Oklahoma Thunderballs

The 2013 NBA Draft Lottery was held tonight and to the surprise of many, the Cleveland Cavaliers won the draft lottery and will select the #1 pick for the 2nd time in 3 years. The Thunder, who owned the Toronto Raptors' protected pick which was acquired via the Harden trade, was only top-3 protected. Since the Raptors did not win one of the top 3 drafting positions, the pick goes to OKC, and Sam Presti now has the 12th pick in the 2013 draft. Now the speculation begins. Who do the Thunder take? Do they pursue a big man? The best player on the board? Do they try to package a deal together to trade for another player? Let's see the guesswork below! Via SB Nation, here is the order of the 2 rounds of the 2013 draft, scheduled for June 27th: First Round: 1. Cleveland Cavaliers2. Orlando Magic3. Washington Wizards4. Charlotte Bobcats5. Phoenix Suns6. New Orleans Pelicans7. Sacramento Kings8. Detroit Pistons9. Minnesota Timberwolves10. Portland Trail Blazers11. Philadelphia 76ers12. Oklahoma City Thunder (via Toronto)13. Dallas Mavericks14. Utah Jazz15. Milwaukee Bucks16. Boston Celtics17. Atlanta Hawks18. Atlanta Hawks (from Houston via Brooklyn)19. Cleveland Cavaliers (from Los Angeles)20. Chicago Bulls21. Utah Jazz (from Golden State via Brooklyn)22. Brooklyn Nets23. Indiana Pacers24. New York Knicks25. Los Angeles Clippers26. Minnesota Timberwolves (from Memphis via Houston)27. Denver Nuggets28. San Antonio Spurs29. Oklahoma City Thunder30. Phoenix Suns (from Miami via L.A. and Cleveland) Second Round: 31. Cleveland Cavaliers (from Orlando)32. Oklahoma City Thunder (from Charlotte)33. Cleveland Cavaliers34. Houston Rockets (from Phoenix)35. Philadelphia 76ers (from New Orleans)36. Sacramento Kings37. Detroit Pistons38. Washington Wizards39. Portland Trail Blazers (from Minnesota via Boston & Cleveland)40. Portland Trail Blazers41. Memphis Grizzlies (from Toronto)42. Philadelphia 76ers43. Milwaukee Bucks44. Dallas Mavericks (pick may be conveyed to Lakers)45. Portland Trail Blazers (from Boston)46. Utah Jazz47. Atlanta Hawks48. Los Angeles Lakers (pick may be conveyed to Dallas)49. Chicago Bulls50. Atlanta Hawks (from Houston)51. Orlando Magic (from Golden State via Denver & New York)52. Minnesota Timberwolves (from Brooklyn)53. Indiana Pacers54. Washington Wizards (from New York)55. Memphis Grizzlies56. Detroit Pistons (from Clippers)57. Phoenix Suns (from Denver via. Lakers)58. San Antonio Spurs59. Minnesota Timberwolves (from Oklahoma City)60. Memphis Grizzlies (from Miami) Poll Are you happy with the Thunder getting the 12th pick in this 2013 draft? Yes No 17 votes | Results

Now we can really start talking about the draft. The Toronto Raptors failed to finish in the top three of the lottery, meaning the Thunder gain the rights to the 12th pick in the draft. The pick, acquired in the James Harden trade, was top three protected, meaning the Raptors could keep it if they finished between one and three. But with their name being drawn at No. 12, the pick goes to the Thunder. There was a 93.5 percent chance of the Raptors being drawn 12th in the lottery because they finished tied for the 11th-worst record in the league, and then lost a coin toss with Philadelphia. The last 10 No. 12 overall picks: Jeremy Lamb, Alec Burks, Xavier Henry, Gerald Henderson, Jason Thompson, Thaddeus Young, Hilton Armstrong, Yaroslav Korolev, Robert Swift and Nick Freaking Collison. The draft is June 27 in Brooklyn.

