Tuesday's Five

1. Kevin Durant's PER is at a solid 19.48 right now compared to 15.87 for his rookie season. He ranks 37th in the league in PER, ahead of players like Carmelo Anthony, Gerald Wallace and Rashard Lewis. The two categories KD really needs to improve in order to get into "elite" status are assists and cut down of turnovers. Something many don't realize is that Durant ranks SIXTH in the entire league in scoring at 23.8 ppg, and THIRD in the West. And he's in his second year and is 20 years old. Durant actually ranks ninth in the league in three point percentage (44.4). One other thing is that under Scott Brooks, KD is averaging about seven more minutes per game than under P.J. Carlesimo. I had that as one thing that needed to change for Durant almost two months ago.

2. A somewhat disturbing stat: Oklahoma City has hit 135 three pointers on the season. The team is shooting a pretty solid 38 percent from three which ranks 11th, but the 135 made ranks second to last. Between Jeff Green and Kevin Durant, those two have made 89 threes (Green 45, Durant 44), accounting for 66 percent of OKC's made threes. The next highest total comes from Damien Wilkins who has made 16 on the year, followed by Russell Westbrook who has 15. After that, Earl Watson has 11, Kyle Weaver three and Joe Smith one. I think three point shooting is an issue.

3. David Thorpe on Russell Westbrook: "Westbrook has not disappointed his coaches on either side of the ball. He notched his third five-steal game of the season on New Year's Eve after scoring 31 points two nights earlier. The Thunder were expecting the steals, but not the points this early in his first season. He's scoring well while still not being a good shooter, a skill that can be improved over time. That bodes well for both Westbrook and the Thunder." Hmm. Seems like somebody else was saying that about Russell. Look out league if he can get a consistent jumper? Yep.

4. Nenad Krstic appears to be fitting in nicely with his new team. He's already been given the nickname "Krispy." There's no definite word on whether Krispy will play tonight against the Knicks, but all signs point to yes. He's been cleared to play and the way Scott Brooks talked, I bet minutes will be limited (something like 8-10), but we should get a look at him at least.

5. Kevin Durant leads the Thunder in blocks with 30. The next closest player is Nick Collison with 24. And if you're wondering, no, Krispy is not a big-time shot blocker. He has averaged just 0.7 bpg over his NBA career.

What impact will Nenad Krstic actually have?

Now that it's official -- Nenad Krstic will become a member of the Thunder -- what can OKC fans expect? Will he equate to more wins? Or will it be more of the same?

First instinct says he has to make the team better. Otherwise, 1) Why would Sam Presti spend $15 million on him? and 2) He's definitely better than what the Thunder has already.

There's really one major question lingering on Krstic -- is his knee healthy and will he play like his old self? If he is, this could be pretty big. This team needs obvious help and Krstic fills one of the positions OKC needs the most help -- the low post. It seems the Thunder are functioning decently at three positions -- point guard, small forward and power forward. They aren't awesome at those spots, but they're good enough to win some games. And the best part is those three are young. But at center and shooting guard, OKC's getting next to nothing.

At center, OKC is getting about 16 points per game, 13.5 rebounds per game and a PER of 14.5. In other words, not very good. In 26 games before his knee injury, Krstic was averaging 16.4 ppg and 6.8 rpg. He's not a great rebounder, but he is what OKC needs -- a good scorer. He's a perfect pick and pop guy to work with Westbrook and he's also a nice post player that can score on the blocks. I feel alright (and by "alright," I mean "better") about a lineup that has:

PG Westbrook
SG Dead Body
SF Kevin Durant
PF Jeff Green
C Nenad Krstic

My feeling is that if OKC is a current "F," Krstic will take it to a "D". After watching this group play 32 games and see them win three, if nothing would have been done, I'm thinking the Thunder would win about 11-14 games. If that. But with a healthy Krstic, the Thunder could potentially push that number 15-20. One reason being because he could give a mental boost to the team. Right now, nothing feels right and losing appears to be the only option on a night-to-night basis. Adding a potential star to the fold could help the team break from this loser mentality and kind of give OKC a fresh start.

Now the obvious question remains what will happen to the roster now that Krstic is a part of it. This gives OKC three seven-footers (now that Steven Hill has been waived) -- 14 feet of it being pretty crappy. But there's an abundance in the blocks for the Thunder -- Joe Smith, Nick Collison, Chris Wilcox, Johan Petro, Krstic, Robert Swift, Mo Sene and even the injured D.J. White. Somebody has got to go. Maybe two of 'em. Maybe three.

Krstic will be formally introduced to the media today at 4 p.m. And he will likely be formally introduced to some of the worst basketball he's ever seen Wednesday night. But he's a good player and he fills a gaping hole for OKC. This is a big step in a 10,000 mile walk. But I see it as a pretty good one. And an absolutely necessary one.

Some highlights of OKC's new big man:

ESPN's Chad Ford reports Nenad Krstic will return to the NBA and join the Thunder

From ESPN.com's Chad Ford: "Former New Jersey Nets big man Nenad Krstic followed Josh Childress' lead this summer and bolted the NBA for the riches of international basketball. Seven weeks into the season, Krstic is on the verge of coming back to the NBA. Two league sources told ESPN.com on Friday the Oklahoma City Thunder have agreed in principle to sign Krstic to a three-year offer sheet. The deal should be finalized on Monday, according to the sources.

Krstic is still a restricted free agent. The Nets would have seven days to match the deal once they receive the offer sheet. A league source in New Jersey said the chances of the Nets matching what is believed to be a three-year, $15 million offer are slim. The Nets like Krstic but are trying to clear cap space for the summer of 2010 ... A Thunder source said that the team has been in pursuit of Krstic for a while and considered making him an offer this summer. After watching him play in Russia, they believed he was finally healthy and would command a large salary next year. With nearly all of the team's mid-level exception available, they decided to cut off the competition and lock up Krstic now."

Krstic was having a breakout year in 2006 before an awful ACL injury sidelined him. In 26 games that year, he averaged 16.4 points per game and 6.8 rebounds per game. He's just 25 years old and is a solid seven-footer that OKC desperately needs. It's hard to say if he's really a good solution to the current problem, but his presence sure won't hurt. Right now, OKC is getting little to no production from the frontcourt. Having Krstic should open up more mid-range looks for Kevin Durant and Jeff Green and give Russell Westbrook a reliable post-scorer to pass to on dribble drives.

If Krstic is completely healthy and can return to his 2006 form, this is a solid pickup. But if he's unproductive and not fully-recovered, this could be a major setback dishing out $15 million to someone that's going to give you as much production as the guys you've already got. This piles up more OKC big men, which suggests that someone out of Robert Swift, Johan Petro, Nick Collison or Chris Wilcox will likely be moved.