The Search For A 15th Man
Shaun Livingston served as the 15th man for a time with the Thunder. Who might it be this year?
Days after Thursday’s trading deadline saw four players shipped out of Oklahoma City and only return three, effectively creating one open roster spot, speculation about which player might join the Thunder began to run rampant.
Corey Brewer and Jason Kapono were two of the early names the Thunder reportedly had interest in.
But on Tuesday, the team’s plans for the 15th position became a little bit clearer. And those plans don’t sound like they include Corey Brewer or Jason Kapono types.
“That 15th spot, nothing against that 15th spot because I was that 15th spot a few times in my career, it’s very slim that that spot plays,” said Thunder coach Scott Brooks. “It’s usually a high energy (player) that makes practices very competitive.”
Look back through the Thunder’s history and you’ll see that precise pattern.
During the 2008-09 season, the Thunder signed center Steven Hill to man that spot, then waived him when Nenad Krstic agreed to an offer sheet. Point guard Chucky Atkins was then acquired as part of a mid-season trade with Denver and assumed the role. Late in that season, Shaun Livingston was signed as the 15th man when Joe Smith was waived on March 1.
Last season, the Thunder started the year with Ryan Bowen as its 15th man. Bowen logged just eight minutes in one game before being waived. He was replaced by Mike Wilks in late November. Wilks played just 59 minutes over four games. When the Thunder acquired Eric Maynor, it had to take on Matt Harpring’s contract as well, forcing the team to waive Livingston and Wilks. The Thunder later waived Harpring (who was injured and never reported to OKC) and signed Antonio Anderson from the D-League’s Rio Valley Grande Vipers as the 15th man. Anderson played 15 minutes in just one game while lasting on two 10-day contracts. In mid-March, the Thunder replaced Anderson with guard Mustafa Shakur, first inking him to a 10-day contract, then for the rest of the season. Shakur never appeared in a game for the Thunder.
Going off the Thunder’s history, the current spot would seemingly be filled by a lesser known player, perhaps from the D-League or a veteran who can provide a stabilizing presence. A few of the more realistic names include: Leon Powe, Elijah Millsap, Dominic McGuire, Jannero Pargo, Devin Brown, Trenton Hassell, Da’Sean Butler, Kyle Weaver (yes, that Kyle Weaver) and Ime Udoka.
That’s all just more speculation, of course, as there is a chance, albeit remote, the spot goes unfilled.
“We’ve talked about it,” Brooks said. “It’s always a spot that can stay available. I don’t know yet. I’m still trying to figure out how we can integrate our players that we have now. I’m not sure if we’re going to use that or not. But if we do, I know it’s going to be another player that we can know what to expect from him. He’s going to be a good kid. He’s going to be a worker. And he’s going to have some good skill sets.”
And just because the Thunder now has a logjam at point guard, shooting guard, power forward and center doesn’t mean a more natural small forward is the target, Brooks said.
“We have a lot of options with our team that we can throw different lineups out there,” said Brooks. “Kevin (Durant) does not really have a true backup, but Daequan Cook can play there, Thabo (Sefolosha) can play there, we can throw James (Harden) there, we can throw Kevin at the 4. We can throw different lineups on the floor that if we pick up somebody it doesn’t necessarily (have to be) a 3.”
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Thunder Acquires Maynor, Waives Livingston, Wilks
The Oklahoma City Thunder has acquired rookie point guard Eric Maynor in a trade with Utah, The Oklahoman has learned.
In exchange, the Thunder will send the draft rights to Peter Fehse, a 2002 second-round pick, to Utah. The deal, which is expected to be announced Tuesday night, will also bring Matt Harpring’s expiring $6.5 million contract to Oklahoma City, but the 33-year-old Harpring is out for the season after numerous ailments and surgeries deteriorated his performance.
To make room for Maynor and Harpring, the Thunder will release reserve guards Shaun Livingston and Mike Wilks.
Maynor, the 20th overall pick out of Virginia Commonwealth, is averaging 5.2 points, 3.1 assists and 1.5 rebounds in 14 minutes per game.
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Thunder 104, Warriors 88
If ever you get sick of hearing about the character of the Thunder, about how the players genuinely get along, or how they’re good for the community, Monday’s game served as a reminder of the shade of green that lies on the other side.
Golden State, in 48 minutes, should have shown you all you needed to thank the basketball gods after every game for the type of players being gathered in Oklahoma City.
The Thunder has a locker room filled with 20-somethings who understand the meaning of team. They play hard and they play for each other. They spend time off the court and they do their damndest to ensure everyone excels on it.
Golden State is a franchise in turmoil.
Center Mikki Moore, on one possession, adamantly argued a personal foul call, what would have been his third. He never showed that he cared that when the ref changed the call it wound up being Stephen Curry’s fourth foul and made the more important player sit. Later, Moore looked truly ticked when Anthony Randolph snared a board away from him in the second half. And then there was guard Monta Ellis, who took 28 shots, had nine turnovers, two assists and the nerve to still callously clap his hands to demand the ball from his teammates — only one of which had more than nine field-goal attempts.
Notice the Thunder’s shot distribution: Kevin Durant 24, Russell Westbrook 17, Jeff Green 16, James Harden 13. There was a possession in the first half when two Thunder players battled under the boards and the refs didn’t know which player ultimately tipped in a shot and deserved the trip to the foul line for the And One. Green attempted to clear up the mess by voluntarily pointing to Nick Collison instead of taking the credit.
The Warriors never displayed that teamwork and never seemed to care about winning this game. Padding stats and preventing injury was perhaps the main items on their mental game plans. I actually felt bad for Curry as I watched him glide through this game and his rookie season on a team so polluted.
