Category Archives: Oklahoma City Thunder

Oklahoma City Thunder, Oklahoma Sooners

Westbrook Signs, Venables Leaves

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Some major happenings in the world of Oklahoma sports today.

After breaking down Russell Westbrook's extension only a day ago, the Thunder came to terms with Westbrook today on a 5 year $80 million dollar extension.  This is significant for a number of reasons.  While Westbrook's extension is technically a max extension, it is actually still less than what he could have held out for.  Durant is on the "super max" salary which essentially equates to 30% of the teams cap while Westbrook agreed to the "normal max" which places him in the 25% range of the team's cap range.  Now you may be asking why that 5% difference is so significant?  Well, it could mean the difference between re-signing Harden and Ibaka next season and having to let one or both go.  The way that Westbrook's extension was structured also eliminates the risk of the Rose Rule bumping him if he makes the All-NBA team this season.  His 25% is locked and there is also no opt-out clause built in anywhere meaning #0 is going to be in OKC for the next 5 years no matter what.

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I did question whether or not Westbrook would be a team player and agree to a little less to help out the overall good of the team moving forward and I am pleasantly surprised at his decision to do so.  While Westbrook tends to drive me nuts like no other player, he is also a consensus top 10 player in the league and the fact that he and Durant are locked in together for at least 4 more years is a very good thing.  Westbrook has rebounded from a horrendous start of the season to really beginning to shine as the Thunder now stand at 12-3 and a force to be reckoned with in the Western conference.

Late last night news also broke that OU defensive coordinator Brent Venables had accepted the same position at Clemson.  With Bob Stoops bringing back brother Mike, he had to know that there was potential for defections within his staff.  While Bob tried his best to have his cake and eat it too, it wasn't too hard for Venables to see the writing on the wall.  The defense has failed the Sooners in recent years and Venables took the blunt of the blame.  Having the opportunity to bring Mike Stoops back was a no brainer, but put Venables in a no win situation.  If the defense improves then all the credit goes to Stoops.  Venables knew his reputation was on the line and if he ever wanted a shot at head coaching then he had to move on.  While there's no question Venables was a top notch recruiter, he simply wasn't getting the job done on the defensive side of the ball.  A Stoops and Venables combo as co-coordinators was probably the optimal solution, but if forced to pick between Brent Venables and Mike Stoops then I wouldn't hesitate for a second taking Stoops.

The hard truth is that the Sooner defense just hasn't lived up to the hype in the recent past and changes had to be made.  I wish Venables well at Clemson, but I couldn't be happier having Mike Stoops running the defense once again.

Oklahoma City Thunder

Will Westbrook Sign an Extension?

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The Thunder have exactly one week from today to sign Russell Westbrook to an extension before he will become a restricted free agent at the end of the season.  So why haven't the Thunder come to terms yet with their all-star point guard?

There are a few things holding this deal up, so let's break them down.

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1. Westbrook and his agent feel like he is a max salary player.  Being an all-star last year and 2nd team All-NBA would usually indicate a max player.  However, the Thunder already have a max player in Durant and if they want to have any shot whatsoever at keeping together their young core then Westbrook is going to have to agree to take a little less.  Having Durant and Westbrook both at max salaries would tie up around 60% of the Thunder's payroll and not leave much to keep players like Harden and Ibaka whose contacts run out next season.

2. The Derrick Rose rule.  What does that mean?  Without trying to get all fancy, it basically means if he makes the All-NBA team again this year then he would be retroactively awarded a much larger sum of money then what the Thunder originally agreed to pay him.  Durant is already benefiting from said rule and if the Thunder sign Westbrook to a max extension and then he makes the All-NBA team then that would put the Thunder in all sorts of financial woes.
 
​3. Is Westbrook really a max salary player?  OK, so I've come off of my hostility towards Russell a bit since my last Thunder article, but I still have to wonder if the Thunder would really want to risk losing out on Harden and Ibaka long term in favor of Westbrook.  By the looks of things it appears as though Presti is trying to work out a deal where he doesn't have to choose and can keep all of the core intact.  With Maynor going down for the year it has become critical for Westbrook to improve his play and for the Thunder front office to put aside any potential trade thoughts.
 
