Thunder Hitting the Road
A few questions about the Thunder heading into tomorrow’s game against Houston…
* How will the Thunder handle the road tomorrow and throughout the season?
* How will Jeff Green and Kevin Durant bounce back?
* Can Russell Westbrook build on Wednesday’s performance and begin his career by stringing together a few good games?
* Will Robert Swift play? (P.J. says it’s a possibility because of Yao Ming’s height)
* Can the bench play as well against the Rockets as it did against Milwaukee?
* Can the Thunder keep their turnovers to 15 or fewer?
* Will Johan Petro revert to his preseason form?
* Will Nick Collison look for his shot more? (He took only five Wednesday)
* Has the defense improved since giving up so much to Andrew Bogut, Michael Redd, Richard Jefferson and Charlie Villanueva?
* Can the Thunder rebound against the Rockets?
* Will P.J. try to speed up the game and make Yao run while getting easy baskets in transition?
* Will the Thunder make its free throws?
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Analyzing Durant
He’s not a shooting guard.
He can’t dribble.
He wasn’t even trying.
I’ve heard all the above about Kevin Durant and much more about the second-year guard’s Oklahoma City debut. There’s no question Durant had a bad night. He missed all four of his shots in the first half and made 5 of 10 in the second half to finish with 12 points. He had five turnovers, five fouls and only three rebounds and two assists.
And in many ways it was an encouraging performance for Durant. Seeing his shot continue to miss the mark, he refrained from settling for jump shots. He tried to get to the basket. He tried to post up. He tried to get his teammates involved.
He was growing before our eyes.
“I think that’s one of the areas he improved the most, particularly from early last year,” said coach P.J. Carlesimo. ”He just tried to shoot himself out of a bad start or a slump.”
Durant, it’s important to remember, is the focal point of every team’s game plan. Five sets of eyes always are fixated on his every move, and it takes some time for young players to figure out how to attack that on the NBA level.
“That was a big part of his learning curve last year,” Carlesimo said. ”And it’s not like he didn’t see double teams in college. He’s used to being the focal point of the opponents’ defense. But how you deal with it on this level is tougher because of (opponents’) size.
“When you’re as big as Kevin is and you can shoot it, he’s always kind of been able to shoot over people. But if people are going to be physical and move him away from the basket or they’re going to double him then a lot of times it means putting it on the floor, trying to get closer or involving somebody else or else posting him more, which we’re already doing way more than we did last year.”
Carlesimo talked about Durant needing to read and react faster to double teams that are thrown his way in the post and against traps on pick and rolls.
“He made some good passes last night, some of which yielded something and a couple of which didn’t,” Carlesimo said. “He made a couple of passes once or twice I think and guys went to the basket and got fouled. They didn’t score so it wasn’t an assist.”
Keep an eye on Durant’s free throw attempts, too. He attempted just two foul shots Wednesday. Great scorers almost always draw fouls and rely on their points coming at the free throw line when their shots aren’t falling. Durant, who is an 87 percent free throw shooter, must learn to do the same.
But don’t read too much into one off night.
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Thunder Live Chat: Opening Night
On Thunder-Bucks
What a great trade for the Bucks is what I thought when New Jersey severed ties with Richard Jefferson in favor of the man they call Yi.
From then on I have proclaimed to any and all how much better the Bucks are. But somewhere, I lost confidence in the Bucks. Perhaps when they traded Mo essentially for Luuuuuu-ke.
But even though the Bucks were pounded in their opener at Chicago, 108-95, the lineup they trotted out of the tunnels of the United Center reminded me of why I was so high on this roster. Michael Redd, Richard Jefferson, Charlie Villanueva and Andrew Bogut create a lot of matchup problems. (Imagine if they kept Mo.)
Lately I’ve thought the Bucks were a guaranteed opening night victory for the inaugural Thunder. But watching their game Tuesday night (and, yes, I watched most of it all because of Derrick Rose) brought to mind the matchups the Thunder must deal with Wednesday.
Redd alone would make it a difficult defensive test for any team. And the Thunder’s defense wasn’t exactly impenetrable last season. The Bucks scored 97 points per game a year ago and upgraded in the offseason with the additions of R.J. and rook Joe Alexander.
The Thunder must find a way to limit the perimeter threats in Jefferson and Redd while also containing an inside-outside duo of Bogut and Charlie V. It’s a good first look at how the Thunder’s frontline will manage this year.
Remember, defense is what the entire focus was throughout training camp and the preseason and is a cornerstone this franchise wants to establish.
(You know they’re going to use the title of this post in marketing packages, turning money into some conjured currency that can be used only inside the Ford Center. 
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Thunder Mascot Will Be…..
