Voting for 2008 Slam Dunk Contest ends tomorrow

And Russell Westbrook gives you even more reason to vote for him -- by rapping. Poorly.



So he's not exactly Jay-Z or Method Man or Coolio or whoever is a popular rapper today. (I don't listen to rap, if you couldn't tell.)

But I think he had something going there...

This is Westbrook
Not your normal rook
You vote me to dunk and I'll show you something... OFF THE HOOK

I think that's what you were looking for Russell. But speaking of Hook, I actually just watched it for the first time in like eight years today on AMC. Great freaking movie. You lewd, crude, rude, bag of pre-chewed food, dude! It made me think if OKC were to draft Ricky Rubio, we should all call him Rufio or at least we he scores we all either crow, yell Bang-a-rang or chant Ru-bi-oooooo!!!!

What was this about again? Oh yeah. Vote for Russell. He deserves it.

ESPN's John Hollinger (really smart guy) thinks Russell Westbrook will be this year's best rookie guard

I'm glad I'm not the only one that thinks Russell is going to be a special, special player. I don't feel so crazy anymore. Hollinger says:

"Since everyone sees this rookie of the year race as a two-man chase between Derrick Rose and O.J. Mayo, let me steal a page from Rob Neyer and present this comparison:

Player A: 37.3 min., 16.3 pts., 6.2 ast., 45.9 FG%, 13.58 PER
Player B: 36.4 min., 17.7 pts., 3.8 ast., 43.8 FG%, 14.03 PER
Player C: 33.1 min., 15.5 pts., 5.1 ast., 46.2 FG%, 16.23 PER

Player A is Rose in the month of December. Player B is Mayo in the month of December. And Player C, who has more combined points and assists per minute than either Rose or Mayo, a better shooting percentage and a higher Player Efficiency Rating? That would be Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook in the month of December.

He's getting zero attention because he had a dreadful November and his team has won only five games. But Westbrook has been spectacular over the past month -- he shot 34.5 percent in November but 46.2 percent in December and hung 22 points, nine assists and six rebounds on the Knicks on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Rose and Mayo have cooled off from their hot starts. Westbrook also is the youngest of the three, the best defender and the only one who had to change positions upon arriving in the NBA. All of which suggests he's only scratching the surface of his potential -- as does the fact that he has a higher turnover ratio than the other two, which, in a paradoxical twist of logic, is actually a good thing for a rookie. Historically, those with high turnover rates have had much higher rates of improvement in subsequent seasons.

So 12 months from now, don't be surprised if we're calling Westbrook the top guard from this rookie class."

And also, if that last line becomes true, don't be surprised if I send David Berri a gloating email.

Note: If you're an ESPN Insider, you could continue reading as Hollinger also predicts OKC will win 20 (TWENTY!) games this year. I've got them penciled down for about 14-17 at this moment, but who am I to disagree with John "The Brain" Hollinger? I just hope he didn't watch last night's game.

Also... in today's B.S. Report, Bill talks with Ric Bucher and Marc Stein and at about the 47 minute mark, they get into Oklahoma City and potential trades. Also, Bill asks if Portland had to do it all over again, would the Blazers take Kevin Durant? Bill even makes the bold claim that if Durant hits his ceiling, he will be one of the top 20 players ever. Interesting stuff.

If this doesn't convince you to vote for Russell Westbrook, then nothing can

Forget all his amazing dunks and unreal display of athletic ability.



Voting for the last person ends January 14th. Go vote for Russell. He'll blow your mind with what he can do.

Looking back at Russell Westbrook's December

I don't think there's any question that Russell Westbrook is playing much, much better and his selection at No. 4 in last year's draft is beginning to look pretty darn solid. He's skyrocketing up every rookie watch column and is actually catching a little steam in the Rookie of the Year talk.

I wrote about a month ago about the potential impact he could have on the team. I made the assertion that if he could develop a semi-consistent jump shot and make better decisions in traffic with the ball, he could one day be All-Star material. I took a little heat from one basketball genius, David Berri, about it but I still felt I was right. Russell Westbrook has the ability to be a great basketball player. We all needed to remember he's a 20-year-old rookie playing a new position. He has a lot to learn but with a little work, he could get there.

