Wednesday Bolts - 1.7.09

- Have you voted for Russell Westbrook today? Do it... Do it.

- One day until the National Championship game. I'm nervous. And mad about the media storm around Dominique Franks' "comments."

- Seth from Posting and Toasting on OKC: "Credit Oklahoma City with being a really surprisingly solid city and arena. They're really loveable underdogs. There's a pre-game prayer (I'd like to see that), they have silly sound effects for each player (I guess the Knicks do to, but somehow this is sillier), and get legitimately rowdy when their team performs. Hats off to the OKC. Still, it would've given me sick pleasure to rob them of a much-deserved win."

- See, we knew everyone would start to come around. One commenter at Knickerblogger: "It was totally [messed] up how the Thunder ended up in OKC, but yeah, the fans in OKC obviously love them their basketball."

- What do YOU mean, "those guys?": '"It's taking steps back, especially losing to those guys," Al Harrington said. "No disrespect to them, but we're in a different place than those guys." "What different place? The Thunder boast three young studs the Knicks wish they had. Second-year stars Kevin Durant and Jeff Green battered the Knicks with 27 points apiece, and rookie point guard Russell Westbrook, whom the Knicks targeted in the draft, finished with 22 points and nine assists."'

- Still following the Thunder on ESPN's "worst team ever" thing? Yeah, me neither: With last night's win, the Thunder are on pace for a 12-70 record. After 35 games, the 1972-73 Sixers were 3-35. Which isn't even the worst ever after 35. The 1997-98 Nuggets, the 1993-94 Mavs and 1970-71 Cavs were all 2-33. Hey, I'm kind of digging 5-30 now.

- Ball Don't Lie Behind the Box Score: "The Thunder stormed (I just wrote that, I didn't even think about it ... I think the BtB wheels have come off) to an early lead with some sound ball movement and plenty of aggression. Good aggression, getting into lanes, making the extra pass, and finishing well. Kevin Durant had 27 points on 16 shots, with 12 rebounds, and Jeff Green scored 27 of his own. A sneaky 27, if I'm honest. Didn't know it was happening until I was told. Also, Russell Westbrook ... 22 points, nine assists, six boards, four turnovers, not bad. Again, lots of aggression. The Thunder looked great, New York came back for a spell during the fourth quarter, but Oklahoma City is playing some really good basketball of late, and it's been truly fun to watch."

- Bored? Waste some time checking out what I think are the top 10 Nike commercials ever: "Pretty much anything with Michael Jordan makes a great commercial. It could be 30 seconds of MJ just dribbling in his underwear with some awesome pulsing beat with a light piano over the top and then you slap, "Become Legendary" and the Jumpman on the end of it and you've got a flippin' sweet commercial."

Tuesday Bolts - 12.16.08

• Robert Kleeman on Bleacher Report about OKC's Texas two-step: "The undisputed worst team in the NBA keeps piling on its already ugly loss total. But two courageous, gritty, and competitive showings this weekend in Texas should give already aching fans a reason to cheer. The Oklahoma City Thunder headed to Texas for games against the Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs with a gruesome 2-20 record. The league's newest franchise, uprooted from its former home of 41 years in Seattle, arrived in the Lone Star State with a chance to compile the worst record in NBA history, and that's how the Spurs and Mavericks played them."

• OKC is leading something so far, and that's the Ping-Pong Derby: "Each ping pong ball represents a 1% chance of the team winning the top overall pick in the June draft as of today. Oklahoma City -- challenging for the worst record in NBA history -- has a clear advantage in the Derby after 26 games. But Washington and Minnesota have been just awful enough to remain within spitting distance of the true bottom."

• Joe from Thunderguru sees some irony in the switch from P.J.'s "defense" to Scotty's offense: "When the Thunder opened the season with the same lineup as we currently have now, then coach P.J.’s chosen style of play was an up tempo pace, with a constant barrage of jump shots. There was little movement in the offense, usually just an attempt to get off a shot before the opponent defense was set. If the defense got set, another Thunder player would usually come over and set a pick, giving the ball handler a bit more room to launch a jumper. That was about it. P.J. meshed this offense (or lack thereof) with a fairly decent gimmicky defense that used a lot of zone in different incarnations."

• While the Thunder may have fallen out of relevancy as a team, a few players are becoming very relevant to fantasy owners: "The big two on the team are obviously Kevin Durant and Jeff Green. They are somewhat similar players — long, athletic and dripping with talent. Right now, Durant is the better fantasy player but Green isn’t too far behind. Durant is the better scorer and has better percentage but Green gets more rebounds, assists and steals."

• Joe Smith has been everywhere man: "Joe Smith has traveled so many places he could give Johnny Cash a run for his money. If only Smith could remember his NBA stops as clearly as the late great country music star could rattle off everywhere he’s been."

• Chris Wilcox is a game-time decision tonight: Forward Chris Wilcox said he is ready to play tonight against the Los Angeles Clippers, five days before the earliest possible return date the team gave in its initial 10-14 day recovery timetable from a dislocated left ring finger.

Thursday Bolts - 12.10.08

• This is a bit old, but I came across a revised opinion from Uni Watch on Oklahoma City's jerseys: "Uni Watch was originally less than impressed with the Thunder's uniforms. And yes, the team name is awful and the logo is a joke. But you know what? But you know what? That home uni looks pretty dang good out on the court. The colors pop, the type is sharp, and the whole thing looks crisp and clean, even from the back and sides. If this uni had already been in the league for a dozen years, we'd be praising it as a minor classic of no-nonsense design. Unfortunately, the road uni has major problems. For starters, the chest insignia is way too plain and top-heavy. Second, check out the side view and compare it to side views of the Knicks, Wizards and Bobcats. Notice a pattern? Finally, why would you use the color of a clear blue sky for a team named after stormy weather? Uni Watch suggests a hasty retreat to the drawing board."
  

