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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Thunder Waives Ryan Bowen, What Now?
The Thunder has waived forward Ryan Bowen, the team announced today.
Bowen made the roster as the team’s 15th man after beating out Mike Harris, Michael Ruffin and Tre Kelley in training camp for the final spot. It was clear since October that Bowen could be waived at some point if a better option came along or the Thunder needed to fill the 15th spot with a player who filled a pressing need.
Well, with injuries to reserve guards Kevin Ollie (knee), Shaun Livingston (knee) and Kyle Weaver (shoulder), the Thunder now has a pressing need. Starter Russell Westbrook is the only healthy point guard on the roster. And while James Harden is capable of manning the point position, and Kevin Durant and Jeff Green can bring the ball up the court, OKC would walk into Friday’s nationally televised game against Milwaukee without an experienced playmaker if a move is not made. That’s why I expect a move to be made soon, perhaps no later than Friday morning.
It’s unclear who the Thunder might be targeting or whether the team’s preference is a trade or free agent contract. The likely approach seems to be signing a player to a partially-guaranteed deal so that when Ollie, Livingston and Weaver return that player can easily be waived. A 10-day contract is out of the question at this point because, under Collective Bargaining Agreement Rules, teams can’t sign players to 10-day deals until Jan. 5.
History suggest if the Thunder makes a move it will be for a veteran guard who can provide a steady hand behind Westbrook as opposed to a young, inexperienced player who can be rattled. The Thunder brought in Chucky Atkins last season and Ollie last summer hoping they would fit that bill. The usual suspects this time around are free agents Jacque Vaughn, Antonio Daniels, Brevin Knight and Keith McLeod.
Bowen appeared in just one game for the Thunder. He scored four points and grabbed two rebounds in eight minutes against the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday.
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The Scene At Shootaround
SALT LAKE CITY — About 30 minutes before the curtain was pulled back and media was allowed into the Energy Solutions Arena for the Thunder’s shootaround, I had planned on asking Thunder coach Scott Brooks how he would handle his point guard rotation tonight.
It was a pressing problem for the coach because he didn’t have more than one healthy point guard, starter Russell Westbrook. And Utah’s guard play, with starter Deron Williams and backups Eric Maynor and Ronnie Price, is one of the best in basketball. But the Thunder issued a press release which provided the answer just before the team opened its shootaround. Kyle Weaver had been recalled from the Tulsa 66ers of the D-League and will be in uniform tonight against the Jazz. With Kevin Ollie and Shaun Livingston both out with knee ailments, Weaver will play extended minutes behind Westbrook.
The emergency duty the Thunder has called on Weaver to provide is what makes the second-year guard valuable. The 6-foot-6 guard can play multiple positions while also being a pest on defense and an asset as a spot-up shooter. Thunder coaches specifically had Weaver work on his point guard skills in the Orlando and Las Vegas Summer Leagues for moments like this.
“Kyle needs to just run the team,” Brooks said. “Get us in, make plays offensively. Defensively, he’s solid. He has great length. He’s a position defender. He uses his body well and he’s gotten stronger. I think he’s improved. He’s going to get an opportunity tonight and I expect him to play well.”
For Weaver, it’s the opportunity he’s waited on all season, one that has seemed to take much longer to arrive than the 14 games it’s been. Weaver has played in only two games this season, averaging 5.5 points, 2.0 assists and 1.5 rebounds in 15 minutes, his partial playing time coming only in blowouts, 14 of those minutes during the 14-point loss at Orlando. It’s been a frustrating transition at times for a player who, as a rookie, played in 56 games, 19 as a starter, and averaged 20.8 minutes.
“You’re a competitor,” Weaver said. “You want to be out there, especially after having that first year where you did have a few chances to be out there on the floor contributing. But it’s a learning process, too. A lot of players go through this. Some of the best players go through it or have been through it. I’ve just got to take it for what it’s worth, and the time that I’m out there just pick up on things.”
Last season’s experience, Weaver said, will help him go into tonight’s game with confidence and poise when his number is called. He now knows what to expect rather than having to be thrust into a backup role while still being unsure of himself.
“Last year was definitely a big help, being able to be out there on the floor,” Weaver said. “It makes everything a bit smoother and hopefully I’ll be a lot more comfortable out there.”
Ollie, who had been the team’s calming force off the bench behind Westbrook, said his biggest advice to Weaver is to take command of the offense.
“Be confident,” Ollie said. “I know he has great belief in himself and knows the team is behind him. Just be assertive out there. Be a leader. As the point guard, your voice has to be projected over everybody. And they got to know that you’re in command.”
