Oklahoma Thunderballs

Stepping Up When Called Upon

Berry Tramel hopes Scott Brook is watching the Finals: “Series tied 2-2. Game 5 in San Antonio. The Spurs’ title hopes a little precarious. So Gregg Popovich got serious. He moved Manu Ginobili into the starting lineup for the first time in what seemed like forever. Ginobili played great. But so did the Thunder, which prevailed 109-103 and went on to win the 2012 Western Conference Finals. Lineup shuffling can work. But it’s not always a panacea. Has been in these NBA Finals, of course. Erik Spoelstra summoned Mike Miller to the starting lineup for Game 4. Miller’s marksmanship off the bench had sufficiently scared the Spurs to never let him free, the Heat spaced the floor and rolled to easy victory. Then Popovich countered by starting Ginobili for the first time since that Thunder series a year ago, and Ginobili looked like his old self as the Spurs sprinted to a 3-2 series lead and made Miller’s spot in the starting lineup not such a big deal. We wouldn’t know about rearranged lineups here in OKC. Scotty Brooks doesn’t change his lineup even under threat of bayonet.” Ken Berger of CBSSports.com: “Attorneys for Derek Fisher and his assistant filed a motion for a change of venue Monday in the lawsuit filed against them by Billy Hunter, the former executive director of the National Basketball Players Association. Among other things, the motion presented evidence of an alleged conflict of interest between Hunter and the presiding judge in the Oakland, Calif., court where the lawsuit was filed. According to the attorney for Fisher and assistant Jamie Wior, Hunter had no legal basis to sue in the Superior Court of Alameda County because neither defendant lives there and because the NBPA is headquartered in New York City. Hunter sued Fisher, Wior and the NBPA on May 16, claiming defamation and breach of contract stemming from his dismissal from the NBPA in February.” Henry Abbott sometimes is just so, so, so good: “Meanwhile, that’s not to say there’s no such thing as strategy. Of course there is. Popovich and the Spurs really do have a brilliant scheme to find open shots, and open shots really do go in more often on average — just like saving money from every paycheck is the most reliable way to pay for your trip. Did you notice LeBron saying he hasn’t been sleeping? Sleep researchers would say that’s absolutely the kind of thing that could diminish his mental acuity. I’m sure Erik Spoelstra would be better off giving minutes to Mike Miller or Udonis Haslem or Chris Andersen (but I don’t know which one — that’s why he gets the big bucks). But the strategy part of it, the stuff that humans can consciously decide to do, in advance — that’s a smaller part of what wins than almost anyone involved would like to admit. All these titans of hoops are on some level powerless, floating on a sea of random chance. We’re arguing about the comparative quality of their rowboats and how fast they can row. That’s not how we might like to see it, but I like this: It’s just one more way NBA basketball — this messy, beautiful, surprising, delightful, heartbreaking game — is just like real life.” Tim Duncan cures Manu’s baldness. A report says Alex Len is the “likely” top pick for the Cavs. Dan Feldman of PBT speaks truth about that, though: “Who might want the world to believe Len will go No. 1? Well, Len and his agent. Of course, what they want and the truth could coincide. The Cavaliers probably don’t have as much incentive to leak their leaning until they’re certain of their choice, unless they’re just trying to convince other teams to trade for the pick. If Len is the bait Cleveland is dangling to persuade teams to trade up, that’s fairly surprising. I’d figure other teams would be much more likely to move up if they believed Nerlens Noel, Ben McLemore or Ot

