Player Rankings Volume IV

#4. Nick Collison, 5th Year Power Forward

(Hoop Dreams.)

Best Season: 07-08 with the SuperSonics, 29 Minutes, 10 Points, 9 Rebounds, 1 Assist, 1 Steal, 1 Block, 50% FG%, 74% FT%

Okay, this list isn't very controversial, but if there was something to argue, it would probably be Nick Collison going so high. Honestly, he's an average Power Forward, but in todays NBA, that's a blessing, not a curse. His stats have significantly improved every year of his play (and that's not due to increased playing time). You could argue that the team has gotten progressively worse, but theres no arguing that this dude has improved somewhat, and a 10-9 guy with 50% FG% is nothing to sneeze at. Why ahead of Rinour and Watson then? Because, in general, big men in general are more valuable than small men. Pay attnetion to trades and stats, and you'll know what I mean.

NBA Comparison: Troy Murphy without the 3s.

#3. Chris Wilcox, 8th Year Power Forward
Best Season: 2005-2006 with the SuperSonics, 30 Minutes, 14 Points, 8 Rebounds, 1 Assist, 1 Steal, 59% FG%, 79% FT%.

Well, there's no doubt that this due is Sonic elite. He's been mentioned in a lot of trade talks, but if you ask me, the dude is still 26, so we should hang onto him. It's hard finding a guy who can score on the inside, so we should definately keep him moving forward. True, his stats have slightly decreased as of late, but it's splitting hairs, and he'll more or less put up the numbers above for the majority of his career. Truely solid big man, and who knows? He might have a Chris Kaman-like breakout year this year.

NBA Comparison: Chris Kaman, David West

#2. Jeff Green, 2nd Year Small Forward

Best Season: 07-08 with the SuperSonics, 28 Minutes, 11 Points, 5 Rebounds, 2 Assists, 1 Steal, 1 Block, 43% FG%, 28% 3PT%, 74% FT%.

I know what you're thinking. "This retard just decided to put last years picks at the top of the board". Well, if you look at their record in 05-06, you'll know why. This team is utter crap by NBA standards. And Jeff Greens stats, while maybe worse than 2-4 of the above players, are still pretty darn good for a Rookie. The sky is the limit for Jeff, and that's why he's #2 on this list. I mean, he was #5 in tha draft, after all. That's not too far from Durants #2.

NBA Comparison: Younger Tracy McGrady (Good Situation), Younger Morris Peterson (Bad Situation).

#1. Kevin Durant, 2nd Year Small Forward
Best Season: 07-08 with the SuperSonics, 35 Minutes, 20 Points, 4 Rebounds, 2 Assists, 1 Steal, 1 Block, 43% FG%, 29% 3PT%, 87% FT%.

Well, what else is there to say but the fact that he's Kevin Durant? A one and done at Texas, he is probably the hottest star to come out of college in the past 3 years (since Greg Odens injury, at least). He has a pretty good game, but it has 2 gigantic flaws. One, he relies a lot on Phantom Fouling. (See: Dwayne Wade.) A large part of his game is getting to the line, and while that DOES work (See: Dwayne Wade) it's pretty ugly to look at, and people tend to respect a player more if he's got actual game. I'm sure he does, while others don't (See: Dwayne Wade). The other big problem of his is that his 3 Point shooting sucks. Sure, we've all seen his amazing buzzer beater against the Hawks, but that was a pure miracle. I actually watched this one live (NBA League Pass FTW), with no affiliation one way or the other, but I jumped up and shouted when it went in. Amazing stuff, but that's beside the point. Most of the time his 3s are ill-advised and go clank. He probably should take some advice from my main man Donyell Marshall on how to get the open 3 and take it. Reguardless, these are little quips on his play, and he'll probably iron them out as his career progresses.

NBA Comparison: Dwayne Wade

Hope you enjoyed my list guys! Any constructive criticism is appreciated! You can put it in the comments below, or email it to me at nbaokc@gmail.com.

Now that you know the players, the next logical thing to do is to sort them out. You know, see who's tradeable/likely to be traded, who we need to keep, and where to put them on the Depth Chart. This will be my next major analysis article. Stay tuned!

WWLS, Flagship Station of the City

At 5PM today, Clay Bennett announced on the Total Dominance Hour that WWLS the Sports Animal would be the new flagship station of the Oklahoma City. This is good news, seeing as how WWLS is the primary sports station in the area. Previously, the Hornets used NewsRadio 1000 KTOK in 2005-2006, and they used 94.7 THE BUZZ in 2006-2007. It's nice to see it on a station that's actually relevant to what it's presenting. I mean, I bet a bunch of people were angry when after a Green Day song finished, a Hornets games came on. Or, heck, even talk show radio fans.

I was psyched because I figured it would be word on the team's name, but I suppose this is important information as well. No word on who will be the radio or TV announcers, though. (Bob Barry Sr., please?)

UPDATE:
Darnell Mayberry of the NewsOK NBA in OKC Blog sponsored by John Holt Chevrolet has some more in depth details about the merger, as well as the announcement that Matt Pinto will probably continue to his 2nd year of play by playing with the team. This, however, still leaves the question of the TV Announcer....

Rookie Photo Shoot, Adonal Foyle News

First of all, the rookies had their photo shoot this weekend.

Here's The Gallery (if you're into that sort of thing.)

And, seeing as how we don't have any real jerseys yet, the NBA decided to photograph our rookies in their old ghetto Summer League jerseys. The logo isn't that bad, but the jerseys are mesh. No worries though, these photos are usually one and done, and no one sees them again.

Word is, the Sacramento Kings, the Minnesota Timberwolves, and the Orlando Magic have new uniforms, and were photographed at the shoot. They are kept under tight wraps until the official unveilings closer to the season. The Kings and Magic are slight surprises, but the Timberwolves are long overdue, having the same uniforms since 1996 (which is cool though).

Also, in more important news, Adonal Foyle is probably going to get signed by the Orlando Magic. This news is probably the most Earth-Shattering news this offseason, as Adonal Foyles veteran experience will clearly outshine Dwight Howard and land him the starting job. Championship in Orlando, anyone?

Oh, and Ron Artest got traded to the Rockets. Now that's scary.

From Yahoo! Sports:
"Houston Chronicle reports Kings will send Ron Artest to Rockets for Bobby Jackson and No. 1 pick."

Pretty cheap....man, if we make the the playoffs, it'll be a miracle.

The final article in the Player Rankings Saga should come later tonight/tomorrowish.

Player Rankings Volume III

Hey Again Guys, and Apologies if I missed your comment earlier. I thought it would automatically forward comments to my email, so I never checked. But, reguardless, your feedback is much appreciated, and much thanks to SoonerAlum for making me aware of the fact that Thunder means Thundering Herd, and could have a buffalo as the mascot. If this is true, I'm all for the nickname, and it probably takes fourth place in my rankings, behind Rough Riders, Marshals, and Bison. Still, that's kind of also ripping off of the Marshall University Thundering Herd.

Reguardless, on to the rankings!

#9. C.J. Miles, 4th Year Shooting Guard

(He got a big check from Utah recently, so I thought it was fitting....)

Best Season: 07-08 with the Jazz, 12 Minutes, 5 Points, 1 Rebounds, 1 Assist, 1 steal, 48% FG%, 39% 3PT%, 79% FT%.

Okay okay, he' not on the roster anymore, but these rankings are old, and I figured you guys would at least like to see where he stood. I like to think of C.J. as all of Adrian Griffins skill with some of Russell Westbrooks potential. I mean, he'll never be an All-Star, but optomistically he could be a solid starter, or a good backup. Still, the issue is moot now, so my analysis is short.

NBA Comparison: Martell Webster

#8. Donyell Marshall, 15th Year Small/Power Forward

(No, that's not Ben Wallace.)

