OKC Thunder 2013 - 2014

[Dubya61]

What is wrong with the panhandle, two counties are more for the Lakers than the Thunder, SMH

I've met them and both of those people are stupid jerks.

[AP]

If you have some time: What If This Is OKC?s Last Shot? «

[dankrutka]

The game 5 win was fantastic, and I just kept repeating on my way out of the arena, "Unreal." I felt lucky to have been at the game.

However, I can't shake how game 5 was just another illustration of why it's time for the Thunder to move on from Scott Brooks, or at least bring in an assistant to design plays, and, dare I say, design the semblance of an offensive system. Repeatedly, game after game, season after season, when times get tough, our offense devolves into iso/hero ball. It's not efficient, sustainable, or wise long term. There are games where Westbrook and KD bail out Brooks, but there are many other times when it doesn't happen. Chris Paul bailed out Werstbrook on the three at the end of the game. That's an absolutely horrible shot both because Westbrook is an awful 3-point shooter, and because of the other options available with that much time left. Championship teams get contributions from role players throughout the game. The Thunder often stand around and stare at whoever has the ball. Anthony Slater has a great break down of our game 5 stagnant offense here: Five observations from the Thunder's dramatic 105-104 Game 5 win over the Clippers | News OK

Then I read Zach Lowe's article on Stan Van Gundy taking the Piston's job and I dreamed about what we would do with a coach like this: Detroit Retools Its Engine With Stan Van Gundy «

Scott Brooks has many positive attributes. He's a players coach, he's consistent and even-keeled, and he's even been willing to tinker with some adjustments lately. But, he's frequently outcoached. Sticking with Perkins in the 2012 Finals will go down as one of the most puzzling, stubborn coaching decisions in NBA history. There was absolutely no justification for it. The Thunder often win games in spite of Brooks, and the fact that we're seeing the same stagnant offense in his 6th year is all you need to know. Whatever happens this off season, he either needs an assistant to help develop a more sophisticated game plan or the Thunder need to get a coach that can do so... before it's too late: What If This Is OKC?s Last Shot? «

Oh, and, let's go Thunder! Huge game tonight.

[Urbanized]

If you have some time: What If This Is OKC?s Last Shot? «

What a great article. For the record, I get mad every time I THINK of Bill Simmons.

[dankrutka]

What a great article. For the record, I get mad every time I THINK of Bill Simmons.

I'm a big Simmons fan, but he gets hung up on narratives sometimes, and there is no better example than the Harden trade (even if he's not totally wrong, IMHO). Anyway, if you're interested in the history of the NBA, his The Book of Basketball is a good read: http://www.amazon.com/The-Book-Baske.../dp/0345520106. He knows his stuff, but he definitely takes a more of a traditional fan view than an analytical perspective towards the game. That's why I love when Simmons has analytics gurus like Zach Lowe on the BS Report because he tests out all his theories/narratives and Lowe then responds with his vast reservoir of data. Makes for a good balance.

[zookeeper]

Simmons was wrong about how much we got for the Harden trade (or how little in his eyes). Either he doesn't know - or he wasn't being completely honest in the article.

[Urbanized]

He's not being completely honest. Remember, this is the same guy who refused to call the Thunder anything other than Zombie Sonics for several years after the relocation.

He knows full well at the very least that we also got Jeremy Lamb, who has potential to be pretty special and who would be seeing significant minutes if not for the Butler pickup and Brooks' substitution stubbornness. But his point WAS interesting that while the Harden trade might have made sense based on what the Thunder could reasonably project under the new CBA, the numbers are spiraling to the point where keeping Harden might not have put us into luxury tax territory after all. This is the first I have heard of that, but pretty amazing if this is correct.

[adaniel]

I like Grantland, but Bill Simmons is a hack who thinks he knows way more than he does. Thank you bringing up the whole "Zombie Sonics" thing. Nobody in the state of Oklahoma should take him seriously. I am jumping to conclusions here but if asked I doubt he thinks highly of anything related to OKC or OK and it comes across in his writing, like STILL talking about the James Harden. We are just dumb ass hicks who should bow to his Bawstin greatness, right?