The draft is in 11 days. The free agency moratorium starts four days after that. And while the Thunder have a lot of offseason questions to answer — like who to take with a lottery pick and what to do with Kevin Martin — I feel like those answers hinge on one player. Ronnie Brewer. Er, I mean Jeremy Lamb. Basically, it’s this: If the Thunder think Jeremy Lamb is the real deal, and more importantly think he’s ready, the Thunder don’t need Kevin Martin, and they should focus entirely on drafting big on the 27th. Allow me to rehash: The James Harden trade, which is already being labeled as a disaster by many, wasn’t about Martin. Martin was merely a stopgap while Lamb seasoned (get it? you get it). The trade really was for Lamb and what’s now the No. 12 pick. The Thunder may choose to keep Martin, but it would take him giving OKC a significant discount. He’s 30 years old and not the best fit in the world. So while some have prematurely rushed to judgement on the Thunder’s return on Harden, the reality is that we don’t know if OKC came out alright. Watch those highlights above, via Crab Dribbles — D-League, I realize — and tell me Lamb doesn’t have some incredible offensive ability. And depending on who has their name called 12th, the Thunder could wind up with two productive players, at two different positions, in exchange for Harden. (Aside: Is that enough for a superstar like James Harden? Absolutely not, but you have to realize that Harden was essentially on an expiring deal. Which greatly decreases his trade value, because if a team wanted him, they know they could wait a season and just sign him to a max offer sheet and not give up anything. The hook for OKC was that dealing Harden before the Oct. 31 deadline increased the trade value a bit because a team could offer him a fifth year on the max extension. Anyway, that’s enough of the rehash. But people still don’t seem to understand the parameters of the Harden deal and why OKC got what it got.) Sam Presti said this in his exit interview: “Jeremy is definitely someone that we feel really good about. I think he’s going to be a contributor to our team at some point in the near future (emphasis mine). How much and how soon, I think some of that will be determined this summer. We’ve, again, been afforded the opportunity to have a very promising young player on our team that hasn’t been put in to action so to speak at this time. But I think he’s used the year wisely. The summer will be a continuation of that. And we think he’s a player that can really grow. He’s 20 years old at the moment … so Jeremy’s best basketball is still in front of him.” How much and how soon will be determined this summer. That’s it right there. And it could also domino a few other roster transactions too. One catch: Both Summer League and training camp are after the Thunder have to make their roster calls. So they’re going to have to make some choices based on what they think of Lamb now, and those choices could reveal a little of what they think about him. For instance, if the Thunder don’t see Lamb as the long-term answer, as I’ve floated, they could aggressively pursue moving up for Victor Oladipo or Ben McLemore. Because the Thunder are hunting a young shooting guard. Thabo is 29 and will be on an expiring deal next season. After him, it’s DeAndre Liggins. And while I genuinely think think Liggins has a decent future ahead, he’s not the long-term answer they’re seeking. Lamb was the Thunder’s third choice in a lot of ways. League sources have passed around that the Thunder targeted Klay Thompson first, then Bradley Beal. Lamb was a fit mostly because of the lottery pick, and the fact they got a veteran rental in Martin with it. The Thunder weren’t taking on any future salary commitments, they got an asset and they got a talented young player with upside

