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Dallas Cowboys: Rob Ryan should make a difference

The Dallas Cowboys selected eight players in the NFL Draft. Six of the eight were offensive players. The Cowboys no doubt will look to free agency to shore up a defense that developed all kinds of holes.

But free agency will have to wait until the NFL fixes its labor dispute. For now, Dallas’ defense will have to puts its hope in another newcomer.

Coordinator Rob Ryan.

“We are absolutely excited about Rob Ryan coming in here as our defensive coordinator,” head coach Jason Garrett said. “He was hired for a reason. He does an outstanding job, and we expect him to do an outstanding job with our defense. We are certainly happy with Rob and what he can bring to our defense.”

Ryan, the son of NFL defensive coaching legend Buddy Ryan, was born in Ardmore but never really lived in Oklahoma until he came to Southwestern State to play football.

Rob Ryan was Bob Simmons’ defensive coordinator at OSU from 1997-99 and did a superb job, which catapulted him back to the NFL, this time without the help of his dad.

Rob and his brother Rex were on Buddy’s Cardinal staff in 1994-95. But Rob’s status soared during stints as the linebacker coach at New England (2000-03, two Super Bowl titles), defensive coordinator at Oakland (2004-08) and defensive coordinator at Cleveland (2009-10).

Garrett hired Ryan this off-season, and now he’s coaching 100 miles from his birthplace.

Rob Ryan has the same fire as his brother, perhaps without the nose for the spotlight that has seemed to always find Rex in his two years as head coach of the Jets.

Rex’s bluster could scare off some organizations from considering Rob as a head coach. Of course, Rex’s success with the Jets could entice some teams to take a long look at Rob, and success with the Cowboys most definitely would aid that process.

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NFL Draft: Strange day for the Big 12

The Big 12 dominated the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft. Three of the top four picks were Sooners and five of the top six were Big 12 players: OU’s Sam Bradford, G.K. McCoy and Trent Williams; Nebraska’s Ndamukong Suh and OSU’s Russell Okung. Later in the round, came Texas’ Earl Thomas, Missouri’s Sean Weatherspoon and OSU’s Dez Bryant.

The SEC dominated the 2011 draft’s first round, with five of the first six picks.

But the Big 12 wasn’t too shabby. Eight Big 12 players went in the first round Thursday. But they came from unlikely precincts.

For the first time since 1998, neither OU nor Texas had a first-round draft pick. And of the eight Big 12 players taken, seven came from the North Division or Baylor.

Only Texas A&M’s Von Miller came from one of the South Division strongholds. Also drafted in the first round were Baylor’s Phil Taylor and Danny Watkins, Missouri’s Aldon Smith and Blaine Gabbert, Colorado’s Nate Solder and Jimmy Smith, and Nebraska’s Prince Amukamara.

This isn’t a long-term trend. Justin Blackmon, Landry Jones, Ryan Broyles, Brandon Weeden, Travis, Markelle Martin. Expect some Sooners and Cowboys to return to the first round, and maybe even a Longhorn.

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Thunder: Heady days for small markets

These NBA playoffs are some heady days for small markets. Which frankly, is a loaded term.

What is a small market? I’ve heard people refer to St. Louis as a small market. Anything not in New York, Chicago or LA could be considered a small market. But let’s be serious. Dallas, Boston, Houston, Atlanta, San Francisco and Philadelphia aren’t small markets.

Here’s a decent way to identify a small market. If it’s got one major league franchise, it’s a small market. Can we agree on that?

In the NBA, that means Orlando, San Antonio, Oklahoma City, Portland, Memphis, Salt Lake City and Sacramento.

In the NFL, that means Green Bay and Jacksonville.

In the NHL, that means Raleigh and Columbus (excluding the Canadian cities, which are a completely different subject).

