Comments on: Mavs 111, Thunder 103

By: dude1394

dude1394 — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 17:06:26 +0000

Mavs fan here… First I think the thunder organization is doing a stellar job. And their long-term plan is the right one, they got lucky to get their star player and now they will build around him for years. They will not be going away anytime soon.

I also really appreciate what appears to be a classy good group of players. Nice..

Second Mr. Mayberry this is the first time I’ve read your work and I am very impressed. It is even-handed, to the point, logical and not wildly over the top. I’ve linked to your commentary on this to some other message boards/blogs, I’m sure they will enjoy it as well.

Good luck to you and the thunder…

By: Darnell Mayberry

Darnell Mayberry — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 22:12:18 +0000

Thomas, players can’t play with the thought of injury in the back of their mind, and I don’t think GMs should make maneuvers based on the possibility for injuries. You never know. If it’s going to happen, it’ll happen no matter what. Teams have been sabotaged by injuries after giving players contracts. i.e. the Bucks with Michael Redd and the Wizards with Gilbert Arenas. So just because you make a move for immediate results doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed to find success. Besides, as much as I think the world of KD, Russ and Jeff as players, does anyone really think they’re ready to seriously compete with the Lakers (when healthy. They weren’t last year) in the playoffs? I don’t think that day is in the next two years. Maybe that’s just me. -DM-

By: Thomas

Thomas — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 21:43:38 +0000

Darnell:
Let me ask you, if the Thunder aren’t being built to win a championship this year, or even next year, how long exactly does this front office believe they have. The fact of the matter is circumstances can be very unforgiving in sports. Amar’e Stoudemire’s microfracture surgery a few years back likely robbed Steve Nash of his best chance to win a championship. If you’ve got a player like Kevin Durant, who is one of the most naturally gifted scorers of his generation, you owe it to him and your fanbase to think about a relatively short time frame. Because there is never a guarantee you’ll get a next 8-10 years or for that matter even a next year. If the Thunder could be contenders with a key addition or two in the next season or two, then all options should be on the table to make that happen.

By: Darnell Mayberry

Darnell Mayberry — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 19:57:20 +0000

Chris, you bring up a good point about the lineup to start the fourth. Normally, that’s a good second unit. But when I saw Harden trying to defend Dirk, I immediately shook my head and chalked that up as a lost cause. You can say that unit’s play is what got Dallas going. And the Mavs never looked back. -DM-

By: 11/25 Daily Links « OKC ThunderDome

11/25 Daily Links « OKC ThunderDome — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 17:10:31 +0000

[...] post-game notes. He makes an excellent point regarding the Thunder’s post-game [...]

By: Thursday Bolts – Thankful Edition | Daily Thunder.com

Thursday Bolts – Thankful Edition | Daily Thunder.com — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 16:21:23 +0000

[...] Darnell Mayberry on last night’s game: “If I’m a Thunder fan, I’m worried about the attitude Thunder coach Scott Brooks and his players took after this one. Those 3-point bombs provided a convenient excuse for how this one got away. Players and coaches explained this loss by Dallas getting hot from 3 at the right time. And that, of course, makes it easy to overlook what the team didn’t do right at the other end. The offense was again dismal in the fourth quarter. The Thunder shot 9-for-23 (39.1 percent) in the final frame, and had it not been for a few early Serge Ibaka buckets (one being a putback) and a few garbage time scores, this one would have looked much worse.” [...]

By: Chris

Chris — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 15:25:38 +0000

Good thoughts Darnell!

I thought the same thing about Dirk getting calls, especially on Krstic’s clean block. Also, there was an aggravating situation where an official on the opposite side (out of position) made a ridiculously late call to put Dirk on the line.

One thing that frustrated me was Thunder’s lineup (Maynor, Harden, Green, Collison, Ibaka) at the beginning of the fourth quarter. It was a major mismatch. I thought that was a big reason why the Thunder had a poor scoring production.

Other than Green, there are no consistent scorers on the floor. Perhaps, Brooks is trying to build up Harden’s confidence, but against a tough, aggressive defense team like Dallas, this lineup was pretty weak down the stretch. This wasn’t the time or the lineup situation to rest Westbrook and/or Durant.

I know it’s early, and the Thunder are in good shape, overall, but I would like for this to turn into a learning moment – start the Big Guns at the start of the fourth quarter!

By: MartzMimic

MartzMimic — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 14:12:52 +0000

@Darnell
Happy Thanksgiving!

A few days ago, Chris Mannix from Sports Illustrated wondered on Twitter how OKC felt to see Tyson Chandler playing well this year. Like I responded, it would be nice to have him now, but it wouldn’t have been worth the $18 million or so in salary the previous year-and-a-half would have cost the Thunder to get TC to this point. I’m happy for him. He always seemed like a good guy.

I thought Green played some of the best defense I’ve seen him play. He was body to body with Dirk most of the night. Unfortunately, Dirk’s fade away jumper is almost impossible to defend. And you’re absolutely right about the superstar calls. KD got one or two, but Dirk got a bunch.

A big thing I noticed all night was how much more the Mavs move on offense. They were constantly making cuts, and you could just see the PNR coming.

Still, warts and all, the Thunder are sitting at 10-5. They were about 30 games in last year before everything really started to click, so I’m hopeful we haven’t seen their best ball yet.

By: Darnell Mayberry

Darnell Mayberry — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 08:31:09 +0000

David, anyone holding their breath for Presti to make a blockbuster trade better forget about it. It’s not happening. Since the franchise moved here, he’s been clear about seeing his”process” through. And there is nothing wrong with that. Some of the results on the court might be ugly from time to time. But the plan has always been about the big picture and the long term. One or two games, or even 10 to 12, is not going to deter the front office from following its plan. There are so many factors beyond talent involved when it comes to adding to this team. Chemistry and character, and fit and finances, are a few of the biggest. The Thunder is in such a great position with what it has. That is, two veteran role players (Collison and Sefolosha) now on the books for extremely cap-friendly deals for the next three to four years. The star player locked in for the next five years. And some developing talent and other role players blossoming before our eyes. Green, Harden and Krstic might never be the long-term answer in OKC. But as long as the current front office is in power, we aren’t likely to see a blockbuster trade. Presti isn’t building the Thunder to be a legit contender this year, or even next year. He’s assembling a cast that can compete for championships for the next eight to 10 years. And he’s got a lot more to be mindful of than other GMs. Trust me, things could be a lot worse. -DM-

By: Peter

Peter — Thu, 25 Nov 2010 07:03:43 +0000

Iggy’s not the answer. The area he’d help out most in (defense) is covered by Thabo, at a fraction of the cost. I’d like to know what the plans going forward are with Harden. Doesn’t make sense to play the guy 16 min in a game against a big opponent 15ish months after he was picked #3 in the draft. No one appreciates Thabo’s contributions more than me, but honestly, how are we going to know what Harden can bring to this team as a starter without giving him starters minutes, even if he gets those off the bench? 16 min just isn’t going to cut it.