First, PJIII is NOT KD's back up.


That's not my determination...that's exactly what Coach Brooks has said. Doesn't matter what you or I think, but it DOES matter what the guy coaching the game thinks.

Mullens, Aldrich, and Jackson are 3 first round picks that never even helped the team. It's either awful drafting or terrible development. You shouldn't get nothing out of 3 consecutive 1st round picks (with 2 more doing nothing right now). If you're not going to play young guys then trade them for something else. They're valuable assets before the Thunder kills their value.

What makes you think they weren't developed? Because they didn't play much? Mullens and Aldrich were trying to replace proven players with championship rings. Mullens has been playing well for Charlotte, but the Bobcats are no Thunder. They're the historically worst team in the history of the NBA! He may have done okay for the Thunder...but who knows? And do we want offense or defense from our center? Mullens has been scoring, but nobody is singing the praises of his defense. I haven't been following Cole, but I think he was on track for Nazr's job before the trade...so I'm not sure it's safe to say he never made progress. This year, there's a debate as to whether Reggie ought to be playing instead of Maynor. I'm a big Maynor fan, so to even being asking the question says a lot about Reggie, to my mind. Getting minutes with the Thunder is not a good indication of the worth or development of a player. Anyone who has followed OU football has seen this many, many times before.

Darnell Mayberry thinks Maynor is gone and Reggie is our backup point guard of the future. I have a lot of faith in Darnell's opinions. A draft pick is a lot like an interview. You sometimes can't tell how the person will perform when on the job. If the Thunder don't develop a player, it's likely that circumstances suggest to Presti that the player is ultimately going to be on another team. It's way too early to tell anything about Jones and Lamb however.

It's also a matter of money between Reggie and Eric. Reggie is on the rookie scale for another season while Maynor is an RFA come July 1. Jackson is also more athletic than Maynor, just needs more experience.

First, PJIII is NOT KD's back up. If he got the 8-10 minutes a game that KD didn't play is I'd be satisfied. He doesn't. Second, I'm not saying that we have to play young guys, but then why make a trade for a bunch of young players?!? There seems to be no point in even getting young players if they'll never play. The staff has done a terrible job of developing young players since the team has been a playoff team. Mullens, Aldrich, and Jackson are 3 first round picks that never even helped the team. It's either awful drafting or terrible development. You shouldn't get nothing out of 3 consecutive 1st round picks (with 2 more doing nothing right now). If you're not going to play young guys then trade them for something else. They're valuable assets before the Thunder kills their value.

If you didn't use language that suggested that the Thunder staff is doing an awful job, it might be easier to lend your points some credibility.

Here's the problem with the idea that any of these young players contribute: Perkins, Ibaka, Sefolosha, Durant, Westbrook, Martin, Maynor, Collison. Those 8 players right there will routinely count for 225+/240 minutes in any game that really matters. That leaves 15 minutes or less for 4 guys to make contributions.

Those 4 guys are Thabeet, Jones, Lamb, and Jackson. Thabeet is averaging 12.5 minutes/game in every game he's been healthy enough to play in. He's progressing really quickly for a guy who many have already labeled as a bust. Him taking 75%+ of the leftover minutes seems to be good coaching to me, seeings how he's the #1 position at which we need to develop our depth.

In the meantime, this team has seen what amounts to a partial "overhaul" to it's roster bringing in Thabeet and Martin, losing Harden, and reincorporating Maynor into the offense. The team has needed and may still need for a few more weeks to solidify the lineups that Scott is going to run with his 8/9 most important players. Sometime between now and the trade deadline, I would like to see more play from Lamb/Jones/Jackson and even Maynor (who is only averaging only 18 more seconds than Thabeet), but not at the detriment of making sure that Martin is integrated into the team, and that the bigger things that need to be done (like installing an offense) are done effectively, so that the post-season run does not fall on its face.

You lament the development of Lamb/Jones/Jackson but you're not admitting that developing those 3 will stunt the much needed development of Ibaka/Westbrook/Durant, all of whom are no where near where they will eventually be. They need the playing time just as much so that they can gel with Martin, and continue to learn how to play with each other on both sides of the floor.

It's almost as if you want to see 12 guys make significant contributions. That simply not realistic.

I've got 2 tickets and a parking pass for Monday night's game against the Charlotte Bobcats for $170, which is the season ticket holder face value for the tickets and parking pass.