• Found via TrueHoop and it has nothing Thunder related, but it's just some really good basketball breakdown: "One of the most memorable lessons George taught me in High School was how to play defense at the end of a game. His exact rules or explanation may differ, but my interpretation was basically to stick to your normal defensive fundamental strategy on the final play of the game. There is a reason that you are NOT taught to trap every possession, to go for every steal, or to try to block every shot. That reason is that it does not work a majority of the time, and it can often lead to fouls or even easier buckets from the other team."

• Some interesting thoughts from Brian Robinson of SonicsCentral.com: "Frankly I just don’t know who would break first. When I look at the situation I can honestly say it would be more horrendous than I had really imagined. I’m thinking crowds of 2,000, losses in excess of $50M. The players union would have seen their worst case scenario come true and would be bitter at everybody, the league, me, the city, you name it. The owners and players would probably be able to point at this specific market as a cause of reduction to next years salary cap. I truly think the situation would have been untenable." Brian is right. In a twisted way for Seattle fans, it's probably better the team left rather than spending a few lame duck seasons there. It could have been truly detrimental to the city's chances of returning the NBA and the image of the city would have been tarnished completely.

• Russell Westbrook is skying up the Rookie Watch rankings: "Westbrook is really coming on as a player, using his jets to fly around the court and hit midrange jumpers (something he struggled with earlier this season). The downside to his recent success is the attention he's getting from defenses. In his past four games, he has 19 turnovers. He'll learn to make easier plays and start anticipating blitzes and stunts as he uses ball screens."

• Ball Don't Lie behind the box score: "I got the feeling that Marc Iavaroni saved his job last night, then I remembered that Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley might not be all that interested in paying for an extended from an interim coach for the second time in three seasons. Either way, the Grizzlies were on pace to get blown out by the Thunder early on, but rallied for the win."

• Another installment of "Peace, Love and Thunderstanding" from the Lost Ogle: "Since the Thunder are such a torturous team to watch play – and an even more torturous team to analyze – I decided that it would be boring to write (or expect you to read) about the team’s failures in my first crack at Peace, Love and Thunderstanding. Instead, I figured it would be fun to list some ways that Thunder management could possibly make the home games more enjoyable, thus improving the Thunder experience."

• David Stern made an appearance on Bill Simmons' B.S. Report's 100 episode. Of the topics discussed, the situation in Seattle (about 17 minutes in): "BS: My one problem is that those guys bought the team with the intent to move it. It seemed pretty obvious from the get-go that they weren't genuinely interested in keeping the team there. Stern: That's not what their actions in my view confirm at all. BS: You investigated this? Yes. They spent lots of money with plans and lobbying and doing all the things that the ownership before them had done, but they did even more and it wasn't to be. And in fact the actual economic opportunity in Seattle with a new building was far larger than any other city that they could have moved to."
  

Let's listen to Coach Brooks and Company try and put together sentences after another excruciating loss:

Wednesday Bolts - 12.10.08

• A first look at Kevin Durant's first signature Nike Shoe, the KD 1: "They feature a bright orange upper which is paired with yellow accents and blue shoe laces, all of which are reminiscent of the Oklahoma City Thuder’s team colors. Some nice details include the use of a speckled design on the midsole, swoosh, and inner lining, along with his KD logo at the ankle area."

• Harlan Schreiber of Pro Basketball News: "While I'm not a huge Carlesimo fan, Phil Jackson or Red Auerbach would stink coaching this team too. As for Scott Brooks, he was a heady player but we have no idea how he'll be ultimately as a coach. In the short term, it seems like he'll be in the exact same boat as Carlesimo, taking lumps with a chance for modest improvement near the end of the year. While Thunder management doesn't really have to worry about being fair to its coaches, this job is rigged for failure in the short term and any deck shuffling is only meant to distract the fans."

• Ask and ye shall receive - USA Today has a statistical look at the Thunder under P.J. and now under Scott Brooks: Under Brooks, OKC is scoring average is up from 88.9 to 97.0, but the team is giving up over three more points a game. Field goal percentage is up six points, but opposing field goal percentage is up six as well. Assists per game are up 5.8 to 21.5, but rebounding is down from 44.7 per game to 34.1. But strangely, opposing rebounds per game are down from 45.5 to 40.5. So it's pretty clear, other than actually winning games, OKC has improved quite drastically under Brooks.

• And because some are oh-so-interested: "In an effort to quell what he believes to be unfounded rumors about Chesapeake's financial stability, CEO Aubrey McClendon first addressed a conference call for analysts and reporters - which he said drew about 600 listeners - then spoke by phone with a handful of media outlets, including The Associated Press. His message: Chesapeake is making money and will continue to do so in the coming years."

• Thunder players offer a hand for those in need: "Jacob Franks raced his bicycle down the aisle with Kevin Durant. An unsuspecting customer leaped back, unaware last year’s NBA Rookie of the Year and Jacob, 6, were test driving bikes at a Target in north Oklahoma City."

• The Thunder has started to hug it out: "In this most desperate time — a 2-20 record and current four-game losing streak entering tonight’s game against Memphis — Thunder players have turned to the most desperate of measures. Hugging."

Tuesday Bolts - 12.9.08

• Golden State of Mind reaction: "I can't believe that counts as a win. I felt like I was watching a summer league game half expecting Marco Belinelli to go off for 37 points. It was the NBA equivalent of a game featuring the Detroit Lions vs Cincinnati Bengals, somebody has to win, but nobody really cares. It was just two teams playing because the schedule says so. For the Warriors, it was a gift from the scheduling gods to mercifully end their 9 game losing streak. For the Thunder, just another loss, they're used to it."