OK, so I don’t know. But today I had a conversation with John Leach, the team’s director of events and entertainment, and he reiterated that the mascot is scheduled to be unveiled before the end of the season. Here’s what he had to say…..
“We are going to have a mascot. Obviously it’s not something you can just throw together in the last two months. There’s a lot that really goes into building that character, and the costume takes a long time to build. So we’re in the process of doing that now. We feel like we’ve got a good head of steam. The good news is we feel like we’re going to be in a position to debut the mascot before the season ends, which is something that I’m really looking forward to.”
There you have it.
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2005-06 Hornets vs. 2008-09 Thunder
I asked Desmond Mason which team was better, the 2005-06 Hornets or the 2008-09 Thunder. Mason said the Thunder. You can read all about it in Monday’s paper. But I tend to agree with him. Here’s an early look at my breakdown of both rosters, which will also be in Monday’s paper.
What do you think?
Hornets* Thunder Advantage
Chris Paul Earl Watson Hornets
Paul entered the league as one of the best point guards.
J.R. Smith Kevin Durant Thunder
Critics of both point to sub par shot selection and defense, but Durant is the better talent.
Desmond Mason Jeff Green Hornets
Mason, remember, was coming off a career year at 17.2 points per game in Milwaukee.
David West Chris Wilcox Thunder
West was an unknown who averaged 6.2 points before arriving in Oklahoma City.
P.J. Brown Nick Collison Thunder
Many similarities here, but Collison gets the edge over the then 36-year old Brown.
Speedy Claxton Russell Westbrook Thunder
Claxton turned a near Sixth Man Award winning season into a fat contract. But Westbrook is the better player.
Rasual Butler Damien Wilkins Thunder
Butler could shoot and do little else. Wilkins is a more versatile scorer.
Chris Andersen Joe Smith Thunder
Andersen never lived up to his Birdman hype.
Kirk Snyder Kyle Weaver Hornets
When he wasn’t in Byron Scott’s doghouse, Snyder averaged 9.7 points, 3.0 assists and 2.0 steals as a starter.
Bostjan Nachbar Johan Petro Hornets
A foot injury derailed Nachbar’s season before his ultimate trade. But he could shoot it.
Jackson Vroman Robert Swift Thunder
Only one of them is still in the NBA.
Brandon Bass D.J. White Thunder
Bass was a wide-eyed rookie and prone to mistakes before he made a name for himself in Dallas.
Maciej Lampe Mo Sene Thunder
Lampe played just 16 minutes before being dealt to Houston in mid-season.
Arvydas Macijauskas John Lucas Thunder
Macijauskas was touted as a shooter. Lucas is a shooter.
* The Hornets opened the 2005-06 season with 14 players. Mason was omitted from the Thunder’s roster.
**Analysis based on where Hornets players were in their careers entering the 2005-06 season.
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Story on Joe Smith
By Darnell Mayberry
Staff Writer
ONTARIO, Calif. – Before Joe Smith walked to the free throw line midway through the second quarter, the Thunder power forward walked over to coach P.J. Carlesimo for a helping hand.
Smith removed his newly acquired clear facemask. Carlesimo raised a towel to the mask and helped wipe away the sweat.
“It’s hot up under that thing,” Smith said. “It’s always dripping and sweating.”
Smith hadn’t played since Oct. 10 at Sacramento when he sustained a fractured nose courtesy of teammate Russell Westbrook’s inadvertent elbow. Friday’s 105-94 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers was the first time in his 13-year career that he’s had to play with a mask.
“It’s going to take some getting used to,” Smith said. “I knew that from the beginning. But it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. My vision is not blurred as much so it’s not too bad.”
Smith wasn’t supposed to play in the preseason finale, which dropped the Thunder to 1-6 for the exhibition season. But he was ahead of schedule in his recovery and didn’t want to go into Wednesday’s season opener against Milwaukee having played only 25 minutes this preseason on top of having to adjust to a pesky face protector.
Carlesimo eased Smith back into the lineup, playing him only 19 minutes and avoiding prolonged stretches. Smith finished with seven points, five coming from the free throw line, and added four rebounds, one assist and one blocked shot.
Smith said his conditioning was better than he thought it would be but his timing was still off.
“That’s not something I’m not really worried about. I know that will come,” Smith said. “I’m just trying to get comfortable with the mask. That’s what I’m concerned about right now.”
Smith wasn’t so comfortable Friday, admitting he was hesitant in traffic. But he took two shots to the face against the Lakers that gave him confidence he could survive blows when mixing it up in the lane.
“I just got to get used to being in the paint and being around a lot of bodies again,” Smith said.
Smith’s role becomes more important if Nick Collison and Chris Wilcox don’t get healthy. Wilcox missed his second consecutive game Friday because of a strained hamstring. Collison started the game but did not return for the second half after hyperextending his right knee.