Best Season: 03-04 with the Raptors, 39 Minutes, 16 Points, 11 Rebounds, 1 Assist, 1 Steal, 2 Blocks, 47% FG%, 40% 3PT%, 74% FT%.

By far the oldest grizzled veteran on our team, and my personal favourite player. (He played on my favourite team of all time, the 1998-1999 Golden State Warriors.) He's played on many different teams, with his longest run from 1995-2000 with the Warriors. Some would say he's past his prime, but his game was never all that athletic anyway. He can still hit the 3 and the jumpshot, which is most of what he did back in the day. If you do know him, you probably know him from his days in Cleveland. Most of the time he shot corner 3s, and was an integral part of the NBA Finals team that beat the Pistons in the Conference Finals and lost to the Spurs in the Finals. Otherwise, he started on a bad Toronto team for a couple of years, and did likewise with a bad Bulls team in the mid-00s. In the early 00s he played with Utah, and was called "the future of the team" by Karl Malone. And for most of the 90s he played for a bad Warriors team, and before that he was a rookie on the Timberwolves. And there you go, the saga of Donyell Marshall. Last season he hardly played for the SuperSonics at all, and I don't expect it to improve much this year. In GM Kevin Pritchards eyes, he's a 5 Million Dollar expiring contract, which is valuable as trade bait. But, if he does stay, he'll be a valuable backup, and could help Kevin Durant learn a thing or to about his 3 Point percentage. (Surprising Stat: He had a 92% FreeThrow percentage last year with the SuperSonics.)

NBA Comparison: He's a wierd player....it's hard to find a comparison for a 3 Point Shooting Power Forward....Dirk Nowitski?

#7. Luke Ridnour, 6th Year Point Guard

(He's a NBA basketball player and his wife is taller than him....not just taller, but noticably taller. Creepy. (I have nothing against tall women, just a funny fact.))

(Had to include this pic, too. It shows him in his playing digs!)

Best Season: 05-06 with the SuperSonics, 33 Minutes, 12 Points, 3 Rebounds, 7 Assists, 2 Steals, 42% FG%, 29% 3PT%, 88% FT%.

Luke Ridnour is about as average and Pure of a Point Guard that you'll get. However, on defense, a lot of people accuse him of being a Bruce Bowen. If you're unfamiliar with the NBA, that basically means he's a really dirty, floppish defender, which can't be too good for his pocketbook going into this season. He's the longest consecutively tenured SuperSonic. The stats shown above are about his apex, as he should be fully developed at 27. But last year he lost his job to Earl Watson, who is a better marksman, but slightly worse in defending. Still, the Oklahoma City have a very good situation with their Point Guards, as interchangability and competition is never a bad thing.

NBA Comparison: Jamal Tinsley

#6. Damien Wilkins, 5th Year Small Forward/Shooting Guard

(That's what his hair should look like. No flat top is blasphemy in the Wilkins family!)

Best Season: 06-07 with the SuperSonics (07-08 looked very similar), 25 Minutes, 9 Points, 3 Rebounds, 2 Assists, 1 Steal, 44% FG%, 41% 3PT%, 88% FT%.

Damien Wilkins is NBA Royalty (according to Wikipedia). He is the son of Gerald Wilkins, a long-time NBA starter, and the nephew of Dominique Wilkins, who we all know as the human highlight flim. But, this is no Chris Simms (OU fan plug!). Yet, he's no Peyton Manning, either. Nonetheless, he can certainly hold his own in the NBA, and is a solid Dunker and 3 point shooter. He certainly has a great future with the SuperSonics, and will be a crucial backup to future stars Kevin Durant, Jeff Green, and Russell Westbrook. You know, someone who can bring energy off of the bench and shoot 3s. If you remember Rasual Butler from a couple years back on the Hornets, then there you go.

NBA Comparison: Rasual Butler

#5. Earl Watson, 8th Year Point Guard
Best Season: 07-08 with Seattle, 29 Minutes, 11 Points, 3 Rebounds, 7 Assists, 1 Steal, 45% FG%, 37% 3PT%, 77% FT%.

Earl Watson is kind of a more ideal Luke Ridnour. None of the bad defensive reputation, and a better shooter. Indeed, he did take the starting job from Luke Ridnour last year, and has been highly coveted by other teams (evidenced by frequent trade talks). Earl Watson was drafted by the SuperSonics in 2001, before going to Memphis and Denver and then coming back to Seattle. Thus, he is the oldest SuperSonic, but not longest consecutively tenured. Anyway, the Seattle Point Guard situation is good. Not great, but good. Two unselfish guys who will distribute the ball.

NBA Comparison: A better passing Derek Fisher

Stay tuned for the relatively unsurprising Top 4, and Strategies for P.J. Carlesimo and Sam Presti to consider!

News Update: C.J. Miles Will Remain a Jazz

According to the NewsOK NBA in OKC Blog Sponsored by John Holt Chevrolet, Utah has matched C.J. Miles' offer sheet, and will retain him next season. They just wanted to keep us waiting until the last day, eh? Honestly, this isn't much of a loss, and no one should get worried yet. We still have Adrian Griffin, who will fill his poition well, I'm sure. Not to mention Russell Westbrook, who everyone expects to be good. And even if he was here, I can't imagine him winning games for us. So, there you go. This kind screws up my player rankings, but, oh well, he'll stay in them hypothetically.

From One....To Six....

Well, it looks like KOCO was wrong. What a surprise. Who called it? Me. And it looks like NewsOK is doing some investigating of their own, and I wouldn't be surprised at all if they were also wrong. But, since the NBA filed for trademark rights to six names....this one seems pretty serious.

The Six Names Are:
Barons
Bison
Energy
Marshals
Thunder
Wind

Well, you've already heard my spiel about the Thunder, but I'll let my opinion be known about all 6 of these names anyway.

#1. Barons- Okay, I know this is a temporary issue, but what will we do when Baron Davis comes to town? He'll be so pumped up that he'll go for 50 points every time! Might as well be the Oklahoma City Baron Davises.

Secondly, according to Dictionary.com, a Baron is "an English Nobleman of the lowest rank". That doesn't seem like it would work out very well when the Sacramento Kings come to town, or whenever Prince Fielder decides to watch the Barons and also decides to root for the other team. I mean, we might as well call ourselves the Oklahoma City Ensigns or the Oklahoma City Interns. It just doesn't make sense! At least we're noble.

#2. Bison- Well, I really can't find too much wrong with this name. Of course, there's a few colleges with the nickname, but you can't be completely original or you'll end up like a Triple-A baseball team and call yourself the biscuits (seriously, it's a name). The Bison is a noble name I suppose, but are Bison really ferocious? I mean, they're really just beasts of burden like a yak or an ox. OR, to a lesser extent, maybe even a cow. I mean, could you imagine us being the Oklahoma City cow? I know the bison are native to Oklahoma, and they are a generally respectable animal, but I just don't think the name is all that ferocious.

#3. Energy- Okay. I'll be brutally honest here. This, to me, sounds like a Womens Soccer team. Maybe a Womens Lacrosse team. Maybe even a Womens basketball team. Now, I have nothing against women, or Womens sports. I respect Womens sports and think they should have a bigger place at the table, but Energy will get us laughed out of the NBA. What will our logo be? An oil rig? Or, even worse, ethanol? I mean, it could be a symbol of Oklahomas willingness to move beyond our oil companies and make Chesapeake Energy our main partner, but our name shouldn't have political implications. This is probably the worst name here. We're not the Chicago Sky, or the Atlanta Dream.

#4. Marshalls- This is a name from the Old West. The US Marshalls were basically....police officers in dangerous territory. A bad job, with the only thing keeping you going being a sense of Justice. I thought we wanted to move away from our "Old West" image, but, oh well. I think it's a nice name, but is this really Oklahoma-specific? It seems pretty general to me. If we wanted to go general, since Chuck Norris is an Oklahoma native, we should go with the Oklahoma City Walker, Texas Rangers. But I am only joking. Anyway, solid name here.