And guess what -- he's come a long way just in that time.

Since I wrote that column December 1st, Westbrook has taken over the starting spot and has played at an extremely high level.

Since December 1:
- Averaging 15.5 points per game (up from 12.2)
- Averaging 5.1 assists per game (up from 4.1)
- Averaging 5.1 rebounds per game (up from 3.3)
- His field goal percentage has gone from 34.5 percent in November to 46.2 in December (now shooting 40 percent on the year). He's shoot 40 percent from three in December, up from 24 percent in November.
- He is averaging 1.5 more turnovers per game (4.0), but his minutes are also way up (from 27.2 to 33.1) and he's also playing pretty much full-time point guard.
- He's had two career nights, scoring 30 in Miami and then topping that with 31 against Phoenix. He's shown the defensive skills he was drafted for and his decision making is getting better and better.

Look at the player Westbrook is most often compared to in that same span. Rajon Rondo averaged 13.2 ppg, 8.3 apg, 5.9 rpg, shot 53.8 percent from the field averaged three turns per game in December. And that was a career month. Plus, Rondo has the advantage of passing to three future Hall of Famers, while Westbrook sets up Damien Wilkins and Robert Swift. The early consensus ROY, Derrick Rose put up 16.3 ppg, 6.2 apg, 3.1 rpg, shot 46 percent from the floor and turned it over three times a game.

If Westbrook has shown that much improvement in just ONE MONTH, imagine what he could look like at the end of January, at the end of March... at the end of the season. Heck, imagine what he could look like after a solid off-season and at the start of next year.

Westbrook has come a long way in just a short amount of time. A lot of it has to do with the coaching change and Scott Brooks opening up his world, but more of it is just Russell's hard work and his insane ability.

I feel slightly vindicated. Now keep playing well Russell so I can keep feeling smart.

UPDATE: Russell was just named Rookie of the Month along with Derrick Rose.

Vote for Russell!

Not only has Russell Westbrook's stock soared over the past few weeks, as evidenced by his rise in NBA.com's rookie rankings (he's up to No. 3), but now he's got a chance to show his unreal athleticism on the big stage: The Sprite Slam Dunk Competition.

But in order to get there, Westbrook needs your vote. It him, Rudy Fernandez of Portland or Joe Alexander from Milwaukee.

I don't think there's any question that Russell can electrify and dazzle. Vote for him.



A couple more examples of why he clearly deserves your vote:

The potential impact of Russell Westbrook

There's no way we'll know for sure if Sam Presti made the right move with Russell Westbrook for a few years. He's hasn't had the immediate, no-doubt-he-was-the-right-choice impact one Chris Paul had with the Hornets in 2005.

But after 18 games, I'm thinking Presti feels pretty good. In fact, I'm thinking he's feeling really good. I've been a Russell Westbrook fan since the first preseason game. I saw insane athleticism and a freakish ability to get to the rim. No doubt he's still raw, but we have to remember he's played 18 professional games and started his first last Saturday night. As for me, I'm sold. I know he's not there yet, but he will get there. He was drafted for his lockdown defensive ability, but I think he can improve this team even more with his scoring and slashing skills.

Let's pause for an incredible Westbrook dunk:


Experts are digging for comparisons and frankly, are either coming up empty or are all over the place. Some are saying Deron Williams without the polished jumper. Some are saying Jason Kidd because of his rebounding ability. Some are even saying Tony Parker with hops. I can see a little of all three, but Westbrook is a player in his own right. I've never seen a 6-3 point guard out-jump and outrebound fours and fives. Kidd got his triple doubles by playing smart - reading caroms, being in the right spot and getting a body on someone. Westbrook is a triple-double threat because he crashes the glass with reckless abandon and skies for boards like Dwight Howard. He goes up and over people. And he's gotten a good amount of points out of it.

I've said it before, but once a jumper comes along, look out. Like seriously, look out. There's a limited few players than can keep up with Westbrook. His cross is lightning quick and he can get in the lane in a blink. Sometimes he's a little weak with the rock and gets caught in the air with no where to go, but those are clear signs of inexperience. In three years, he'll have learned and will be making smart plays.