And in the MLB, that means nobody. (An aside. I know baseball would be a tough go in a virgin market. But wouldn’t baseball have a fighting chance more in a place like, I don’t know, Louisville or Hartford or Birmingham or Norfolk or Albuquerque or even El Paso, than say, being second fiddle in Kansas City or third fiddle in Tampa? I know you would be stretched corporately, but this we know. There are places where it’s not working. Who knew the NBA would work in Salt Lake or OKC?)

Anyway, the NBA is the hallmark for small markets, with seven of the 30 franchises sharing its city with no other major-league team. And you know what? Those teams are mostly prospering on the court.

Oklahoma City is in the Western Conference semifinals, where the Thunder will meet another small market, either San Antone or Memphis. Portland, too, made the playoffs and was just ushered out of by Dallas in a competitive series. Orlando was knocked out of the playoffs Thursday night and has been a perennial Eastern contender.

That’s five of seven small markets in the playoffs, with at least one assured of being in the NBA’s final four. That’s not a bad resume’. The only small-market teams out of the playoffs in 2011 are the Utah Jazz, perhaps the NBA’s most consistent franchise, and the Sacramento Kings, who have been woeful for 30 years outside of an uprising in the early 2000s.

Small markets have all kinds of issues. Can Orlando hang onto Dwight Howard, the way OKC was able to hang onto Kevin Durant? Good question. Orlando knows the disaster that comes with losing a superstar. It lost Shaq 15 years ago to the Lakers.

And NBA titles are rare for small markets. San Antonio has won four: 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007. But Portland’s only championship came in 1977. The other small markets have never won, though pundits predict great things in the Thunder future.

How does that compare to the NFL? Hard to compare. The NFL shares its mighty national television contract, so market size is largely irrelevant in the NFL. The only market issue in the NFL goes to an owner’s greed. How much money does he want to make? Market issue is not a factor in competitive status, so long as the NFL shares its television money and maintains some kind of payroll cap.

But for the record, the Jacksonville Jaguars have been consistently competitive since joining the league in 1996, making two AFC title games. The Packers’ glory I assume you know about. It was in all the papers.

Hockey? Well, the Columbus Blue Jackets have made the Stanley Cup playoffs just once in their 11 seasons. So they stink. But in 14 years since moving from Hartford, the Carolina Hurricanes have made the playoffs five times, the conference finals thrice and the Stanley Cup Finals twice, winning one. So that’s a good franchise.

Small markets can compete in all sports. Be smart, be diligent, and good things happen. Doesn’t mean you can win a title. It’s always going to be easier for New York (see the Yankees), Los Angeles (Lakers) and Chicago (Bulls, though it took Michael Jordan).

The pending NBA labor negotiations will center heavily on market issues. How can the Kings compete with the Lakers? How can the Jazz compete with the Knickerbockers? It’s not easy. But the small market teams in the NBA are doing a good job now.

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Power Lunch Chat Recap: Berry Tramel

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Thunder: Quite a night for the OKC crowd

Quite a night for Oklahoma City. A playoff series victory over Denver in the most dramatic of fashion. Kevin Durant’s heroics. Serge Ibaka’s blocks. Kendrick Perkins even dunked.

I sat on press row, right behind the scorer’s table, so I had a great seat, but that doesn’t mean I had the best view to experience all the atmosphere, during the game and after.

I went to a really good source for that. A better source than the crazy fans who dress up and live and die with the Thunder. A better source than Rumble. A better source than Clay Bennett.

My wife. Trish the Dish bought two $47 tickets and sat on Row J in Section 311. She took our niece, another big Thunder fan. I went to visit in pre-game but couldn’t stay long. The upper deck gives me the willies; I don’t have a fear of heights, I have a fear of falling.

Anyway, I got home at 2 a.m., so it wasn’t until this morning that I was able to conduct a serious interview on what the night was like. Here is her report.

First, she reported no disgruntledness from the crowd. Down below, you could sense a feeling of unrest. But no booing. Few groans. A little frustration when no one but Durant could make a shot. Apparently, it was the same upstairs. “I didn’t hear any complaining or yelling at the team,” Trish the Dish said. “It was positive. More of a cheering you on type of thing.”

