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Monday Bolts – 2.2.09

by Royce Young on February 2, 2009 at 9:31 am 21 Comments

Because of some duties in fulfilling my requirement in being an American male, I chose to watch the Super Bowl yesterday and not write a recap of the game. And like I told my wife, had we won, I probably would have happily skipped into the office to crank out 800 words, but because of the outcome, I thought using the Super Bowl would be a good excuse to just ignore a really disappointing loss. But here’s all you need to know: Durant, Westbrook, Green = good (95 points). Rest of team = not good (23 points). Well, Nick Collison had a nice game, but geez, what a stinky loss. Although, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a “make the first, miss the second and get a tip-in” work live and I was impressed with Jeff Green’s execution there. Anyway, to the Bolts…

The Durant v. Oden debate is finally able to gain some traction: “Fair or not, Oden and Durant are destined to be linked in history. Like Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton, without the gunfire. And a look back at the 1984 draft offers both worst-case and best-case scenarios. Oden and Durant could be remembered as Michael Jordan and Sam Bowie, as a mismatch of a comparison that highlights Portland’s blundering. Or they could be remembered as Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon, who combined for eight championships, eight Finals MVP awards, and six regular-season MVPs.”

Le Basketbawl’s midseason report: “We now know that the Thunder will not have the worst record in the history of the Association. Scott Brooks while an improvement over P.J. still has not shown that he is more than an interim coach.”

Hardwood Paroxysm sums up yesterday’s game pretty nicely: “The Definition of Awesome Futility: Kevin Durant; 33PTS 5 RB, 2 AS, 1 BL, Russell Westbrook; 34 PTS 6 RB 8 AS 1 ST, Jeff Green; 28 PTS, 13 RBS 5 AS 3 ST. And they lost.”

BDL Behind the Box Score:  Timed up against a Cavaliers/Pistons game on national TV, this contest between two of the NBA’s worst teams was blacked out on the dish, and I gotta say, I’m a little cheesed off. Blackouts are something we have to live with every Sunday afternoon; they’re all over the pace as the NBA wants all basketball-watching eyes on what’s happening on the major network of its choice, but an overtime close one with 240 combined points? I’d like to know how, and why? Even the gamer is a little messed-up. Kevin Martin had 37 points on 24 shots, turning it over only twice in 49 minutes of play (that’s a tremendous accomplishment), Jeff Green had 28 points, 13 rebounds, five assists, one turnover, and three steals for Oklahoma City, and Thunder rookie Russell Westbrook got to the line 22 times (making 20), helping to overcome seven of 18 shooting and five turnovers. He had eight assists, and all six of his rebounds were on the offensive end. Keep Reading…

Could we use Green a little differently?

by Joe on February 1, 2009 at 4:00 am 38 Comments

Jeff Green has had a tremendous sophomore season, especially compared to his rookie year. He is a very real candidate for most improved player with his huge jump in production.  He moved into the starting lineup in the middle of the season last year, and through the coaching change, he has never relinquished it.

His skill set is unique: he is a sweet shooting big man who isn’t afraid to go inside. So often we see big men who kind of do one or the other. Either they camp outside and bomb away and avoid the paint (Andrea Bargnani?) or they do the dirty work inside and don’t have the jumper (Collison). Every team out there would love to have the true inside/outside big man, but there just aren’t that many to be had. The guys that are able to pull it off are the matchup nightmares that every coach dreams of having, guys like Nowitzki, Bosh and Stoudamire. Keep Reading…

Thunder at Sacramento: Pre-game view

by Royce Young on January 31, 2009 at 5:35 pm 4 Comments

okc7 vs. sac

OKC Thunder (11-36, 3-19 road) vs. Sacramento Kings (10-38, 7-16 home)

TV: KSBI-52 (Cox 9) FS Oklahoma (Cox 37)
Radio:
WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1 FM, 640 AM)

Offensive Rating: Thunder: 102.2 (28th), Sacramento: 104.6 (25th)
Defensive Rating: Thunder: 108.9 (20th), Sacramento: 114.4 (30th)
Pace: Thunder: 93.6 (7th), Sacramento: 93.3 (8th)

What could make Super Sunday even more super? Why, a matchup between two basketball teams a combined 53 games under .500, that’s what!