• John Rohde writes the Thunder "rolled over and played dead": "The 5-15 Warriors came in having lost nine straight and were without starters Stephen Jackson and Corey Maggette. Golden State’s best player, guard Monta Ellis, is expected to miss the first 30 games this season. Rather than accepting the Warriors as the get-well card they are, the Thunder remains under the weather (so to speak)."

• Thunderguru knew OKC was in trouble from the tip: "This game hadn’t been underway for very long before I knew we were in trouble. As soon as I saw our guys racing up the floor, and trying to “out-quick” Nellie small ball, I figured we were doomed. It’s very difficult to beat somebody at their own game."

• Try the FreeDarko Russell Westbrook challenge: "No one on the planet can say "Russell Westbrook" four times in a row. Fast or slow. It's the secret to his game, too."

Unrelated to the Thunder, but awesome. After fouling out last night against the Rockets, Darko Milicic walked to the bench and ripped his jersey straight down the middle. This will probably become the basketball equivalent to a baseball player breaking his bat over his knee. I hope this starts happening all the time. Darko must be an Old Testament reader.

• Basketbawful's Worst of the Night: "Holy rusted metal, Batman. The Golden State Warriors, losers of nine straight games, stumbled into the Thunder's home arena without their two leading scorers -- Stephen Jackson (20.1 PPG) and Corey Maggette (19.1) both sat out with injuries -- and it didn't matter. They won anyway. The Thunder are just that bad. The Warriors played eight guys, seven of which scored in double figures...and the eighth guy, Ronny Turiaf, finished with 9. The Thunder were down by as many as 21 in the second quarter and by 19 at halftime. They tried to rally, but of course that rally came up short. Kevin Durant, who played great (41 points, 10 rebounds) against the Warriors non-defense, said: "In this league, when you get down by 20 it's hard to come back." Wow! His basketball IQ is off the charts!"

Friday Bolts - 12.5.08

• Still looking ahead to next June, ESPN's Chad Ford says Blake Griffin is separating and Ricky Rubio is falling: "We began our 2009 Top 100 in July with Griffin atop the list. From the look of things, he's staying there the rest of the year. He has absolutely dominated on both ends of the court -- putting up a Michael Beasley-esque performance in the pre-Big 12 schedule this season. Griffin's combination of size, strength and athleticism, along with his growing offensive prowess, makes him the overwhelming favorite to be the No. 1 pick in the draft. Right now, there isn't a close second."

• Gary Payton talks Sonics with Ball Don't Lie: "BDL: You said recently that you believe Seattle will have another team by 2011, what makes you so sure? GP: A lot of people don't know why the city took the deal ... the NBA guaranteed [Seattle] that they can get a team back in 2011. They can keep their colors, keep their tradition, and they can keep their name, and gave them 75 million dollars. Most people don't know what was in the deal, and that's why the city took the deal because they knew they're gonna get a basketball team back."

• Stan Van Gundy thinks Durant will be a "nightmare" in the future: "Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy predicts Durant, who faces Van Gundy and the Magic tonight at Amway Arena, will be a nightmare. "The key to being great in this league is you have a defined game of what you do well and continue to do it better and better,” Van Gundy said. "Will he become a better post-up player? Yeah. But if he’s spending all his time trying to become a low-post guy, honestly, I think he’s spending his time the wrong way.”

• Chris Silva of the official Thunderblog crunches some numbers: "One way you can tell the Thunder have given maximum effort under Brooks is by looking at some general statistics. For instance, in the season’s first 13 games, the Thunder averaged 88.9 points per game. In its last six games, OKC’s scoring average has jumped to 98 points per game, which backs up Brooks’ point that the team has done a better job of moving the ball and spacing themselves on the court."

• Raptor blog Cuzoogle looks at what each team wants for Christmas - the Thunder: "Five Kevin Durants, four bruising big men, three three point shooters, two All-Star guards and a partridge in a pear tree."