#5. Thunder- Again, the name of the Warriors mascot. I know it wasn't their idea first, but honestly, we shouldn't steal from the same league that we're already in. Knowing the evil money grubbing Chris Cohan (Warriors Owner), I see a lawsuit coming.

#6. Wind- Same issue as Energy. This is a soccer name, or the name of a womens team. And what would our logo be, three lines? Honestly, I know that Oklahoma has unpredictable weather, but it's not the first place you think of when you think, "Wind". I'd think Nebraska, Kansas, or even North Carolina. Bad, bad name.

So, out of the six, the best name is clearly the Marshalls, somewhat closely followed by the Bison.

Still though, I'd much rather have the name "Rough Riders". Even though that name seems impossible now, It's my odds-on favourite. But, if I had to settle for Marshals or Bison, I wouldn't mind. Any of the other 4 names? I'll be pretty dissapointed.

Oklahoma City BBall Poll: Go Vote!

Ranking the Players Volume II

Sorry for the delay everyone! But, without further ado, here's the next 5 in our Ranking of the Players!!!!

#14. Adrian Griffin, 10th Year Shooting Guard
Best Season: 99-00 with the Celtics, 27 minutes, 7 points, 5 Rebounds, 3 Assists, 2 Steals, 48% FG%, 28% 3PT%, 75% FT%.

Well, I'm not a big fan of Adrian Griffin, but who is? He's just another old NBA shadow that's haunting our team. It's a wonder that he's still in the NBA. His rookie stats were somewhat promising for a rookie, but his PT and stats have steadily decreased. Still, I'm confident he could put up similar numbers to what is above. I mean, he owns Ronald Dupree, who seems to only score points. This guy can grab the rebounds, dish it, and steal. So, he's not all that bad, but I think his production is just too low for the amount of time he gets in a game.

NBA Comparison: Kelenna Azubuike

#13. Robert Swift, 4th Year Center
Best Season: 2005-2006 with the SuperSonics, 21 Minutes, 6 points, 6 Rebounds, 1 Block, 51% FG%, 58% FT%.

Robert Swift is another one of the "indistinguishable SuperSonics big men". He had a solid season in 05-06, and seemed to have a bright future as an ok to solid big man in the NBA. But, after a season-ending injury to his right knee in February of 08, his future was seriously called into question. He had a similar injury to the same knee in the pre-season of 06, which also was season-ending. He'll definately remain on the roster this year, but it remains to be seen if his knee can hold up. Still, if he does recover, he'll definately be a solid big man (which is something we desperately need).

On a personal side note, WHOH! While gone, this dude grew out his hair and got some major tattoos. Hopefully he won't go the way of Brad Miller and get cornrows.... He's the only white player to be drafted straight out of high school. And, one of the few white big men.

NBA Comparison: Sam Bowie

#12. Russell Westbrook, Rookie Shooting Guard
This guy had a great Summer League, usually scoring more effectively than Jeff Green, and being a perfect compliment to Kevin Durant. Then again, Marco Bellinelli looked like the next Peja Stojakovic when he played in the Summer League, but in the NBA he looks like "Mr. Clank". So, I won't hold my breath on his greatness, and for now, he'll remain pretty low on the rankings list.

NBA Comparison: Too Early to Tell.

#11. Francisco Elson, 10th year Center (5th Year in the NBA)

Best Season: 06-07 with San Antonio, 19 Minutes, 5 Points, 4 Rebounds, 1 Assist, 1 Block, 51% FG%, 78% FT%.

You might call this guy "Ol' Reliable". He's most famous for being a plug in behind Tim Duncan on the Spurs. If you need a solid backup center, this guy is ready and willing. Still, I would doubt that he'd want to stay with a team semi-permanently stuck in the NBA cellar, given that he's 32. But, if he does decide to stay, he might be essential to a good season, should we miraculously pull out over 30 wins.

NBA Comparison: P.J. Brown

#10. Johan Petro, 6th Year Center (4th in NBA)
Best Season: 06-07 with the SuperSonics, 19 Minutes, 6 Points, 4 Rebounds, 1 Assist, 1 Steal, 1 Block, 51% FG%, 65% FT%.

This is another one of the "indistingishable big men". He was supposed to have a lot of potential, but if you look at all 3 of his seasons with the SuperSonics, they look essentially the same statistially. At 22, its still very possible that he'll get better, but right now he's looking like an eternal Francisco Elson. Not nessessarily a bad thing, but I'm sure the SuperSonics expected more, and will need more in order to become a force in the West. I will tell you guys that this is the last Center on the list, and if we can't get a good center for a Big Man happy coach like Carlesimo, it could spell disaster. Granted, I could easily imagine us going the small ball trend with Wilcox and Collison at Center, and Durant at Power Forward....but, I have already revealed too much.

NBA Comparison: Francisco Elson

Stay Tuned for Players #9-5!!!!

Ranking The Players Volume I

Well, with the recent lack of news from the Oklahoma City, and nothing further to confirm or deny the recent rumour that Thunder would be the team name, I decided it was high time for another editorial piece. I looked over the incredibly loaded roster (now holding steady at 19), and it seemed that this would be a good time to familiarize you guys with the players and make some predictions about the new season. To make things fun, I'll pretend that we're getting C.J. Miles.

Now, if you're familiar with OKLuschens lists, I'm sure you're used to a nice, prescise formula that easily proves his reasoning to you. I am the complete opposite of him....his id you might say. I like to pull lists out of my ass.

#19. DeVon Hardin, Rookie Center
Was selected 50th in the second round of the NBA Draft this year. Had rather unimpressive numbers at Cal. Longar Longar is clearly much better than him, and would have brought some great hometown cheers (he played for the University of Oklahoma). But, quite frankly, even if Longar Longar was in his place, he would still be dead last on the roster. Devon Hardin was on the Summer League roster, but he didn't play. Maybe he was injured, maybe the coach hated him, or maybe he just didn't want to play. Fact is, it doesn't matter. With this packed roster, no one will be surprised to see DeVon go. I do like how he pronounces his name "De Von" instead of "Devin", though.

NBA Comparison: DJ Mbenga? Can't really tell.

#18. Ronald Dupree, 6th Year Shooting Guard

Best Season: 03-04 with the Bulls, 19 Minutes, 6 Points, 4 Rebounds, 1 Assist, 40% FG%, 44% 3PT%, 63% FT%.

Okay, I know I'm ripping into this dude, but he's shown practically nothing his entire NBA career. He's entering his 6th year in the NBA, and his best year was his rookie season, backing up for the still Post-Jordan Bulls? What? If you need further evidence, during the Summer League he was fighting for playing time amongst....Aaron Bruce. He was a 4th or 5th man at BEST, and never started. This guy should really, really be cut.

NBA Comparison: Amir Johnson

#17. Mike Wilks, 7th Year Point Guard

Best Season: 02-03 with the Hawks, 24 minutes, 5 points, 3 Rebounds, 3 Assists, 36% FG%, 35% 3PT%, 72% FT%.

He was only signed to a 10-Day contract earlier in the season, so I don't know why he's still considered to be on the roster. Simply put, this guys is a poor mans Earl Boykins (meaning he can score and run quickly, not much else). Considering that it's hard for Earl to get a job, it's even harder for Mike to get a job. He was only signed because the SuperSonics were in a severe Point Guard shortage. Honestly, this guys stats aren't any more imprssive than Dupree's. But, he's really small and quick in NBA 2K7, so he's pretty fun to play with.