These two teams haven’t met yet this year, so there’s nothing to go off of. Except for the fact we know they’re both, ahem, below average. But here’s the big stat: Sacramento hasn’t held an opponent to under 106 points their last 10 games. The Kings have lost eight in a row and 12 of 14. They’re the worst defensive team in the league, allowing opponents to over 48 percent from the field which ranks first (or last, depending on how you want to look at it) in the league. On top of it, they’re in the bottom 10 in field goal percentage themselves. In other words, they’re struggling. Mightily.

But as we’ve seen, the Thunder are known to come in with a lack of focus against very beatable teams. Especially with this one being on the road at 2 p.m. Oklahoma time and probably in front of about 25 people. So all the signs for an unfocused performance are there. But with a tough February schedule looming, OKC needs to take care of business in Sactown. Keep Reading…

Thunder 90, Jazz 110 post game wrap

by Joe on January 30, 2009 at 10:57 pm 17 Comments

Just a little over two weeks ago, the Thunder put a 21 point loss on the Jazz, and at that time  it was the first win of the season over a winning team. Tonight, the Jazz got a payback, slapping us with a 20 point loss.  Box Score.

The Jazz were very efficient tonight offensively, scoring 110 points and ringing up 32 assists on 86 made field goals. They shot 51% from the field, 41% from deep and had an effective field goal rate of 55%. On the other side of the ball the Jazz had 12 steals, forced 25 turnovers and limited our field goal shooting to 48 % overall and 18% from deep (2/11).

I think we all knew that we would suffer defensively with the loss of Desmond Mason, and tonight our fears were realized. Keep Reading…

Thunder vs. Jazz: Pre-game primer

by Royce Young on January 30, 2009 at 2:53 pm 7 Comments

okc6 vs. uth

Oklahoma City Thunder (11-35, 3-18 road) vs. Utah Jazz (25-21, 17-6 home)

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

Offensive Rating: Thunder: 102.3 (28th), Utah: 109.4 (9th)
Defensive Rating: Thunder: 108.6 (18th), Utah: 107.1 (14th)
Pace: Thunder: 93.7 (6th), Utah: 92.1 (11th)

Maybe Kevin Durant will use the snub to power him to a huge game, because we know the Jazz are going have a little incentive after the beatdown Oklahoma City put on them last meeting. And there’s nothing more I’d love than a good win so we can all email Ross Siler again and tell him how much he sucks at trying to be clever.

So far the season series is 1-1 with each team protecting their home floor. And I fully expect that to happen again tonight. I love the way OKC is playing right now, with the offense clicking and the defense challenging every shot but two things: 1) Utah plays very well at home (12-1 against the West) and 2) The impact of losing Desmond Mason. The thing about losing Mason is that the team will feel the sting on the defensive end, but especially tonight. Why? Because tonight, Scott Brooks has to try and figure out how he’s going to swing it without Mason. It’s going to be tough to figure out what pairings work on the fly and I expect to see some defensive lapses early. Keep Reading…

Friday Bolts – 1.30.09

by Royce Young on January 30, 2009 at 8:51 am 17 Comments

UPDATE: Chris Sheridan’s top 12 trade assets (OKC’s got a couple):”The Thunder are constantly being asked if they’d be open to trading the rights to the athletic Ibaka, currently playing for Ricoh Manresa of the Spanish League, as is the case with the Nuggets and Hervelle, who plays for Real Madrid.”

And here are your West All-Star reserves – Chauncey Billups (G), Tony Parker (G), Brandon Roy (G), Dirk Nowitzki (F), Pau Gasol (F), David West (F) and Shaquille O’Neal. Notice anything there? There’s no small forward on the entire roster… and guess what position Kevin Durant plays. Not sayin’, just sayin’.

TrueHoop looks at the snubbed. Women may love the snub, but I don’t think NBA players do: “One of the worst ways you can analyze a player is to cherry pick a handul of statistics that don’t even mean all that much without a broader context. But it’s fun, so I’m going to do it anyway. 35 points, ten rebounds, and six assists. 46 points, 14 rebounds, and four assists. 28 points, 12 rebounds, and four steals. 41 points and ten rebounds. You see what I mean? These kinds of stat lines are not hard to find in Kevin Durant’s body of work. Granted, his team came out of the gate terribly. But if they had played the entire season like they have played the last month, there is no way that Kevin Durant would not be on this team. I don’t know precisely what the qualifications are to be an All-Star, but I know that just about everyone who puts up those kinds of numbers consistently for any length of time seems to make it.”