Thursday Bolts - 12.4.08

• David Berri takes on my Russell Westbrook column: "Beyond the issue of how good Westbrook has been is the question of how good Westbrook will be in the future. It’s certainly true that if Westbrook starts to hit his shots that his value will rise. And that might happen in the future. Then again, it’s also possible it won’t happen. Although we don’t know if (or when) Westbrook will become a “good” player, we should all be able to agree that a player shooting 35% from the field is not having a particularly good season so far." Mr. Berri is far and away smarter than I and in a backward way, I'm flattered he even read what I wrote. One thing I want to say to defend myself a little: I didn't say all Russell needed was a jumper and he'd be an All-Star now. I said if he develops a nice mid-range game, he is an "All-Star waiting to happen." There's no denying it - per 48, Westbrook and Rose are very similar. Westbrook is averaging close to 13 a game, almost three steals and is approaching five assists. I realize shooting percentage is not just something to pass over, but regardless, I think that's a pretty good rookie season for a guy that was at his senior prom three years ago.
• Ball Don't Lie, Behind the Boxscore: "Kevin Durant (9-12 shooting, 24 points) continues to improve game by game, but in the end Chris Wilcox (5-11 shooting, five rebounds, 12 points, three turnovers and six fouls) was probably more trouble than he was worth. Because he hustled and gave effort every so often, his game looked a lot better than it actually was. Oklahoma City shot 54.5 percent, but you're not going to get a lot of wins when your two point guards combine for nine turnovers in about 57 minutes."
• As we all are, Empty the Bench is happy the see Kevin Durant move to the three: "The Durantula had been manning the off-guard slot in an effort to protect him from the more physical style of NBA forwards. It was probably a good decision last season as the rail-thin swingman had a lot of trouble banging with the bigger pros on both ends, but Durant is showing that he was ready to make the transition to his natural small forward position. Get ready to see more of that complete player we saw in his lone season at Texas as a result."
• Forbes ranks NBA franchises based on worth and OKC's stock is rising: "Meanwhile, Oklahoma City Thunder owner Clay Bennett resurrected the team formerly known as the Seattle SuperSonics, trading in a half-empty arena with a crummy lease in Seattle for a sold-out building in Oklahoma City where he keeps all of the revenues. The value of the Thunder is $300 million, 12% more than last year."
• And the Thunderguru's game recap: "We had very little problem scoring tonight (we shot 55% from the field and 63% on three pointers), but we couldn’t stop the Cats from scoring. Then when we did make a couple of rare stops, we followed it up with Desmond Mason shooting a 16 foot airball with under 2:00. A bit later, we had Westbrook bricking a pull up jumper. We’ve got three guys stroking their jumpers tonight in Joe Smith, Durant and Green, but we’ve got these two guys shooting jumpers in crunch time? Puuuhleeezzz!"
• The Lost Ogle's third installment of "Peace, Love & Thunderstanding" (apparently they aren't Thunderworld readers): "If the Thunder win a game and no one was there to see it, did it really happen? That’s the question the team answered on Saturday of this past week. While everyone in this state was watching a football game, the Thunder played the Memphis Grizzlies in Tennessee. Everyone in Memphis apparently had something better to do, because only 11,000 supposedly showed up to watch. Based on eye-witness accounts, that number had to be fudged."

Wednesday Bolts - 12.3.08

• John Lorge on Bleacher Report says get ready from some Griffin: "With the first pick of the 2009 NBA Draft, the Oklahoma City Thunder pick the sophomore from Oklahoma, Blake Griffin. Every basketball fan in Oklahoma, and most across the nation are familiar with Griffin. For those who are not, the 6'10" 251 pound Griffin routinely draws comparisons to Carlos Boozer and occasionally Amare Stoudemire. Boozer was a second round pick; the difference between the two is raw athletic ability."

• Not exactly Thunder news, but Oklahoma news for sure. ESPN has a TREMENDOUS feature on Oklahoma legend Wayman Tisdale. "As Wayman Tisdale tells it, there are a lot of love behind his trademark smile. There's his wife, Regina, whom he loved when he first saw her walk into church on April 17, 1981. They were high school juniors attending different schools in Tulsa, Okla., and she'd never heard of the basketball player who was a nationwide prep star. On their first date, he flashed that smile and made her laugh, igniting a romance that's continued through 27 years and four children." When Wayman made an appearance on the video screen at halftime of an OU football game earlier this year, I had tears welling in my eyes. God bless, Wayman. God bless.

NBA.com Top 10 plays of November. And Kid Delicious checks in at No. 5:

• Coach Brooks' quicker lineup is pumping up the offense, writes Mike Baldwin: "Since "going small” two weeks ago when Brooks replaced P.J. Carlesimo, the Thunder is averaging almost 10 more points a game."

• Jeff Green may see some time on Emeka Okafor tonight: Jeff Green will occasionally be matched against center Emeka Okafor." Okafor is a big, strong guy, but it’s a mismatch both ways,” said Desmond Mason. "Jeff can hold his own. He’s a lot stronger than people think. And Okafor will have problems when he has to come out on the perimeter and guard Jeff.”

Tuesday Bolts - 12.2.08

• A nice statistical breakdown by Joe on "valuing the rock:" Coach Brooks took over the team as the interim coach and immediately began making changes to the way this team rolls. The changes were needed because the Thunder were becoming the laughingstock of the league. Last in field goal %, last offensive efficiency, last in wins…you get the idea.

• Mike Baldwin writes the Thunder are finding some rhythm: "We all needed a win — players, coaches, fans, the organization,” Brooks said. "It felt good. But we have to put it behind us. We have to continue to get better at the things it will take to get more wins.”

• The extra work is paying off for Jeff Green: "To Jeff Green, the differences are quite noticeable. Whenever he had the ball along the 3-point line last season as a rookie, Green said opponents wanted him to shoot it. They urged him to."

• OKC Thunder Fans is totally revamped and ready to go: "Sometime in 2001 I drove by the under construction Ford Center with my son and asked, “Do you think there’s any chance we could ever get an NBA team in Oklahoma City?” He looked at me like I was ten years old and said, “There is no way Oklahoma City will get an NBA team.” I have forgotten his reasoning, but it convinced me, I drove on and forgot about it. Fast forward to September of 2005 and Hurricane Katrina. Shortly after that disastrous storm we began hearing whispers in Oklahoma City that the Hornets might play here while New Orleans was being rebuilt, and this time I dismissed the possibility out of hand. I was wrong, obviously, and for two incredible seasons we hosted the New Orleans-Oklahoma City Hornets."

Monday Bolts - 12.1.08

• FreeDarko weighs in on Scotty Brooks: "The bottom line is that the Thunder already look and feel better under Scotty Brooks, who I must namedrop, as one of the few NBA guys I actually made friends with during my few years working for the Timberwolves. When I was 11 years old and working my first game, Brooks hit me with a $20 bill and actually chatted with me -- I felt a connection with him ever since that point. He was one of the true nice guys in the league, and also was a tough little bastard -- someone that Barkley would go to war for in their Sixers days and someone who played some key stretches during the Rockets' mid-90s title runs. Brooks has been city-hopping for a while, and may in fact be the next great coach. He provides the toughness of Scott Skiles, but also knows when to loosen his grip."

