Back At It After All-Star Break
The Thunder took the practice court tonight for about 1 1/2 hours, trying to regain its rhythm after four days off for All-Star break.
Joe Smith and Robert Swift did not make it back in time for the session. Thunder coach Scott Brooks said they missed their flights and there will be “consequences” for that. Desmond Mason was the only other player not at practice but the injured forward was excused.
It was interesting to see Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant trying to complete the dunk Rudy Fernandez and Pau Gasol teamed up for during the dunk contest. It’s the one at the 15 second mark of this video, when Gasol throws it off the back of the backboard and Fernandez comes from out of bounds an dunks before taking off from behind the glass. I never saw Westbrook throw it down.
Durant and Jeff Green, though, both said they enjoyed their time in Phoenix. Green said he particularly enjoyed seeing Shaquille O’Neal steal the show during Sunday’s All-Star game.
“Shaq was a character,” Green said. ”The way he came out was pretty cool. I was kind of imitating him at home. But then the way he played in the All-Star game was pretty cool, the between the legs pass, the full court no-look pass, it was fun to watch.”
Durant said he will keep the paper and plastic trophy of a horse that he was given for winning the weekend’s H-O-R-S-E competition.
“I thought I was going to get a better trophy than that,” Durant said. ”But I was just happy that I represented Oklahoma City and (didn’t) lose by that much and coming back and hitting some shots and won it. It was cool. It was kind of unique.
“(The Trophy) is on the way back here now. My brothers had it. I think they’re going to mail it back. It’s like paper and plastic so I don’t know how that’s going to work. It’s like a toy. But I”ll keep it. It’s the first one like it.”
Durant said he didn’t seek out advice from any of the All-Stars while in Phoenix, preferring to let them rest.
“I left those guys alone,” Durant said. “They play a long season, a tough game every night. I think that’s their only time away from basketball so I left it alone. We’re in the same position as players that we just want to get out, rest and relax during that time. So I just left them alone, let them enjoy themselves. But I made sure that I went over there and said hello. Since those are the guys that paved the way for me I made sure I spoke to them.”
-DM-
Blazers 106, Thunder 92
Observations, news and notes from Wednesday’s game…….
* Amazing the Thunder got out-rebounded 16-4 in the fourth quarter. That seems to be almost impossible.
* Give OKC credit for going on the road and competing hard two straight nights against playoff teams.
* I thought the Blazers’ 9-0 run to end the half could have been back-breaking, especially the way it ended with Travis Outlaw getting loose for a breakaway dunk. But the Thunder showed some fight by getting back into it.
* Nobody wanted to blame the late-game mistakes on the second game of a back-to back.
* The poor shooting, 39 percent to be exact, doomed the Thunder again.
* OKC turned the ball over just 12 times, a good number for the second straight game.
* Joe Smith got the night off to give him more rest and a longer weekend this All-Star break. It’s worth noting that he did leave Staples Center on Tuesday night with his left knee heavily wrapped. I didn’t make much of it until he didn’t play tonight.
* Durant has gotten really good at drawing fouls and getting an easy trip to the free throw line by swinging his arms through the defender. It’s a move that San Antonio forward Tim Duncan has perfected popularized and one Durant has been trying to nail since November. He’s finally got it, and it will ultimately help him become that much more efficient.
* Chris Wilcox got some surprising playing time tonight. It helped that Nick Collison picked up two early fouls and Joe Smith got the night off. But Wilcox made the most of it, dumping in 11 points and five rebounds on 5-for-9 shooting in just 11 minutes in the first half. On one possession with 10 minutes remaining in the second quarter, he threw down a one-handed dunk off a lob pass from Durant. It’s that dimension that no other Thunder post player possesses and one that you would think coach Scott Brooks would utilize more on a team that looks to score in transition.
* Jeff Green took it to the rack hard a lot tonight. In the first half alone, he picked up two and 1s and had two nasty collisions with Blazers bigs Joel Przybilla and LaMarcus Aldridge. It’s safe to say that no Thunder player needs this All-Star break more than Green, who’s already sporting heavy padding on his left elbow and left knee and took a shot to the face by Collison in a recent practice that nearly caused him to have dental work.
* Kyle Weaver struggled with his shot for the second straight game. But as he’s done all season, he contributed in other areas, namely through solid defense on guard Brandon Roy and with his passing and rebounding. He had one play early in the fourth quarter where Durant passed him the ball in no-man’s land directly underneath the basket and Weaver immediately tipped the pass to a cutting Nick Collison. There are several plays Weaver pulls like that that give a glimpse into how smart of a players he is.
-DM-
Lakers 105, Thunder 98
Observations, news and notes from Tuesday’s game…….