John Rohde on Shabazz Muhammad: “Much of the Thunder’s success has come in vetting its draft prospects. General manager Sam Presti is quite particular in what type of player will best fit the organization. Whenever possible, Presti observes a player in his family environment to see how well-rounded a prospect is away from the court. So where exactly does this leave Shabazz Muhammad? Is he even on Presti’s radar? The Thunder does not share information throughout the draft process concerning scouting, interviews or workouts. There is no evidence Muhammad has worked out in OKC, nor has he posted any recent messages about the Thunder on his Twitter account.” Darnell Mayberry thinks OKC should trade down: “In Chad Ford’s latest mock draft on espn.com, he has the Thunder taking Pittsburgh center Steven Adams at No. 12. He then has the Hawks selecting French big man Rudy Gobert and San Diego State swingman Jamaal Franklin. Which of those two drafts would you prefer? The website nbadraft.net also has the Thunder taking Adams at 12. Their current mock has the Hawks taking UCLA guard Shabazz Muhammed and Duke center Mason Plumlee at 17 and 18. Again, advantage Hawks. Steven Adams might be the next Andrew Bogut for all we know. Or he could be a bust. If the potential of the players are considered roughly the same, I’d rather take my chance on two players panning out than one. I don’t think that’s a tough decision or logic that’s hard to comprehend. Who else could the Thunder take at 12? Cody Zeller? Kentavious Caldwell-Pope? Michael Carter-Williams? Who knows? But are any of them that much better than the duo than can be had at 17 and 18? Again, I don’t think they are.” It’s a well reasoned idea, but again, what are the Thunder going to do with three rookies? Remember Kelly Crull? The Padres keep throwing Gatorade on her. Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com on Shabazz Muhammad: “The view, for one thing. There are concerns about Muhammad’s ability to fit into a team, but good luck finding a player in this draft who doesn’t have big holes. The closer the draft got, the more players went under the microscope in workouts for individual teams, the more the realization set in that he is still one of the better options in an underwhelming class. Nothing has changed on one important front: He remains one of the top scoring threats on the board and a player eight months ago considered to have tremendous upside, and those are commodities that cannot be overlooked. The auditions, for another. Muhammad got directly in front of executives and scouts for individual team workouts.” Darnell Mayberry on Michael Carter-Williams: “Much of the rave about Michael Carter-Williams is his size. But at 6-foot-6, surely he’s at least four inches shorter than any player the Thunder might want. But what if he’s not? What if the Thunder takes a pass on a big man in the upcoming NBA Draft? If that’s the route Oklahoma City chooses, Carter-Williams, the point guard from Syracuse, could be in play with the 12th overall pick. Thunder general manager Sam Presti has a history of surprises on draft night. From selecting Russell Westbrook fourth overall in 2008, to the mystery surrounding the eventual selection of James Harden with the third overall pick in 2009, to trading up for Cole Aldrich in 2010, to the head-scratching selection of Reggie Jackson in 2011. And so while most everyone assumes the Thunder will be drafting a big man, it’s not out of the realm of possibilities that OKC actually will go small.” A weird tour of San Antonio including ghost children. (Oklahoma has the same thing, by the way.) Tom Haberstroh of ESPN.com likes Ben McLemore as a fit in OKC: “There is almost no chance that they move up far enough to snag the Kansas sharpshooter, but the track record for the Thunder’s player development is strong, and they’ll need a shooting guard of the future nex

Happy Saturday. Thank you for your support of Daily Thunder. Eat fresh. Remember this? This was great. In a power rankings of KD’s best commercials, this one’s a lock for the top five. Velvet Hoop 4 Lyfe.

Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.com writing beautifully about the Spurs: “Over the past two decades, the Spurs have created some of the league’s most valuable intellectual property, a gift to the game. Their innovative approaches to the draft, international prospects, player development and the D-League have been groundbreaking. Subtle examples of their influence include the way Kevin Durant speaks almost as a co-owner of the Thunder, not in a presumptuous way, but as a young player who has claimed a rare accountability for the team’s future because management has empowered him. That’s classic San Antonio Spurs, where Thunder executive vice president and general manager Sam Presti cut his teeth working for Popovich and Buford. The Spurs’ coaching and managerial tree has spawned numerous acolytes who apply the Spurs’ best organizational principles to their own team-building. Parker and Duncan boast a bit about this: You may not care, but people inside the NBA worship the Spurs, marvel at how easy they make the day-to-day enterprise of a basketball franchise seem.” Darnell Mayberry on Mason Plumlee: “Mason Plumlee is 23 years old. Strike one. He’s a four-year college player. Strike two. He lacks post moves, has a funky shooting motion and has trouble containing the ball. Strike three. So why would the Thunder even consider taking a chance on the Duke center with the 12th overall pick? Maybe because Oklahoma City concentrates more on what players do well rather than dwelling on what they don’t. Maybe because Plumlee’s four years of college experience will be viewed as a positive instead of a negative. Maybe because underneath all his perceived warts, Plumlee has a skill set that just might fit perfectly with the Thunder.” Myron Medcalf of ESPN.com: “In Durant, Texas is tied to a player who could end his career as one of the top 10 players in NBA history. And with Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett likely retiring soon, the next great NBA power forward very well may be Aldridge, who has averaged at least 21 points and 8 rebounds in each of the past three seasons. He’s made the last two All-Star games and has evolved into one of the premier players in the NBA. And he’s only 27. Durant is just 24. So the Longhorns’ stock will probably rise in the coming years. It’s necessary to mention Durant and Aldridge because the rest of this list is not necessarily pristine when compared to the other teams we’ve ranked thus far and those we’ll unveil in the coming days.” Darnell Mayberry: “Draft idea: Thunder sends 12th pick to Atlanta for picks 17 and 18…who says no?” Here’s why I don’t get that: What do the Thunder need with three more rookies? They already couldn’t find space for Lamb or Jones last season. What are they going to do with three first round picks? Fran Fraschilla on Trey Burke: “His size won’t be as big a factor as his athleticism. He’ll have to deal with some of the NBA’s most dynamic players. Guys like Russell Westbrook and Steph Curry scare everyone — not just rookies.” A mock consensus has OKC taking a big man. A couple named their daughter Kaydee, after, you can figure it out.