• Start looking over this list and begin coveting players for the upcoming offseason: Among the interesting players - Ben Gordon (Chicago), Zydrunas Ilgauskas (Cleveland), Jason Kidd (Dallas), Allen Iverson and Rasheed Wallace (Detroit), Carlos Boozer (Utah).

• John Hollinger's newest power rankings have Oklahoma City sitting at 30 out of 30.

• Ball Don't Lie has OKC is the same spot, but J.E. Skeets can't stop a certain Russell Westbrook dunk.

• Mike Baldwin/Darnell Mayberry says it's finally Westbrook's time to arrive: "Before trotting out Russell Westbrook for his first career start Saturday night, Thunder coach Scott Brooks gave the rookie point guard the same advice he offers to all his players. "You have to play hard before you play well,” Brooks said."

Thursday Bolts - 11.20.08

• Lisa Dillman of the LA Times on last night: "Last-place love, apparently, is in the eye of the beholder. The warm civic bear hug applied to the Oklahoma City Thunder, formerly of Seattle, has continued unabashed through a most-miserable start with only one win in 12 games, and now, a nine-game losing streak."

• The LA Times takes a look at hometown kid Russell Westbrook: "It's hard to make the Clippers' Mike Taylor look slow -- or maybe less fast -- but fellow rookie Russell Westbrook of the Oklahoma City Thunder pulled it off early in the second quarter Wednesday night. His fastbreak, with Taylor in pursuit, culminated with a spectacular dunk to give Oklahoma City an eight-point lead."

• Empty the Bench counts down the five worst teams in the Western Conference: "On any given night this season the Oklahoma City Thunder may well be the worst squad in the Western Conference. But they are not the worst franchise out West because of two things: hope and potential. The Thunder have compiled a nice young core of perimeter talent that has legitimate star potential in Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Jeff Green. While the Clippers may win more games this season (then again, maybe not) the Thunder are a better franchise because they seem to actually have a plan for future success - that, and their owner isn’t named Donald Sterling."

• A first for Oklahoma City - boo-birds: "Upon his arrival in Oklahoma City, Carlesimo was told of the city’s boo-free zone. Carlesimo said he hoped the trend continued but would understand if Thunder fans booed when his team’s play warranted it. Against the Clippers, it was warranted."

• Joe on last night: After shooting 50% for the first quarter, the Thunder shot 42% in the second, 31% in the third, and 33% in the fourth. The Clipps shot 40% in the first, 41.3% in the second, 63% in the third, and 46% in the fourth.

• Clips Nation on last night: "For one night - for a little over one half, to be precise - the Clippers were not the worst team in basketball. In fact, as they were dismantling the actual worst team in basketball, the Clippers looked like a pretty good team. Maybe it was just by comparison, but still. They had to fall behind by 15 before that good team showed up, but better late than never."

• Kevin of ClipperBlog: "Fans — particularly those jonesing for a win — are often inclined to overvalue a W against an inferior opponent. But sometimes there’s a counter-tendency among cynics to discount the victory because it’s a cheap win. Yes, OKC is a sloppy team, but Clips make some real strides tonight. And every little bit counts."

Wednesday Bolts - 11.19.08

• Sam Amico of Pro Basketball News on Thunder - Clippers: "Now, the Thunder have some legit reasons for stumbling in their new city. For one, they're in a new city -- after having spent the previous 212 years or so in Seattle. So even home games have to feel like they're being played on the road. Besides that, they're extremely young, with guys like Kevin Durant, Jeff Green, Robert Swift and rookie Russell Westbrook performing key roles. Basically, even if the Thunder aren't really an expansion team, you'd have a hard time convincing anyone. They're being rebuilt in a new town, with a new nickname, new uniforms and new set of fans. It just doesn't seem right that SuperSonics legend Lenny Wilkens is considered part of their history."

• Mike Baldwin says tonight is a must-win: "General manager Sam Presti warned fans a methodical approach to building a winner around young players would take time. But even Presti is disappointed the Thunder has trailed by 20 or more points in several games."

• ESPN fantasy dude Eric Karabell talks roto Thunder: "Jeff Green can be better than Kevin Durant: I'm talking only from a fantasy hoops sense, really. But hey, Green was the best player on his team Saturday night, hitting 10 of 15 field goals and adding a few rebounds, 3s and steals. Durant didn't have a great weekend in New York and Philly, hitting only 14 of 39 shots and committing only one fewer turnover than he had rebounds and assists combined, but I do understand that he probably wasn't 100 percent after missing a game with a sore ankle. On Monday night, Durant bounced back with a nice game, but Green still got his shots. Impressed with Green and still disappointed in Durant from his rookie season, I began to wonder whether Green might actually end up the better fantasy option this season. Why is that such a crazy statement?"

• Clips Nation on tonight's game: "Now this is how you rebuild. Or at least, they've got the first part down; the part where you hit rock bottom. The Thunder's top three scorers are 20 year old Kevin Durant (21 points per game), 22 year old Jeff Green (15) and 20 year old Russell Westbrook (12). Their leading rebounder is 22 year old Robert Swift. The problem is, no one else is averaging in double digits. The Thunder have a new city, some young talent, extra first round picks in each of the next two draft, and about a ton of cap space for the foreseeable future. Can they get free agents to move to Oklahoma? That remains to be seen, but it's no surprise that they're losing this season - that's all part of the plan. Step 1 is working perfectly. But Step 2 often proves to be the tricky part."

• How about a little update on OKC's project, Serge Ibaka? Well, so far in Europe, through seven games he's averaging 11 minutes, 5.7 points per game, 3.0 rpg and is shooting 63 percent from the field.

