than Durant’s, but that’s not necessarily the point. The point is that at 20 years old very few players are able to produce as much as efficiently as Durant is doing this season. Not a new concept to be sure, that Durant is a very good player with greatness written all over him, but it bears notice. It’s also worth noting that Cleveland’s LeBron James has better overall numbers at the same age – his 2004-05 season – but that his shooting percentages weren’t nearly as high as Durant’s. In fact, if you add together the shooting percentages in all three categories for any player in the top ten in the league of scoring, none of the other nine can touch Durant. And yes, this is a bit of a long way to say that Kevin Durant guy is going to be pretty dang good…” Keep Reading…

The value in keeping Joe Smith

by Royce Young on February 26, 2009 at 9:18 pm 32 Comments

It seems like every team out there is after Joe Smith. Like the three buzzards in the Jungle Book, they’re just perched on a limb waiting for Sam Presti to pay Joe his money and turn him loose. Cleveland’s salivating over him. Boston wanted him but settled on Mikki “hands in the pants” Moore instead. Phoenix really needs him. Most think Smith is going to get bought out soon and snatched up by a playoff squad.

But it hasn’t happened yet. And quite honestly, who knows if it will happen at all. And if it doesn’t by March 1st, it ain’t happening at all (players waived after March 1st can’t be included on playoff rosters). But why? Why wouldn’t OKC waive Smith and why wouldn’t Smith want to be waived? He’s extremely attractive to a lot of teams because his contract is up this year and because he’s a valuable veteran that can provide court savvy and points off the bench. He’d save the Thunder some money and he’s not really adding much as is. So why not?

I think the simple answer is that he wants to stay with the Thunder. That’s it. He likes where he’s at. He’s said already that he’s got no desire to latch on to another team and chase a title in his twilight. He likes where he’s at. He likes playing with these young guys and I think he wants to have a hand in building this budding franchise. Sure the team may be 13-44, but like everybody that has a functioning brain, he sees how bright the future is. And he wants to be part of it. Keep Reading…

Thursday Bolts – 2.26.09

by Royce Young on February 26, 2009 at 9:08 am 8 Comments

Dime asks who’s better: Kevin Durant or Danny Granger: “He’s 6-10 and was put on Earth to shoot jumpers. Is there a thunderbolt2317better combination than that? People say that LeBron James is the toughest guy to guard in the League right now, and I’d probably agree with that. But within a couple of years, I honestly think it’s going to be Kevin Durant. First of all, he’s still as physically mature as a cub. There’s something awkward about KD when he’s walking in the street – he’s still 2-3 years away from being as fully coordinated as he will become. So what will happen when he becomes a touch more explosive, a bit more fluid, and most importantly, more confident going to the basket? Pair that with his already automatic jumper, and what do you have? At Danny Granger’s age (25), KD will be the next Kobe Bryant.”

The Blowtorch lists players he thinks he could beat in a fight and two Thunder-ers made his list: “This is me. I am 6 feet 5 inches tall, and I weigh around 220 pounds. I am 25 years old. According to this 2006 survey, I’m just about the average NBA player, except the 4ish years of experience. Unfortunately, I’ve yet to be called up from the Glendale Heights Park District Men’s A League. I’m surprised, too. I’m pretty even-keeled. I don’t have a terrible temper, but I also won’t back down from a confrontation. Two Sundays ago, I nearly started a riot at my men’s league game, due to an intentional foul. While I’m not actively seeking out fights, if someone were to start one with me, I’m going to defend myself. Of course, I’m a genial fellow, so I haven’t been in a legitmate fight since 4th grade when I beat up Mike Punkachar in my living room.”

Bill Simmons had The Soup’s Joel McHale on the B.S. Report and they talk Sonics. Big ups to Joel McHale.  They start the Sonic talking at about 27:30.

Ping-pong derby: “The Thunder might have surprised itself with some rollicking performance through January and February, but that hasn’t allowed OKC to climb out of the Dungeon of Suck. After back-to-back wins over the Kings and Blazers early this month, Oklahoma City has reeled off six straight losses against an admittedly tough schedule. It actually does get a bit easier soon.” Keep Reading…

Detailed stats from the Thunder/Lakers game

by Royce Young on February 25, 2009 at 2:42 pm 10 Comments

Taylor is back at it again with more awesome stats to digest. Since we all (hopefully) know what each stat means, we’ll just go with the box score. And if you forgot what a CHBA is click here for a quick reference guide.