OK, so a little refresher on what’s on the line tonight: The Thunder own the Raptors first round pick, acquired from Houston in the James Harden trade. (The Rockets got it by trading Kyle Lowry to Toronto.) The pick is top-three protected, meaning if the ping-pong balls bounce in the top three for the Raptors, they get to keep the pick. Anything 4-14, the Thunder use it. If the pick lands in the top three, it then rolls over to next season where it is top-two protected. The 12th worst record has seven combinations in the lottery, or 0.7 percent chance to win. That’s not seven percent. That’s zero point seven percent. There’s a 0.8 percent chance for the No. 2 and a 0.10 percent chance at No. 3. Between pick four and 11, there’s zero chance. There’s also a zero percent chance at No. 14. So, if they get to use it, the Thunder are guaranteed to be picking between 12 and 13, with a 93.5 percent chance of No. 12 and a 3.9 percent chance at No. 13. The Raptors were 7-2 in April after going 4-11 in March and dropping to the seventh worst record. But they finished strong and the Blazers lost their last 13. In draft lottery history, the 12th worst record has never won the lottery. So after tonight, we’ll know if all this talk about Gorgui Dieng and Cody Zeller and C.J. McCollum and whoever else is actually worth our time.

@ChristineFox25 … says it all. Full image after the jump: @ChristineFox25 Picture via @ChristineFox25 and a hat tip to Trey Kerby

The Oklahoma City Thunder and the Thunder Cares Foundation today announced a joint donation of $1 million to benefit the local chapters of the American Red Cross and the Salvation Army.

Follow this story stream to get our full coverage of the 2013 NBA draft to be held on June 27th. To help those affected by the May 20th tornado, you can donate to the Red Cross via redcross.com or by texting REDCROSS to 90999. It's unusual for a team to hope for failure. Sure, fans of bad teams love to see tanking at the end of the season. We all want a chance at a true superstar, and whether a team finishes with 30 wins or 35 wins doesn't matter to most people. But in something like the NBA Draft Lottery, most teams want their pick to finish as high as possible, no matter what. Yet, tonight, the Thunder will find themselves hoping that their pick fails to get into the top three. You see, as part of the James Harden trade, they received the Raptors' protected first round pick. But if that pick, by some stroke of luck, lands in the top three, the Thunder will have to wait until next year, or longer, to make their selection. The conditions of the pick are a convoluted mess, but I'll make clear that the Thunder are in a win-win situation. Either way, they're going to find themselves with a lottery pick within the next few years. It would take a multi-year streak of Raptor success or extreme failure to make the pick fall out of the lottery. The table below shows where the pick has to land in order for the Thunder to get it. Currently, the pick sits at #12. 2013: Pick #4-14 2014: Pick #3-14 2015: Pick #3-14 2016: Pick #2-14 2017: Pick #2-14 2018: Unprotected. Still, I'm betting that most fans want to make the pick right now. You might have heard that the draft class this year is weaker, and while that is true near the top, it's also true that the solid talent is deeper, extending into the late lottery. That means the Thunder could draft a player who makes an impact immediately. That wasn't so important two or three years ago, but now the Thunder are going to have to start mixing up their rotation. Kevin Martin and Derek Fisher may not return next year, and the bench is going to need some serious scoring help. If Jeremy Lamb or Perry Jones aren't up to the challenge, it could be a Dennis Schroeder, Kelly Olynyk, or Michael Carter-Williams that gives the Thunder a boost next season. So, what's the likelihood of Toronto moving up to the top three and taking the pick back? Well, they have a 0.7% chance of getting the first pick. Then, a 0.8% chance of getting the second pick. Finally, they'll have a 1% chance of getting the third pick. All in all, the chance is there, but it's like cheering for the Bobcats to beat the Heat and Spurs on a back-to-back. How the ping-pong balls will bounce is anybody's guess, but we'll be finding out tonight at 7:30 Central Time on ESPN. In addition to the Raptors pick, the Thunder also unconditionally own the #29 pick and the #32 pick. The NBA Draft is on June 27th at 6 PM.