NBA Comparison: Earl Boykins

#16. D.J. White, Rookie Center

His Summer League performance paled in comparison to Westbrook, Green, and Durant. He never had a really good game until the trio was on the bench. His performance was comparable to Duprees, but he would actually take care of other categories, like rebounds and blocks, while Dupree only scored points. He also had better FG%. You know, this guy probably WILL make the roster, but I'd go with Sene over him, simply due to his size and D-League prevalence. But, I could just be splitting hairs and they probably are both bad. His excellent performance at Indiana has to raise some eyebrows, though.

NBA Comparison: Too early to tell....

#15. Mouhamed Saer Sene, 3rd Year Center

Best Season: 06-07 with the SuperSonics, 6 Minutes, 2 Points, 2 Rebounds, 37% FG%, 59% FT%

If he doesn't show any potential this year, he should definately be cut. He was definately drafted as a project big man, but he's showed little improvement. He's part of this 4 person-group that I like to call "the SuperSonics project big men who are nearly indistinguishable from each other" (Sene, Swift, Collison, and Petro). Still, he was named D-League defensive player of the year (along with Baby Foyle, Stephane Lasme). But, unless he shows something on the NBA court, he could find himself back in Senegal soon. But honestly, I'm rooting for this guy to win. I just hope he can find himself a spot on this overloaded roster. Sam Presti was pleased with his D-League performance according to Wikipedia, so you never know....

NBA Comparison: DeSagana Diop

Stay Tuned for the 9th to 14th Ranked Players!!!!

The Oklahoma City....Thunder?

Welp, according to KOCO, the name of Oklahoma Citys NBA Franchise is....the Thunder.

I can't say that I'm surprised, but this name was completely predictable. Yay, we're storms! It's not embarassingly bad, like the Bobcats or Texans, but it's just completely predictable and boring. No words on team colours, but I DO know who our mascot will be....

That's right, you heard it here first, we stole our team name from the Golden State Warriors mascot. I am a HUGE Warriors fan, so I can't let this injustice stand. Either the newly crowned "Thunder" pay royalties, or I dress up like Thunder to every Thunder game. (Well, maybe not....)

But, I'm not getting too hasty yet. KOCO is the 3rd ranked station in our market, and I doubt it'd get such "Insiders Info". Stay tuned for developments.

Oklahoma City BBall Post About The New Name

C.J. Miles Offered a Contract by the Oklahoma City

First, lets put the facts on the table. C.J. Miles has been a backup for the Jazz, spent some time in the D-League, and has even started a few games for the Jazz this last season. What to make of his career so far? Not much, not much at all. Unarguably, with a lineup of Mehmet Okur, Carlos Boozer, Andrei Kirilenko, and Deron Williams, the SG is their weakest spot. The most competition CJ Miles had for that spot was Gordon Giricek, who is ok-to good offensively, but is a complete defensive pushover, something that Jazz coach Jerry Sloan clearly dislikes. So, he gave Miles the start a few times until they traded for 3 Point Specialist Kyle Korver. Afterwards, C.J.'s minutes dwindled severely. So, it's unlikely the Jazz will match the offer sheet, since he is not really needed.

Honestly, this, to me, is a ok signing. The best you can say about this guy is that he has a good FG%....(which just means that he didn't shoot often under Sloan, who would be likely to pull him if he shot too much). Right now, our roster has 19....yes, count them, 19 people on a roster that can't be any higher than 15 people at seasons start. Still, we do have a Shooting Guard shortage, so this is kind of a desparation bandaid move, and there's not that many FA Shooting Guards out there right now. So, we'll see how tihs pans out.

NBA Comparison: Devin Brown

The signing was most likely somewhere over a million dollars.

C.J. Miles Statistics Via Wikipedia
NBA in OKC Newsok.com Post About the C.J. Miles Signing
Oklahoma City BBall Post About the C.J. Miles Signing

Oklahoma City NBA Blogs Sighted

Land Ahoy!

Oklahoma City BBall
They only have 4 posts so far (we'll have a whopping 12 after this one), but Joe looks to be off to a good start. I think he has more connections than us in the general blogosphere, but we'll both try our best. Oh, and props to the "Oklahoma City Toby Keith's "I love this Basketball Team!"", if he did indeed make it. We give full support (all 2 of us) to this blog.

NBA in OKC News OK Blog Sponsored by John Holt Chevrolet
These guys seem to be the giant so far in the NBA OKC blogging arena. He gets paid, has a nice picture of himself on the front of his blog, has a sponsor, is on a site probably the most well known source for Oklahoma news, and has a loyal reader following. Oh, and he's done interviews with players, too. But we're just as good! Honestly! Still, props to the guy for his dedication, and a lot of the stuff over there is actually....pretty good!

OKC NBA Nation
Not exactly a blog, but moreso a community of fans that has just recently been started. If you can ignore the incredibly ugly non-NBA background, I'm sure you'd have a good time.

SonicsBeat.com Forums
Leftover from the Hornets-era, this community is still going strong if you want to discuss something. Their old main page still has hornets logos, and so do the forums. They have parked SonicsBeat.com, but it has no content as of yet. Look to there fo future changes!

So, anyway, check all of those blogs out, and stay tuned to The Oklahoma City NBA Sports Blog....to the Max!!!! for future updates and analysis.

The ONLY blog which has had a top 10 list and full Summer League Coverage and analysis!!!!

A Respectful Response and Disagreement with the top Oklahoma City Sports Media Members

Hey there again! You may have been wondering, "What is up with the lack of Zorgon posts lately?" Well, I've been on a trip to Chicago, so OKLuschen took over for a bit. Now he's going to Colorado, so I'lll be taking over for him. We should be both cooperatively writing again in August.

Now, I have a few beefs to take up with this so called "list" of OKLuschens....

1. No Bob Barry, Sr.?


Look, I don't care how old the guy is, he's a living legend of sports talk radio. Just because he doesn't "Voice opinion" doesn't mean that he is a talking box. The dude provides good insight during the Sooners games, and has been broadcasting for OVER 50 YEARS! When Bob Barry started broadcasting, we were worrying about the Soviet Union in the cold war, man had not reached space, and segregation was a hot-button issue. I mean, you'd put Toby Rowland over him? Just because he's got some crap radio show doesn't mean that he's more "opinionated". And jeez, even a guy on FOX 25? No one watches that! Quite honestly, I'd argue for him in the top 5. I enjoy his boradcasting, no matter how many times he may mess up a name. At the very least, you should have given him a "Champions Provisional" like they do in NASCAR and put him in the 10 spot simply because of that. (For those unfamiliar, past cup champions who are way past their prime and fail to qualify for a race get a champions provisional and get the lowest possible starting spot.)

2. No Doug Gottlieb?


You really are dismissing too many people if you're gonna disinclude Doug Gottlieb. He is BY FAR the most successful personality EVER from Oklahoma. I mean, sure, 95% of people in Oklahoma could tell you who Jim Traber, Al Eschbach, and the Bob Barries are, but those guys never went National. While I'm not too big a fan of some of his opinions, the dude is still a College Basketball expert and has ALL of the opinion and ALL of the knowledge that any guy on this list does. I'd probably put him as kind of the "Super 1". Out of everyone elses league.

3. I still can't get over the inclusion of Toby Rowland.

The dude is a #2 anchor and has a radio show on the worst sports station in the Metro. I mean, he's not horrible, but you're really gonna include him over big guns like the Bob Barries, John Rhode, and Mark Rodgers? Please, Baba.

4. Jim Traber over Al Eschbach?

Okay, I can't argue the fact that those guys are the top 2 (aside from Gottlieb and possibly Bob Barry). But Al is udoubtedly #1. Al is really funny, and always seems to have the upper hand on Jim Traber whenever they're on the air together. If they ever actually argue about something, usually he presents the better case. Also, he's been around for much longer than Jim. I honestly believe that Jim never would've gotten the job is he wasn't a former major leaguer, while Al did it on his own. Now, I harbor no disrepect towards Jim, but I just think Al is better. You might say we're splitting hairs, but if you listened to their show, you'd know why.