This week's Sports Illustrated cover features the Detroit Tiger superstars Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder. Then SI embarks itself on a mission of baseball history name dropping. The cover story reads "Bash Bros", and while that's better than "Bash Brahs", it's still an obvious nod to McGuire and Canseco. If left at that, and willingly giving effort to overlook the obvious connection of yesterday's and today's issues with performance enhancing drugs, I would say it's worthy copy for the cover. Rather than leave it with that comparison, Cabrera and Fielder, in the infinite knowledge of SI's Michael Rosenberg, compares the two with Micky Mantle and Roger Marris. That's probably a bit much, but being an ardent Cubs fan that pays little attention to the American League, I'll let it go. However, there are several alternate versions of the cover to discuss. With the NBA Finals in full swing, tied at two games a piece, USMNT (aka Von Trapps) engaging in what should be a trip to Brazil and the World Cup, and a thrilling start to the Stanley Cup NHL Finals. Seeing that SI opted for baseball, and being thorough as we are wont to do at WTLC, lets look at some alternates. As a side note, I was trying to do something with the opening paragraph. It didn't work, but it was so beautiful. Scroll to the bottom to see what could have and should have been (weeping softly). Alternate #1: Gregg Popovich would love to answer your questions, but he's all set to watch some Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy magic after the game. Do not get between him and this, it will not end well. With the series tied at two, he needs it right now. Alternate #2: A Look back at Game 3 of the NBA Finals. Alternate #4: Chris Bosh is a dinosaur that wins basketball games at his leisure while flopping when appropriate. Finally, as mentioned at the top, I was trying to pull of something with the intro paragraph that failed spectacularly. Not unlike one quarterback's experience with the New York Jets. Look to the left side of the paragraph.

The Miami Heat have tied the NBA Finals at two a piece with the San Antonio Spurs. The final score from San Antonio was 109-93. The slump that the Heat's big three has been experiencing no longer exists, after they combined for 85 of the team's 109 points. Dwayne Wade scored over thirty points for the first time in three months, finishing with 32 on 14-25 shooting on the night. This apparent "superstar" hasn't scored thirty points since March. That came as a surprise to me, because everyone expects so much out of Wade, and as of late, he hasn't met expectations. Tonight, Wade did just that, and I was very impressed. Also, MVP LeBron James added 33 points and grabbed 11 boards while protecting the rim on defense, blocking 2 shots and collecting 2 steals. Another great performance by the King, plus much improved from game three. Chris Bosh had 20 points and 14 rebounds, giving the Heat a crucial 3rd scorer to keep their offense flowing on a night when they got very little help from their bench. An outstanding performance from the big three, but what about the Spurs? Gary Neal made a name for himself in game three and Danny Green has had an outstanding series, but how'd they do in game four? Neal played well but not transcendant, finishing with 13 points, including 3-4 from 3-point range. As for Danny Green, he had ten points and four rebounds, hitting another 3-5 from the 3-point line. While Green continued his torrid 3-point shooting pace, the open looks were much harder to come by, as the swarming Heat defense did a great job preventing open looks from beyond the arc. Manu Ginobili struggled mightily on the night, shooting only one-for-five from the field. Not good for a team leader and an experienced veteran. The series is turning out to be a potential classic. While we are all tied up at 2-2, the Heat have reclaimed home court advantage and earned at least 1 more game in Miami. Now the pressure is on the Spurs to protect their home court and not face a close-out game 6 in Miami.

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