After the game, the fans stayed for several minutes cheering. “I kept thinking, ‘is somebody going to come out and do something?’ because everyone was staying in their seats,” she said.

Walking down the concourse of the arena sounded cool, too. The Thunder drummers were set up, pounding away, and the fans chanted “OKC! OKC!” just like they did after those Laker games last year.

Fans had their cell phones in the air, videoing the scene. Once outside, the mass of people didn’t dissipate. The crowd gathered around the TV stage, where Kelly Crull and the crew were about to stage a post-game show.

Trish the Dish had parked just off Reno, east of the railroad tracks. At the stoplight by the Courtyard, the fans still were chanting. Car horns began honking, some to the rhythm of that “clap, clap-clap, clap your hands” chant.

Going under the railroad bridge on Reno, fans started walking in the street instead of the sidewalk, going between the cars, and no one seemed to mind. People were hanging out of their cars yelling and screaming.

All after the first of what could be four playoff series.

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Meet for lunch at Buffalo Wild Wings on NW Expressway

Wow. What a night in Oklahoma City. The game. The comeback. The revelry.

I say we talk about it. I’ll be at Buffalo Wild Wings on Northwest Expressway at 11 a.m. today for my online chat, then like always, I’ll hang out for lunch and talk with fans. Stop by and join me. I’ll be there until 12:30 p.m.

The subject matter is limitless. Thunder 100-97 over the Nuggets. Kevin Durant’s epic night. Memorable play after memorable play.

Let’s talk about it. Meet me for lunch at Buffalo Wild Wings on Northwest Expressway.

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Thunder: Russell Westbrook series’ most effective player

Someone on the radio said Kendrick Perkins has been a bust for this playoff series against Denver, which of course sent me to the box scores, and I was going to write about Perk’s value, even against Nene’. Which I will. But I got involved in some other stuff, all of which made me decide to write about all 10 Thunders and how they’ve played in this series.

First, an admission. I am big on plus/minus, which measures the game score while you’re on the court. It’s best to measure plus/minus in terms of minutes played. In other words, if Kevin Durant plays three times as many minutes as Daequan Cook, and their effectiveness is equal, then Durant will have three times the plus/minus numbers. But that doesn’t mean Durant hasn’t been three times as effective, although certainly playing at a high level for 30 minutes trumps playing at a high level for 10.

Anyway, let’s get right to it. We’ll rank the Thunder based on plus/minus in this series.

1. Russell Westbrook. Surprised? You shouldn’t be. The Thunder hasn’t just played well with Westbrook on the court. It has played spectacularly well. His plus/minus was +21 in Game 2 and +14 in Game 3. Even Game 4, when Westbrook was roasted for taking 30 shots, he was the only Boomer starter with a plus, +4. Westbrook’s plus/minus total is +35 and his 48-minute average is +11.58. From the regular season, Westbrook’s scoring is up (26.3, 21.9) and his rebounding is up (6.8, 4.6). His assists (8.2, 6.8) and field-goal percentage (.442, .430) are slightly down.

2. Nick Collison: Collison’s plus/minus numbers for Games 1 and 2 — +12 and +16. For a reserve? For a guy that plays only half the game? Those are monster numbers. Collison was -8 in Game 3 and even in Game 4, so his overall plus/minus for the series is +20, with a 48-minute average of +11.85. Collison’s averages aren’t far off the regular season — 6.0 points, 3.5 rebounds in the series; 4.6 points, 4.5 rebounds during the season — but check out his shooting. Ten of 14. Collison barely has missed.

3. Kevin Durant: Durant actually has a higher plus/minus total, +26, than does Collison, but over 48 minutes, the average is +7.47. Durant’s shooting has been superb; 45.5 percent in the series, after shooting 46.2 percent during the season. But Durant has made 14 of 27 3-pointers in the series after making just 35 percent during the season. Hey, Scotty Brooks. Get Durant some more 3-pointers.