Speaking of disdain for middle America, I will never forget last year when he said the crowds in Memphis were tense not because they were worried about the outcome of the game but because they were still scarred from the MLK assissination. That is classic Simmons right there. Quite possibly the dumbest thing I've heard anyone say about anything, ever.

[AP]

There are a lot of people, I've recently found out, who don't really like him.

[dankrutka]

I like Grantland, but Bill Simmons is a hack who thinks he knows way more than he does. Thank you bringing up the whole "Zombie Sonics" thing. Nobody in the state of Oklahoma should take him seriously. I am jumping to conclusions here but if asked I doubt he thinks highly of anything related to OKC or OK and it comes across in his writing, like STILL talking about the James Harden. We are just dumb ass hicks who should bow to his Bawstin greatness, right?

Speaking of disdain for middle America, I will never forget last year when he said the crowds in Memphis were tense not because they were worried about the outcome of the game but because they were still scarred from the MLK assissination. That is classic Simmons right there. Quite possibly the dumbest thing I've heard anyone say about anything, ever.

I completely understand why OKC fans don't like Simmons, but you should probably stick to your Harden or Zombie Sonics arguments... You can say a lot of things about Simmons, one of them is not that he lacks knowledge about the NBA. Again, The Book of Basketball is over 700 pages of detailed basketball analysis. He knows his stuff. And he created probably the most sophisticated sports site that exists in Grantland. Saying you hate Simmons, but love his creation - Grantland - seems a bit contradictory considering the influence he has over the site and who writes for it. Grantland is his baby.

He's also not a traditional journalist striving for objectivity. He's found a niche as an opinion-based basketball junky. I enjoy it, but I also have pretty thick skin and tend to think he's correct on several points regarding the Harden trade (aside from him not mentioning Lamb apparently in that article).

I don't think he has anything personal against OKC anymore than most media members do who live on the coasts. He's fixated on the Harden trade, but what else has he really said that's controversial? I'm honestly asking.

Finally, do you have a link to the Memphis comment? I've never hear anyone mention that...

[PWitty]

The game 5 win was fantastic, and I just kept repeating on my way out of the arena, "Unreal." I felt lucky to have been at the game.

However, I can't shake how game 5 was just another illustration of why it's time for the Thunder to move on from Scott Brooks, or at least bring in an assistant to design plays, and, dare I say, design the semblance of an offensive system. Repeatedly, game after game, season after season, when times get tough, our offense devolves into iso/hero ball. It's not efficient, sustainable, or wise long term. There are games where Westbrook and KD bail out Brooks, but there are many other times when it doesn't happen. Chris Paul bailed out Werstbrook on the three at the end of the game. That's an absolutely horrible shot both because Westbrook is an awful 3-point shooter, and because of the other options available with that much time left. Championship teams get contributions from role players throughout the game. The Thunder often stand around and stare at whoever has the ball. Anthony Slater has a great break down of our game 5 stagnant offense here: Five observations from the Thunder's dramatic 105-104 Game 5 win over the Clippers | News OK

Then I read Zach Lowe's article on Stan Van Gundy taking the Piston's job and I dreamed about what we would do with a coach like this: Detroit Retools Its Engine With Stan Van Gundy «

Scott Brooks has many positive attributes. He's a players coach, he's consistent and even-keeled, and he's even been willing to tinker with some adjustments lately. But, he's frequently outcoached. Sticking with Perkins in the 2012 Finals will go down as one of the most puzzling, stubborn coaching decisions in NBA history. There was absolutely no justification for it. The Thunder often win games in spite of Brooks, and the fact that we're seeing the same stagnant offense in his 6th year is all you need to know. Whatever happens this off season, he either needs an assistant to help develop a more sophisticated game plan or the Thunder need to get a coach that can do so... before it's too late: What If This Is OKC?s Last Shot? «

Oh, and, let's go Thunder! Huge game tonight.