Meanwhile, Thunder rookie James Harden nets 26 points with nine rebounds, both career-highs, because teammates like Durant, Green and Westbrook are encouraging him to shoot more and play second fiddle less. Players like Thabo Sefolosha and Nenad Krstic can score a combined nine points on seven shot attempts and be completely satisfied because they know a 16-point win feels better than a 16-point blowout so long as they got theirs.
It’s easy to refuse the Thunder’s rhetoric. Easy to roll your eyes when GM Sam Presti takes the mic at an introductory press conference and touts a player’s character while his career numbers appear crummy.
But contaminated clubs like the Warriors team that Walked into the Ford Center on Monday night proved that Oklahoma City has something special on its hands.
Thunder fans should be thanking the basketball gods.
Thunder 117, Sixers 106
Russell Westbrook might have simply had an off night.
But it’s more likely that his 1-for-11 shooting struggles in Wednesday’s 117-106 win over Philadelphia go hand-in-hand with his career-high 15 assists. That’s how it goes when you’re learning the ropes, still figuring out how to set up your teammates while satisfying your own appetite for scoring.
Westbrook looked confident, cool even, as he ran the team against Philadelphia, standing toe-to-toe with his eventual one-and-done replacement at UCLA, Sixers rookie Jrue Holiday. But that look never appeared when it came time for Westbrook to put the ball in the basket. Looked as if Westbrook second-guessed his shot all night, save an early 3-point hoist with 8:30 remaining in the second quarter and 18 seconds remaining on the shot clock. It was as if Westbrook thought to himself, ‘Every shot attempt is a missed opportunity to prove I can pass.’ And his offense suffered as a result.
That’s what happens when a player as naturally gifted as Westbrook thinks too much, when a natural scorer spends too much time trying to be a set-up man. You Thunder fans out there who want Westbrook to be John Stockton (you know who you are) saw what it looked like when he tries to be. And it’s precisely why Thunder coach Scott Brooks isn’t asking him to be.
Westbrook played his 100th game Wednesday. Only 12 times has he recorded a double-double with points and assists. Of those 12 occasions, Westbrook recorded at least 15 points (his rookie scoring average) only six times.
But that’s not to say Westbrook won’t get better. Remember, he just turned 21 three weeks ago. But those figures stand as proof that Westbrook is far from finished, a long way away from mastering the art of balancing the roles of scorer and playmaker.
All signs say Westbrook is on the right track, though. Consider that, by comparison, last year’s Rookie of the Year, Chicago’s Derrick Rose, also had only four games with at least 15 points and 10 assists. And Westbrook’s 15 assists Wednesday against two turnovers is perhaps the biggest sign of his progression, a far cry from the 272 turnovers he led the league with last season.
“He’s really trying to do the right thing,” said Nick Collison. “There are a lot of plays when he could take a shot but he sees the (defender) rotate to him and he makes one more pass and (a teammate) has a wide-open, better shot. He’s making better decisions like that. He’s making better decisions in the open court. He’s really trying to figure it out and he’s coming along.”
Collison marveled at Westbrook’s development after remembering the second-year guard barely played as a freshman for the Bruins, then played off the ball as a sophomore.
“Then he comes into the NBA playing the point guard,” Collison said. “So his progression’s been great. I think he’s trying to figure it out, and he’ll get to the point when he knows when to be aggressive and when to run the team. That’s just part of his growth. But for now he’s done well.”
Kyle Weaver Out At Least Four Months
The bad news keeps rolling in for the Thunder.
Guard Kyle Weaver will miss at least four months after undergoing surgery today to repair damage sustained by a dislocated shoulder, the team has announced.
Weaver becomes the second Thunder player who will miss a significant chunk of the season, dealing yet another blow to the team’s backcourt rotation. The Thunder announced earlier Monday that reserve guard Kevin Ollie is out up to four weeks after undergoing successful surgery on his right knee.
Guard Shaun Livingston is still recovering from a Nov. 17 surgical procedure on his knee and likely is at least a week away from returning to the lineup, although Livingston and Thunder coach Scott Brooks have said Livingston is doing more in practice every day.
Weaver, who averaged six points, 1.7 assists, one rebound and one blocked shot in 10 minutes per game over three contests, was headed for a prominent role as the Thunder’s emergency backup point guard behind starter Russell Westbrook when Livingston and Ollie went down. But after an encouraging performance in his first meaningful action of the season last Tuesday in a road win at Utah, Weaver injured his shoulder a day later while driving in for a layup during practice.
The diagnosis is the latest setback for Weaver, the second-year guard out of Washington State. The Thunder traded for guard Thabo Sefolosha last February and drafted another shooting guard, James Harden, with the third overall pick in June. Weaver then underwent surgery on July 28 to repair the extensor tendon in his left thumb, an injury sustained while playing with the team in summer league.
Now, it looks as though Weaver could miss the rest of the season. The team announced Weaver’s status will be updated as necessary, but only eight April games would be left on the schedule if Weaver is out the entire four-month minimum timetable.
Recently signed guard Mike Wilks is now expected to play a significant role off the bench over the next few weeks while the Thunder gets healthy.
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Ollie To Miss Up To Four Weeks
Kevin Ollie has undergone successful surgery on his right knee, but the backup point guard could miss up to four weeks while recovering from the procedure.
Ollie, according to a release by the team, had a minor procedure to relieve pain in his patellar tendon. If he is out all four weeks, Ollie will miss all 15 games in December, leaving recently signed guard Mike Wilks and healing reserve Shaun Livingston to man the position off the bench.
Livingston is getting closer to returning to the lineup and recently said he could be back in a week or two. Kyle Weaver, meanwhile, is set to undergo surgery on his shoulder Tuesday.
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