The Scene At Shootaround
I asked Kevin Durant what advice he had for Russell Westbrook hours before the second-year point guard faced Gilbert Arenas for the first time Friday night.
Durant’s response caught me off guard.
“I haven’t played against him yet either,” Durant said. “The first two years I was in the league he was hurt. So this is my first time playing against him, too.”
The fact that Durant, and Jeff Green for that matter, also will be playing against Arenas for the first time tonight puts into perspective exactly how long the Washington Wizards guard has been on the shelf. Arenas, a three-time All Star in 2005, 2006 and 2007, has played in just 15 games the past two seasons. But the 6-foot-4 point guard is back this season, looking to reclaim his spot atop the NBA’s list of elite players.
Arenas has played in all 10 of the Wizards’ games this season and averaged 36.8 minutes. He’s scoring 22.8 points per game with averages of 6.5 assists and 3.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists.
“Gilbert’s back,” said Thunder coach Scott Brooks. “He’s capable of having a big game. He’s very strong, very quick, very offensive-minded. He’s good. I haven’t seen him live, but on film he’s pretty close to being back where he once was.”
Arenas is one of the few point guards Westbrook has yet to face after making his first lap around the NBA last season. What Westbrook could encounter tonight is a player who keeps him off balance with a deceptive shiftiness, an ability to score from anywhere on the court and an underrated sense of knowing how to make his teammates better with his passing skills. It’s a match up that could have a significant impact on the outcome of tonight’s game and determine whether the Thunder pulls its home record to an even 3-3 or drops to a disappointing 2-4.
“I’m not putting pressure on myself or going in like I’m playing somebody that I’ve never played before,” Westbrook said. “I just go with the same mindset, just go out and defend and make sure my teammates have my back and go from there.”
Durant, who’s worked out with Arenas in the past and filmed promotional spots with the Wizards point guard for EA Sports, said the similarities between Westbrook and Arenas extend beyond their uniform numbers.
“We all watch Gilbert. We all know how great he is,” Durant said. “They’re similar. Gilbert right now is just a better shooter than Russell is. They’re similar in their build and athleticism so it should be a fun match up. But we’re going to help Russell out as much as possible.”
Brooks said he wants Westbrook to play with his usual aggressiveness, attacking Arenas on offense while attempting to pester him defensively.
“Respect him but challenge him,” Brooks said of what he will tell Westbrook. “Gilbert’s one of the better point guards in the league. It’s going to be a great test for Russell, but it’s not about Russell and Gilbert going at each other. Russell has to attack when he has the opportunity and he has to be a playmaker when that comes about. But it’s important that Russell really challenges himself and gets after him defensively like he’s done the last couple of games.”
Thunder 83, Clippers 79
While you were cozily tucked in late Wednesday, perhaps uninterested in staying up past midnight to watch the Thunder take on the Blake Griffin-less Los Angeles Clippers, Kevin Durant was busy delivering his breakthrough performance in Game No. 8 of what many consider the season that will be his coming out party.
Durant dominated the Clippers in every respect before the final buzzer sounded on the Thunder’s 83-79 win, undoubtedly assembling his best and most complete outing of his two-plus years.
On this night, Durant arrived, his coronation unfortunately coming courtesy of L.A.’s forgotten team, which had only a generously-announced 14,248 spectators sprinkled throughout Staples Center as witnesses.
Statistically, Durant has had more impressive showings. His line Wednesday — 30 points, 10 rebounds and four assists — won’t wow you because it’s what we’ve come to expect of Durant. On numbers alone, this wasn’t even Durant’s best night in Staples Center. He poured in career-highs of 46 points and 15 rebounds against the Clippers last January, getting to the foul line 26 times and swishing 24 freebies. Both the attempts and the makes from the stripe stand as franchise records.
But this game wasn’t about numbers. It was about winning, which the Thunder failed to do against a short-handed Clippers team last winter despite Durant’s career night. It was about the mega-talented Durant, maybe for the first time, coming to the realization that he is capable of doing whatever he needs to do on the court to lead his teammates to victory.
Durant hunkered down on defense, playing the passing lanes and pestering his man to come up with steals and deflections. Durant played point forward offensively, controlling the ball and the pace of the Thunder’s offense throughout much of his 36 minutes, 22 seconds. He created for himself and others, refusing to settle but rather weaving his way into the lane for easy baskets or showing off an improved mid-range game with pull-up jumpers. Durant’s first 3-point attempt didn’t come until the opening seconds of the second quarter.
And this time, on a play that illustrated everything he did right offensively, Durant netted the big shot.