​In the end, I think Westbrook will become a restricted free agent, but eventually sign an extension with the Thunder.  Ultimately it's up to Westbrook though if he wants to be a team player and accept a little less cash with the opportunity at multiple championships keeping the core together or if he's all about the highest bidder and getting his.  He has already proven quite selfish on the court, time will tell if he has the same mentality off as well.
Oklahoma City Thunder

Oklahoma City Thunder 3 Games In

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The Thunder have started off the condensed 2011 – 2012 season a red hot 3-0.  So why am I feeling the urge to rip right into them?  Russell Westbrook.

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Now, stay with me here.  I know the guy is an all-star.  I know he's one of the "10 best players in the league" yada yada yada.  OK, that's great, but the guy just rubs me the wrong way.  Tonight he goes 0-13 with 7 turnovers.  That's just one game, you say, and besides the Thunder won anyway.  Yes, the Thunder did win anyway, but it was no thanks to #0.  That makes a perfect three straight games of 7 turnovers in each.  That is flat out unacceptable.  The guy just can't seem to grasp the concept of playing the PG position and tries to force it even when he is clearly having an off night.  He hasn't made a bucket all night and Durant can't miss.  What does Westbrook do with time winding down and the Grizzlies within striking distance?  He does his patent dribbling out the shot clock and sends up a horrible one handed fade-away that never has a chance.  I just don't understand how someone can be so selfish.

Am I being too hard on Westbrook?  Maybe.  But I'd just assume make a deal suggested by my partner in crime, TheMayor, and make a move for Dwight Howard.  Send Westbrook, Perkins, and a first rounder and I don't see how Orlando can say no.  I'd much rather have Maynor distributing to KD and Harden with Howard cleaning up everything that rims out.

On the brighter side of things, Durant has already started off the season with MVP-like numbers dropping 30+ in every game thus far and averaging less than 3 turnovers and 5 rebounds.  Durant has come through big in the clutch in close games vs Memphis and Minnesota.  #35 is the star of this team, not Westbrook.  I was hopeful Westbrook had taken some of the criticism from last season to heart and tried to work on honing his game as a true PG during the extended offseason, but it is clear that Russell will be Russell no matter how many detractors come his way.  Brooks refuses to put a tighter leash on Westbrook in fear of pushing him away and having his PG turn against him with only a year left on his contract.

The Thunder are 3-0, but it is not because of Westbrook.  The Thunder are 3-0 because of the superior play from Durant, Harden, Ibaka, Perkins and crew.  Harden has continued to thrive coming off the bench playing possibly even better ball than last season.  Serge has had a bit of a slow start, but is still fulfilling his role on the team.  Perkins came into the season in the best shape of his life and finally with a healthy knee and boy does it show.  Perkins has been a huge boost down low thus far and I am very impressed with his transformation from last season.

Westbrook is heaving up almost the same number of shots per game as Durant, yet connecting on roughly half of the shots that Durant is downing.  Something needs to change.  This team is good, but not good enough to continue to cover for #0 all season long with any hopes of a title coming to OKC.  I don't think he will ever change though and I don't think the Thunder will ever be able to get over the hump with him at the reigns.  I hope I'm wrong, but I wouldn't bet on it.

Oklahoma City Thunder

In A Bind

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The league owned New Orleans Hornets have finally traded All-Star Chris Paul to the Clippers to join Blake Griffin. The Clippers, Lakers, Dallas, have all made moves to improve their roster. What should OKC do to respond?

OKC can respond in two ways.

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The first is quite simple, get Westbrook to sign his extension before the trading deadline. Most fans will be quite happy with having one of the best emerging point guards in the game. He’s young, quick, still learning the position, and has gotten better every year he’s been in the league. Westbrook is just beginning to scratch the surface on his potential. GM Sam Presti and the rest of the staff need some time to look over the new CBA and get everything squared away. That’s fine. Westbrook seems to want to stay in OKC, even after his contract ends, and there are not many teams he could go to via free agency, make max dollars, and still compete for championships.