5. Props

This post couldn't be all negative, could it? I think the high placing of Barry Tramel was a good choice, because he's a name that everyone recognizes. I think his recent addition to the Total Dominance Hour was excellent, and really propelled his popularity to the top five of this list.

Also, if you add Bob Barry and Doug Gottlieb and drop Toby Rowland and Myron Patton, this would be a great guide for someone outside the Oklahoma City area on who to watch for opinion-wise about the new team.

I rate this list a B-.

Ranking the Top OKC Sports Media Members, The Top 2

OK, the day is finally here. You may have guessed by now who the top two are but I garunteee some of you will be suprised by the order that they're in. Before we get to our top two though, lets take a look at some of the guys (and girls) that didn't quite make the cut.



In no particular order, I considered:

Jenni Carlson, KEBC (whatever that is) radio host and Oklahoman columnist: Hey, I know Jenni, I like Jenni, couldn't make the cut though.

Curtis Fitzpatrick, WWLS morning radio co-host, KOCO sports anchor, Sports Night Oklahoma co-host: Curtis was right on the cusp, but he's never been the leading man on anything. Number 3 guy at KOCO, too. Still, a bright future and a young talent.


Bob Barry Sr., Voice of the Oklahoma Sooners and KFOR sports anchor: Could have made a past list but not now. Way past his prime. Also, doesn't really have an avenue for expressing his opinion.

Doug Gottlieb, ESPN radio host and television NCAAB corespondant: Thought about putting him in the running, but way too national for this list.

Kirk Humphries, WWLS host and golf corespondant: Also close, but golf is his specialty and I didn't really want any specialty guys on this list.

James Hale, KOKC radio host and OU insider: Again another specialist. Never really been a fan. I think he says "uhhh" every six seconds.


Robert Allen, WWLS corespondant, OSU insider, and voice of the Yard Dawgs and COX's coverage of Oklahoma High School Football: Yet another specialist. I like him, but he can't be put into the top 10, he's a role player.

Chris Callahan, KOCO sports anchor: He was quality, but he left, so I guess it doesn't count.

Now, with no more further delay, the top 2...





2) Al Eschbach, WWLS radio host: Unlike everyone else on the list, Al does just one thing. However, he does that one thing to perfection. Really, it can be argued that Al is the most important figure in Oklahoma sports media history. One of the first of his kind, a pioneer into the genre of sports talk and he is one of the reasons it became such a huge success, not just regionally, but nationally as well. Anyone who knows sports talk knows about Al. His trademark hat and candid personality helped build a legend. He may have the best overall sports knowledge in the state. Argues his point very well. He was even featured on a SportsCenter special about sports talk radio. There was one other Okie on that feature though...
Knowledge: Past 5, Present 5
Charimsa: 9
Opinion: 10
Resources: 8
Overall Score: 37/40

1) Jim Traber, WWLS radio host and co-host of FOX25's The Locker Room: OK, I have to clarify, I personally don't think he's the best in the city. However, given the criteria I outlined for choosing the best, it was hard to argue. Who's more opinionated, has a more firey personality, or has more resources than Jim Traber? As a former major leaguer, he has a strangle hold on qulaity interviews and "reliable sources" in the city. Traber is often trashed and critisized by callers but he unarguably keeps them listening. His arguments are a unique blend of knowledge and intimidation. It should also be noted that Jim always feels that he has the moral high ground on his callers. However, getting past the superiority complex, Jim Traber just may be the most complete sports media guy there is, even if he isn't winning any popularity contests anytime soon.
Knowledge: Past 4, Present 5
Charisma: 10
Opinion: 10
Resources: 10
Overall Score: 39/40

Ranking the Top OKC Sports Media Members, 3-6

OK, it's day 2 of our series that counts down to the top sports personality in print or on the air waves in OKC. Without further delay, lets continue the countdown...


6) Toby Rowland, KREF Morning Radio Host and KWTV Sports Anchor: OK, I'll be the first to admit that the six spot may be a tad lofty for Toby, especially considereing that he tops sports directors BBJ and Mark Rodgers even though he himslef his just a #2 guy. However, no doubt that the heir apparent to Dean Blevins and News 9 is on a come up in the OKC sports scene. He's young and full of all sorts of energy on top of a very complete knowledge of the current sporting world. He's a personal favorite, which may have had some influence on his position. Again though, he's an up and coming media star.
Knowledge: Past 3, Present 5
Charisma: 10
Opinion: 8
Resources: 5
Overall Score: 31/40


5) Mike Steely, WWLS Morning Radio Host and co-Host of Fox25's The Locker Room: In all honesty, his morning radio show is as close to perfection as it gets. Though the phony celebrity callers and philosophical debates on Mother's Day take center stage, Steely's vast knowledge of sports history is also top notch. Also co-hosts The Locker Room with Jim Traber. The two complement each other well, as Jim Traber takes himself very seriously and Steely takes nothing seriosly, to create by far the most successful program put together by Fox25.
Knowledge: Past 5, Present 4
Charisma: 10
Opinion: 7
Resources: 6
Overall Score: 32/40


4) Dean Blevins, WWLS Corespondant, KWTV Sports Director, and co-Host of The Sunday Night Sports Blitz: Dean is perhaps the greatest professional in the business, at least in the city. News 9 has had the best nightly sports broadcast among all the major stations. This is partly due to funding, but partly due to the immense skill of Blevins. The personality could use some color, but Dean alsways gets the best interviews and usually breaks the story before anyone else.
Knowledge: Past 5, Present 5
Charisma: 6
Opinion: 7
Resources: 10
Overall Score: 33/40


3) Berry Trammel, WWLS Radio Host and Oklahoman Chief Sports Columnist: For years, people have awoken to Trammel's words on the front page of the sports section. Trammel is at that age where he's old enough to have an enourmous knowledge of sports history but not too old to the point where he's pushing retirement and near senility. His ideas are often challanged by Traber and Eschbach on the Dominance Hour, but he always defends them (even if it isn't that well) and isn't afraid to step outside of popular opinion.
Knowledge: Past 5, Present 4
Charisma: 7
Opinion: 9
Resources: 9
Overall Score: 34/40

OK, tomorrow, the top 2 are revealed as well as a look at those who couldn't quite make the cut. Try not to lose too much sleep in anticipation.

Ranking the Top OKC Sports Media Members, 7-10

While thinking of what to write on our young yet promising blog, inspiration struck me. People love rankings. People also (at least here in Oklahoma) enjoy following their favorite sports media member as much as they do they're favorite sports team. So I thought why not further draw from our very regionally focused fan base and create a ranking of the top sports personalities in city limits?!?!

I derived the rankings not from my own presonal opinion (well, not directly at least) but instead I developed an objective set of criteria thet each is to be judged upon. The criteria was a verstatile and complete knowledge of not just one sport, but all major sporting avenues, charismatic appearances on radio, television, or in his or her writings, being starkly opinionated (controversial or not), and access to solid resources (players, coaches, general managers, you know, poeple that know stuff). Media members got a score (out of 10) for each category (knowledge, charisma, opinion, resources). The knowledge score was derived from two parts. These were present knowledge (knowledge of the sporting world since 2000) and past knowldge (knowledge of the sporting world before the year 2000). Candidates got a maximum of 5 points for each one of these sub-categories and these were added together to get the larger overall knowledge score.