4. James Harden: The only Thunder with a plus in every playoff game: +7, +4, +11, +1. His 48-minute average is +9.43. And Brooks has taken notice. Harden’s minutes per game have jumped from 26.7 in the season to 29.3 in the series. Harden really hasn’t changed much from the season, though his scoring is down to 10.0 from 12.2 and he’s shooting slightly worse, just 40.7. But the Thunder seems to play well when he’s on the court. And that doesn’t mean Thabo Sefolosha has to sit. Denver allows Brooks to go small at times; play Durant at power forward, with both Harden and Thabo on the court.

5. Serge Ibaka. Brooks is leaning on Serge more than ever, playing him 31 minutes a game, up from 27 minutes a game during the season and up from 29.5 after the Jeff Green trade. Ibaka has produced three straight double-doubles; his averages of 12.5 points and 11.8 rebounds are big-time. But strangely, Ibaka’s plus/minus total is +3; +1.16 over 48 minutes. His field-goal percentage might answer the mystery: he’s 17 of  38 in the series, after making 54 percent during the season.

6. Thabo Sefolosha: This is not a great series for Thabo. There’s no one for him to guard. All these Nuggets, except Nene and Ty Lawson, all seem about the same. Thus Thabo’s defensive prowess lessens in value. That will change if the Lakers appear in a series soon. Anyway, Thabo is just +1 for the series and +0.55 over 48 minutes. He’s only made one of seven 3-pointers; he was a 27.5 percent 3-point marksman in the regular season.

7. Kendrick Perkins: Those who say Perkins isn’t valuable against Denver are wrong. Perkins is most definitely needed to dog Nene, and for the most part, Perk has been successful. Nene’s numbers for this series are slightly up — 15.8 points, 9.0 rebounds, after a regular season of 14.5, 7.6 — but it’s taking a toll. Nene’ has made just 19 of 37 shots, a solid 51.4 percent, but that’s a big fall from Nene’s 61.5 percent in the regular season. Perkins is +1 overall in the series, with no wide varianace in any game. His 48-minute percentage is +0.48.

8. Daequan Cook: Don’t look now, but Cook is not making 3-pointers. He’s 4 of 13 from beyond the arc, after a stretch run in which he was superb. It’s fairly obvious that George Karl has laid down the law — no one leaves Cook open. Still, Cook’s plus/minus is solid, +6 overall, +6.69 if stretched over 48 minutes.

9. Nazr Mohammed: Mohammed’s production has been minimal. He’s 2-of-9 shooting, with averages of 1.0 points and 2.0 rebounds. But his plus/minus total is +4, with a +3.84 average over 48 minutes.

10. Eric Maynor: Does this stun you as much as it did me? Maynor was spectacular in Game 1. Drew the rave of Karl after keying a Thunder comeback and registering a +8. But since then, Maynor’s totals are -4, -11, -7. That’s a -14 total, the only Thunder in the negative for the series, and stretched over 48 minutes, that’s -14.29.

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OSU football: Friday night lights

Oklahoma State will play Iowa State on a Friday night, Nov. 18, for an ESPN telecast. Which makes me think of several things.

1. It will be cold. Iowa is a beautiful place, and it can even be beautiful, if nippy, in November. But a night game? That’s a different story. The average November high for Ames is 45 degrees; the average November low is 27. So we’re looking at a likely kickoff in the 30s, with the chance for even colder.

2. That’s a far cry from the 1997 OSU-ISU game, which was played on Aug. 30. The Cowboys kick-started their breakout 1997 season with a 21-14 victory. The temperature at kickoff had to be in the 90s, even though it was a night game, and a new pressbox had opened. Without air-conditioning. I thought we would lose some people that night. By the way, that’s the night Princess Di died.

3. Friday night football is a perilous business for Oklahoma and Texas universities. You don’t want to be seen as impeding on the high schools’ night. However, Nov. 18 should have less impact than most Friday nights. In Oklahoma, that’s the second week of playoffs, so the number of high school games will be far less than a normal week.