The other way the Thunder can respond is to trade him. With CP3 off the trading block, the only real option is New Jersey’s Deron Williams. Williams has indicated that he will not sign an extension unless the team can become more competitive. The only real way that happens is if the Nets can get Dwight Howard, who is off the trading block… for now. If New Jersey fails to get him, the Nets and Thunder could exchange point guards (plus a player(s)/draft picks). The Nets win by having a new fresh face of the franchise to go with the rest of their young talent and OKC wins by having arguably the best point guard in the game. If you’re Williams, you get to play with the two-time scoring champ in K.D., great atmosphere in Loud City, and a chance to start winning now. New Jersey does not offer any of those things nor could any other city offer him a chance to play on a contender NOW.

The team is still quite young and growing. I believe they will eventually get to championship contender status soon, possibly this season or next. The Lakers, Dallas, San Antonio, are getting old, and fast. Their window of opportunity is closing rather quickly. The Western Conference will soon be controlled by young teams like the Thunder, Clippers, and don’t sleep on Memphis or the Timberwolves either.

Oklahoma City Thunder

Can the Thunder Pick Up Where They Left Off?

Thankfully, the NBA owners and players came to their senses and heeded my advice to find a way to salvage this season.  Now the question is, has the lockout slowed down the momentum the Thunder built up coming into this season?

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With the season now being broken down into just 66 games and numerous back to backs being played, this schedule falls right into the strengths of a young Thunder squad. While older teams may experience some issues with the sheer amount of back to back games, the Thunder should be just fine with their young legs.  Until the free agent market clears up and we know which big time players will be playing where, it's going to be hard to break down the Thunder's main competition in the West.

Instead, let's focus on what the Thunder have and how they can build on last season's success.  Obviously having one of the best players in the league in Kevin Durant immediately makes any team forced to be taken seriously.  Throw in another all-star in Russell Westbrook and you've got a team that is a legit title contender.  The fact that both of these all-star players are only 23 years old is almost mind boggling.  They have yet to hit their prime years.  Now, if you regularly follow the Thunder then I'm not telling you anything you don't already know.  But what pieces do Durant and Westbrook have around them to fill out a true title contending team?

The addition of Kendrick Perkins last season didn't exactly take off like most fans had hoped for.  While Perk was hobbled for the majority of the year, he failed to really impress many.  This year there will be no excuses and Perkins has got to be that force in the center of the lane making players think twice before slashing to the hoop.  Serge Ibaka came on strong last season and really established himself as not only a premier defensive player leading the team in blocks, but also finding his rhythm with a mid range jumper.

The emergence of James Harden last season was a huge boost.  Harden spent the majority of last season coming off the bench and filling that offensive void left in the second unit, but is expected to be inserted into the starting line up this year.  Daequan Cook, who just signed a new 2 year deal with the Thunder, also spaces the floor out nicely for the second unit with his 3 point sharp shooting.  Add in Collison and Maynor and you've got a second team that can play with nearly any starting unit in the league.

The Thunder were one of the few teams in the league with no real glaring weaknesses coming into the season and not needing to really make any offseason moves.  This is a team that will only continue to grow and mature so long as Presti can find a way to keep the core together.  Last season was a year in which this young squad did a lot of growing up and took that next step from "could be in a few years" to a real threat right here and now.  OKC opened a lot of eyes around the league last season and have been either rewarded or punished (depending on your outlook) with being paired up with nearly all of the league's elite teams in the condensed schedule this year.  Clearly the big wigs behind the scenes believe the Thunder are for real and are giving them prime time games to get maximum exposure.  Now it's just up to the Thunder to continue doing what they've been doing.

If this team continues to grow and excel at the rate they have been then it could spell trouble for a number of years to come for Western conference foes and the league's elite.  I believe the true test will be to see how Westbrook responds to all the criticism he took during the post season last year and if he will finally be able to find his own while still incorporating the rest of the team.  If Westbrook begins to distribute the ball like a true PG while keeping his cool, there is no telling how far this young team can go.