Club Level, Section 219, Row G, Seats 11 & 12.

I have other games if interested.

PM me if you are interested.

Anyone selling tickets for the November 30th game against the Utah Jazz? I would love to attend this game for my 19th birthday

That's not my determination...that's exactly what Coach Brooks has said. Doesn't matter what you or I think, but it DOES matter what the guy coaching the game thinks.

Uh, what?!? Actions speak louder than words. If PJIII is KD's back up then he would play. He doesn't. PJIII is, unfortunately, not in the rotation at all.

I have a used thunder T-shirt, i believe it is sized large, in good condition. If anyone wants to buy it please PM me. :P:p

Uh, what?!? Actions speak louder than words. If PJIII is KD's back up then he would play. He doesn't. PJIII is, unfortunately, not in the rotation at all.

I see...you don't follow the Thunder that closely. Jones WAS getting playing time, but was just standing around. Brooks had told him that he would be judged, not on his actual production, but on how hard he tried. Perry picked it up some, but obviously not enough. The answer I gave...about why Jones wasn't getting more playing times...is what Brooks replied. He said Jones was KD's back-up. And as such, minutes would be hard to come by. Jones was given a chance...didn't respond...and Brooks moved on to trying to find combinations that worked. Just between you and me, I'd love to see Jones and Lamb given more playing time, especially since our 2nd team has been getting it's booty kicked the last few games. I think there would be some growing pains, but it would eventually pay off. But, hey...I'm not betting my job (and with it, the lifestyle of my wife and kids) on playing Jones...Brooks is. It's always easier to gamble with someone else's money.

I have a used thunder T-shirt, i believe it is sized large, in good condition. If anyone wants to buy it please PM me. :P:p

Dang, you're so original .....lol

I see...you don't follow the Thunder that closely. Jones WAS getting playing time, but was just standing around. Brooks had told him that he would be judged, not on his actual production, but on how hard he tried. Perry picked it up some, but obviously not enough. The answer I gave...about why Jones wasn't getting more playing times...is what Brooks replied. He said Jones was KD's back-up. And as such, minutes would be hard to come by. Jones was given a chance...didn't respond...and Brooks moved on to trying to find combinations that worked. Just between you and me, I'd love to see Jones and Lamb given more playing time, especially since our 2nd team has been getting it's booty kicked the last few games. I think there would be some growing pains, but it would eventually pay off. But, hey...I'm not betting my job (and with it, the lifestyle of my wife and kids) on playing Jones...Brooks is. It's always easier to gamble with someone else's money.

PJIII has never recieved real back up minutes. Ever. He's been thrown in a couple times, but that doesn't make you the back up. Insulting my basketball IQ is pointless. Just smake your points. If you're relying on Brooks quotes to explain the Thunder rotation then it's not surprising you believe things that aren't true. Brooks said the back up PG spot was up for grabs between RJ and Maynor, but that was obviously not true. Maynor has been pathetic this year (see Mayberry's article today about how bad he's been) and RJ has not recieved any opportunities. Quit drinking the coachspeak and you'll realize that just because Brooks said he is the back up does not make it so. He actually has to play back up minutes in games for it to be real.

i've got 2 tickets and a parking pass for monday night's game against the charlotte bobcats for $170, which is the season ticket holder face value for the tickets and parking pass.

Club level, section 219, row g, seats 11 & 12.

I have other games if interested.

Pm me if you are interested.

sold

Post removed by me.

Not sure if I'm ready for this. Gonna be an emotional game.

I hope Harden is cheered when he comes on the court and proceeds to shoot 0/13 on the night, with 9 Blocks Against and 35 Turnovers.

I bet he will be.

I don't know. Getting blocked 35 times seems like a lot... ;)

Not sure if I'm ready for this. Gonna be an emotional game.

I hope Harden is cheered when he comes on the court and proceeds to shoot 0/13 on the night, with 9 Blocks Against and 35 Turnovers.


Haha...you were a lot closer than most expected.

Harden was 3-16 (one of those baskets was a freebie). had 6 blocked, and 3 turnovers. He looked terrible out there. Truly terrible.