Monday Bolts - 11.17.08

• David Berri of Wages of Win looks at what's ailing the Thunder and it may surprise you: "On offense, though, it’s a very different story. So far Oklahoma is only scoring 90.0 points per 100 possessions. To find a team that had this much trouble scoring one has to go back to the 2002-03 Denver Nuggets. So the problem is on offense, not defense. And to see why this team struggles so much on offense, one only has to look at the five players who lead this team in shot attempts.

• Joe the Guru of Thunder actually had that same theory before David Berri: "It seems like the Thunder are relying much more on the players creating their own offense this season, as opposed to having offensive sets where players run certain plays to generate good shooting opportunities. Durant and Green constantly have to make something out of nothing. If this is what I am seeing, this might explain why Collison, Wilcox, Mason and Watson are playing so much below last season’s levels; none of these guys excel at creating their own offense."

• Mr. Monday says hang in there Thunderfans: "Mr. Monday keeps saying that Oklahoma City will be in this for the long haul, that there wouldn’t be any grumbling about the fact the team has about as many 3-point shooters as a British cricket team. Of course, Mr. Monday thought no one would get tired of singing the Macarena in 1995, but who’s counting?"

• Seattle's next move: "The latest plan to bring pro basketball back to Seattle now that its team has been sold and moved to Oklahoma City faces enormous challenges as it heads to the 2009 legislative session. The city of Seattle proposal for financing a major remodel of KeyArena -- a prerequisite for getting a new NBA team -- would raise $75 million with a 1 percent Seattle hotel tax currently collected to pay debt on the Washington State Convention and Trade Center. The city would provide another $75 million with revenue and admissions taxes from KeyArena. A group of investors, including Microsoft Corp. Chief Executive Steve Ballmer and Seattle developer Matt Griffin, is seeking to buy a new NBA team to play in Seattle and has agreed to contribute $150 million to the arena upgrade. But all of that depends on persuading state lawmakers to allow the city to keep that 1 percent hotel tax."

• This week's blogger power rankings. Guess where OKC is? "Maybe Seattle should be happy this team relocated ... The Durantula is in for a big season, Jeff Green can play and, um, yeah."

Friday Bolts - 11.14.08

Slightly new look today, as the centered version was getting a little crammed and making stories stretch out too much. So we'll see how this new layout goes. 

• Kevin Durant status is still up in the air for tonight.

• Bleacher Report has its All NBA Embarrassment team. Coach Peej is heading the list: "Carlesimo has no business coaching in the NBA. Sure, he put up some wins as the Portland Trailblazers head coach, but the Blazers were already a solid team when he was hired. He was let go by the Blazers and the Golden State Warriors picked him as their next head coach. In a little over a season as the Warriors coach, he went a combined 46-113 during that time. Now he's coaching the Seattle Sonics/Oklahoma City Thunder and is off to the same way he started as Warriors coach. So far his record as coach of the team in just over a full season is 21-68. Talk about embarrassing for a NBA team to pick him as a coach."

• Check out SI's Ian Thompson's interesting answer to this question: Is there a possibility that another franchise will relocate after what happened to the Sonics? My guess is Memphis. --- Sanjeev, Perth, Australia. My guess is the Nets, who have been trying to move to Brooklyn. If that falls through as many believe it will, then it will be no surprise if they are sold and the team is moved to another market. The other vulnerable franchises include New Orleans, Memphis and Charlotte (which appear unlikely to break its leases), as well as Sacramento and Milwaukee (which can escape). "The Nets aren't going to be moving to the Barclays Center, that's not happening,'' a rival NBA owner said of their proposed move to Brooklyn. "And they're losing money.'' (Very interesting. Crazy to think about the chain reaction effect the Sonics move to OKC could have. And even crazier to think about if Oklahoma City would have been more patient, could it have had it's pick between all those franchises? How ironic would it be for the Hornets to move to Seattle and Oklahoma City demi-god Chris Paul is a Sonic? Oh, the irony.) 

• OKC has been playing from behind all season writes Mike Baldwin: "The most sobering statistic? In half of its games, the Thunder has trailed by 20, 14, 10 or 8 points after one quarter. "We can’t do what we did against Utah and what we did against Orlando,” said coach P.J. Carlesimo. "It’s encouraging we get back into games, but we can’t keep digging holes.”

• A little pre-game warm up from the Thunderguru: "Friday night the OKC Thunder go to the Big Apple to play the resurrected New York Knicks. I say resurrected because the Knicks have been a very craptastic team for quite some time; they haven’t had a winning season since Jeff VanGundy was their coach in the 2000-01 season. Now they have Mike D’Antoni calling the shots, bringing his run and gun, high power mojo from Europe via the Phoenix Suns."
  

And high school playoffs start tonight. Go Mustang Broncos!

Thursday Bolts - 11.13.08

• Bethlehem Shoals of FreeDarko and Tom Ziller talking a little Kevin Durant (very interesting stuff): "Durant, possess no such mystical qualities. Barkley, I think, compared KD to Gervin, in terms of piling up points without anyone noticing. And it's true: Unless Durant hits five threes in a row and follows it with an especially acrobatic drive (which, with his length, he rarely resorts to), his style is impressionistic. Not understated—a 6'9" jumble of arms and legs that rises up for threes like he's floating is still an extraordinary sight. But between the lack of emphasis in his game, his build, and those limbs just seem to trail off into the rafters on every play, Durant can get pretty ethereal at times."

• Joe breaks down the game: "The game was never in doubt. The Thunder were without Kevin Durant who rolled his ankle on Monday, but I don’t think it would have made any difference. This was out of control from the outset and Kevin is not our strongest defender. We needed stops and never really got them at any point. It’s true that we could have used his points, but we needed stops far worse.