“If we’re banged up with those other ones, we may really need him for these first three (regular season game) if these other guys aren’t healthy,” said Carlesimo.
Perhaps Smith’s biggest hurdle will be learning to play with a new set of teammates after only 44 minutes of preseason action and very few practice hours while protecting his injury.
Smith, however, doesn’t think the adjustment will be much of a problem.
“I’ve played with all types of guys,” Smith said. “I’ve been around long enough to understand what it takes to be successful and to be a contributor out there on the floor. It’s going to take a little bit of time, but I don’t think it’s going to take too much time. It’s basketball.”
Said Collison: “He’s a pro. He’s a veteran. He gets himself ready to play. I think he’s going to be great for us. He’s a good example for all of us. He’s got more experience than anybody on the team. He just really knows how to play and does his job and comes to work every day.”
Thunder vs. Lakers preseason game live blog
Too Many Preseason Games?
ONTARIO, Calif. — Kobe Bryant. Steve Nash. Amare Stoudemire. Deron Williams. Larry Hughes.
All were victims of preseason injuries, some more severe than others.
But the question becomes, do NBA teams play too many preseason games?
The Thunder is just hours away from tip-off in its preseason finale against the Los Angeles Lakers. It will be the Thunder’s seventh exhibition game, the eighth for the Lakers.
“In my opinion, if we played four or five it’d be perfect,” said Nick Collison. “I just think the practice time is more valuable. It is good to play games, but I think after four or five you’ve got enough time to evaluate.”
Bryant sat out last night’s game against Charlotte after hyperextending his knee Tuesday against the Bobcats. Bryant said he’ll play tonight only if the swelling in his knee subsides.
After leaving Phoenix’s preseason finale against the Thunder last night with a dislocated left pinky, Stoudemire said of the preseason, “Thank God it’s over.”
Williams and Hughes are worse off. Williams, the Utah point guard, originally thought his sprained ankle would be season-ending when he landed on No. 1 overall pick Derrick Rose’s foot last Saturday. Williams will miss only two weeks. Bulls guard Hughes is expected to miss six to eight weeks after dislocating his right shoulder Wednesday against Minnesota.
The Thunder’s Joe Smith hasn’t played since sustaining a broken nose in the second game against Sacramento. Earl Watson sat out Thursday’s game with a sudden sore calf injury that hadn’t been mentioned all week. Jeff Green has had a scare, either an ankle or hand injury, in seemingly every exhibition he’s played in.
“Some of these injuries you might not hear about in the season because guys would play through them,” Collison said. “And they know that they’ve got some time now to maybe let things heal properly so they do that. So there’s some of that going on.”
The argument always can be made that injuries can happen at any time. But going beyond injuries, isn’t the preseason supposed to be about building chemistry and implementing offensive and defensive sets and ironing out the wrinkles? I can probably count on one hand how many minutes the Thunder’s projected starting unit has played together this preseason. I wouldn’t need one whole hand to add how many minutes we’ve seen the Thunder’s nine-man rotation used.
So what exactly is the point of the preseason if teams aren’t getting to look at their regular rotations, choosing instead to hold players out until the games count?
“Some of it’s business,” Collison said, ”trying to market the league around these different cities.”
Which I guess explains why I’m typing this up from a hotel in Ontario, Calif. instead of the plush downtown hotel I love in L.A.
Thunder coach P.J. Carlesimo takes the side most coaches likely would. He likes the month of practice and the seven to eight exhibition games.
“If that was the collective wisdom of the veteran players in the league, that they don’t need four weeks to get ready and they can get ready in three weeks fine,” Carlesimo said.
“But you also run a risk of accelerating things by starting to play preseason games sooner or try to play the same amount of preseason games in three weeks or get ready to play an 82-game season and they’re not in shape…I’d be a little scared to go less. But I would trust the (coaches) like Jerry Sloan or Phil (Jackson) or (Pat) Riley, the guys who’ve been players in this league and coaches in the league and saw the way it used to happen.”
This much I know – after tonight’s game I’ll be singing Stoudemire’s tune, “Thank God it’s over.”
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A Commemorative Thunder Basketball
The Make-A-Wish Foundation of Oklahoma is raising money for children with life-threatening medical conditions through a commemorative full-sized basketball for the Thunder’s first season in Oklahoma City.
The two-panel ball has the Thunder’s logo and a replica jersey with the number “08″ printed on the front, along with tidbits on the franchise’s history and Ford Center facts. Only 5,000 basketball are available and cost $99 each.
Fans can order the commemorative basketballs by calling1-800-345-2868 or visiting http://www.nikcosports.com/.
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