Yep. I told my buddies before this series started that if the LAC ended up winning the series, the one and only reason would be because of Doc Rivers. He's a very vocal coach sometimes, such as after their Game 5 loss, but he is one of the best coaches in the league. Yes, the Clips have some solid talent. But we have better. Their advantage is on the bench. The thought of what the Thunder roster could do with a coach like Doc puts my brain on overload.

[PWitty]

I completely understand why OKC fans don't like Simmons, but you should probably stick to your Harden or Zombie Sonics arguments... You can say a lot of things about Simmons, one of them is not that he lacks knowledge about the NBA. Again, The Book of Basketball is over 700 pages of detailed basketball analysis. He knows his stuff. And he created probably the most sophisticated sports site that exists in Grantland. Saying you hate Simmons, but love his creation - Grantland - seems a bit contradictory considering the influence he has over the site and who writes for it. Grantland is his baby.

He's also not a traditional journalist striving for objectivity. He's found a niche as an opinion-based basketball junky. I enjoy it, but I also have pretty thick skin and tend to think he's correct on several points regarding the Harden trade (aside from him not mentioning Lamb apparently in that article).

I don't think he has anything personal against OKC anymore than most media members do who live on the coasts. He's fixated on the Harden trade, but what else has he really said that's controversial? I'm honestly asking.

Finally, do you have a link to the Memphis comment? I've never hear anyone mention that...

I hold Simmons in pretty high regard as well. He has been overly critical of the Thunder in many instances over the past couple years, specifically about the Harden trade, so it isn't surprising that folks from OKC don't care for him. But the guy knows basketball. Anyone who disputes that is fighting a losing battle.

[Urbanized]

I'm not one of the ones who said he doesn't know basketball. He does. I just said I get mad every time I even think about the dude, and I'm not exaggerating.

[zookeeper]

From the Simmons article on Grantland:

"The Thunder EASILY could have afforded Durant, Ibaka, Westbrook and Harden these next two seasons. Right now, they have Steven Adams and the 21st pick of next month’s draft to show for a first-team All-NBA guard. Can you ever recover from that?"

I know he's supposed to be the basketball brain, so I must ask regarding the above - was he just being intellectually dishonest?

Reality:

"Harden turned down that deal and when the Thunder bumped it up a few million and he still wouldn't bite, they dealt him to the Rockets for Martin, Jeremy Lamb, two first-round picks and a second-round pick (via Daily Thunder's Royce Young). One of the first-round picks became Steven Adams, the second-rounder was used on FC Barcelona shooting guard Alex Abrines and the other first (from the Dallas Mavericks) is top-20 protected through 2017."
Re-Assessing James Harden's Decision to Turn Down OKC Thunder | Bleacher Report

So, he forgets 1.) Our picks that we used to trade-up in last year's draft? 2.) He forgets Kevin Martin? 3.) He forgets Jeremy Lamb? 4.) Forgets amnesty protection? 5.) Completely forgot the Thunder used a pick to acquire the NBA rights to one of the best young players internationally in Alex Abrines (only 19 or 20) in Spain?

All of that was a direct result from the Harden trade. If he's the Hoops Wiz, then Simmons really wasn't very honest about that trade. Remember what he said:
"Right now, they have Steven Adams and the 21st pick of next month’s draft to show for a first-team All-NBA guard."

[adaniel]

I completely understand why OKC fans don't like Simmons, but you should probably stick to your Harden or Zombie Sonics arguments... You can say a lot of things about Simmons, one of them is not that he lacks knowledge about the NBA. Again, The Book of Basketball is over 700 pages of detailed basketball analysis. He knows his stuff. And he created probably the most sophisticated sports site that exists in Grantland. Saying you hate Simmons, but love his creation - Grantland - seems a bit contradictory considering the influence he has over the site and who writes for it. Grantland is his baby.

He's also not a traditional journalist striving for objectivity. He's found a niche as an opinion-based basketball junky. I enjoy it, but I also have pretty thick skin and tend to think he's correct on several points regarding the Harden trade (aside from him not mentioning Lamb apparently in that article).