The Thunder have faced a former teammate in each of the last 5 games:

Boston - Jeff Green
Philadelphia - Damien Wilkins
Charlotte - Byron Mullens
Houston - James Harden, Daequan Cook, Cole Aldrich
Utah - Earl Watson

The Thunder have faced a former teammate in each of the last 5 games:

Boston - Jeff Green
Philadelphia - Damien Wilkins
Charlotte - Byron Mullens
Houston - James Harden, Daequan Cook, Cole Aldrich
Utah - Earl Watson

And now Dallas has signed D. Fisher. Such is life in the NBA.

And now Dallas has signed D. Fisher. Such is life in the NBA.

Derek Fisher left? I thought he was doing a decent job last year and I thought he would stay 2 more years until he retires

Derek Fisher left? I thought he was doing a decent job last year and I thought he would stay 2 more years until he retires

He was only on the team because of Maynor's injury. He provided second team guidance, but was never a long-term solution

Good win tonight against the Nets. Even though they were without Brook Lopez, it was a tough game.

Durant Missed the Dunk last night against the Nets, but WOW did he elevate.


DurantDunkedOff - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=G7OZFgwde5M)

Durant Missed the Dunk last night against the Nets, but WOW did he elevate.


DurantDunkedOff - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=G7OZFgwde5M)Yes he did! And since there was a blocking foul and KD made both it all turned out good.

Something I thought about as I played around with the below linked chart...

When we got this team, we knew they sucked. When they played the first chunk of that 2008 season, we knew they really sucked. But we were all so glad to have a sports team.

I remember listening to the Sports Animal and they talked about what would be reasonable hopes/expectations for the team: 2008 - win 10 games, get a good draft pick. 2009 - win 25 games and start showing signs of potential. 2010 - be near .500 and start vying for a playoff position. 2011 - Make the playoffs...Just make them. 2012 - Just make the playoffs for a 2nd year in a row.

...So when we first got this team in 2008, 2011 was to be our first real opportunity to make the playoffs...We ended up in the Finals. This season, or maybe next season, was the first time I think anyone expected that we might win a playoff series against the likes of the Lakers/Mavericks/Spurs.

Instead, this year, I think we can rationally say that we are favorites to win our conference for the second year in a row, and that we have a chance to compete even further into the NBA finals, and maybe bring home the trophy.

It's truly remarkable what this team has done in such a short amount of time...and it's amazing how much they've just blown any expectations out of the water.

So glad to have the Thunder in Oklahoma City.

Oklahoma City Thunder Trended NBA Power Rankings - ESPN (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/rankings/trended/_/name/okc/oklahoma-city-thunder)

Right on Teo!

Anyone seen the Kendrick Perkins local jewelry store commercial, that cracked me up! :O)

I also like Kendrick's car commercial. His deadpan scowl is just right for certain ads.

KP's scowl is world class. Makes me jealous.

KP's scowl is world class. Makes me jealous.

Put him in a face off with Eddie Sutton.

I know its still early in the season but is there anyone else watching the standings like a hawk this week? Memphis lost a couple nights ago, which now gives the Spurs the #1 spot in the west, but Thunder is still staying afloat with San Antonio, hopefully we will be #1 after we beat the Spurs on Monday, and I dont know if anyone noticed but this is the first time the Thunder has ever been on an 8 game winning streak :)

Sshhhhhh, don't jinx us!

Yeah my mom is going to her first Thunder game ever Wednesday night and it'd be crap if the lowly Hornets beat us at home!

Yeah my mom is going to her first Thunder game ever Wednesday night and it'd be crap if the lowly Hornets beat us at home!

I sold my tickets to a lady at work who is going to her first Thunder game tonight......are her initials M.H. ???


And we're going to kick the Hornets/Pelicans butts.

No, these tickets are from my uncle and I'm going with my mom...but her first name is Mary ;-)

Well sorry for that semi jinx. Lol

'Twere a real nail-biter!!!

We had a 9 game winning streak back in February 2010, our second season. It took us to another level - from "We're kinda good" to "Hey, we might make the Playoffs" - which, of course, we did.

That was an ugly, ugly game. But a win is a win.

That was an ugly, ugly game. But a win is a win.

You're absolutely right. I'm sure that Miami would have been pleased with an ugly win tonight instead of an ugly loss at home against the Warriors. All that matters in the NBA is wins and losses. San Antonio could change their game tonight around in the second half but they are trailing at Utah at half. The Thunder could be alone with the best record in the NBA after tonight. (Memphis lost again)

In a very entertaining game the Jazz beat the Spurs by 3 points with a 3 point shot at the buzzer. The Thunder are on top for now anyway.