So, without delay, here is the bottom of the top 10:


10) Myron Patton, KREF radio host and FOX25 sports director: It's hard for Myron to be really be competitive being the highlight talent for both the last place sports radio and news provider. He left the state awhile to be an actual news anchor in Louisiana, but came back to both Oklahoma and the sports scene.
Knowledge: Past 3, Present 5
Charisma: 9
Opinion: 6
Resources: 4
Overall Score: 27/40





9) Mark Rodgers, WWLS radio host and KOCO sports director: Some might think this is kind of low for Mark, but honestly, I've never been a fan. I don't have a problem with him or anything, I just think he's all the Jim Traber bark with none of the Jim Traber bite. Though I think that KOCO sports coverage is generally better than say KFORs, I think ninth is about right for him. Radio show is average, no more no less.
Knowledge: Past 3, Present 4
Charisma: 9
Opinion: 8
Resources: 5
Overall Score: 29/40




T-7) Bob Barry Jr., WWLS radio host and KFOR sports director: I really enjoy BBJ, personally. He's bright, experienced, and makes me laugh (whether or not it's intentional). I enjoy his radio a lot more than the nightly news though. Senior was also in consideration for the list, but wasn't able to make the cut, sadly.
Knowledge: Past 4, Present 4
Charisma: 8
Opinion: 8
Resources: 6
Overall Score: 30/40






T-7) John Rohde, JOX radio host and Oklahoman writer: The number 2 guy at the Oklahoman. Known for out of the box ideas and sports projects/ranikings/stories for the Oklahoman. I enjoy him, not a favorite, but usually an interesting article.
Knowledge: Past 3, Present 5
Charisma: 8
Opinion: 7
Resources: 7
Overall Score: 30/40

Come back Tuesday for 3-6 on the list and Wednesday for the revealing of the top 2!

A Victory for History Teachers Everywhere

City rookie guard Russell Westbrook is doing excellently right now. He played fantastically in the Orlando Summer League, earning him first team All-Summer League honors and helping make General Manager Sam Presti look good. However, a recent incedent during a media session shows that he's far from stardom.

Russell Westbrook was asked by one member of the media how his relationship with cousin Brian Westbrook of the Philidelphia Eagles was.

One problem though. Russell Westbrook has no cousin named Brian.

Russell's reply was 'That's not my cousin.'

Apparently, someone put this bit of fiction of Russell Westbrook's Wikipedia entry. An embarassing moment for both the interviewer and Russell, however, it provides history teachers around the nation ammunition to use against the acadmeically hated site.

The Chicago Bulls vs the Oklahoma City, Game 5

Oklahoma City 16 32 20 18 86
Chicago Bulls 19 19 17 18 73

NBA.com recap
Box Score

Oklahoma City was able to capture a very elusive victory in their last Orlando summer game with both Jeff Green and Russell Westbrook sitting on the bench. D.J. White and Ronald Dupree were able to take over for the resting stars (well, at least by summer league standards) with 37 points and 11 rebounds.

It's true, the City got a little help from the Bulls in that their best players, first overall pick Derrick Rose and Tyrus Thomas, both sat on the pine during this game. Derrick Rose is scheduled to undergo and MRI following his return from Orlando. Still though, the Bulls saw valiant efforts from former Oklahoma State Cowboy JamesOn Curry (a team high 17 points) and PF/C Aaron Gray (16 points and 12 rebounds).

Esscentially, this was just one of those clean-up "can't-wait-untill-this-summer-thing-is-over-so-I-can-start-doing-relevant-things-in-my-life-again" games that neither team was completely into. There was sloppy play by both teams with a lot of turnovers. Chicago really couldn't get into a shooting rhythm all week, much less this game.

Other OKC players of note included Brian Randel and Mykal Riley both in double digit scoring and Aaron Bruce finally showing up. He had a relatively modest 5 points but a killer 7 assists! Thank God.

Side Note: The All-Summer League first and second teams were announced and OKC had a strong showing. Both Russell Westbrook and Jeff Green took first team honors. No City players on the second team. Guard Courtney Lee of Orlando, forward Michael Beasley of Miami, and center Brook Lopez of New Jersey cap off the rest of the first team. Mario Chalmers (Miami), Earl Calloway (Indiana), Jaycee Carroll (New Jersey), Chris Douglass-Roberts (New Jersey), and Marcin Gortat (Orlando) make up the second team.

The Miami Heat vs The Oklahoma City, Game 4

Oklahoma City 23 16 24 13 76
Miami Heat 23 27 34 17 101

Box Score

ESPN.com Recap because NBA.com continues to fail

Though Jeff Green continues to shine and Russell Westbrook was able to bounce back after a forgetable outing against the Nets, the result was all too familiar for this summer squad; a loss. Michael Beasley, Mario Chalmers, and Anthony Morrow combined for 46 points as the Heat crushed the City 101 to 76.

The game started close at least. I would like to say it was a slow and steady decline from there, but truthfully, after the first quarter, Miami destroyed OKC in nearly every facet of the game. This was due not only to the three headed monster in the starting line-up of Beasley, Chalmers and Morrow but also because of the play of former Warrior and Zorgon declared "Baby-Foyle" Stephane Lasme who had 14 points, 3 Boards, 2 Blocks in 16 minutes.

Bright spots for OKC include, as mentioned earlier, Westbrook's ability to overcome a terrible game to tie for the team's leading scorer. Jeff Green continues to be the one and only consistant offensive option for the City. D.J. White had his best game of the summer with 13 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 blocks. Ronald Dupree put in a solid effort and was in double-digit scoring.

However, several problems with this team were noticable. First off, starting center Justin Williams was able to lead the team in rebounds (7). However, those rebounds were all defensive and despite playing over 20 minutes he had not one shot attempt. Not one! You'd think a center might at least get a tip or something. But nada, in 20 minutes of play! What in the name of Pops Mensah-Bonsu is going on here!

Also, Aaron Bruce continues to play like stanky cheese. As much as it pains me to say it, I think it's time to send this Aussie home.

Ultimately I think the team's problem is this...they suck. I know its a summer league roster and everything but Jeff Green is a likely starter next season and Westbrook is likely going to crack the lineup at some point, so one would expect better from them. If we lose to teams that have Jason Richards on them how are we going to beat teams that have Jason Richardson on them?

Durant Done for Summer

Just as suddenly and unexpectedly as he joined the team for the Orlando Summer League, Kevin Durant is done with it altogether.Reportedly, after much deliberation, the summer coaching staff has decided it would be best if the franchise player didn't risk injury in trivial summer development games.

Kevin did hint earlier that he would like nothing more than to play against the Miami Heat and long-time friend Michael Beasley. However, all hopes of a friendly match-up between the talented #2 picks are gone now.

I can't help but think that it's for the better. One game was good, but two or three I think would be maddness. Hey, it was a nice publicity stunt I suppose, but when you get down to the business of basketball, it just wasn't a wise decision to keep him in there.

Say goodbye to all hopes of winning the summer league chamionship. How depressing.

The New Jersey Nets vs The Oklahoma City, Summer League Game 3

NBA.com Recap

Box Score

New Jersey Nets 28 26 20 21
Oklahoma City 26 25 19 11

Oklahoma City preformed brilliantly the other night. Unfortunately, they weren't so hot tonight. To their credit, it was minus Kevin Durant and they kept it pretty close most of the game. The Nets and their very impressive looking draft picks Brook Lopez and Chris Douglass-Roberts proved too much for the ROY-less Oklahoma City.

Jeff Green was definitely player of the night for The City. 23 points but only 3 rebounds. Still though, he was able to keep them competitive for most of the game. Russell Westbrook, Nick Lewis, Ronald Dupree, and Ronell Taylor were the other players in double digits.

Speaking of Westbrook, he had his worst game of the summer. 2-13 from the field and 3 assists. One can only assume that he'll be able to bounce back from this. He was effective from the line at least, 5 for 6 from the charity stripe.

A sidenote for this game though was that it featured a set of twins. Donell Taylor, Nets guard and twin brother of Ronell Taylor, was only able to put up 4 points. Surely though, when playing against his brother who had 12 and won, it just made those 4 points that much more painful.