4. Great, great window for OSU and any potential award campaigns for Brandon Weeden and Justin Blackmon. Not as good of a window as a Thursday night, which has become the marquee time slot for college football exposure. But very good.

5. The Cowboys could be getting an Iowa State team playing for its life. Or a team playing out the string. The Cyclones have a rough non-conference schedule: Northern Iowa, at Connecticut, Iowa. Ouch. Looks like a 1-2 start, though who knows what Connecticut will be without coach Randy Edsall? ISU’s only scheduled Big 12 game after OSU is Kansas State. So going into the OSU game, the Cyclones will have played the other five Big 12 South teams, plus Missouri and Kansas. If Iowa State is 4-6, it will still be in bowl contention. But it might be hard to get to 4-6.

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Thunder: Desmond Mason plants more OKC roots

Desmond Mason and his family moved back to Oklahoma City last autumn. Now they’ve established even more roots. Mason has joined the stately Oklahoma City Golf & Country Club.

I didn’t even know Mason played golf. “I’m getting there,” Mason said. “I play a lot more than I used to.”

He took up the game in 2002 and now is a 13-handicap. Has his sights set on single digits. A single-digit handicap and making his mark in OKC.

Mason has opened two business, a fitness center, barre3, on Classen Curve and an art gallery in which he will display his own work, the work of Oklahoma artists trying to get recognized and the work of visiting artists from as far away as Europe. Mason also is doing analyst work for KWTV-9 during the NBA playoffs.

Mason also has become a spokesman for First Fidelity Bank. He’s having a Nichols Hills house renovated. It wouldn’t be much of a stretch to see Mason work for the Thunder in some capacity, since he played for the NBA team in its first season in Oklahoma City and also was a popular member of the Hornets when they played in OKC in 2005-07.

“I think it’s really cool that guys of his caliber come back to Oklahoma City instead of leaving,” said Chuck Ainsworth, president of Oklahoma City Golf & Country Club. “We’re absolutely delighted to have him.”

Mason, his wife and their two children had lived in Portland, where Mason’s wife grew up before coming to Oklahoma State on a soccer scholarship.

Mason’s NBA career ended in 2009. He considered Portland, OKC and Milwaukee, where he also played several years. They chose Oklahoma. “We like living here,” Mason said.  “Oklahoma is a great fit for us.”

Mason said he and Thunder general manager Sam Presti have talked vaguely about Mason playing a role with the Thunder, though what that role might be isn’t clear. Mason would be valuable in a variety of roles. Public relations, television, life skills for the players.

Thunder chairman Clay Bennett is a member at Oklahoma City Golf & Country Club, as is Aubrey McClendon, another primary shareholder in the Thunder.

Mason is not the first black member at Oklahoma City Golf & Country Club; he’s not a pioneer or anything. But Mason is a trendsetter.

“Oklahoma City is getting younger,” Mason said. “It’s like First Fidelity Bank. It’s really expanding out to touch another demographic. Change is good, whatever it be. Race, or age demographic. Either way, it’s good that good people respect us for who we are and the way we carry ourselves.”

Said Ainsworth, “He’s a great ambassador for Oklahoma City. Just an outstanding guy. Really a charming guy.”

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Thunder: Not enough shots for Kevin Durant

The big Thunder talk this morning is about Russell Westbrook and his ESPN anthology game: 30 for 30. Thirty points, thirty shots in the Thunder’s 104-101 loss to Denver on Monday night.

I am a big Westbrook fan, and in the Wednesday Oklahoman, I’m going to write a column in defense of the Thunder point guard.

But for now, let’s admit the obvious. Westbrook took too many shots at the expense of Kevin Durant not getting enough. Durant got 18 shots, made eight and scored 31 points. That’s efficient offense. Westbrook took 30 shots, made 12 and scored 30 points. That’s inefficient offense.