• The Lost Ogle looks at trade options for Earl Watson: "Losing him would not be a big deal. It shouldn’t be hard to find a guy who can guide the team to a 1-6 record. Currently, Watson averages 7.6 points, 5.6 assists, and one steal per game. That assist figure is in the top-25 for the league, but most of those come from handing the ball off to Kevin Durant and letting him do his thing. The real measure of how Watson is doing for the team is how the team looks on offense, since he is the starting point guard. No one who has watched more than a couple of ESPN highlights would suggest the Thunder run like a well-oiled machine."

• Boy, that optimism from the Oklahoman is dropping quickly, isn't it? "Eight down, 74 to go. Lord, have mercy on our souls. Thunder coach P.J. Carlesimo insists his team is better than a year ago, but the numbers look painfully familiar. "

• And within that story, check out this odd quote from P.J. Carlesimo: "It certainly doesn’t mean anything to our (Oklahoma City) fans,” Carlesimo said. "What do they care if we’re better than last year?” (What's that supposed to mean? There are multiple ways of interpreting that one. Does he mean we're like an expansion team and this is our first year with the team so last year doesn't matter? Or is he saying that we don't care about wins and losses because we're just excited to have basketball? I don't know. You tell me.)

Monday Bolts - First Win Edition

• Joe from Thunderguru breaks down the win: "This was one of those ugly, back and forth, nobody can really deliver the finishing blow types of games that Thunder GM Sam Presti must have envisioned we would gut out on occasion when he put together the pieces on this team. I bet he dropped his ice cream cone in his lap when the final buzzer sounded (is he old enough to drink)?"

• Kelly Dwyer goes behind the box score of OKC's win: "Oklahoma City's offense stunk on Sunday night, as its level of efficiency was right around its 2007-08 league-low mark of a hundred points per as many possessions. What the Thunder did kick a little tail on was the defensive end, both in getting stops and demanding crucial turnovers from the Timberwolves."

• Berry Tramel on the collective sigh of relief cast after the win: "But after a dudsville opener against Milwaukee, a home loss to Minnesota would have made everyone — players, fans, Thundershirt vendors — wonder exactly who this team could beat."

• Mr. Monday of the Oklahoman on the win: "As you would expect, the crowd was pretty pumped. Either that or they were just glad to be somewhere not watching election coverage. Mr. Monday was tempted to run out to halfcourt and give some Electoral College projections, but nixed the idea when future Secretary of Agriculture Brad Henry walked by. Don’t want to ruin the surprise for the guv."

• Game reaction from Canis Hoopus, a T-Wolves blog: "If you were watching this game at home, there was one fairly obvious theme throughout: OKC's 2nd unit was murdering the Wolves' 2nd string. Have you ever seen a box score where a team's entire 1st unit had negative +/- while the 2nd string went nuts? It happened last night in OKC. The 2nd string troubles were noticeable from the get-go, yet if you look at PopcornMachine's GameFlows, you see the Wolves doing very little to adjust their match-ups against OKC's effective backups. Not until late in the 3rd do you see any movement beyond not leaving Craig Smith in the game with the starters during the 2nd quarter."

EDIT: And I meant to point it out but forgot, no sign of Never Been to Spain following the victory. Instead, Kool and the Gang's Celebration was played. Exactly what I didn't want. Boo.

Friday Bolts - 10.31.08

• An excellent feature from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer: "At some point you kind of have to let that go and learn from your mistakes, I suppose. But the thing is, nobody in this town has stepped up and said, 'My fault, I had a hand in this, I'm sorry.' Former ownership, politicians, nobody. I guess it's a region full of Fonzies. They can't say that 'S' word."

• And to be fair a feature from the Star-Telegram: "This NBA neophyte is still trying to get to a place where it can go through some growing pains. If you want to buy a No. 35 Durant authentic jersey, you’ll have to wait until January. None available now. The transplanted Seattle SuperSonics— now Oklahoma City Thunder — had only team logo-manufactured T-shirts and ball caps available for sale at the Ford Center on Wednesday night. And if you want to take the kids to see a cute-and-cuddly mascot ... well, uh, please hold that thought. One is still in the works."

• David Thorpe's rookie rankings has Russell Westbrook at No. 8: "Westbrook figures to get serious playing time right away, despite a far-from-ready offensive game. He was drafted because of his defensive talents and his ability to complement Kevin Durant and Jeff Green. And because he's a winner. Although he will suffer through some real struggles, especially as a shooter, the Thunder want him to develop into a future starter, so playing time is mandatory."

• You know you're in Oklahoma when people are already restless about Coach Peej after one game (See: OU message boards after an OU loss): "I am not a fan of PJ and I question many of his coaching decisions. His starting lineup and player rotations for one. This is the most glaring problem that the team has. The wrong players are playing at the wrong times. Second the fact that he didn't have his team ready to play last night was a horrible mistake. There was only one game that this team HAD to win and it was last night. Keep it up PJ, your days I numbered, I hope."
  

• More thoughts from Joe on the Bucks game: "I’ve been reading a book by Dave Berri titled “The Wages of Wins” after hearing so many good things about it, as well as reading Mr.Berri’s blog “the Wages of wins journal” (see link on blogroll). In his book and on his blog he puts forth a sort of big picture stat called the “Win Score”. The win score can be expressed in several different ways, one of them being win score per minute, and thereby can be compared to the win score per minute average by position to help us evaluate and compare players and performances."

• Looking for last minute Halloween costume ideas? Well, why not see what the Big 12 is dressed up as? "Sexy Nurse - Baylor. Robert Griffin is darn fun to watch but by the end of the night, everyone has had their way with them." (Sometimes I have to plug myself.)
  