Don't discount the Warriors... They can be for real come playoff time.

Nice to see the Spurs get sunk by a buzzer. Feels good after Parker man handled us (mostly RW) in Game #1 this season.

I'll go ahead and discount the Warriors. They've made nice strides this year, but they're not ready to make a serious run. Come playoff time I see them as the 7th or 8th best team in the west at best. I fully expect all the teams ahead of them already innthe standings and the Mavs (Dirk will be back) and Lakers (no way they're this bad all season... see the Heat two years ago) to be bigger threats come the end of the season.

I'll go ahead and discount the Warriors. They've made nice strides this year, but they're not ready to make a serious run. Come playoff time I see them as the 7th or 8th best team in the west at best. I fully expect all the teams ahead of them already innthe standings and the Mavs (Dirk will be back) and Lakers (no way they're this bad all season... see the Heat two years ago) to be bigger threats come the end of the season.

You said it. The Mavs have learned to play without Dirk and have a prescription for scoring while
he's resting. When the Lakers get Nash back, they'll be 20 % better and I'm guessing Pau Gasal
will be a factor with Nash around.

Can the Grizzlies get through the season without injuries? Right now they're overloading Marc
Gasal's and Zack's minutes. That can take a toll late in the season.

I expect, at the end, it'll be the Spurs and the Thunder fighting for 1st in the West. With neither
team having the winning percentage it had last year.

Can the Grizzlies get through the season without injuries? Right now they're overloading Marc
Gasal's and Zack's minutes. That can take a toll late in the season.

Huh? Neither of them are in the top 20 minutes played per game. On the other hand, KD plays the 3rd most minutes in the NBA: 2012-13 Regular Season NBA Player Stats and League Leaders - Minutes - National Basketball Association - ESPN (http://espn.go.com/nba/statistics/player/_/stat/minutes).

I'll go ahead and discount the Warriors. They've made nice strides this year, but they're not ready to make a serious run. Come playoff time I see them as the 7th or 8th best team in the west at best. I fully expect all the teams ahead of them already innthe standings and the Mavs (Dirk will be back) and Lakers (no way they're this bad all season... see the Heat two years ago) to be bigger threats come the end of the season.

I won't discount the Warriors. They've started a road streak 5-0 for the first time since 78-79. I was born in 78...so that's a looooooong time. Best thing is to not discount any team in this league. It's happened to the Heat twice now--losing to Golden State and recently lost against the Wizards! Russell Westbrook recently said you gotta have your game face on at all times cause any team can win at any time. It's the NBA. Our boys luckily didn't end up like the other big boys last night.

Anyone can win in the NBA on any night.... In the regular season. The playoffs are actually much more predictable.

Playoffs are different than the regular season. I don't see the Warriors as having much of a chance of beating the Thunder, Spurs, Grizzlies, Clippers, and probably even the Mavs and Lakers by the end of the season. They'll very likely be a 5-8 seed in the playoffs. I don't see them beating any of those top 4 teams without home court (or even if they had it). They have no playoff experience and they're the type of team that will struggle with the more physical playoffs. They're a great story, but they have first round exit written all over them. Again, we'll see how it plays out, but I'm confident that they won't be a serious threat come playoff time.

The Thunder are definitely the favorite out of the west. From there, if Memphis can make some moves to shore up their bench, they would be #2 (with a great chance to knock off any team because of how great their front court is). San Antonio and the Clippers round out the Top 4. From there, there is a drop off and I don't think any team is going to beat one of those 4 teams in the first round.

Dallas and LA will be threats, but LA is going to struggle just to make the playoffs (I'm guessing they'll be 4 games under .500 going into the all-star break if not worse). Dallas, even with Nowitzki, doesn't really seem like a team that is going to make a serious run. They could maybe beat the Clippers in the first round, but I don't see them beating any of the other big 4.

Yeah, we'll find out on Tuesday morning how big of a favorite the Thunder are for the west. We're 1/2 a game up on San Antonio, unless they've played and won since their loss at Utah. We play them at home on Monday and the guys will be more fired up for that one than this last game and the one tonight. SA can't win that game as those wins will go in their pocket for a better chance at home court advantage come post season. We have to win on Monday.