* The Thunder looked like they didn’t want to put a body on Lamar Odom or Pau Gasol. Grabbing a few more boards would have completely changed the face of this game.
* Jordan Farmar, Sasha Vujacic and Trevor Ariza killed OKC at the start of the fourth quarter. When they made timely shot after timely shot to start the period, I thought Scott Brooks should have immediately put his entire starting unit back in to squash their momentum and try to make a run with the Lakers’ starters on the bench.
* Kevin Durant’s final stat line of 31 points, 10 rebounds and four assists and four steals look great. The 10 of 23 and the five turnovers do a better job of telling the story of his game. He got off to a slow start shooting the ball and had one critical turnover down the stretch where he just lost the ball on a fastbreak that could have made it a six-point game with 26 seconds left. But another great effort from Durant nonetheless.
* Russell Westbrook flirted with a triple-double but stopped passing the rock. He finished with 17 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.
* For those who say Westbrook clinching his right wrist following his breakaway dunk in the first half, he said after the game that it’s fine and he just dunked too hard.
* Durant also said he’s fine after running into Lakers guard Derek Fisher hard for an offensive foul in the second half.
* You’ve got to like the poise these young guys showed coming into Staples Center against the league’s best team and arguably its best player in Kobe Bryant. No one backed down. No one looked like the stage was too big for him. It would be easy to say that they’re professional athletes and that’s what they should do. Sure. But, remember, four of the five Thunder starters are 22 or younger.
* Another good sign is the Thunder didn’t play all that well. OKC shot 39.3 percent and was destroyed on the boards. But to still be in it for most of the game is a sign of how far this team has come.
* Kobe became the youngest player in NBA history to score 23,000 points tonight.
* The turnovers were kept to a minimum for the Thunder, just 14 tonight leading to only 12 Lakers points. Brooks will live with that.
* Joe Smith provided some solid minutes off the bench tonight. If anyone’s going to bang down low for rebounds it’s got to be Smith if Nick Collison is in foul trouble.
* It’s amazing that the Lakers went 5-for-20 from the 3-point line and their starters went 0-for-13.
* A reporter asked Brooks after the game why Chris Wilcox didn’t play. Brooks answer: “He’s not in our rotation.” That was as blunt as Brooks has ever put it. Seems like he’s getting sick of being asked the question.
* This Portland game is a scary game, one in which things could get ugly for the Thunder if it isn’t careful. It’s the last one before the break, the Blazers just lost to the Thunder in OKC and the Rose Garden is a tough place to play once those fans get into it. Should be a good test for the Thunder.
-DM-
More on Blake Griffin
In today’s editions of The Oklahoman I wrote about Oklahoma forward Blake Griffin. In a Q&A with The Oklahoman, Griffin also talked about why he doesn’t worry about the possibility of playing for the Thunder, what areas of his game he’s trying to work on and how he’s handled being in the national spotlight.
DM: How much do you think returning to school for your sophomore year has helped you develop your game?
BG: I think it’s helped a lot, not only getting a chance to work on my skills but just a year of maturity and being able to understand the game a little bit better. I think it’s helped me more than anything.
DM: What kind of developments are you seeing in your game?
BG: Just understanding more. Just knowing when to kind of pick my spots and when to be really aggressive and when to kind of back off and play a little bit differently. And being able to play different styles.
DM: How much do you think about the possibility of playing for the Thunder?
BG: I try not to think about just because I don’t think it’ll be fair to my team and our coaching staff if I was worried about that or thinking about that. If it happens it happens if it doesn’t it doesn’t. Hopefully I’m still going to play and I’ll still play as hard as I can. That would be great, but I’m not stressed over it and I’m not going to beat myself up over it.
DM: What more would you like to add to your game before taking it to the next level?
BG: Just keep developing everything and really working on my shot more. I put in a lot of time and I think that’s something that will really help me expand my game even more.
DM: Coaches and teammates describe you as very gracious and respectful. Where did you get that part of your personality?
BG: That’s just how my parents raised me. That’s what kind of man my dad is. He’s always taught me to be respectful and be gracious no matter what. Hopefully that’s rubbed off on me.
DM: Is your production a product of hard work or does it just come natural to you?
BG: I think it’s product of hard work. I really worked hard over the summer along with the rest of our guys to kind of make this season a little bit better. But I think it’s also a credit to my teammates. They do such a good job of finding me in easy spots and getting out and hitting me in transition. It makes it easier on me.
DM: What position do you see yourself at next year? Where do you think you’ll be most comfortable?
BG: Probably (power forward). Once I first get there and hopefully as I continue to work and really work on my shot I can be a little more versatile. Hopefully maybe move to small forward or something like that.
