Oklahoma Thunderballs

Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook were honored today by the NBA in being selected to the All-NBA teams. For the 4th year in a row, Durant was named to the All-NBA First Team, joining LeBron James, Tim Duncan, Chris Paul, and Kobe Bryant. Russell Westbrook was likewise recognized for the 3rd year in a row, being named a guard on the All-NBA Second Team. Westbrook joins Tony Parker, Marc Gasol, Carmelo Anthony, and Blake Griffin for this distinction. Westbrook is still pursuing that elusive 1st team honor, though with Old Man Kobe still huffing and puffing along Westbrook may yet need to wait a bit longer. The All-NBA 3rd team is comprised of Durant and Westbrook's former teammate James Harden, along with Dwyane Wade, Dwight Howard, David Lee, and Paul George.

Thunder forward Kevin Durant was named to the All-NBA First Team and guard Russell Westbrook was named to the All-NBA Second Team for the 2012-13 season.

Sue Ogrocki/AP Kevin Durant donated $1 million to the Red Cross for tornado relief on Tuesday. He did it quietly. Quieter than when he signed his extension. He didn’t tweet it. He didn’t put out a press release. We only knew about it because the Red Cross told us. He wasn’t on a street corner shouting about it with a megaphone. He gave the way you’re suppose to give: selflessly, with no fanfare, because people needed help. As Royce said, it wasn’t a surprise. This is what he does. Maybe better than any star in the league, he has his finger on the pulse of his city. He knows what it needs and when it needs it. Grantland’s Brian Phillips wrote an incredible piece last week on the end of our season. He was at The Peake on the night we finally got tired and faded into summer vacation. In his write up he mentioned something that Scott Brooks said about Durant’s final shot of the season. “The thing about Kevin is I live with his decisions because he has a pure heart.” Pure heart. Durant has made Brooks look right a lot over the course of these last four seasons. What’s one more time. * * * Russell Westbrook is at a hospital. He’s there with DeAndre Liggins, Hasheem Thabeet, Jeremy Lamb, and Scott Brooks. They’re there because of the tornado. They’re there to try to put smiles on faces. Westbrook meets a young boy while he’s there. The boy’s name is Grayson. On Monday afternoon Grayson was in a day care facility that was destroyed by the tornado. Now he’s okay. Westbrook meets Grayson in a hospital hallway. Westbrook’s in a wheelchair. He has bubbles with him. Grayson has cuts on his face and his ear. After some coaxing, they high five each other. The boy blows the bubbles and they scatter and nurses clap and Westbrook says good job. They give each other three high fives. On the last one Westbrook makes Grayson jump because who knows the joys of jumping better than the man with forever bounce. Grayson smiles wide. He jumps and their hands connect and hopefully for that moment everybody in the hallway thought about something other than the storm. * * * I do not live in Oklahoma City or the surrounding metro area. The closest I’ve ever lived to it is Shawnee. I watched the awfulness from in front of my computer screen at work. I tuned in to Channel 4′s live stream and watched for hours. I spent the afternoon like I’d imagine a lot of Oklahomans did. Eyes glassed over, neglecting work, texting my friends to ask if they were okay, hoping for a positive answer. It’s rough being helpless. It gets hard in those moments where everything is going wrong to remember that there is good in the world. All your screen is ever showing you is the bad. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, though, did that for us Tuesday. They reminded us of the good. At this point it’s old hat to say that we, as a fan base, are lucky to have Durant and Westbrook. That luck, we realized on Tuesday more than ever, extends far beyond the court. As for the state, I don’t know what to say about it that hasn’t already been said by those smarter than me. The resiliency. The care. The love. These are not surprising things either. They have been proven, time and again. 1995. 1999. We are stronger than the things that would try and break us. It’s in these times, the hard, dark ones, that we shine the brightest.