Yeah, we'll find out on Tuesday morning how big of a favorite the Thunder are for the west. We're 1/2 a game up on San Antonio, unless they've played and won since their loss at Utah. We play them at home on Monday and the guys will be more fired up for that one than this last game and the one tonight. SA can't win that game as those wins will go in their pocket for a better chance at home court advantage come post season. We have to win on Monday.

Lost to Portland last night. Big deal for us is that we can't have a let down tonight because it is only the Kings when we play SA on Monday. If our guys can stay focused, we have a good shot to beat the Spurs and keep this streak going.

Dup post, so I deleted.

Lost to Portland last night. Big deal for us is that we can't have a let down tonight because it is only the Kings when we play SA on Monday. If our guys can stay focused, we have a good shot to beat the Spurs and keep this streak going.

Well, heck, that sucks for SA, but I ain't hurting, lol. I think they (our guys) kinda had their let down against the Pelicans. That game was just abysmal in the first half. I think (knocking on wood) that they'll be on point tonight.

Well, heck, that sucks for SA, but I ain't hurting, lol. I think they (our guys) kinda had their let down against the Pelicans. That game was just abysmal in the first half. I think (knocking on wood) that they'll be on point tonight.

I hope you're right. Our guys don't generally have off nights two games in a row, so hopefully they'll come out hungry. I'd like to see Martin with 20 by half and RW0 with double digit assists, but no one plays in the 4th quarter.

I have two tickets for tonight's game against the Kings I cannot use and will be selling. If anyone from OKCtalk is interested, PM me. They're in Section 212. I'm selling for $100 total, which is below face value. They also come with a parking pass.

Update: Sold.

Although the term is overused, tonight is definitely a "trap game". Kings will play their best ball, meanwhile Thunder may be looking ahead to Monday night.

Spurs are finally showing some signs of ability to lose. OKC has revenge on their minds for the first game of the season. Especially on Russell to pester the crap out of Tony.


We traded our tickets for tonights game for some different tickets on Monday. So tonight we will be couch cheering.

Well, it looks like they're going to score more points this first half than on Wednesday so that's a good sign!

You all should remember that (a) the Thunder have had an easy schedule up to now, (b) the Spurs have had a tough schedule, and (c) regular season record does not mean a team will advance furthest in the playoffs. For example, Chicago finished with the best record two years ago and there was zero chance they were beating the Heat. Last year, the Spurs were #1 and we know what happened. It's fun to analyze who the "best" team is now, but it matters way more how teams are playing in April and what they're capable of overall.

Here's something new I came across, about the Harden trade options apparently:

Wizards owner Ted Leonsis refuted a recent report that he refused to trade for then-Thunder G James Harden because Harden's contract demands would have put the team in the luxury tax.

The reported trade would have sent Bradley Beal and Chris Singleton to OKC for Harden, who eventually landed in Houston and signed a five-year, $80 million contract. Leonsis took to his own blog after the report surfaced, writing, "That is simply not true. First, we would not have gone into the luxury tax – that is simple math. Second, economics were not a factor." Leonsis, also owner of the NHL's Capitals, cited their financials and previous big Wizards contracts as proof of his willingness to spend money. Gilbert Arenas wholeheartedly agrees with that last part.
Source: TedsTake.com
Dec 15 - 9:38 AM

K-Mart seems to be fitting okay into the Harden role of last year, but I'm not too familiar with how Beal and Singleton play.

Our next 4 are tough! San Antonio, @ Atlanta (who would have thought, but they have won the last 2 meetings with us), @ Minnesota, and @ Miami

K-Mart seems to be fitting okay into the Harden role of last year, but I'm not too familiar with how Beal and Singleton play.

This would have been a far worse trade. I don't think Presti would have done it. There would have been some other asset involved. NBA GMs discuss trades all the time, and sometimes talks are very informal. I bet that's what this was. Just preliminary talks that never went far...

Our next 4 are tough! San Antonio, @ Atlanta (who would have thought, but they have won the last 2 meetings with us), @ Minnesota, and @ Miami

Yep. This will be a good early season test to see where the team is right now.

KD is so fast executing his part of the lob from Russell it's hard for anyone to stop. Man is he quick for a big guy.

Enjoy -

Russell Westbrook Kevin Durant backdoor lob - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=3h2IGjHzZGQ)