DM: How have you handled being in the spotlight?
BG: Just staying calm and not letting it bother you. And our coaching staff and my teammates have done a great job of making it easier on me so I don’t have to deal with it alone. It would be a lot more difficult if I had to do it alone. But with them with me I know they always have my back and I know I can always lean on somebody.
-DM-
Thunder 102, Portland 93
Observations, news and notes from Friday night’s game……….
* As Thunder coach Scott Brooks said, “That was a heck of a win.”
* The Oden-Durant matchup was a dud. A few more like it and it’ll be an injustice to mention Oden in the same sentence as Durant.
* Durant’s all-around game was lacking tonight for the first time in a long time. Only three rebounds and two assists.
* Russell Westbrook’s head never seemed to be in the game. He was ineffective ever since picking up his second foul with 8:17 to go in the first.
* Nick Collison was huge tonight with a season-high tying 21 points with 13 rebounds. He made all seven of his free throws and 7-of-11 shots. Collison has proven to be much more effective when he gets going on offense early. He did that tonight with nine points on 4-for-4 shooting to go with four rebounds.
* Jeff Green joked after the game about finishing one rebound shy of a double-double. “Collison took them all,” he said.
* Thunder officials said Nenad Krstic did not play tonight because of sickness.
* Brooks essentially played seven guys without Krstic. Chucky Atkins, the eighth man, got five minutes.
* What’s that say about Chris Wilcox? The excuse from Brooks for not playing him had been because you can only play so many bigs. What’s the reason in a situation like this when you’re down a big?
* Instead, Brooks threw out a funky lineup in the second quarter that included Atkins, Westbrook, Earl Watson, Kyle Weaver and Joe Smith. Go figure. They got the win, I s’pose
*Watson played well with 12 points and 11 assists, his first double-double of the season. His four turnovers were bad, however.
* The goal for the Thunder should be to hold opponents under 100 points. OKC is 7-6 under Brooks when its opponent score fewer than 100 points. The Thunder is 4-21 under Brooks when its opponents score 100 points or more.
* Anybody now willing to admit they thought Jerryd Bayless would be a good pick for the Thunder at No. 4? I am, but after 50 games I can say that would have been a terrible pick by Sam Presti. After watching him go 0-for-3 for three points, two assists, one rebound, three fouls and two turnovers in 26 minutes, a few things became clear. 1) He’s less of a pure point guard than Westbrook. 2) He’s extremely one-dimensional at this point. That dimension is scoring. 3) He isn’t effective without the ball in his hands. Thunder fans should be glad the team didn’t end up with Bayless.
* I heard some chatter about the sequence of Joe Smith’s block on Brandon Roy leading to Jeff Green’s dunk being the best play of the season. Not even close. Green’s buzzer-beating bank shot is head and shoulders above any play this season.
-DM-
Nuggets 114, Thunder 113
Observations, news and notes from Wednesday night’s game……..
* The controversial inbounds pass to Carmelo Anthony was a clean play according to veteran official Dick Bavetta AND the official rule book. It was not a backcourt violation, and Anthony is allowed to tip it in the frontcourt before retrieving it in the backcourt as long as he doesn’t have full possession.
According to Rule No. 4, Section 6, Article G of the NBA Official Rule Book, “Frontcourt/backcourt status is not attained until a player with the ball has established a positive position in either half during a jump ball, a steal by a defensive player, a throw-in in the last two minutes of the fourth period and/or any overtime period or any time the ball is loose.”
* The kick ball call 12 seconds earlier? That’s another story. A replay clearly showed Westbrook didn’t kick the ball and in fact hit it with his hand. That call turned the tide. Thunder players were streaking down court for an uncontested layup and would have been ahead 113-111 with less than 25 seconds left to play. The call was a bang-bang play, though, and a tough one to see at full speed with a lot of bodies around the ball.
* Kevin Durant came through in the clutch again against Denver. Anthony again stole his glory. Questionable calls aside down the stretch, Anthony’s layup at the front of the rim with 5.3 seconds left was contested and nothing short of spectacular.
* A better option for the Thunder next time with 5.3 seconds remaining might be to let Westbrook penetrate and try to get a layup or get to the free throw line. Thunder coach Scott Brooks drew up the play for Durant but 5.3 seconds wasn’t enough to run him off all those screens. Either let Westbrook do his thing or inbound the ball to Durant. Seems simple.
* Durant was incredible again. He flirted with a triple double. 31 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. He was efficient again (10-for-19) and limited his turnovers tonight with only two.
