Daily Thunder.com

Ken Berger of CBSSports.com: “But with home-grown stars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook already locked up with long-term deals, the Thunder’s decision to reward Ibaka as they attempt to get back to the NBA Finals and ultimately win a championship has ushered the elephant into the room. Alas, system changes that were so vital to the future of the NBA that they were almost worth losing an entire season have ramifications for the Oklahoma Cities of the world too.”

Zach Lowe of SI.com on players on notice: “Kendrick Perkins: The luxury tax concerns are real with James Harden now extension-eligible. Also real: Perkins’ value as a post defender, brutal screener and all-around setter of a nasty tone. But Perkins’ reputation as a Dwight Howard stopper is nearly two years out of date, and he’s not nearly good enough at his strengths to justify his pricey contract once you factor in his glaring limitations — poor hands, endless traveling violations, shaky speed and sky-high turnover rates. There aren’t many worse offensive players in the league, at least among regular rotation guys. Perkins needs to get healthy and show a bit more, on both ends, to quiet the amnesty chatter.” Keep Reading…

Matt Moore for PBT on scorers: “But the environment has changed. And it’s less about all the other star-studded teams because those teams aren’t putting up 125 offensive ratings and having three guys score 40 a night. It’s not the talent. The defensive systems have changed, which kick-started the accumulation of talent to override that. But now the defenders are better, because the talent is better. It’s a vicious cycle. And the solution is to get back to the idea of ball movement and of team-actualization.”

Sekou Smith on OKC’s top spot in the Ultimate Rankings: “Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and the rest of their Oklahoma City Thunder teammates spent their entire summer with a nagging pain eating away at them, knowing that they didn’t finish last season the way they wanted to. Losing to the Miami Heat in The Finals is a stain on their record that won’t be shoved aside until they get back to The Finals and break through. But in the absence of a championship won on the court, the Thunder can revel in the fact that they’ve finished on top in another race.” Keep Reading…

Serge Ibaka checks in 43rd in CBSSports.com’s Elite 100: Matt Moore: “The runner-up to the Defensive Player of the Year and the fourth member of Oklahoma City’s Big Four is simultaneously overrated and underrated, both in the league, and here. Ibaka’s defense comes with a dazzling array of blocks and showy moments of physical aggression, but comes with a price. When the goaltends aren’t putting points on the board for the other guys, his overzealous rotations are leaving his man open for a dunk, often when the primary defender is contesting the layup well enough to prevent a score in the first place. His rebounding is good-to-great, but that doesn’t make up for some of his missed rotations and what he lacks in court awareness. All of these things, though, can be fiex and are part of the natural development process. There’s every reason to believe, that in a short time, “Iblocka” will be the defender he’s made out to be.”

Hollis Thompson: “My strength is I can score. I love to score. I love to play for my team. I can do a lot of things. And I’ve got weaknesses in all areas. I can get better in all areas. So I’m looking forward to playing basketball and getting better.” Keep Reading…

Don Nelson: “I got a kick out of Miami winning it all,” Nelson said by phone from his home in Maui. “They didn’t use their big lineup all that much. They really matched up and caused problems for Oklahoma City. I thought Erik (Spoelstra) did a great job coaching.”

Peter Keating of ESPN the Mag on OKC being the top franchise: “Like other teams that always rank near the top of our Ultimate Standings — the Spurs and Packers, Angels and Red Wings — the Oklahoma City Thunder deliver lots of wins, amped by hugely enjoyable game days, at reasonable prices. They’re also incredibly young. At 23, Kevin Durant is actually the oldest of the four players who led the Thunder in minutes last season, highlighting the fact that this club has established its long-term commitment to fans in just a handful of seasons. And they’re easy to love at a distance too. In our fan voting, Oklahoma City not only was No. 1 in the NBA in having a fan-friendly environment but ranked first among all teams in engaging fans through social media and in connecting fans to information online or via mobile devices. In the 43rd-largest metro area in the U.S., but with fans all over the middle of the country, the Thunder have more than 1.5 million Facebook fans and, according to Social Media Today, lead the NBA in Twitter engagement. So yes, the Thunder’s owners were wrong to abandon Seattle the way they did four years ago. But in the here and now, through geographical necessity, smart management and hellaciously fun play, Oklahoma City is doing a better job than any other sports franchise of turning fans into family.” Keep Reading…