Follow this stream as we document the destruction of the Moore Tornado that has decimated OKC, but more importantly, how the city, its residence, and supporters will rebuild it. The Oklahoma City tornado disaster recovery is underway, and at the forefront is the city's professional franchise, the Thunder. Yesterday, Chesapeake Energy made a $1 million cash donation, and today, their franchise superstar followed suit. Per the American Red Cross: @kdtrey5 steps forward and gives $1mil matching gift to the ARC for disaster relief, text "REDCROSS" to 90999 for a $10 donation. — Red Cross Oklahoma (@redcrossokc) May 21, 2013 I agree with Daily Thunder's Royce Young, where he writes that, "Here’s the thing about Durant’s donation: It’s almost not news. Because it’s the least surprising thing ever. We’re so lucky to have him playing basketball in our city." Obviously Durant can afford such generous measures, but I think that his willingness to step to the forefront has a strong leadership quality as well. He cares about his city so much that stroking a 7 figure check is an easy decision. Most of us cannot afford such sacrifice, but we can afford smaller sacrifice, so let us follow Durant's lead and give what we can. The Red Cross of Oklahoma's Twitter feed has the pertinent information if you want to help, or you can call 1-800-RED-CROSS: Best way to help tornado victims is to donate to the Red Cross at redcross.org or text REDCROSS to 90999. #okwx — Red Cross Oklahoma (@redcrossokc) May 20, 2013 Want to help out in some other way? Take a look at this and consider what you do have that might be useful: Kendrick Perkins is hosting a fundraising event on May 22nd at the Quail Springs Mall: Please come out tomorrow and donate at Anthony David Platinum by Quail Springs Mall 10am 5pm — Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) May 21, 2013 Visit the Norman Chamber of Commerce Twitter feed and see what they could use. Here is a sampling: Right now, Norman Regional is hosting a Blood Drive on the 7th floor of the HealthPlex. Please give blood! — Norman Chamber (@NORMANCHAMBER) May 21, 2013 OUneeds: DIAPERS, formula and bottles, toiletries, cell phone chargers, dog and cat food, board games for kids... — Norman Chamber (@NORMANCHAMBER) May 21, 2013 new or clean good quality T-shirts, shorts, flip flops, underwear (new), kids clothing -shirts, shorts, underwear (new), shoes — Norman Chamber (@NORMANCHAMBER) May 21, 2013 To help out with care for individuals, check out Sunbeam Family Services. Note - the email here is wrong - use tlong@cns.gov. For animal rescue relief, check out the Moore Animal Shelter: The Moore Animal Shelter will be setting up at the Cleveland CountyFairgrounds here in Norman. — Norman Chamber (@NORMANCHAMBER) May 21, 2013 Oklahoma City Animal Welfare will accept animals from the affected areas of Moore and will coordinate with Moore Animal Shelter as needed. — OKC Animal Welfare (@okcpets) May 20, 2013

The Oklahoma City tornado disaster recovery is underway, and at the forefront is the city's professional franchise, the Thunder. Yesterday, Chesapeake Energy made a $1 million cash donation, and today, their franchise superstar followed suit. Per the American Red Cross: @kdtrey5 steps forward and gives $1mil matching gift to the ARC for disaster relief, text "REDCROSS" to 90999 for a $10 donation. — Red Cross Oklahoma (@redcrossokc) May 21, 2013 I agree with Daily Thunder's Royce Young, where he writes that, "Here’s the thing about Durant’s donation: It’s almost not news. Because it’s the least surprising thing ever. We’re so lucky to have him playing basketball in our city." Obviously Durant can afford such generous measures, but I think that his willingness to step to the forefront has a strong leadership quality as well. He cares about his city so much that stroking a 7 figure check is an easy decision. Most of us cannot afford such sacrifice, but we can afford smaller sacrifice, so let us follow Durant's lead and give what we can. The Red Cross of Oklahoma's Twitter feed has the pertinent information if you want to help, or you can call 1-800-RED-CROSS: Best way to help tornado victims is to donate to the Red Cross at redcross.org or text REDCROSS to 90999. #okwx — Red Cross Oklahoma (@redcrossokc) May 20, 2013 Want to help out in some other way? Take a look at this and consider what you do have that might be useful: Kendrick Perkins is hosting a fundraising event on May 22nd at the Quail Springs Mall: Please come out tomorrow and donate at Anthony David Platinum by Quail Springs Mall 10am 5pm — Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) May 21, 2013 Visit the Norman Chamber of Commerce Twitter feed and see what they could use. Here is a sampling: Right now, Norman Regional is hosting a Blood Drive on the 7th floor of the HealthPlex. Please give blood! — Norman Chamber (@NORMANCHAMBER) May 21, 2013 OUneeds: DIAPERS, formula and bottles, toiletries, cell phone chargers, dog and cat food, board games for kids... — Norman Chamber (@NORMANCHAMBER) May 21, 2013 new or clean good quality T-shirts, shorts, flip flops, underwear (new), kids clothing -shirts, shorts, underwear (new), shoes — Norman Chamber (@NORMANCHAMBER) May 21, 2013 To help out with care for individuals, check out Sunbeam Family Services. Note - the email here is wrong - use tlong@cns.gov. For animal rescue relief, check out the Moore Animal Shelter: The Moore Animal Shelter will be setting up at the Cleveland CountyFairgrounds here in Norman. — Norman Chamber (@NORMANCHAMBER) May 21, 2013 Oklahoma City Animal Welfare will accept animals from the affected areas of Moore and will coordinate with Moore Animal Shelter as needed. — OKC Animal Welfare (@okcpets) May 20, 2013