No one play gripes me about Westbrook. Not one. Not even that air-ball 3-pointer with eight seconds left. Down three, eight seconds left, it’s OK with me if someone jacks up a three. Get it up, if it misses, maybe someone rebounds. Westbrook shoot it poorly. I don’t believe he shot it unwisely.

No, the problem with Westbrook on Monday night, and something he hopefully can learn from, is that Durant needs more shots. Give six of those Westbrook shots to Durant, put them both at 24, and the Thunder’s in business.

The NBA stat geeks have come up with a great measurement, a tool called usage. How many possessions does a player end, either by shot or turnover, while he’s on the court.

For the season, Westbrook has “used” more possessions than has Durant, 31.6 percent to 30.6 percent. That stat doesn’t alarm me. I’d just as soon see Durant get the 31 percent and Westbrook the 30, but either way, it’s OK. They spend most of their minutes together — Durant averages four more minutes per game, primarily because Westbrook has a good backup in Eric Maynor and there’s really no one to play in Durant’s stead, especially with Jeff Green traded to Boston.

But think about those usage numbers. That’s about right, isn’t it? Don’t you want Durant and Westbrook accounting for 62 percent of the shots/foul shots/turnovers when they’re on the court together, which is most the game? You don’t want to spread it around too much, give Thabo or Kendrick Perkins or even Serge Ibaka and James Harden an equal share.

So here was the problem Monday night. Westbrook’s percentage went up to 37.7 percent. Durant’s was 27.6 percent. That’s the difference in those six extra shots.

For the entire four-game series against the Nuggets, Westbrook’s usage is up: 35.7, to Durant’s 27.8 percent. Again, that’s too much. Get them both back around 30.

Some have argued that Durant needs to have a higher usage percentage, but I don’t think so. Westbrook’s the point guard. The ball’s going to be in his hands a bunch. If the ball leaves his hands too much, bad things can happen. Sign me up for a different 30/30. Thirty percent usage for Durant, 30 percent usage for Westbrook.

What’s absolutely fascinating is this. The Thunder lost three of the four quarters Monday night. Denver led 26-20 after one, outscored OKC 26-24 in the third and 33-30 in the fourth. But in the second quarter, the Thunder outscored Denver 25-19.

And in the second quarter, Durant and Westbrook both had their lowest usage percentages.

Here is Westbrook usage by quarters: 36.3 percent, 26.3, 40 and 45.8. That’s right. After Westbrook entered the game with 10:16 left, almost half the Thunder possessions ended with a Westbrook shot or turnover.

Here is Durant usage by quarters: 32 percent, 21.1, 23.1, 33.3.

A couple of interesting thoughts. The quarter in which Durant and Westbrook did the least, was the Thunder’s best. And that goes right along with what we’ve seen in this series. The one rout in the series was Game 2, when Harden was the star and the Thunder role players asserted themselves.

Outside of Ibaka, that didn’t happen Monday night. And I don’t blame Westbrook (or Durant) for that. The other Boomers get a little passive. Sometimes Westbrook takes over a bunch of possessions because he wants to. Sometimes Westbrook takes over a bunch of possessions because he has to.

In the fourth quarter Monday night, Westbrook and Durant re-entered together, at 10:16. From that point on, they combined to either shoot, get fouled or commit a turnover on 19 of the Thunder’s 24 possessions.

Harden had a dunk and a drive resulting in foul shots, the latter with 7:53 left. Ibaka made two foul shots with 2:33 and a jumper with 1:41 left. And Kendrick Perkins missed a tip.

Hey, it’s great when Durant and Westbrook are doing most of the shotmaking. But getting everyone else a little more involved is paramount. The Thunder is better when Ibaka and Harden (and heck, Nick Collison and even Sefolosha) are contributing, too. That’s the job of Westbrook, yes, but that’s the job of everyone. You can’t go standing around. Westbrook doesn’t stand around and isn’t going to wait on anyone who’s trying to decide.

So in no way do I want to bridle Westbrook. He just needs to look to pass a little more. Not a lot. Just a little. Primarily to Kevin Durant.

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