I don't think he has anything personal against OKC anymore than most media members do who live on the coasts. He's fixated on the Harden trade, but what else has he really said that's controversial? I'm honestly asking.

Finally, do you have a link to the Memphis comment? I've never hear anyone mention that...

Read all about it: Bill Simmons Thinks Memphis Fans Get Tense Because MLK Was Shot There

As far as Simmons, he is very good at talking about the X's and O's but anything else he needs to leave alone. The Memphis thing is the most egregious thing he's said recently but by no means the only thing, and for the record my dad's family is from Memphis so I am well aware of the city's sordid history. If I were a betting man, I'd wager that Bill Simmon's explorations of Memphis are limited to the arena, the airport, and the hotel, yet this experience has somehow given him an accurate pulse on the city? The guy is trying way too hard to seem intellectual and high brow but most of his arguments are quite lazy, inaccurate, and poorly put together. Which is why I take nothing about his views on the Thunder and Harden trade (nearly 2 years after the fact) or snarky snides about the "Zombie Sonics" seriously. Didn't KD pretty much shut him down on a live interview? His articles are on entertaining on a I-need-to-read-something-on-my-phone-while-pooping level, but certainly not a real sports journalist.

While we are piling on, he is painfully awkward on his ESPN analyst gig, probably because he knows he doesn't hold a candle with his "knowledge" of the game compared to people who actually played it. The rumor is Magic Johnson left the show for this exact reason. Also his picks are usually wrong. FWIW I know the Thunder will win this series because Simmons picked the Clippers, which is kind of surprising considering Doc Rivers called him an idiot on live TV!

But lots of people obviously like Bill Simmons and he's certainly entitled to his opinion. And I like Grantland's other writers...maybe at one point in the past he was on a similar level. He's not the worst person in the world...just another blogger/talking head at the worldwide leader. I just see little to put him on the pedestal some have.

[Sonny_Crockett]

Charles Barkley once said Greg Oden would win a title before Kevin Durant. That might happen this year and I would love to prove that moron Barkley wrong.

[Dustin]

The Thunder are heading to the Western Conference Finals!

[Mel]

That was worth staying up for! Worried about Ibaka's calf though.

[zookeeper]

That was worth staying up for! Worried about Ibaka's calf though.

Yeah, that's certainly worrisome. But how about Steven Adams? Best game in his NBA career and showed us part of the future.

[Laramie]

It is finished...

Congratulations to the Oklahoma City Thunder on advancing to the Western Conference Finals!

Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Los Angeles Clippers - Box Score - May 15, 2014 - ESPN

We finish . . . > < . . .to Begin


"Oklahoma City looks oh-so pretty... ...as I get my kicks on Route 66." --Nat King Cole.

[soonerguru]

It is finished...

Congratulations to the Oklahoma City Thunder on advancing to the Western Conference Finals!

Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Los Angeles Clippers - Box Score - May 15, 2014 - ESPN

We finish . . . > < . . .to Begin


"Oklahoma City looks oh-so pretty... ...as I get my kicks on Route 66." --Nat King Cole.

Great game! I'll never forget Collison's three-point shot to tie at 72. You could just see the energy drained out of that arena.

[Mel]

Yeah, that's certainly worrisome. But how about Steven Adams? Best game in his NBA career and showed us part of the future.

Adams just keeps getting better. Hope we get to keep him awhile.

[OKCisOK4me]

Hard to imagine his career high is 17 points but the future is bright for young Padawan Adams.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Anonymous.]

Presti is a god at picking players later in draft. Jackson and Adams are money picks.

Collison and Adams last night won that game. Russell's passing was solid and KD lit up the 2nd half like a winner.

Ibaka's calf injury is scary, but he has until Monday night at least.


The schedule coming up for the WCF is interesting. Due to the NBA Finals having set dates, there is a large gap between game 2 and 3. So we won't have another game at the 'Peake until NEXT Sunday, the 25th.

[Romulack]