The Thunder took a 78-71 lead with 5:43 left to play but scored just one point over the next five minutes as the Clippers crept back to tie the score at 79-all. Thunder coach Scott Brooks then ran an isolation for Durant on the left wing. With Al Thornton defending closely, Durant drove left with two dribbles before reaching the baseline. He stopped and hit a step-back jumper over Thornton with 38.9 seconds remaining.
“That’s what I do,” Durant said. “That’s what I’m here for is to make big plays, miss or make.”
It wasn’t the make that stood out. It was the decision-making.
Equally impressive, although it will be overshadowed, was the play in which Durant didn’t take the shot. It came on a sequence that saw the Thunder aiming to milk the final 27.3 seconds off the game clock with the shot clock showing a 4.3-second differential. With all eyes on Durant as he stood near halfcourt, much like he did against the Lakers before settling for a 28-footer, Durant jabbed right took one dribble left and passed to a wide open Jeff Green after Marcus Camby helped. Green swung it to Kevin Ollie in the left corner. Ollie missed a 3-point attempt but retrieved the rebound and iced the game with a pair of free throws with 1.8 seconds remaining.
“We’ve definitely made some strides,” said Nick Collison. “I think we’re just starting to learn how to play. What I like is we have a lot of guys just concerned with winning and making winning plays.”
Durant did both Wednesday and assumed his rightful place at the front of the line on a night that you might have viewed simply as Game No. 8 of his third season.
Rockets 105, Thunder 94
So you liked seven seconds or less in the Valley of the Sun, huh?
How about four seconds or less in Houston?
Against the Thunder on Friday night, the Rockets took Phoenix’s patented high-octane, fast-breaking offense and turned up the tempo even more in their 105-94 win over Oklahoma City at the Toyota Center. On the Thunder’s makes, misses and turnovers, Houston routinely ran up the court and had a shot up before five seconds had ticked off the shot clock.
The Thunder never looked interested in getting back and, even though OKC was well within striking distance of the Rockets’ five-point halftime lead, the writing was on the wall as the two teams headed for their locker rooms. By then it was clear that if the Thunder didn’t focus on getting back the contest would quickly turn into a blowout. And that’s about what happened — even if the scoreboard read the Thunder was within eight inside the final two minutes.
This game was not as close as even the final 11-point margin indicated.
A smaller, less athletic Rockets team bullied the flat-footed Thunder. In the paint (54-44 paint points) and in transition (22-10 fast break points). Houston, with a 6-foot-6 inch starting center in Chuck Hayes, even had more blocked shots (10) than the Thunder (eight). The Rockets’ 6-foot backup point guard Kyle Lowry was credited for four blocks.
Credit Lowry, and starter Aaron Brooks, for pushing the pace, too, and making things uncomfortable for the Thunder all night. Lowry had eight assists in 20 minutes off the bench. Brooks had six. The Thunder had just 15 as a team. Most of their dishes were the result of run outs or breakdowns in the Thunder’s defense in the halfcourt.
“They just played much tougher than we did tonight,” Thunder coach Scott Brooks said.
It’s not like the Thunder didn’t know what type of game Friday night’s would be. Oklahoma City got a sneak peak of this same Rockets squad in the third-to-last game of its preseason schedule. And Brooks knew full well what to expect after walking out of Houston the first time following a 20-point loss.
“We know they’re fast,” Brooks told me following Thursday’s practice. “After leaving that (preseason) game in Houston, I came away knowing that that’s a fast team that knows how to pass the basketball. And we have to do a better job of containing the ball and creating some difficult passing lanes for their little guards.”
The Thunder fell to 2-3, its third straight defeat, because it failed to adhere to the scouting report.
It didn’t help that the Thunder’s offensive rhythm was nearly as out of sync as its defensive principles. Only Russell Westbrook (game-high 33 points) and Kevin Durant (27 points) finished in double-digit scoring. Together, their 25 of 47 shooting helped the Thunder shoot a respectable 43.5 percent. The other three starters shot a combined 6-for-27.
The Thunder had as many assists (15) as turnovers, and over its past three games has now tallied 44 assists to 55 turnovers, a sign of just how much the team has struggled offensively of late.
“We’re about team basketball,” Brooks said. “We all have to play together as a team…We have to regroup and refocus our effort. Our identity is we have to defend. We have to score off of our defense and tonight we did not do that. We were taking the ball out of the basket throughout the game.”
Thunder 102, Kings 89
So what did we learn about this year’s Thunder squad after one game?
If Wednesday night’s season opener taught us anything it was that this team can be pretty good when it plays hard for 48 minutes. The 102-89 win over Sacramento proved that the things the organization has preached since moving here in July of last year — teamwork, energy, effort, commitment and patience — can indeed pay off.