As Taylor said in his email the Could Have Been Assist category really backs up the gripes we all had with the Thunder missing so many open jumpers.

Interesting to note how the “Could Have Been Assist” really backs up a lot of the comments in the post game write up.  Against the Warriors the team had 26 assists compared to 22 CHBA.  Against the Lakers the Thunder had 17 assists compared to 33 CHBA.

Also, Taylor added a “Points Created” category as well as success rates for high and low post play. Keep Reading…

Wednesday Bolts – 2.25.09

by Royce Young on February 25, 2009 at 9:12 am 8 Comments

Hardwood P Hot, Not or So Five Minutes Ago: “HOT – The Oklahoma City Thunder. SO Five Minutes Ago – The thunderbolt2316Atlanta Hawks. NOT -The Houston Rockets … HOT – Bragging that you said the Blazers should have taken Kevin Durant in 2007. SO Five Minutes Ago – Saying “Kevin Durant sucks.” NOT- www.firekevindurant.com”

Get on the OKC bandwagon now so that you can say you were on it when it wasn’t cool: “Now it is my pleasure to introduce you to the Oklahoma City Thunder and their bandwagon, which, trust me, has plenty of room for us all to hop on. Some of you might be wondering why I would talk to you about hopping on to the bandwagon of a team who is currently 13-43. My response to you would be that yes, usually the term hopping on the bandwagon refers to cheering for a team because they are winning. But this one is different, because people are going to hop on this team’s bandwagon regardless. Not only are they becoming one of the NBA’s most exciting teams to watch, but they are also on the verge of being a monster franchise within the next five years.”

Steve Aschburner on the value of Joe Smith: “Now, though, Smith has a chance for something better than a nice fit. He has made a great living, but he has a shot at a tremendous late-career transformation. Until last spring, Smith never had made it out of the first round of the playoffs, playing only 26 games in six trips across his first 12 seasons. Last year, he got to Game 7 of the second round with the Cavaliers. He could go further, perhaps much further, this time around, if only he would make noise and rock boats. But that’s not Joe Smith’s style, and it hasn’t been his career.”

HoopsWorld rookie rankings: “In the last two games, Westbrook has dropped averages of 25 points, 9.5 assists, and 5.5 rebounds, showing once again that he’s going to be right there with Derrick Rose as the greatest point guard of this draft. The Thunder may not have done much in the win column this year, but give them time. Behind Westbrook and superstar-in-the-making Kevin Durant, they’ll be spectacular someday soon.” Keep Reading…

Thunder makes it interesting, but Kobe did what Kobe does

by Royce Young on February 24, 2009 at 9:42 pm 15 Comments

There’s a reason Kobe Bryant is like, awesome. On two separate occasions the Thunder closed to within Lakers Thunder Basketballone of the Lakers, but somebody was inconspicuously missing from the court. Like a coiled snake, Kobe sat patiently, waiting to get his chance to strike again. The camera flashed over to him and with the Ford Center rocking and the Thunder riding a monster wave of momentum, Kobe’s face was expressionless almost like he was saying, “It’s cool. I got this.” And when the Mamba returned, L.A. scored on nine straight possessions and took control of the game, pulling away to a 107-93 win. It’s just what he does.

One big thing to take from this game for OKC – and it’s been a theme in other games as well – is to seize the moment. Kobe Bryant is sitting on the bench and you’ve closed to within one. The crowd is ROARING and you’ve got the ball. Realistically, you could maybe go ahead four or five points, forcing Phil Jackson to reinsert Bryant well before he wants to. But instead, OKC throws the ball away, kicks it out of bounds and misses wide open jump shots. It’s like they sensed the urgency of the moment and tried too hard to make the big play. It’s one of those things that you snap your fingers and just chalk it up to the youth of the team. At least that’s what I’m telling myself.

The most major key in the game: The Lakers hit open shots and OKC didn’t. Simple stuff. But that’s why they’re the best team in the league and OKC is third worst. The Thunder shot 42 percent and L.A. hit 53 percent. Jeff Green was off (4-14), Earl Watson was himself (0-4) and Nenad Krstic was off (2-8). Kevin Durant and Kyle Weaver were the only Thunder-ers to consistently hit shots (another 32 for KD along with 10 rebounds and six assists, making that nine of 10 he’s scored at least 30). OKC missed a ton of open looks and I counted 11 point blank misses at the rim with most of them being clean looks. That’s a potential 22 points. I just headbutted my coffee table. Keep Reading…

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