Darnell Mayberry: “A muddied American flag rested atop the metal pole that stood defiantly at the corner. Its peaceful position contradicted perfectly the catastrophic winds that only two days earlier had ripped through town, leaving this block utterly unidentifiable, one of many that have been reduced to rubble. But the still of that flag, which had replaced a street sign that is now God knows where, symbolized the strength, courage and determination of a community. And on a warm Wednesday afternoon, the second day of rebuilding, the people within this Westmoore subdivision of Moore welcomed a much-needed symbol of hope. Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant. One day after donating his money, Durant traveled back to Oklahoma to give his time. He did anything and everything he could to bring a smile to as many faces as possible. He shook hands and gave hugs. He posed for pictures and signed autographs. Not once did Durant turn down a request, graciously scribbling his signature on anything he was handed. A pair of shoes. A hat. A Thunder mug. A team program.” Berry Tramel: “More low-post scoring is going to be difficult to find. Few low-post threats are coming out of college, the Thunder has little salary cap room to add players and outside of Ibaka and Westbrook, no one on the roster has the skill set to score consistently from the low block. And one of those guys is a point guard.” Perk contributed $25,000 cash yesterday out of his pocket to help build shelters in schools. Small controversy about KD’s back tattoo yesterday. It appeared there was a typo on it, but KD later took another picture to either show it had been fixed or that there wasn’t a mistake at all. Video of Russell Westbrook hanging with kids at the hospital. Kevin Lincoln of BuzzFeed: “For perspective: let’s assume that Durant paid about 40% of his income last year in various federal and state taxes. Someone who makes $50,000 probably pays about 25% of their income in taxes, all-considered. (PLEASE do not argue about taxes in the comments, unless it’s to correct our math.) Durant’s donation, as a portion of the income that Durant actually saw last year, is roughly the equivalent of someone who makes $50,000 up and writing a Red Cross check for about $2,000, of which they’d get $500 back at the end of the year after taking the cost of the donation off their taxable income. ($50,000 is about the median household income in the U.S.) Alternately, our hypothetical $50,000 earner could work to put together $2,000 through fundraising, since it’s possible Durant’s foundation already had the cash on hand from previous efforts — which he would’ve been involved in, of course. Put even simpler, Durant’s donation is just as generous as it first appears — maybe even more so.” Westboro Baptist says the tornadoes are all KD’s fault. Obviously. Powerful story here. Bradford Doolittle of ESPN.com breaking down OKC’s pick: “Dieng has quite a bit less upside than Adams, but if Perkins is sent on his way, the 23-year-old Dieng could be ready to contribute right away. The great thing about him, which Ford often cites, is that not only is he an elite defensive prospect, but he’s also skilled as a passer in the pivot. The Thunder wouldn’t be counting on Dieng to be a franchise player. They just need an 18-20 minute contributor, though they would want him to add some bulk to his 230-pound frame.”

This week's Sports Illustrated features the St. Louis Cardinals. With the way the juxtaposition sets up, the infamous curse taken into account, they're doomed. Just ask 1957 Oklahoma football. Usually I'd delve into a brief overview of the NBA playoffs thus far and get to the alternate covers, but we're doing it a little different this week. With the May 19th and 20th tornados that hit not only Moore and Oklahoma City, but also the towns of Carney, Shawnee, Newcastle, Wellston, Prague, Luther, Little Axe, Bethel Acres, and others, it's far more important to highlight different ways that you can help. This last Monday afternoon, I would normally have been pretty chapped about losing an afternoon of work in the studio, hail damage to my car, and my dog pooping all over the oriental rug in my bedroom. The nice one. But on that day and today, I feel incredibly blessed to have had that kind of afternoon. If you're reading this on your laptop, tablet, or smart phone, you're pretty lucky too. With that in mind, consider offering whatever help you can to the help through volunteering or giving to the charities and organizations included in this week's alternate Sports Illustrated covers. There will be a full list with links at the bottom. Alternate #1: This Dog is Awesome. Alternate #2: Bob Stoops would like you to donate like a champion today. So would KD and Mike Gundy. Also, way to go Love's Travel Stops. Alternate #3: Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and the Thunder have been doing a great job this week. Alternate #4: Kevin Durant is just a great guy. Here's a list of charities, organizations, and links I've compiled since Monday. It's by no means complete, but these are all great charities, local and otherwise. It would be great if you can either donate your time or money to for help in the recovery efforts. Lastly, thanks so much for the wonderful response from all of the SB Nation community following the disaster. You all are awesome. Charities/Organizations: www.americares.org - AmeriCares www.okclostpets.com - OKC Lost Pets www.arcokc.org - Animal Rescue Center www.infantcrisis.org - Infant Crisis Services www.cwsgolbal.org - Church World Service www.unitedwayokc.org - United Way of Okla. City www.architectureforhumanity.org - Architecture for Humanity www.regionalfoodbank.org - Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma www.salvationarmyokcac.org - The Salvation Army Central Oklahoma Command www.redcross.org - The Red Cross www.ok.gov/okstrong - The State of Oklahoma general info http://sunbeamfamilyservices.org/tornado-victim-supper/ - Sunbeam Family Services general info www.okdisasterhelp.com - Southern Baptist Convention Disaster Relief Oklahoma www.okhumane.org - Oklahoma Human Society www.okc.gov/animalwelfare - City of Okla. City Animal Welfare www.okc.gov/animalwelfare/animalwelfaredonationweb - City of Okla. City Animal Welfare donation page www.petfoodpantryokc.org - The Pet Food Pantry of Okla. City, Inc. www.catholiccharitiesok.org - Catholic Charities of Oklahoma

