Oklahoma Thunderballs

(Today's post marks the inaugural column of Thunder reporter Sarah Rogers, who will hopefully become a regular commentator here at WTLC) I live in OKC, and after I spoke to Oklahoma City Thunder fans this offseason, many are ready to tar and feather head coach Scott Brooks. OKC fans blame Brooks for the collapse in the playoffs. They are not dedicated fans of his and they are ready to run him out of town. When Rockets rookie Patrick Beverley collided with the knee of guard Russell Westbrook in Game 2 of the Western Conference quarterfinals, the Thunders' path to the NBA Finals was forever changed. However, should it have been? Yes, the Thunder was the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, but with Westbrook out, they had no time to regroup and come up with an alternate game plan. Without a game plan, the Memphis Grizzlies were able to defeat the Thunder 4-1 in the Conference semifinals. Memphis beat OKC in 4 consecutive games, each one coming down to the wire and by only a 2 possession margin of difference. Westbrook's 23 points per game were sorely missed. Although Brooks is the head coach and was responsible for putting together a winning game plan, he should not bear the brunt of the force. What happened to Westbrook was unfortunate, but things happen, and Westbrook's run of good fortune, never having missed a single game in his NBA career, finally ran out. Brooks is still under contract as the Thunder's head coach for the 2013-14 season and here are three goals he should try to accomplish this upcoming season in order to rejuvenate his team and embolden the Thunder fan base. 1. Develop the Bench Good coaches need to prepare everyone to play. With Westbrook injured and unable to play, a team should be able to have someone waiting in the wings in case something like this happens. Before Westbrook was done for the season, OKC was averaging 105.7 points per game and were 60-22 during the regular season. After Westbrook injured himself, the Thunder was only averaging 95.3 points per game and was 3-6 in the nine playoff games they played. Their scoring output against the Rockets were as follows: 120, 105, 104, 103, 103, 100. Statistically, the Grizzlies were the best defensive team, so that should be considered. However, OKC's scoring output against the Grizzlies declined in each successive game: 97, 93, 93, 84, 81. Before Westbrook was hurt for the rest of the playoffs, Serge Ibaka's scoring output was 11, 9, 9, 5, 3 and 3. Afterwards, his scoring output was 7, 5, 5, 4 and 2. Another culprit was Thabo Sefolosha. He was scoring 17, 17, 14, 12, 10 and 8 points against the Rockets and only scored 17, 17, 13, 11 and 5 points against the Grizzlies. Both of these players were expected to help carry the offensive load, yet they struggled. 2. Star Players Should Play Less Minutes During the 2012-13 season, Durant started 81 games and averaged 38.5 minutes per game. Westbrook started all 82 games and averaged 34.9 minutes per game. That is a lot of time and minutes for these young players to have, but more importantly, it's time the other players are not getting. The best thing for Brooks to do is have other players step up. Yes, Westbrook and Durant are the best players on the team, but in order to keep your players healthy for years to come; Brooks should minimize their wear and tear. San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich understands that in order to have a great team, he has to rely on the bench in crucial moments. Brooks relies too much on Durant and Westbrook during games and it is in his best interest to develop Jackson and in place of Durant, the other SF's Perry Jones III and Ronnie Brewer need to be developed as well. 3. Make Quicker Adjustments Mid-game One last thing Brooks should focus on before next season is learn to make adjustments mid-game in a quicker manner. During the Grizzlies semifinals series, the offense was almost exclusively run through Durant. He would have the basketball, but he'd be doub

