As the Oklahoma City Thunder fell to a league's worst 1-14, there is little for fans to give thanks for. The excitement of having a new NBA franchise is over, and now Thunder-ites are left with the reality of a team in torment.
P.J. Carlesimo is out and Scott Brooks will finish out the teams remaining games. At this pace, the Thunder will win somewhere between five and six games this year. So, where do the Thunder go from here?
The NBA Draft.
With the first pick of the 2009 NBA Draft, the Oklahoma City Thunder pick the sophomore from Oklahoma, Blake Griffin.
Every basketball fan in Oklahoma, and most across the nation are familiar with Griffin. For those who are not, the 6'10" 251 pound Griffin routinely draws comparisons to Carlos Boozer and occasionally Amare Stoudemire. Boozer was a second round pick; the difference between the two is raw athletic ability.
- B/R Ticket Guide
Griffin, an Oklahoma City native, won the 2007 McDonald's All-American game slam dunk contest, a rare feat for a player his size. Griffin is a tireless rebounder, who defends, and scores from all over the court. This season he has even knocked down his first two college threes on two attempts, which shows he is still developing his game.
Draft experts have Griffin's ceiling as being a Carlos Boozer-type, while they have his floor at the level of a David Lee. I beg to differ. While Lee was also a former slam dunk champ, he did it with cartwheels and theatrics. Griffin is an explosive powerful dunker, who will wreak havoc in the NBA. Boozer should be the floor for this Sooner boomer.
While Michael Beasley was the freshman who got all of the attention in the Big 12, Griffin was not that far off from the former Kansas State Wildcat.
Michael Beasley 31.5 MPG 26.2 PPG .532 FG% 12.4 RPG 3.97 ORPG
Blake Griffin 28.4 MPG 14.7 PPG .568 FG% 9.1 RPG 3.27 ORPG
After four games this season, Griffin is off to a ridiculous start, averaging 26.0 points and 19.8 rebounds per game with a 74.5 field goal percentage.
Blake Griffin would be starting for the Thunder right now, but in the time being, have fun with Johan Petro and Robert Swift.
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about 1 month ago
Personally, I think OKC is gonna end up with the 3rd or 4th pick and B.J. Mullins or Hasheem Thabeet, the big guy from UConn. Ricky Rubio is probably tops on any draft board right now, or should be at least.
I'm not a fan of Griffin, probably won't be. He's off to a good start, but the kid isn't build for the long haul.
I still like Swift, but Thabeet is a Camby-esque player, only more healthy. Camby type players are players I like. Griffin looks like a cherry-picker, and has shown some resistance pounding the offensive glass.
from about 1 month ago
Rubio has the hype, but I don't know if the THunder would take him over a legit big like griffin. Maybe if they wanted to move westbrook to more of a 2. Yeah its not easy to win the top pick. If they get 3 or 4 I wouls suspect either of the guys you mentioned. Swift will never bring it. Griffin can face up, dribble and pass. He got over 3 ORPG as a freshman and is ever improving. Hes for real.
about 1 month ago
Yeah, the Thunder would take Griffin over Rubio, he's the local. There are still other great players to choose from, though: Tyreke Evans, Greg Monroe and Brandon Jennings are the first who come to mind. But yeah, Griffin will go first. And hopefully the Thunder will actually get the first pick; it would suck if they were, like, 7th.
from about 1 month ago
haha yeah if they don't get a top pick they will hurt. I still think Durant is going to leave once his contract is up, but maybe he feels tied to the organization. It will be important that they bring in a coach he likes.
from about 1 month ago
I've been thinking about that: Do you think they should try to bring in Avery Johnson?
And I agree, Durant will leave as soon as he can. Loyalty is one thing, but to be in Oklahoma City and on a horrible team...loyalty goes out the window.
from about 1 month ago
Oooh AJ could be a nice choice for OKC. I wasn't a big fan of him in Dallas, I think anyone would have had that success with that team. I think he would be a very good fit for OKC however. He is young, relates to players, gets their respect and has a ton of energy. He could really help Westbrook develope into a NBA point guard. LALALA I think youre onto something with this. Maybe with Johnson and Griffin Durant will stay, maybe.
from about 1 month ago
Yeah, I really like Johnson too. There would also be Eddie Jordan, but Johnson would be the better choice. I agree, Johnson will get the young guys' respect, and they may play well under him. How good do you think they'd be with Johnson and Griffin? Playoff contenders?
from about 1 month ago
Not playoff contenders in the 1st year, Griffin would have to adjust to the NBA, the team would have to adjust to AJ. And the West is tough. The 2nd year they could give a serious run at the playoffs, especially if they could draft/acquire a center (Aldrich?) who's actually proven himself and is ready to play.
I think right now the Thunders biggest hurdle is playing like a team on O. They look good out on the break, but in the halfcourt they don't have the movement and passing that playoff teams do.
from about 1 month ago
I never get to see the Thunder play. May as well ask you: How is Russell Westbrook doing over there? You said they look discombobulated on offense, is it his fault or the entire team's?
from about 1 month ago
I would say its the teams fault mostly, but Westbrook is still learning the PG position. The actually look good with a lineup that has Westbrook and watson in it.
Westbrook looks very good on D and is great on the break. In the half court he is able to get to the rim and hanst turned the ball over as much as I anticipated. He still needs to work on shot selection, but that will come.
I think the Sonics just look stagnant on O, not enough movement, no post presence. They ge tthe occasional alley oop to wilcox but they dont get the motion that the leagues top teams do.
about 1 month ago
ooh, that would be the best thing to happen to okc in their very short history. they need this badly. honestly, i think griffin is better than beasley, just slower to develop. he has the defensive know-how, but more importantly he has character.
and no way okc takes rubio, who's missed every game of his league's season so far following wrist surgery, or jennings, who's averaging about 5 ppg on sub-30% shooting, over blake griffin. also, after mouhamed saer sene, id hope okc is smart enough not to pick thabeet.
ive said before that aj would be the perfect fit for this team. he is vocal, passionate, and preaches defense-first. exactly what this young team needs. he'll probably have ground everyone's nerves out in three years, but right now they really need him.
from about 1 month ago
Yeah Griffin woulf give OKC/Seattle an inside presence they havent had since Baker, but hes much more athletic so maybe since Kemp. The kid can straight up ball. He's numbers were lower than Beasleys because he doesnt have the inside/out game that MB does (whos really a SF). But Griffin is better down low and can prolly get up higher above the rim.
Yeah OKC doesn't need a questionable PG, they need someone who can play now. Thabete could block some shots, but he will also get into foul trouble and get banged around. I wouldnt call him Sene, or any of the crap theyve drafted because hes actually played NCAA hoops, but he doenst seem to be the next great center.
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