Thunder Visits Moore Neighborhoods

Three options as I see it for the Thunder with the 12th pick that they earned last night: 1) Trade up: The Thunder have three picks in this draft (two first, one second), plus a couple future ones (their own, the protected Dallas pick). They also have intriguing young talent in Jeremy Lamb, Perry Jones III and Reggie Jackson. The pieces are there to cobble together an intriguing trade package and with a lot of executives not sold on the top tier talent in this draft, if the Thunder wanted to move up, it seems the opportunity could be there. There’s growing buzz that the Thunder are going to explore trading up. My guess as to what they’re after would be a player like Ben McLemore, a Bradley Beal-ish smooth shooting guard. The Thunder of course were enthralled with Beal last season, reportedly twice trying to get him. A lot of mocks have Beal going as high as No. 1 overall and as low as No. 4 overall , with most settling at No. 2 to Orlando. That’s quite a leap, especially since the Magic are likely going to be excited about McLemore, a player that fills a need in a lot of ways. The only other player I see OKC having enough interest in to move up would be Victor Oladipo. Thabo Sefolosha’s deal expires after next season and Oladipo is kind of the perfect Thunder prospect. Intelligent, tough, hard working and has lots of room to improve. He’s a heady, gritty defender that has a knack for making plays. His offensive game needs some work, but he’s the kind of player that seems poised to blossom. Maybe they like seven-footer Alex Len, who has risen into the top eight in a lot of projections. Really, those are the only three I can see, unless they feel like Nerlens Noel could slip past No. 1. But again, if the Thunder are moving in to the top six, they’re going to likely have to part ways with Lamb. And probably Jones. Hypothetical scenario, and I realize the Magic probably say no to this deal: OKC deals Lamb (and Jones, maybe), the No. 12 pick and the No. 29 pick to move up for McLemore. They sign Kevin Martin (or J.J. Redick) to a one-year deal for however much money, basically replaying last season but swapping McLemore for Lamb, sending him to Tulsa and developing him on the end of the bench. Sound good? One issue I have with that, though: I kind of think Jeremy Lamb could be really good and dealing him feels a little scary to me. 2) Trade out: It really doesn’t make much sense for the Thunder to trade down, so I’m ruling that option out. But they could trade out completely of the first round. Whether it’s for a potentially lottery pick next season or a quality veteran, the Thunder could move their pick. Maybe in a sign-and-trade situation. I don’t get the sense this scenario is very likely, though. 3) Use it. Of course you have to canvas the league and see what possibilities are out there and if there’s something that makes sense, you go for it. But to move up, you have to give things up. And while the Thunder really don’t need that 29th overall pick or that 32nd overall pick, again, in order to jump a few spots they’d probably have to include a young asset like Lamb, Jones or Jackson. Not worth it to me. But that’s mainly because I think Lamb has a whole bunch of offensive upside and I’d almost place Jackson on the untouchable list. (I think he’s that good.) I kind of look at it this way: If the Thunder are thinking big, and there’s a player in the 12-16 range they like — like possibly Gorgui Dieng or Rudy Gobert — then there’s not a lot of reason to trade up. There’s one apparent big elite talent in Nerlens Noel. After that, there’s not really a top tier big man in this draft that couldn’t potentially fall to 12 anyway. So like I said, it’s either going for a home run Harden replacement in McLemore or Oladipo (or Shabazz Muhammad, if you’re feeling crazy), or you stand pat a