Rob Peterson of NBA.com says the coaches got it mostly right: “Team success — or the lack of it — also may be the reason Durant, who is averaging 24.8 points per game (sixth in the NBA), wasn’t named to the team. The Thunder are 11-35. Usually, a team’s record plays a large part in whether a player is considered All-Star worthy. But in the East, Toronto’s Chris Bosh and Indiana’s Danny Granger play for sub-.500 teams. And they both made the team.” Keep Reading…

Desmond Mason out for remainder of the season

by Royce Young on January 29, 2009 at 1:54 pm 12 Comments

Well, crap.

From NBA.com:

“Mason, who has started 19 games for the Thunder, injured his knee with 4:02 left in the 3rd quarter against the Memphis Grizzlies. The injury is being called a hyper extension and will require arthroscopic surgery to remove debris from his knee.

“We are disappointed to lose Desmond for the remainder of the season,” said Presti. “He is a valuable part of our efforts on and off the court. We will support Desmond and work with him throughout the rehabilitation process. Unfortunately, the timing of the injury does not allow Desmond to return this season.”

Mason has averaged 7.5 points and 4.0 rebounds per game this year for the 11-35 Thunder.”

So what’s this mean? Well, first thinking says Damien Wilkins gets another crack at the first five and we get to watch his dead body get dragged around the court. But I wouldn’t put it past Scott Brooks to try and give Kyle Weaver extended minutes and/or try using Earl Watson/Chucky Atkins with Russell Westbrook. I don’t think he’ll move Kevin Durant back to the two and Jeff Green to the three. At least, I hope that doesn’t happen. And no, there’s really no help in Tulsa to look to. The 66ers are really thin at guard, and I’m not sure if Ronald Dupree can play the two (he’s 6-foot-7, 200 lbs and is Tulsa’s best player averaging almost 20 ppg). In other words, I have no idea what to expect. If I were to pick a scenario, I’d go with Weaver starting at the two and keeping everything else the same.

This really sucks because Desmond is such a leader for this team that he’ll be missed, most on the defensive end. He works hard, fights through screens, hits the boards and is a total effort guy. He’ll never light you up in the box score but he’s a good ballplayer. Best wishes to Desmond and here’s to a quick recovery.

Thursday Bolts – 1.29.09

by Royce Young on January 29, 2009 at 8:42 am 5 Comments

Tony Mejia has Kevin Durant as a “rightfully should feel snubbed” almost All-Star.

Kevin Pelton of Basketball Prospectus on the Rookie/Sophomore challenge: “Although Durant’s takeoff in his second season has had something to do with his move from shooting guard to small forward, he’ll have to return to guard for one night because of an imbalance in the sophomore talent. To the extent Durant’s December turnaround flew under the radar elsewhere, it’s been impossible to miss his enormous January–27.1 points and 8.6 rebounds per game with a 60.5 percent True Shooting Percentage. Yikes. The only real concern is that Scott Brooks might be running the slight Durant into the ground by playing him 39.3 minutes per night (third in the league). The obvious comparison for Durant (Carmelo Anthony) shows up second in similarity. No. 1? Kobe Bean Bryant. Double yikes.”

Lengthy piece by Johnny Ludden of Yahoo! Sports: “So, yes, Kevin Durant knows what you’re thinking. He also wants you to understand this: “Hopefully,” he says, “I’ll spend my whole career here.” Durant sees a future with the Thunder, and, as unlikely as that seemed even a month ago, he’s building a case for why everyone else should also see the skies clearing over OKC. This week, the Thunder moved out of the NBA’s basement for the first time since early November. The upgrade in accommodations, as potentially short-lived as it may be, came on the heels of a stretch in which the Thunder won six of their past nine games – four more victories than they totaled in their first 26 outings of the season.”

The Kansas City Star endorses KD as an All-Star: “Facchini also mentioned that the team decided against “gimmicky” campaigns to push for Durant. It seems that firing coach P.J. Carlesimo and trying to win basketball games ranked as more important endeavors than creating perceptions that their guy is an All-Star. Understandable. It’s just too bad that Durant’s reward for being one of the league’s top players is an invitation to the Rookie-Sophomore game.”

KD was one of Daily Dime’s best of the night: “He filled up the box score, posting 35 points, 10 rebounds, six assists and four blocks to lead Oklahoma City, which closed the game on a 14-0 run, to a 114-102 victory over the Grizzlies.”  Keep Reading…

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