Nets standouts included Lopez and CDR, who both scored over 20 and Will COnroy who had 8 points and 7 assists. This team's pretty solid for a summer squad. Still though, OKC was very capable of winning this game.

Breaking Name News!

OK, now that I have your attention I can let you in on a major let-down. According to local sports media Personality Mark Rodgers the Oklahoma City team name will be...ending in the letter 'S'! That's right ladies and gentlemen, Mark Rodgers' "reliable source" has informed him that the team name will be in plural form. This rules out faorites like the Energy, Herd, Land Run, Thunder, Storm, and this blog's favorite City.

Also, according to Mark Rodgers' source, Barons is the front-runner right now in the OKC name game. However, Rodgers is also quick to mention that another source he has says that it isn't going to be Barons.

What does all of this mean? Well, first of all, most of the time when people have "reliable sources" they actually don't have anything at all. Not that I'm saying that Mark Rodgers would claim that Pork from the Morning Animal was a reliable source...OK, so thats exactly what I'm saying. Though I'm willing to bet that the name indeed will not end with 'S', I doubt that anyone who would be willing to let Mark Rodgers in on this confidential stuff would actually know crap about anything themselves.

The Orlando Magic vs. The Oklahoma City, Summer League Game 2

NBA.com Recap

Download the Box Score (PDF)
(Warning: The Box Score is marked as The Orlando Magic vs. Oklahomo City.)

SCORE BY PERIODS 1 2 3 4 FINAL
Magic 15 18 17 27 77
OK 29 22 30 19 100

Okay, I take what I said back. While, granted, the Playing Time has largely gone to the "big three" and no one else has made a big impact (except maybe DJ White, who is an okay role player), there is a lot of chemistry going. Judging from the recap, Kevin Durant is stepping into his own and becoming a nice floor leader, while Russell Westbrook made good shot selection and functioned as a really useful 2 guard. Jeff Green got almost half of his points from the free throw line, but who cares when you score 28?

Otherwise, no one on the City really stood out. Ronald Dupree got 9, but 5 of those were Free Throws (he'll never be anything more than an NBA scrub, really). DJ White got 5 points and 5 rebounds. Everyone else was kind of a waste of space (including Devin Green....troubling news? Probably not.) Lastly, Aaron Bruce got his first playing time. Nothing special....A missed shot, a rebound, an assist, and 2 turnovers in 7 and a half minutes. Hello, D-League. He won't be getting on the City roster any time soon.

On the flip side, it was basically the Courtney Lee show, with Kevin Kruger throwing him the occasional pass. James Augustine was surprisingly effective in 12 minutes, going perfect from the field and pulling down 3 boards. Marcin Gortat had similar stats in over twice the time and 4 times the shots. I wouldn't be surprised if Tony Battie and Adonal Foyle (:-(, my favourite player) got less playing time next year if Stan Van Gundy continues his "Dwight Howard and 4 wings" formula next year. Lastly, they had a great defensive effort from D'Or Fischer (The Child of D'Brickashaw Fergusons mother and Bobby Fischers Son). He had 4 Points, 7 Rebounds, and 3 Foyle-Like Blocks.

All in all, this was total domination of the Magic, and here's to winning the Summer League!!!!

Oklahoma City Standouts:
Jeff Green: 28 Points, 4 Rebounds, 2 Assists
Kevin Durant: 22 Points, 70% FG%, 100% 3PT%, 5 Rebounds
Russell Westbrook: 19 Points, 80% FG%, 3 Assists, 3 Steals
Ronald Dupree: 9 Points
D.J. White: 5 Points, 5 Rebounds

Orlando Magic Standouts:
Courtney Lee: 27 Points, 100% 3PT%, 4 Assists, 2 Steals
James Augustine: 10 Points, 100% FG%, 3 Rebounds
Marcin Gortat: 10 Points
Kevin Kruger: 8 Assists
Antywane Robinson: 7 Points
D'Or Fischer: 4 Points, 7 Rebounds, 3 Blocks

Kevin Durant To See Summer League Action?

Oklahoma City's most famed player and reigning rookie of the year will play for the summer league team this year. He could debut as early as today against the Orlando Magic. If he does, he will be undoubtedly the most talented player on the court. The question is though: why?

Apparently, the story is that Durant came down on his own free will to Orlando to cheer on the team and figured he may as well play while he's there. After discussing it, the coaches finally gave him the OK.

Personally, I have mixed feelings. On one hand you'd hate to see this guy go down before the OKC _________ even make their Ford Center debut. Yeah, his shooting percentage looks more like a batting average right now, but it would be nothing short of a travesty for the franchise if their best player and biggest name went down with some torn ACL in the NBA equivalent of summer school.

On the other hand though, I really like what it says about Kevin's character. Not only did the guy come all the way to Orlando just to cheer on a bunch of guys that likely won't even be on the roster after a few weeks but he actually cares enough to play. Yeah Kevin may be a ball-hoging shot-bricker, but at least he's a team first ball-hoging shot-bricker. Plus, who knows, maybe the summer game will improve his overall percentage and shot selection. At the least he'll be able to start building chemistry with the other young players like White, Westbrook, and Green.

Zorgons Take: This is like when Ron Artest played in the Summer League. All it means is that he'll score a lot of points and trump any other potential prospects. Then again, if he plays poorly, it's a bad sign. Unless his stats are absolutely unbelievable, there's no way to go but down.

The Indiana Pacers Vs. The Oklahoma City, Summer League Day 1

NBA.com Recap
Box Score Available For Download as a PDF Here

		Indiana Pacers Oklahoma City	25 23	20 15	26 20	24 20	- -	95 78

Yep, it was total Pacer domination in this one. If you look at the rosters top to bottom, you'd wonder why in the heck we could have lost. I mean, we have Russell Westbrook, Jeff Green, D.J. White, Ronald Dupree....and Aaron Bruce while they have....no one of note (I think I've heard of Andre Emmitt before). Neither of their first round picks are playing.

But, if you take one quick look at the box score, the reason we lost is completely clear: Jeff Green and Russell Westbrook did okay, and everyone else threw up a whole lotta bricks. They were a combined 13-29 and the rest of the team was a whole lotta change and a whole lotta clang.

You could talk all day about the individual stats each player made, but the simple fact is that No-Named Indiana played as a team. They didn't defer to the talent that the team was trying to develop, because there was none. IS this nessessarily a bad thing? Well, if you're an Aaron Bruce (DNP-CD) fan, yes. Otherwise? No.

OKC Standouts:
Jeff Green: 21 Points, 5 Rebounds
Russell Westbrook: 18 Points, 4 Rebounds, 5 Assists
D.J. White: 8 Points, 4 Rebounds, 4 of 9 Shooting
Mykal Riley: 8 Points, 2 Steals, 3 of 5 Shooting

Pacer Standouts:
Earl Calloway: 16 Points, 4 Rebounds, 7 Assists, 5 of 6 Shooting
Andre Emmitt: 15 Points
Stephen Graham: 14 Points, 4 Rebounds, 3 Assists
Shawne Williams: 13 Points, 2 Steals
Courtney Sims: 12 Points, 4 Rebounds
Aleks Maric: 3 Blocks

You can't really tell much else from the stat sheet. What should you take from this game? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. The two stars played as you expected them to, and no one stood out. And, of course, Aaron Bruce didn't play. Lets hope that future games will be a bit more telling.

Funny Note: Blocked Shots are noted as "BS" on the stat sheet. At first I thought of it as like a Bull Shit credit. You know, like Player A pulled some bull shit tonight, so the ref marks it down and pulls the bullshit back on him at a later date. Then, my imagination settled down once I realized it was a blocked shot. Oh well....

EDIT: Sorry about that smut at the bottom. I don't know how to get rid of it.