I remember back in June nobody was thrilled about picking Westbrook. Everybody was very ho-hum after the pick. There was a lot of pining for Jerryd Bayless, D.J. Augustin or Kevin Love. So almost a quarter of the season in, how does Westbrook stack up to the guys some wanted more? (I realize some numbers are inflated or should I say, deflated, because of their role on the team. Bayless is playing on a contender while Westbrook is on a team where playing time is more important than wins and losses.)

Bayless
6.1 minutes per game
1.3 points per game
1.1 rebounds per game
0.7 assists per game
0.1 steals per game

Augustin
29.4 mpg
12.9 ppg
2.2 rpg
4.3 apg
0.5 spg

Love
22.9 mpg
8.6 ppg
6.3 rpg
1.0 apg

Westbrook
26.9 mpg
12.3 ppg
3.3 rpg
4.1 apg
1.78 spg

Now let's just toss in rookie superstud Derrick Rose to compare. But since Rose is averaging about 12 more minutes per game, let's use per 48.

Rose
23.3 ppg
5.2 rpg
7.6 apg
1.26 spg

Westbrook
21.9 ppg
6.0 rpg
7.2 apg
3.17 spg

Interesting, eh? As I was writing this and looking at other players, I think I found my comparison. Russell Westbrook reminds me most of Derrick Rose - as crazy as that is. Rose is clearly on track to superstardom, but Westbrook really isn't getting the pub. And he's having a darn fine rookie campaign. The biggest tick on Westbrook is field goal percentage. He shoots just 35 percent from the field and 26 percent from three whereas Rose hits almost 49 percent from the field and almost 37 percent from three. But like I said, let that jumper come and Westbrook is an All-Star waiting to happen. Mark it.

One more dunking interlude:


The thing about Westbrook is that he didn't specifically fill a need. He's not exactly a point guard and he's not exactly a two guard. That's why there was the outcry when he was picked. And I think that's why he hasn't really made an incredible impact in the win-loss column. He will absolutely make a difference down the line, but he's not a game changer... yet. As Dr. Lawyer Indianchief of FreeDarko said, "Westbrook just has insane Dwyane-Wade-like upside and is fast becoming my favorite player in the league. Now if the Thunder could only dump their supporting cast for better three-point shooters, we would have a serious team on our hands. Westbrook can get in the lane with the best of them, and Durant is JUST STARTING HIS CAREER NOW. In an email to Shoals and the Recluse last night, I officially proclaimed him "freed." Screw Glenn Robinson and Shareef Abdur-Rahim. This is the bizarro-KG-Dirk-assassin that we all were watching at Texas. It will take a year still for that player to emerge, but I could finally see the remnants last night, beginning to be reassembled."

Anyone else have to change their shorts after reading that? Kevin Durant's shooting percentage is starting to soar and I think a lot of that is directly relative to the difference Westbrook is making. Westbrook leaped (pun intentional) to the "Royce's favorite player" spot after I caught a glimpse of his awesome ability. And like the good doctor said, Oklahoma City could have a serious thing going in a year or two if a few precise pieces are added. I can't wait.

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 - 11.12.08

• Vote your favorite Thunder players to the All-Star team: Oklahoma City has three players on the ballot - Kevin Durant, Chris Wilcox and Nick Collison.

• Oklahoma City has to get a new court: "Connor Sport Court International built the current Ford Center floor with 3-point lines one foot short of the NBA’s 23-feet, 9-inch standards. The $110,000 court arrived late last month and had to be sanded and repainted days before the Thunder’s Oct. 29 opener. The new court, being constructed in Michigan at no charge to the team or Oklahoma City, will be slightly longer on both ends to better fit the Ford Center.

• An article from Bleacher Report wonders if Kevin Durant is future MVP material: "If Durant can improve on his rebounding and defense (of which he has none) then he of course has a chance to win the Maurice Podoloff trophy. Unfortunately for Durant, so does everyone else in the league. Kobe Bryant spent 10 years ripping nets and balls from defenders' grasps before capturing his first MVP hardware in 2007-2008."

• ESPN's David Thorpe has Russell Westbrook at No. 14 in his rookie rankings: "The good news about this jet of an athlete is that he makes his team better, taking good shots (good shots have a better chance of being rebounded by a teammate than a bad shot), making easy passes and playing good defense. The bad news is that he's a poor finisher around the rim and still is not a good perimeter shooter. But if he was a stock on the market, I'd be a big-time buyer. I think the game will slow down for him, especially on drives, and he'll learn to be a much better scorer."