To help those affected by the May 20th tornado, you can donate to the Red Cross via redcross.com or by texting REDCROSS to 90999. It's unusual for a team to hope for failure. Sure, fans of bad teams love to see tanking at the end of the season. We all want a chance at a true superstar, and whether a team finishes with 30 wins or 35 wins doesn't matter to most people. But in something like the NBA Draft Lottery, most teams want their pick to finish as high as possible, no matter what. Yet, tonight, the Thunder will find themselves hoping that their pick fails to get into the top three. You see, as part of the James Harden trade, they received the Raptors' protected first round pick. But if that pick, by some stroke of luck, lands in the top three, the Thunder will have to wait until next year, or longer, to make their selection. The conditions of the pick are a convoluted mess, but I'll make clear that the Thunder are in a win-win situation. Either way, they're going to find themselves with a lottery pick within the next few years. It would take a multi-year streak of Raptor success or extreme failure to make the pick fall out of the lottery. The table below shows where the pick has to land in order for the Thunder to get it. Currently, the pick sits at #12. 2013: Pick #4-14 2014: Pick #3-14 2015: Pick #3-14 2016: Pick #2-14 2017: Pick #2-14 2018: Unprotected. Still, I'm betting that most fans want to make the pick right now. You might have heard that the draft class this year is weaker, and while that is true near the top, it's also true that the solid talent is deeper, extending into the late lottery. That means the Thunder could draft a player who makes an impact immediately. That wasn't so important two or three years ago, but now the Thunder are going to have to start mixing up their rotation. Kevin Martin and Derek Fisher may not return next year, and the bench is going to need some serious scoring help. If Jeremy Lamb or Perry Jones aren't up to the challenge, it could be a Dennis Schroeder, Kelly Olynyk, or Michael Carter-Williams that gives the Thunder a boost next season. So, what's the likelihood of Toronto moving up to the top three and taking the pick back? Well, they have a 0.7% chance of getting the first pick. Then, a 0.8% chance of getting the second pick. Finally, they'll have a 1% chance of getting the third pick. All in all, the chance is there, but it's like cheering for the Bobcats to beat the Heat and Spurs on a back-to-back. How the ping-pong balls will bounce is anybody's guess, but we'll be finding out tonight at 7:30 Central Time on ESPN. In addition to the Raptors pick, the Thunder also unconditionally own the #29 pick and the #32 pick. The NBA Draft is on June 27th at 6 PM.

This guy. Per the Red Cross, Kevin Durant has given a $1 million donation to the disaster relief fund. “The Red Cross relies on its donors to perform its mission in relieving human suffering following disasters,” said Janienne Bella, regional CEO in a release. “Mr. Durant’s gift and support to Oklahoma comes at a time of great need and we’re forever thankful for his generosity.” Yesterday Durant tweeted, “Praying for the victims of the Tornadoes in OKC these last few days..Everybody stay safe!” Here’s the thing about Durant’s donation: It’s almost not news. Because it’s the least surprising thing ever. We’re so lucky to have him playing basketball in our city. Primary Thunder sponsor Chesapeake Energy made a $1 million cash donation yesterday also.