* J.R. Smith was a problem tonight with 22 points on 8-for-14 shooting off the bench. He scored 12 of his points in the fourth quarter to help the Nuggets take the lead. He helped bury the Thunder then showered praise on OKC. “I love it here,” he said. “This is a great city with great people. Every since I played here in high school the fans have always embraced me. I really love it here.”
* Anthony’s four-point, four-assist fourth quarter can’t be overlooked either.
* The Thunder blamed themselves after the game. Don’t believe me?
“We have to put the blame on ourselves,” said Nick Collison. “We didn’t get enough stops. We let the game slip away in the third quarter. We have to do a better job of closing out these games. The good teams get stops late in games that stop runs and that’s what we had to do in the third quarter.”
* The Thunder is now 2-15 in games of six points or less.
* After showing signs of improvement, defense continues to be the culprit. 110, 122, 114. That’s the Thunder’s opponent’s output the past three games. The Nuggets shot 50.5 percent tonight.
* OKC’s six turnovers in the third quarter were indeed costly. It led to eight Nuggets points and helped Denver outscore the Thunder 30-24 in the period.
* It looked like a lot of players might be sore Thursday. This was a physical game. Westbrook had to get his right wrist taped during the game. Earl Watson hit the deck hard twice. Kevin Durant was on the wrong end of two hard but legal fouls by Anthony Carter. Joe Smith was in the training room for quite awhile after the game. Jeff Green was also slow to emerge from the training room and walked across the hall to the locker room with a limp.
-DM-
Joe Smith Set to Return, But For How Long?
Injured forward Joe Smith will return to action tonight against Denver, but according to a report in the Sacramento Bee the veteran journeyman could soon be headed to the Kings.
The Sacramento Bee is reporting the Thunder has offered Smith’s expiring contract for swingman John Salmons.
Salmons, 29, is in his seventh year out of Miami (Fla.) and is averaging career-highs of 18.7 points and 3.5 assists this year along with 4.2 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 49 games.
The 6-foot-6, 207-pound Salmons has two years remaining on his contract after this season totaling roughly $11.2 million, making him potentially yet another low-risk, high-reward acquisition by general manager Sam Presti.
Last summer Presti traded a second-round pick to Charlotte for Kyle Weaver, a 2008 second-round pick who is now starting at shooting guard in place of the injured Desmond Mason. In December Presti shored up the team’s frontcourt by signing Nenad Krstic to a three-year deal worth about $16 million. And last month he traded reserve center Johan Petro for veteran point guard Chucky Atkins, who has one year left on his contract following this season but is guaranteed only $760,000 of his $3.48 million for 2009-10.
Salmons is capable of playing either the shooting guard or small forward position and is shooting 41.9 percent from the 3-point line and 47.9 percent from the field this season, both career-highs. While he’s enjoying a career year shooting the ball, he’s known more for his slashing ability. Salmons is also a gritty defender who can guard multiple positions and add to the defensive identity the Thunder seeks to establish.
The Bee, citing league sources, reports the Kings have yet to find a deal they like, which indicates Smith alone won’t be enough to lure Salmons and the Thunder likely would need to sweeten the deal with a draft pick.
Oklahoma City currently has three first-round picks in this year’s draft, it’s own, Denver’s and San Antonio’s. The Nuggets and Spurs picks figure to be in the late 20s and possibly undesirable for Sacramento, while the Thunder’s selection, likely a top five pick, will be untouchable.
The Thunder’s potential interest alone in Salmons clouds the future of Mason. If OKC is seeking to acquire a wing player who’s proven he’s worthy of starter-type minutes, it seems the Thunder is now willing to let Mason walk in free agency this summer. Mason, who turns 32 during next year’s training camp, has an expiring $5.3 million contract and sustained a season-ending knee injury last Wednesday against Memphis. There seemingly wouldn’t be enough minutes for Mason if Salmons enters the picture alongside current swingmen Kevin Durant, Jeff Green, Weaver and versatile rookie Russell Westbrook.
Smith has been out since Jan. 10 with a bruised knee. But he has become an attractive player to several teams because of his expiring contract and ability to contribute veteran leadership. He’s averaging 6.7 points and 4.4 rebounds this season in just over 19 minutes per game.
When Smith returns to the Thunder’s lineup tonight, he’s hoping to restore some defensive balance to an Oklahoma City team that has taken a step back in recent days. The Thunder gave up122 points to the Kings on Sunday in an overtime loss and 110 points in a loss at Utah last Friday.
“It’s going to take a couple of games for me to get back in game rhythm,” Smith said. “But I felt good at practice yesterday. I was able to get up and down (the court). The defensive schemes have changed a little bit, but I’ve always been a defensive-minded type player anyway. So hopefully I can bring some type of energy on the defensive end.”
-DM-
Thunder-Nuggets Live Blog