• Thunderguru Joe has some thoughts on the poor shooting too (it's a really great read and I highly recommend checking it out): "The Thunder just love to shoot the jump shot. I thought when I began looking into the numbers that I would find the Thunder as one of the teams with the highest number of jump shots as compared to the total of all their shots. Surprisingly I was wrong. The Thunder actually shoot 63% of their total shots in what is considered “long” or outside of the paint; those shots from about 15 feet on out. 63% is smack in the middle of the NBA. Many teams actually take quite a few more than the Thunder like Toronto (78%) or the New Orleans (74%), but the Thunder are just about the average on long jump shots. The problem is that the Thunder shoot them really poorly. On those longer jump shots, the Thunder shoot them at an effective field goal rate of .346. In perspective, that means that they miss just about 65 out of every 100 that they take. That’s just dandy if it were a baseball batting average, but with a jump shot, a staple of the game, .346 puts them in some bad company."

• Pro Basketball News' power rankings: "Kevin Durant has grown into his frame and is taking smarter shots, making him an unstoppable scorer in just his second season. He's going to go on to do special things, and figures to become even more effective when the core around him strengthens, allowing him to be more selective."

• Tom Ziller from Fanhouse was impressed by KD Monday night: "Same story, second verse: Kevin Durant is back at it, taking the lion's share of all the Thunder's shot attempts. The Un-Sonics rolled into Indiana for a cross-conference affair, and Durant proceeded to yoke up 27 FGAs and nine free throws. KD came down with a somewhat efficient 37 points, a big total that just wasn't enough to pull out a win. (Surprisingly story, that.) Just as encouraging? Three blocks and eight rebounds for Durant. KD isn't going to be a perennial All-Star at the two. He'll be making his case for greatness at a forward position. So even if P.J. Carlesimo straps him to the backcourt, it's encouraging to see him branch out and maximize his physical potential."

So I thought this Durant guy was supposed to be good?

We are four games into the season and the Thunder is 1-3. Not too far off from what everyone thought they would be. Most would say bravo for winning a game this early. But when eyeballing the team, most are a little surprised by the production of the proclaimed team star, Kevin Durant.

Checking other blogs and fantasy sites, one thing is on people's lips when it comes to the Thunder (well, besides all the usual spew about Seattle and the name): What's the deal with Durant? Is this the beginning of a sophomore slump?

They say he's not scoring enough. He's not shooting a high enough percentage. Where's the stat stuffer we expected? Should we panic?

Answer in short: No. He is still playing relatively well (18.3 ppg, 41.4 percent from the field) but isn't popping eyes like some thought.

Keep in mind a couple things here:

1) He is only 20 years old. When Kobe Bryant was 20, he averaged 19.9 for the season. Durant already has a 20.3 average in the books. Seriously, think about it for a minute. He is only 20 years old. We are expecting quite a bit from a guy that voted for his first president and can't buy a brew. For 20, the guy is quite a stud. Heck, overall in the general sense 20 or not, he's a stud.

2) He is it. Right now, there's really not much of a Plan B for the Thunder. Jeff Green played much better last night, but he's not that second scorer yet. When Durant is on the floor, teams are locking on him. There's really no post man to dump down to that can kick out. No guy that can isolate on one side of the court and play the two-man with him. He's already got a team on his super-skinny shoulders and he needs time to progress.

3) He's only playing 34 minutes a game. Likewise, when Kobe was 20 he played almost 38 minutes a game. Why is Durant not getting 5-10 more minutes on the floor? Think about it: Five minutes is almost half a quarter. That much time Durant could easily add two more buckets and be averaging 22 ppg and no one would be saying a word right now. Maybe Coach Peej is trying to ease him into the superstar mold of 40 minutes a night (he played 34 last season) so that he doesn't wear out. Maybe there's a method to this. Who knows. I just know I get a little frustrated watching the offense completely shut down and Damien Wilkins dribble the ball of his foot while KD sits on the bench with a towel over his head. But maybe that's just me.