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When one door closes...

Hello, My name Benjamin Luschen but I also answer to Ben, Luschen, Sideburns, Mufasa, MC Ben Jammin', or just Sexy. I want to let you know that you're getting your NBA in OKC information from the two most genius and handsome people in the city...OK, well at least we're handsome...OK, so at least I'm handsome...JK, of course!

Seriously though, July 2nd, 2008 was the day my prayers were finally answered. For years I had hoped and wished that this town could get a taste of the big leagues. I remember going to Redhawks games as a small child and asking my dad when they were going to play the Cardinals. I also remember going to Blazers games and asking my dad if he thought the Myriad (Cox Convention Center) was a suitable venue for the NHL (natives of OKC will get this).

When the Hornets came, OKC got a good taste of "the life." Some fans, such as I, fell in love with the atmosphere. Some younger fans (not to mention the ladys) fell in love with Chris Paul. The older fans simply fell in love with the idea that they were able to see professional sports being played in OKC before they died. When it was all said and done, Oklahoma City was just in love NBA basketball.

We knew the Hornets couldn't last forever, but what people didn't know is that love for pro basketball could flourish in a college football crazed state like Oklahoma. It really is a fairy tale story.

OK, now that I have finished making love with Clay Bennett, I'll tell you a little more about myself. In the mission statement it says that my allegiance is spread among several teams. That's probably a bit of an understatement. I have cheering interests in probably half the league. Honestly, I think I follow players a lot more than I follow teams. Theres a lot of players that I like but my three unarguable favorites are Adam Morrison, Ben Wallace, and Kevin Garnett.

Why Adam Morrison? Well, I was always kind of a Gonzaga fan as a young buck. They were my favorite bracket-buster. But when they came to Oklahoma City to face Okie State in the All-College Classic, I got to see Adam Morrison light it up in person and I simply fell in love with him (in a non-gay, guy kind of way).

Why Ben Wallace? Simple, I love the fro. I used to have one actually. Well, kinda. You see, my hair tends to grow straight up kinda like Gerald's from Hey Arnold. So, instead of an afro, I just called it 'big hair' or 'poofy.' I also love Big Ben because of his hugeness, his bad attitude, and an awesome Hot Karl song from NBA Live.

Why Kevin Garnett? Well, basically, as a young fan, I was trying to get into this whole NBA thing that people were talking about. I heard his name on TV and decided he was going to be my favorite player. I think it was a good choice. I hope you like your ring, KG.

Also, for further note, I love my Oklahoma Sooners who will be a force to be reckoned with this season! Mark it down. Oh, I also love my Denver Broncos who will also be a force this season! Please, don't mark that one down.

Zeb and I both like keeping things interesting, so be on the lookout for all sorts of ballin', slammin', gimmicks. I don't know what those might be yet, but they will be ballin' and slammin'.

OK, here's to a good season, and here's to a good blog.

Mission Statement for The Oklahoma City NBA Sports Blog....To The Max!!!!

Dear Reader,

This is our mission statement for this new blog. What will the blog be about? The Soon To Be Named Oklahoma City NBA Franchise, formerly known as the Seattle SuperSonics.

We hope to provide an entertaining and informative blog about this new NBA Franchise. We will now address some inevitable Frequently Asked Questions:

1. Who are you?

We are Zebulun Benbrook and Benjamin Luschen, 2 High School Seniors who are totally psyched about starting a new sports blog.

2. What are your qualifications?

Well, if you want to see samples of our writing, you can check out our old blog ad adonalobsessed.blogspot.com. Otherwise, we consider ourselves to be very good writers....well, okay, I'm very good, and Ben is excellent. Also, we made an "A" in English last year, and Ben hopes to become a journalist while I hope to go into film or become a politician.

3. Why start this sports blog? Aren't there already other SuperSonics Blogs?

We are aware that there are other SuperSonics blogs. But, most of these blogs are Seattle-based. While they may or may not choose to continue to blog, their heart might not be in it. We respect these other blogs, but we thought it would be nice to have an Oklahoma City based blog that's right in the thick of things. And yes, we are aware that there may be other Oklahoma City based blogs, but hey, we think it's fun!

4. If you guys were fans of the NBA before this franchise came about, then you can't just drop your former team and call this new one number 1! Where do your true alligiances lie?

For me, my favourite team is, was, and always will be the Golden State Warriors. Otherwise, I'll cheer for the hometown team and the Orlando Magic, who have my favourite player, Adonal Foyle. For Ben, it's a mix between many different teams. But we feel that we embody the typical Oklahoma City NBA fan because they probably had their alliegiances too, and wouldn't be so quick to give them up.

5. How do you feel about the Hornets?

Well, I feel that we kind of got screwed over. We spend 2 years developing this team, and then they hit it big the second they move back to New Orleans. But, you know, at least we have a permanent team now. I will say that I did go to their games, and that the team will always have a special place in my heart.

6. How do you feel about stealing Seattles long-standing NBA Franchise?

Hey, I didn't steal them! Clay Bennett did. What do you expect me to do, protest by not going to any of the games? The fact is, they're here now, and I'm going to enjoy it. The NBA is a business, not a family. Your legislators weren't willing to build a new stadium or renovate Key Arena, so that's that. And comeon guys, you're not alone. There's the long-lost Vancouver Grizzlies, the Kansas City Kings, The Kansas City/Omaha Kings, and St.Louis has never even had a team. I cant' say much more than you lost the team. Was it bad? Yes. Do I wish we could both have NBA teams? Yes. Can I do anything to change that right now? No. When I'm a multi-millionaire, I'll get your team back, Seattle. But for now, I'm going to enjoy the dream that I've envisioned ever since I was a kid playing NBA Live 98: A Oklahoma City NBA Franchise.

7. Don't you guys need a fancier banner? A better format? And especially that title. It sucks.

We're well aware of the fact that "The Oklahoma City NBA Sports Blog....to the Max!!!" is a terrible title. But, it will have to do until we actually know what our team is gonna be called. I chose the red, white, and blue of the NBA logo for now. And, after all, it's the writing that makes the blog, right?

8. What do you think your team will be called? What's your favourite name?

I've heard an unofficial report that Clay Bennett said it will be the Barons or the Outlaws, and that the team colours will be black and gold. Personally, I think the names are stupid (The Oklahoma City Baron Davises?) and that the colours are ugly. Plus, there's a huge roadblock: David Stern doesn't allow black NBA uniforms to be created (old ones, such as the 76ers, are still allowed). The local radio station's morning show has "The Dudes" as their favourite name. The local news paper had it's final four as "The Outlaws, The Barons, The Thunder, and The Thunderbirds." Honestly, all of those are bad (The Outlaws are an XFL team, the Baron Davises?, Thunder is the Warriors mascot, and Thunderbirds might be offensive.) My personal favourite is "Rough Riders", which could also be spelled as "Ruff Ryders". But, a friend kindly pointed out that it sounded more like a condom than a basketball team. Whatever the choice, we'll just have to roll with it, no matter how stupid or ugly.

9. Any predictions for the season?

Well, I'm a bit biased because P.J. Carlesimo is my favourite coach of all time (See: 1998-1999 Golden State Warriors) but I'd put us at 30-35 wins. We've got a lot of talent at almost every position, but we've just gotta figure out how to put it together.

10. Excited about Kevin Durant?

Honestly? No. He looks like a brick machine. His FG% is horrible.

11. Who's your favourite player?

On this team? Donyell Marshall. He was on the team that made me fall in love with the NBA (1998-1999 Golden State Warriors).

12. How will attendance be?

Initially I expect it to be very good, and then drop off a bit as we lose games....

And, well, that's about it. We'll keep updating the blog periodically, and Ben will be by to introduce himself. Get ready for the best OKC sports blog you've ever seen....fo' sho'!!!!