“It was a good start,” said coach Scott Brooks. “I thought we played some pretty good basketball.”
The Thunder has become a more confident group. That was perhaps the biggest revelation on opening night. You can see the progression in almost everything the players do, everything they say.
Kevin Durant was spotted at his locker before the game, slouched in his office-style chair with his long legs stretched out. He seemed calm, prepared for anything that was about to come his way. Less than an hour before tip-off, he looked every bit as at ease as he claimed to be only a day earlier, on the eve of his third NBA season.
And after the wire-to-wire win, the Thunder’s dressing room was far from festive. Players hardly flashed smiles, let alone celebrated the opening victory. Media members filled the room with more noise than the guys who had just put on the show. It was almost a surreal scene considering it was one that rarely played out after big-time wins last year.
“It’s an encouraging start,” said Nick Collison, “but there’s 81 more games.”
Kings 104, Thunder 89
Don’t think this game didn’t matter. Not for a second.
If for some reason you’re still under the impression that Thursday night’s 104-89 loss to the starless Kings was simply a throw-away game, the last of this exhibition season, carefully chew on Kevin Durant’s words.
“It always means something when we step on this floor,” he said. “We’re a young team. We want to get better every time we step on the floor. Tonight was a tough one. We took some steps back.”
Steps.
Plural.
This was the third straight loss by at least 15 points. The third straight time a team has drained at least 10 3-pointers. The third straight game the wanna-be-defensive-minded Thunder allowed 104 points or more. The third straight game in which the opponent has shot better than 50 percent from the field.
In no way is it time to panic. It’s certainly way too early for that. But while the outcome doesn’t matter in these tune-ups, the performances and the trends certainly serve as warning signs.
After seven preseason games, the Thunder has demonstrated an inability to put together 48 minutes of quality basketball. It’s the same flaw that plagued this bunch last season. Some of this preseason’s blunders can be attributed to odd lineups and funky rotations, to subs closing out games and philosophy taking precedence over the outcome. But mostly, the Thunder showed the same imperfections during times its main unit was on the floor and times when the team tried to successfully close out a game with a win.
Have we forgotten Phoenix’s 26-9 fourth quarter on Oct. 12 that erased a 20-point lead before the Thunder prevailed by five in overtime? Lose that game and this exhibition season goes from 2-5 to 1-6, from decent to disappointing.
“It’s definitely a concern in our minds because we want to change it,” said Shaun Livingston. “That’s not how we want to come out and start the season. I know that we are going to come out better opening night. We know we are better than that.”
Grizzlies 99, Thunder 91
MEMPHIS — I’ve got good news and bad news from Memphis. Which one do you want first?
Let’s start with the bad.
The Thunder lost 99-91 to the Grizzlies on Wednesday night the same way it dropped a good majority of its games last season — late-game turnovers, poor decision-making, porous defense and deer-in-the-headlights looks from players on offense down the stretch.
The good news is this was Game 1 of the preseason, and this time the unit that fell prey to the same mistakes we saw so many nights last season won’t all be on the floor when the games matter three weeks from tonight.
The Grizzlies outscored the Thunder 19-9 in the final 7 1/2 minutes. OKC had as many turnovers (four) as field goals in those final minutes. Memphis rookie Sam Young took over like he was still a man among boys at Pitt, scoring 15 of his game-high 22 points in the final period. He attempted 16 free throws, 10 in the fourth quarter.
But the result is secondary since two rookies (Byron Mullens and James Harden), two sophomores (Kyle Weaver and D.J. White) and three role players (Shaun Livingston, Etan Thomas and Ryan Bowen) were the only ones that played the fourth quarter.
The main guys looked good.
Russell Westbrook orchestrated the offense almost perfectly. He finished with a game-high 10 assists and could have had more had his buddies made more shots. Westbrook didn’t force anything all game and, as a result, turned the ball over only twice. And one was an illegal screen. Because he looked for his teammates all night, he only took four shots, missing them all and scoring just five points. But his development was on display. His leadership, too. He jumped off the bench in the first half after the Grizzlies had two consecutive run outs and yelled, “Somebody’s gotta get back!” In addition to that, he helped hold Mike Conley in check and didn’t let the speedy point guard cause problems by weaving his way into the lane all night. Westbrook’s overall performance was hands down the most encouraging thing about the opener. He’s answering the question of whether he’s ready to lead this team each time he steps on the floor in a competitive environment. It’s way too early to declare that he is. But the better question might soon become is he ready to be consistent as the leader?