Draft Express has OKC taking Kelly Olynyk: “The Thunder’s season ended in disappointing fashion, in no small part because of an injury to All-Star point guard Russell Westbrook, which put too much pressure on Kevin Durant to carry the load offensively. Fortunately for the Thunder, the James Harden trade returned a pick in the late lottery, which can be used to add an immediate contributor on a cheap salary. With Westbrook back at full strength, what do you give the team that has everything? More offensive firepower is one option, particularly from the frontcourt, which struggled to establish itself as enough of a threat to keep Memphis’ big men honest defensively. With the status of free agent Kevin Martin very much up in the air, the Thunder could look to add more talent at the wing.” Chad Ford of ESPN.com has OKC taking Steven Adams: “Adams might have been the big winner of the draft combine. Physically, he looked the part of a future NBA center and displayed a better than expected touch on his jump shot. He looked in terrific shape, hustled on both ends of the floor and reminded everyone why scouts saw him as a potential top-five pick going into his senior year of high school. He’s raw and won’t find any real minutes on the Thunder. But that’s what the D-League is for.” Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com has OKC with Olynyk: “The Thunder could use another scoring option — and the big Canadian can put up points in the paint and also from the perimeter.” Chris Mannix of SI.com has OKC taking Dario Saric: “There is increasing chatter among NBA executives that the Thunder — with two first-round picks and young talent in Jeremy Lamb and Perry Jones on the roster — will look to make a major move on draft night. If they keep this pick, Saric, a smooth, mobile big man one executive describes as “the best passing big in the draft” is a nice find. Saric isn’t the bruising back-to-the-basket scorer that Oklahoma City craves, but he is exactly the kind of high potential talent GM Sam Presti loves to develop.” Sean Deveney of Sporting News: “Who knows what the Thunder do with this pick? Gobert is a high-ceiling gamble with a massive wingspan (7-9), who can be stashed in Europe for a year before coming to the NBA.” Jonathan Tjarks of SB Nation: “Dieng is a 23-year-old center who can play defense and knock down a mid-range jumper. Just going to throw this out there, but I suspect he is already a better basketball player than either Kendrick Perkins or Hasheem Thabeet.” Vice President Joe Biden to KD: “You’re not only a great athlete, you’re a great humanitarian. On behalf of all of us, thank you for your generosity.” KD spoke to reporters yesterday about his donation while in Minnesota watching friend Monica Wright play: “As the day went on and I saw the footage and the casualties and the houses being blown away, it was tough to see. I call Oklahoma City my home. I go through Moore all the time. It’s unfortunate. We’re going to come together as a city like we always do and we’re going to bounce back.” Presti talking about the tornado. Why Oklahoma is awesome. No. 31 and 32 forever. Tibor Pleiss isn’t coming over soon: “I am in contact with Thunder GM Sam Presti and I often speak on phone with Jonny Rogers, who lives in Barcelona and he is a scout for the Thunder in Europe,” Pleiss wrote on his blog. “They look at me each game and they are very satisfied for my performances. But I don’t want to be misunderstood: I think to the NBA in the medium term and I don’t want to talk too much about it. After this season I have three more years on my contract with Baskonia and I will stay at least next season. I feel the confidence of coach Zan Tabak. I know I can become a better player in Vitoria, which is crucial for me.” Russell Westbrook and a few other Thu

Amid Tragedy, the Thunder Helps Oklahomans Recover

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