4) He's forcing it, but not forcing it enough. Let me explain. When Professor Chaos/Big Train/Kid Delicious is on the hardwood, you can almost read his mind: "Get me the ball. I need to score. Get me the ball. I need to score." Which in turn, when he gets it, he sometimes rushes it. He takes two dribbles and shoots with 16 on the shot clock. He needs to have the mind set of scoring, but if the shot isn't there, kick out, move around and try again. There's nothing wrong with shooting with four on the clock. I want KD taking most the shots. He's the best player. But he needs to force it in the right way, if that makes sense. Take it to the rack. Wiggle loose and get a clean look at the hoop. Last year, the complaint about him was poor shot decisions. He took too many threes. This year, he's only tried four. He hasn't made one yet, but still, only one per game.

5) He has to create his own shot way too much. There's no offensive rhythm. I'm not calling for a change yet, but it just seems there's too much jump shooting going on and not enough ball movement. Durant is getting little to no support when he's on the floor. When the ball is in his hands, everyone in the arena is thinking, "Shoot it. Shoot it. SHOOT IT!" Durant isn't getting any "flow" shots. What I mean is, he's not getting the chance to float around the perimeter and get a dish from a driving guard where defense collapses, leaving KD standing wide open to knock down a 15 footer. Most of Durant's shots are ones he creates for himself. He either is dribbling at the top of the key and Nick Collison sets an on-the-ball screen to which Durant steps over and shoots over his defender; or he curls off a screen and gets no air, but he still pulls the trigger because what else is he going to do? Kick it to Earl Watson with the shot clock running out?

Look, I'm an unabashed Russell Westbrook fan. When he's in the game, he's all I watch. I don't know why. There's just something about him. I feel like he can do something special all the time. But one thing is for sure - he adds another dimension to the offense that Earl Watson doesn't. Westbrook can penetrate and get to the rim. Watson prefers to stand and distribute. Westbrook likes to get up the floor. Watson is always the guy giving the slow-down motion with his off hand as he walks it up the court.

Ok, so maybe I do want change. I'm all Obama'd up right now and maybe a-change needs to be a-coming. Why is Westbrook only getting 21 minutes compared to Earl's 28? Like I said, I'm not saying the starting lineup needs to be changed up right now, because the worst thing we can do is get impatient and start panicking over a team no one thinks will be any good anyway. We are only four games in with 78 more to go. A lot can happen. Maybe KD goes puts up 44 for Obama and Earl has 14 assists tomorrow night. But right now, when you look at the production, it's clear Westbrook is ready for more time. Watson: 6.3 ppg, 5.3 apg, 25.7 percent from the field - Westbrook: 11.5 ppg, 2.5 apg, 38 percent. And when you look at those numbers in average per 48 minutes, it gets worse. Russell Westbrook is leading the team in most categories! He averages 26.3 points per 48 while Watson is at the bottom of the team averaging 8.0. To me, that is extremely telling.

So what I'm getting at, is maybe one thing to aid Durant is more Westbrook. I understand Russell is a rookie and there's a grooming process and there will definitely be growing pains, but he needs more time. It will help Durant and most likely, help the Thunder. Don't panic about KD. The guy is a star on the cusp and the thing is, he can get his shot anytime he wants it. He will score. Before the season is over, people will fawning over his ability and dreaming of what he may do next year. Right now, he just needs some help. Jeff Green's progression is a start. Russell Westbrook's is the big step.

Tuesday Bolts - America! Edition

First off, a big happy birthday to my little brother who turns 17 today. Oh, and go vote today.

• FreeDarko watched the Thunder's first win and saw a flash of brilliance: "I'm hopped up on some ill green tea right now so I'm having a hard time gathering my thoughts, but let me keep it on the topic of guard dominance would like to point everybody's attention to Russell Westbrook, who I had the pleasure of watching last night. If Westbrook isn't starting over Earl Watson by December, I'm putting a bounty out on PJ Carlessimo who has been killing this team with his starting lineups since last year (PUT KD AT PF, and make Jeff Green sixth man!!!). I'm not sure I'm sold on Westbrook being as good as Derrick Rose, and it's too early to put him on that CP3/Deron Williams level, but the kid is just sick at getting to the rim... (Just want to point out, that I said in early October that Westbrook would overtake Watson in the starting lineup as well. *pounds chest*)

• If the season ended today, the Thunder would be in the playoffs, Thunder8thSeed from OKC Thunder Fans points out.