Perkins Visits Camp for Moore Children

Did you know the Thunder have two first round picks in this draft? I know, right? (And they even have the second pick in the second round too.) Almost all the focus is on the No. 12 pick, as it should be. Late first round picks often don’t mean much, but it is an opportunity to select a young player and as we’ve seen in this postseason, sometimes it’s those guys that end up making all the difference in the world. The Thunder’s pick they earned this season sits at No. 29, second to last in the first round. Here are the last 10 29th overall picks: Marquis Teague, Cory Joseph, Daniel Orton, Toney Douglas, D.J. White, Alando Tucker, Mardy Collins, Wayne Simien, David Harrison and Josh Howard. The lesson: The 29th pick doesn’t have a great history. But there are still potential rotation guys to be found late in the first round. I’ve heard a few murmurs that the Thunder might move the 29th pick for a future first-rounder or as something larger, but at this point, all that stuff is mostly hearsay. Let’s assume the Thunder are keeping it — something that will most likely happen — and take a player. Who could be available at 29 and what should the Thunder be looking for? Obviously, the 29th pick will be impacted by whatever the Thunder do at No. 12. If OKC goes big at 12, they might look shooter at 29. If they take a guard, they might try and find a project big. Keeping both of those things in mind, here are 10 players I’m interested in that could be there: Reggie Bullock, 6-7 small forward, North Carolina Some mocks have Bullock going as high as in the late teens, other have him slipping near the bottom of the first round. If he’s available at 29, I think he’s the pick regardless of what happens ahead of him. He’s already worked out for OKC and with his range from the perimeter and potential to be a quality defender, he seems to be a really nice fit. Bullock shot 42.9 percent from 3 last season and while he’s not a player that creates his own well or uses the dribble much, he can knock down open shots. If he adds a little strength and stays committed to defending, he could be an ideal future role player. In other words, the next Danny Green? Allen Crabbe, 6-6 shooting guard, Cal Assuming Jeremy Lamb blah blah blah, the Thunder don’t especially need another shooting guard. Crabbe has some size and could conceivably play a little 3 as well. He’s a rangy guard that can fill it up. I don’t know if that’s exactly what the Thunder need (is he just going to be the next Marcus Thornton, a high volume guard with questionable shot selection?) or could he be a good role fit, someone that can space and score? Glen Rice Jr, 6-7 shooting guard, D-League Rice ripped up the D-League late in the season and in their playoffs. He can shoot, he can score, he can play. Does he fit the Thunder squeaky clean culture, though? He got kicked off Georgia Tech’s team and was forced to play in the D-League. He had significant struggles during the season, but showed his pure talent late in the year. He’s got red flags, but he’s got serious talent. Tony Mitchell, 6-8 forward, North Texas Full disclosure: Since he played at North Texas I never saw him play during the regular season and the tape I’ve found so far is kind of limited. But I hear a lot of people say nice things about him and as one NBA person told me in San Antonio, he’s a “perfect fit” for the Thunder. The book on him is he’s an athletic wing and that he can play both forward positions. I don’t especially love bringing in another stretch 4, seeing as Perry Jones is already on the roster, but still, in today’s NBA that position matters and having two of something just gives you a better chance of one working out. Mike Muscala, 7-0 center, Bucknell If the Thunder don’t land the big guy they want at No. 12, or heck, even if they do,

It's draft day. You find yourself in the body of Sam Presti, with the ability to have the final say on any move that the Thunder make. All of a sudden, we hit pick 12. All of the top-flight guards are gone from the draft, and there's a plethora of big men to choose from. Do you pick a guy with a high ceiling, knowing very well he could be the next Cole Aldrich? Do you pick a sure thing? Do you trade the pick for someone proven? Do you pick the guy with the highest value and try to tempt other teams? There's no one right answer, but these were the questions I was faced with as I ran the Thunder's ship during the SB Nation 2013 NBA Draft Mock. Of course, I wasn't alone. I had the entire Welcome to Loud City crew to back me up, and I had 29 other sites running their own respective things. There were a million possible routes, and it was very exciting. Before we begin, here's the rules for the mock. 1. All trades must make sense under the current CBA. 2. All trades must be approved by the commissioner (in our case, SBN NBA Manager Seth Pollack). 3. Only the first round will be drafted. As the mock began, I asked our writers what they'd like to do with our current situation. The first sentiment I got was, "Trade up!" Alex Strouf: I like trading Perk for a top 5 pick to grab Zeller or Len. You could look at the Cats or the Pelicans. The Cats could use a big man. Pelicans want to run something like the Grizzlies, starting two big men. So offer Perk and pick twelve or twenty-nine Craig Brenner: When it comes to trading up the team I target is the Suns and see about Perkins, #12, Perry Jones III for the #5 pick and hope Victor Oladipo SG from Indiana is still there. He is a guy who is a top level athlete who can step in a play defense right away. He is a JR so the learning curve should be shorter than younger player. My immediate response was one of skepticism. You see, as much as we might value Perk, everybody saw how poorly he performed in the playoffs. And nobody, aside from the Celtics, really wants him. It's not really a question of his talent, because everyone knows that some talent is there. It's moreso a question of his contract, which goes on for a couple of seasons. Nobody wanted to pay Perkins 8 mil in 2 years. I looked at offering the Suns or Bobcats something to move up, but the situation just wasn't right. The Suns were having a firesale, trading anyone they could to grab more picks. Meanwhile, the Bobcats were standing pat, and we would have likely had to take on the contract of Tyrus Thomas to move up. No thanks. Trading Perkins was a common theme in general, but I just didn't get very much interest in the actual player. The only way a team would take Perkins is if we were actually to give up more. The best offer I got was from All That Amar of SLC Dunk, who offered #21 and the 2015 Nets 2nd Rounder for Perk and the 12 Pick. Again, no thanks. The Marcin Gortat Saga However, the Suns firesale did present another opportunity. I went ahead and sent them an offer with Kendrick Perkins that I thought they couldn't refuse. Pick 12 and Perkins for Marcin Gortat. The Thunder have been looking for an upgrade at center for a good long while, and Gortat provides that upgrade. Dave King of Bright Side of the Sun gave me a really solid maybe, and also offered to tack on Jared Dudley if we offered up Jeremy Lamb. After consulting with our writers, I ended up nixing the second part of the deal, because we all wanted to see how Lamb would develop. Sadly, Dave came back saying that he really didn't like Perk's contract, and that he wanted to increase what he would get back on his end. The new offer was Perkins, #12, and Lamb for Gortat and Pick 30. I consulted with our writers again, and the response was overwhelmingly negative. I agreed, basically telling Dave that taking this trade would constitute trading James Harden for Gortat and two end of first round picks (#30 this year and PJIII), so I rejected the o

