Daily Thunder.com

Eric Freeman of BDL on Hakeem working with Ibaka: “It makes total sense that Brooks would support this team-up, and if Ibaka can carve out time in his busy schedule a meeting would undoubtedly be a great idea. Ibaka is a young player with an expanding offensive game, but he typically scores on mid-range jumpers and catches at the rim. A post game would make him a truly fearsome option and give the Thunder an added dimension in an already great offense.”

Charles Barkley on if the Dream Team is better than the 2012 Team USA: “Other than Kobe, LeBron (James) and Kevin Durant, I don’t think anybody else on that team makes our team.” Keep Reading…

Reggie Jackson in a Q&A on what it means to have teammates in Orlando watching: “I believe that’s a tradition they’ve built here in Oklahoma City. I think you come back, you watch, you want to see what the young players are doing, if you can help once you sit down and talk at dinners, in the hotel rooms. Guys are trying to help me when I was coming to the bench. That’s the kind of teammates we are. It’s a college atmosphere. We all enjoy each other’s presence and being around each other. We’re always trying to help each other get better. I think that is what makes us kind of a unique team and helped us get where we were last year. I think we’re all trying to improve. As one person improves, the whole team improves. You’re only as good as your worst guys, so that’s why I believe they come back and try to help us learn quickly.”

Sekou Smith of NBA.com on OKC’s Olympic trio: “You’d think Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden would be sick of seeing each other by now. The Oklahoma City Thunder trio have been going basically non-stop since the NBA season opened, grinding away through every milestone together just as they have throughout their NBA careers. Nearly every prominent professional first, both good and bad, has come together. Their first taste of playoff success, their first trip to the Western Conference finals, their first appearance in The Finals and the fallout that comes with falling short on that grand stage. That’s why their time on the U.S. Olympic team, and even their time here at USA Basketball training camp, isn’t something they’ll take for granted. While it can’t completely wipe away the sting of losing to the Heat in The Finals the way they did, Westbrook said, it’s at least a start on the road to redemption for the Thunder’s young core.” Keep Reading…

Berry Tramel on Harden’s market: “James Harden made the U.S. Olympic basketball team, which certainly is great for the status of the Thunder and Oklahoma City, not to mention Mr. Harden himself. But will Harden’s inclusion on the exclusive squad eventually cost the Thunder? Does being an Olympian — being grouped with the likes of LeBron and Kobe and Durant and CP3 — drive up the price tag for Harden’s next contract? That’s the ultimate question about Harden, who until Oct. 31 can sign an extension with the Thunder, but otherwise would become a restricted free agent next off-season. And the answer is no. The Olympic selection will not drive up Harden’s price tag. Harden’s price tag already is at its limit. The Olympic selection is a sign that Harden’s value already is at the max. The Olympic selection is not setting the market; it’s just following the market.”

Bradford Doolittle for ESPN.com on Big Threes: “Oklahoma City’s Big Three was every bit as potent, especially on offense, and it was an organic group of players plucked from the upper rungs of the NBA’s lottery ladder. Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden have grown together quickly, making the Thunder the hot pick to dominate the West for the foreseeable future. With the Heat and Thunder poised to contend for the crown the next few years, it’s no wonder that teams are scrambling to assemble big threes of their own.” Keep Reading…