• The Thunder moves up three spots in Marc Stein's power poll: Progress? As a Seattle rook, Kevin Durant had to wait nine games for win No. 1. As an Okie, KD's wait was only three games. P.J. Carlesimo spoke for everyone involved when he admitted, "Any win feels good, honestly."

• Russell Westbrook is winning over the good folks of Fanhouse too: "Russell Westbrook is quickly becoming one of my favorite NBA Rookies. Sunday night he helped the Oklahoma City Thunder collect their first ever victory as an NBA franchise. Westbrook made his mark on the contest by pressuring the ball on defense and pushing the ball on offense. Westbrook finished the contest with 14 points, 2 assists, and 2 steals in 25 minutes of play and led an OKC second half comeback."

• Mike Baldwin thinks the best way to beat the Celtics is to run, run and run some more: "We’d always like to run,” said coach P.J. Carlesimo. "We just want to run intelligently. We don’t necessarily want to come down and put up a jump shot the first three seconds of a clock.v"That’s not an easy line to walk. If you’re running and pushing it, and guys are open, they’re saying, ‘If you want to run, you want to shoot.’ But you can shoot yourself in and out of games. Do we want to run? Absolutely. But we need to make good decisions.”

• Joe has more, excellent statistical evaluation for us: "Three games are in the books now and each of the three have had a distinct flavor of their own. For the most part we’ve played the best defense this team has played in quite a few years, but our offense has been stagnant. Just one heartbeat above rigormortis. The team has it’s second day off in a row today before the Champion Celtics hit town for the second game of a back to back. We play again on Friday before we really get busy playing 5 games next week."

Thursday Bolts

• Another team preview from The Scores Report: "For this season? Dire. For the future? Reasonably bright. Durant looks like a future franchise player, and while Jeff Green struggled in his rookie season, the team has all the ingredients for a turnaround in the next 2-3 years. They have a young core, a ton of draft picks, and oodles of cap space to work with. The upside is that they’ll be playing in front of the patient Oklahoma City fans who will be grateful to have a NBA team in town, even if the horribly-named Thunder don’t win very many games."

• HoopsWorld on Russell Westbrook: "What a difference a year makes. Oklahoma City Thunder first-round draft pick Russell Westbrook is the proliferation of that statement, and if the trend continues, he will provide the Thunder with a bolt of lightning sooner rather than later."

• Stat geek gone wild: "I am going to warm up the Thunderguru readers to the concept of Offensive Rating, Defensive Rating and Pace. If you’ve been a reader, you know that I use these numbers in my Roster breakdowns to help you see how the team performs when a given player is on/off the court. These numbers paint a much clearer picture of what’s going on with your team when you try and draw comparisons. It misses the point if you just talk about points per game, or points allowed per game, or to say a team plays “fast” or “slow”."

• D.J. White's surgery was a success: Team physicians will perform the second phase of the surgery, mend ing the jaw with a bone graft taken from White’s hip, in approximately six weeks.

• Thunder notebook; defensive improvement showing: "We know we have a lot of work to do, but we’ve made a lot of progress defensively,” coach P.J. Carlesimo said. "At times, we look like a good defensive team. We certainly don’t look like a good offensive team. We don’t get into our sets. We don’t do a good job with shot selection. A lot of that is me, because we emphasized defense.”

• Carrie Coppernoll on the excitement of 'watching the Thunder roll': "The song "Thunderstruck” by AC/DC needs more play. As I’ve said before, you can never have too much of that." Heavens no. It's already been pounded into our heads enough. I was walking on campus this morning and passed a guy wearing a Thunder hat and I kid you not, in my head without thinking (that really doesn't make sense does it?) I went "THUHNDA! Uh-huh-huh-huh-huh-huh-uh." That's not good. Less Thunderstruck please. More Never Been to Spain.

• And a fun video from preseason opening night. A Fan slam dunk contest! And it went as expected. A possible torn ACL, a belly flop face plant and a potentially gay cowboy galloping his way around the hardwood. Good idea, management. I hope they all signed waivers.