Oklahoma City: Getting our bearings

The NBA season is less than 24 hours away, and the Thunder have their first game on Wednesday night. With everything that has gone on, let's get an idea of where we are, and where we are going.

Where we are:

We finished a dismal 23 - 59. Even with the end of the season 20 - 30 record, it doesn't look good. We were a top 10 rebounding team last season, but our Point Guard of the future committed the most turnovers of anyone in the league. The Thunder are lead by one of the league's best scorers in Kevin Durant, but we were in the bottom of the league in scoring.

This season, we are one of the youngest teams in the league. Oklahoma City has an average age of 25. If our young bench doesn't get better, don't expect much improvement this season.

Where we want to be:

Kevin Durant said that his goal is to make the playoffs. The media wants to believe that it is possible for this team to get the eight seed, they haven't come that far yet. In order to make it to the playoffs, we need a number of things.

1) Consistent production from the bench.
Last season, there were no players who were able to score at will against other team second units. Look for James Harden, DJ White, or Serge Ibaka to attempt to fill this role.

2) Production in the paint.
Offensively and defensively, the interior Thunder players need to fill the stat sheet. Nenad Krstic was a great pick up last season, but he needs to learn to rebound better. Etan Thomas was a great pick up for his rebounding and shot changing abilities, but he isn't a scorer. Nick Collison was the most productive center most of last season for the Thunder. Serge Ibaka and DJ White can make significant contributions, if given the time to develop. Problem is that will be difficult for both of these players to find enough time to grow as basketball players.

3) Turnovers.
Don't give the ball away. Durant is on the brink of Super Stardom, but he averaged three turns a game. The starting five for Oklahoma City has so much potential, but, on occasion, they do everything in their power to give games to their opponents. Literally.

4) Closing games.
Surprisingly, this preseason helped move the team closer to this goal. They were able to hold off opponents in situations instead of buckling under the pressure, like last season. This goal comes from experience, keeping intensity up until the final whistle. The team has enough heart that this goal is attainable this season.

This might seem like a lot of big things for the team to worry about this season, and it is. But if a team wants to reach the playoffs, they have to do all the little things well. Here's to a great season. Thunder UP! And Go Thunder Go!


This Is Thunder Basketball

(Photo from Yahoo! Sports)


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Inside the Thunder: Power Forwards

Today, This Is Thunder Basketball will look at, arguably, Oklahoma City's deepest position.

Overview:

Jeff Green will likely enter the season as the starter at the Four. His improvement during his Sophomore campaign was overshadowed by Kevin Durant's breakout season. Even in the shadow of Durant, Green increased his season averages by 6 PTs, 2 RBDs, and 1 STL per game. While he is naturally a Small Forward, Green has thrived at PF and should only improve in his third season. After Green, the Power Forward position gets quite murky for the Thunder. They have five year veteran Nick Collison, who will also see time at Center, an incredibly consistent (and witty) player. D.J. White, who was out the majority of last season with a benign jaw tumor, showed what he can do at the end of last season and should be able to compete for minutes. Finally, there is Congo native Serge Ibaka. Ibaka played in Spain last season, and drew a lot of attention at the Summer League this year. Because he is still a "raw" talent, he will likely spend a lot of time with D-League affiliate, the Tulsa 66'ers.

Strengths:

Jeff Green has the ability to stretch defenses like few PFs in the league right now. He can post up, or pull up for the three. His work ethic and attitude is perfect for a young team like the Thunder. Collison, whose rebound totals dropped a bit due to injury last season, is a more traditional Four than Green. He is more likely to spend his time in the paint, and fight for rebounds. White improved with each game last season, ending the season with a Double-Double against the Clippers, and will be back in playing shape after the summer. From his limited exposure, he is more of a "banger" than the rest of the Thunder's PFs. He will fight for rebounds, and is the perfect kind of player to relieve Green when Collison is playing the Five. Ibaka is an unknown for most Thunder fans. He showed that he can score, but his inexperience shows on the defensive side of the ball. Hopefully, time spent with Head Coach Scott Brooks and the rest of the coaching staff can help accelerate his learning curve.

Weaknesses:

Green is a small forward, and it shows when he goes up against some of the NBA's better PFs. Dirk Nowitzki in particular showed what a more powerful Four can do against Green, scoring more than 40 Pts against Green twice last season. Unless Green can get a stronger post game, bigger PFs will be able to take advantage of him. Collison is a player that you either love, or hate. He is consistent, but his play could also be considered boring. He never does anything to amaze fans, but is the type of player OKC needs to keep around. White is a relative unknown, but he needs to work asserting his self defensively and he will be a valuable contributor. Ibaka could be Oklahoma City's biggest defensive liability if he doesn't improve. In Summer League games, he was slow to rotate and was often caught off guard when someone attacked the rim. More court awareness will go a long way towards improving his game.

The Power Forward position is deep for the Thunder. Whether it is the finesse of Green, consistency of Collison, power of White, or unpredictably of Ibaka, these guys will surely give Thunder fans something to cheer about next season.

(Stats from NBA.com)

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Thunder Summer Review

This past offseason has been a busy one for the Oklahoma City Thunder. From the draft, to free agency OKC has improved on the team that finished near the bottom of the NBA last season.

Draft:

In this Summer's draft, the Thunder picked up three players. James Harden, Byron Mullens, and Robert Vaden.

James Harden (SG): Harden is expected to make an instant impact for the Thunder. He brings the Thunder a scoring compliment to franchise cornerstone Kevin Durant, and helps fill out one of the weakest positions on the team.

Byron Mullens (C): Mullens is, what experts call, a project Center. He is a "real" seven foot, but lacks the physical presence needed to play in the NBA. If Mullens can develop a consistent post game, he can contribute in this league.


Robert Vaden (SG): Vaden, who has already signed with a Euroleague team, was picked up to add another scorer to the Shooting Guard position. After a lack luster showing during Summer League, Vaden signed with an Italian club to continue his development.

Free Agency:

Oklahoma City has been busy this offseason in free agency. By getting rid of "dead weight" and adding veteran depth where it is needed, the Thunder have set themselves up to accelerate the development of its younger players.

Etan Thomas (C): Thomas was acquired in a trade from Minnesota for Chucky Atkins and Damien Wilkins. Thomas, who is originally from the Tulsa area, and will bring much needed depth to Center position.

Kevin Ollie (PG): Ollie was, obviously, brought in to help mentor Russell Westbrook. Ollie has never averaged more than 1.54 TOs a season (according to NBA.com) and should be able to help reel in Westbrook's reckless play style.

Serge Ibaka (PF): Ibaka, who wasn't technically a free agent since the Thunder owned his draft rights last season, has a lot of potential to have an impact on this team. During the Summer Leagues, he showed that he is not only a great athlete but also has a soft touch on the basketball. Even though OKC is deep at Power Forward, he should see a good chunk of minutes as his development continues.

Even with adding Thomas and Ollie, Oklahoma City will be close to, if not the, youngest team in the NBA. Despite this, many are calling for the Thunder to have a break out season in '09. With Head Coach Scott Brooks and General Manage Sam Presti building a solid team around a strong core of young players, Oklahoma City is sure to make ripples through out the NBA this season.

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