Chad Ford’s newest mock: “The Thunder are in win-now mode, but it’s unlikely whomever they draft here will be of much help next season. They have swung and missed a few times with big guys in the draft (Cole Aldrich and Byron Mullens) but could do it again for Adams. While he’s miles away from contributing offensively, defensively he already has the body and instincts to be a good rebounder and shot-blocker. With time, much more might come. Russia’s Sergey Karasev also is a strong possibility here.” Matt Moore of CBSSports.com on last night’s incredible game: “You almost want to not write a word on it. It’s tempting to just let Game 6 of the 2013 NBA Finals exist in the ether, as a pantheon game for whatever any of us want. LeBron James’ career in a microcosm. The Spurs’ finally running out of bullets in their seemingly ever-loaded weapon. The heroic intensity of competition. The drama of sport, where triumph and tragedy meets luck and mental focus. But you have to try and capture these moments, to put them in context from a different lens than the human eye or the camera. You watched Game 6. You saw what you wanted: the rollercoaster of LeBron James’ life and career, the sad struggle of two legends in Manu Ginobili and Dwyane Wade in a mistake-laden game, the reason Miami signed Ray Allen, the reason the Spurs have moved away from Manu Ginobili, the best of Tim Duncan, the sad truth of Tim Duncan. But more than anything, you saw a great game.” Talking Westbrook’s recovery. Trey Burke: “Derrick Rose,” he said, referring to the lengthy 6-foot-3, 190-pound Chicago Bulls star. “That’s so big of a challenge, even him coming off of injury. Watching him from school, from Memphis to the NBA … I think that’s a great challenge for me. “When I do play against a guy like Derrick Rose, I’m not going to back down. I’m going to give him everything I have. … Russell Westbrook (6-foot-3), the bigger guards that are explosive (the guards) people say I can’t play against.” Perk was trying to sell his bulldog last night. There’s a report that says Ben McLemore is slipping because he’s out of shape in workouts. Darnell Mayberry on Jamal Franklin: “Jamaal Franklin isn’t great at anything on a basketball court. But he’s really good at a lot of things. The question is how much better could the San Diego State shooting guard become at just one or two of those things? That might be what the Thunder is asking as it evaluates Franklin as a potential selection in the upcoming NBA Draft. In the meantime, there’s something that might separate Franklin from much of the pack. It’s a trait that could get him on the floor while his game catches up. It’s his competitiveness.”

There are plenty of reasons the San Antonio Spurs could be NBA Finals Champions after Tuesday night, but I'll keep it sweet and to the point. REASON #1: SHOOTING THE BALL Danny Green, Spurs Shooting Guard, has been shooting lights out all series. In game five, he broke the record for most three point field goals ever made in a NBA Finals series, breaking Ray Allen's record. He shot 6-10 (60%) in game five, having yet another unbelievable performance. Small Forward Kawhi Leonard has also been playing fantastic, shooting 2-4 (50%) from beyond the arc in game five. With Manu Ginoboli starting for only the first time, both regular and postseason in game five, the first thing he did was nail a three pointer. That was the only one he made all game, but he still shot amazingly all game, ending out 8-14 from the field with 24 points. He was the biggest part of the Spurs success in game five, so starting him again for game six is a no-brainer. The Spurs finished out shooting exactly 60.0% from the field, which is much better than the Miami Heat's 47.8%. Don't get me wrong, they're both pretty good, but 60% is unbelievable. REASON #2: DEFENDING THE BIG THREE Something the Spurs haven't been able to do all-that-well all series, but game five was an average defensive performance. The big three of Miami, LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh, combined for 66 of their 104 points. Chris Bosh only scored 16, which isn't bad when you have to defend a big post man like Bosh. The one stat that jumps off the page, is that when LeBron James was guarded by Boris Diaw in game five, he shot one-for-eight. Who's Boris Diaw? Good question. Yet Diaw was able to use great positioning and the ability to avoid fouling James during a critical 6 minute stretch in the 2nd half that all but decided the game. REASON #3: CHEMISTRY I know this seems pretty simple, but getting the chemistry down on a new group, even one new member is never easy. With Manu Ginobili entering the starting group, he scored or assisted on the first three scores for the Spurs in game five. Ginobili finished game five with 24 points and 10 assists, which shows that starting him was actually a great decision. Maybe they missed something for the other 102 games.. Those are the three reasons the Spurs will be NBA Champions after Tuesday night. What do you think? Poll Who wins game 6? Spurs Heat 2 votes | Results

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