Tuesday Bolts

First off, LABallTalk.com is trying to figure out the best blog for each team and The Thunderworld is one of many Thunder blogs entered in the contest. If you feel deep within your bones, go vote for The TW. Or Blue Blitz. Or Thunderguru. Just one of us. Much thanks.

On to Tuesday's media hits...

• Speaking of LABallTalk, how about a preview from them: "GM Sam Presti is to be congratulated for shaping a positive future for the Thunder. Anyone who can turn Kurt Thomas into three first round picks is doing good work, to say the least. As for the present? OKC opens a day after Halloween, but there isn't a costume on the planet scarier than the hardwood horrors the Thunder will give their new fans (who, given the excitement at having pro spots in town, likely won't care). Oklahoma City is led by the young twosome of Rookie of the Year Kevin Durant at the two- he'll be a better fit as a forward down the line- Georgetown product Jeff Green at small forward, and have a decent third piece in power forward Chris Wilcox."

• The Big Lead's team preview: "Because Kevin Durant is a tremendous joy to watch, let’s start with the positives: We like Chris Wilcox’s power game, Nick Collison is becoming a garbage man power forward, we really like Russell Westbrook’s potential as a lead guard - perhaps becoming a Gilbert Areans-type player - and DJ White, when healthy, was a nice college player."

• Mike Baldwin on the open practice: "The Thunder’s annual session Monday night at the Ford Center was an opportunity for approximately 3,000 fans to see players in a non-game environment. 'We wanted to see these guys on a more personal basis,” said Stephen Smith, who brought his two sons. "You get to see them interact with their coaches and find out more about their personalities.'"

• Fan reaction from Monday's open practice

• Blue Blitz on the open practice: "So, tonight I got a small insight into how the Oklahoma City Thunder practices go. It was my opportunity to be Darnell Mayberry! I got there at about 6:15, and they were running drills. I got my pizza and Mountain Dew, and watched. There were several mini-hoops and face paint set up outside the Ford Center, and it was all free. Admission was free too, but since I got there late I had to stay behind the green railing. Eventually I was let down into the first row, but not onto the floor."

Monday Bolts

• Nick Collison sprained his ankle Friday: "Nick Collison sprained his right ankle Friday and did not finish practice. Collison was battling what team officials called soreness in his left ankle in Tuesday night's game, limiting him to 15 minutes against the Clippers."

• CBS Sportsline supports the Bump: "In a sports-crazy part of the country usually concerned only with football at this time of year, Oklahoma City is embracing its first major professional franchise, the NBA's Thunder.

• Jeff Green = Scottie Pippin? Mike Baldwin makes the comparison: "It would be unfair to compare any duo to Michael Jordan, arguably the greatest player in NBA history and Pippen, who collected six NBA championship rings. But if Oklahoma City is to evolve into a playoff team, much less a Western Conference contender, Durant and Green must improve in upcoming seasons. There are similarities between Green and Pippen. Both were selected No. 5 overall. One reason Green admired Pippen was he played multiple positions and was a perennial all-defensive player best known for his all-round game."

• Q&A with Kevin Durant: "What have you learned about this team so far? We work hard and play hard and we play for each other. We love being around each other. That’s one thing that always helps a team out, and we didn’t have as much of that last year. Now you can see the camaraderie and us jelling together. We should be good throughout the year. "

• The Thunder's early schedule favors the team and leads Mike Baldwin to think OKC may get off to a decent start: "One advantage working in the Thunder’s favor is the schedule. Oklahoma City could gain early season momentum and post a respectable record at the All-Star break. Almost half (25) of the Thunder’s first 51 games are against teams that missed the playoffs last season. In contrast, starting Feb. 17, Oklahoma City will play 21 of its final 31 games against teams that reached the playoffs."

• If you're an ESPN Insider, you can read about John Hollinger's second year studs: "Second-year players always make great breakout candidates, particularly in the backcourt. The hard part is choosing a horse -- you can make a case for darn near anyone based on what he showed you on a given night. But four players in particular have the strongest case for making an upward ascent this season. Each one has strong college numbers and at least a halfway-decent rookie campaign on his side."

• Blue Blitz put together a monster season preview post for the upcoming year: "Our #1 skill is, undoubtedly, rebounding. Our lineup, quite simply is huge. Durant is big enough to play PF, but he's an SG. We have a log jam of inside tendencied SF/PFs (Mason, Collison, Wilcox, Smith, Green), and our Centers (Swift, Petro) are like sticks. I mean, we don't have a Troy Murphy like rebounding star, but we can rebound the ball simply because we'll have so many tall guys with hands in the air."

• Joe's final installment of his position breakdown: "The Center position as it was played last year is nothing short of a train wreck. By the numbers it wasn’t the worst statistical position of the five (that dubious honor goes to the Small Forward position), but it was the second worst. It would have been much worse than it was if PJ hadn’t played Kurt Thomas and Nick Collison (both rugged Power Forwards) 53% of the team’s minutes at Center. The remaining 47% went to Johan Petro for the most part (33%), and a bit of Francisco Elson, Robert Swift, Chris Wilcox and Mo Sene."

• User Thor from OKCThunderfans.com had a chance to talk with Kevin Durant at the Oklahoma State-Baylor game: "I had the pleasure of getting to converse with Kevin Durant at the OSU-Baylor game today, and all I can say is Wow. What a great kid! He was nice enough to talk for about 4-5 minutes and sign a autograph. He said that he was having a great time in Stillwater, reminded him of Austin in ways. He was running around with JLIII for most of the day. I am glad KD is the cornerstone of our franchise!"

• And don't forget, today is the open practice!