Oklahoma City Thunder Season Preview 2008-2009

Here at Sparty and Friends we have reached NBA preview time. There will be one team per work day leading up to the season opener (Celts vs. Cavs, October 28th at 8pm on TNT). The teams are ordered by record starting with last place and going up through the non-playoff teams, followed by the playoff teams in order of elimination (or lack there of in the Celtics’ case). You can find the full list of our previews here.  First up were was were the Miami Heat, next is the newly stolen founded OKC Thunder…

Not quite the worst (but still really bad) last season were the Seattle Supersonics. The franchise was being torn from its fan base and the city that loved it and being stolen by an oil baron who was a lying weasel and friend of the commissioner. Or he was a hometown boy who wished to increase the quality of life for the community that raised him. Either one really. (Although it is really the former. Shhh! Don’t tell anyone!) Unfortunately for me, I really like some of these guys and therefore can’t root against them. This team will yield some highlights this year, and here’s why…

First let’s get the basics down:

Last Year’s Record: 20-62 (Last in Northwest Division, Western Conference, 2nd to last in the NBA)

Coach: P. J. Carlesimo

Expected Starting Lineup: Russel Westbrook, Kevin Durant, Desmond Mason, Jeff Green, Chris Wilcox

Expected Bench Contributors: Earl Watson, Damien Wilkins, Nick Collison, Joe Smith

So they are a bit inexperienced. The starting lineup is obviously put together to go on the “run and gun” style that was originally made famous by their assistant coach, Paul Westhead, at Loyola Marymount. Basically, they plan on being the Denver Nuggets but without winning as many games. Actually, they probably plan on winning games… which is a shame… because they won’t. Without defense, you can’t win in today’s NBA and they know it. Apparently though, they couldn’t think of a better idea than this so they are going with it anyway.

This team will feature two central figures. Kevin Durant is the first. The soon-to-be 20-year-old is the team leader and the future of the franchise. Last year, he averaged 20 points a game and that figure is expected to rise as he moves to his more natural position of shooting guard. Durant was a defensive liability at small forward because he could be easily muscled around. At shooting guard, he will be a defensive liability only if he does not wish to put forth the effort to stop anybody (which was previously the case in college). He is as dynamic of a scorer as ever and will only get better in that area and as his range extends out to the new 3-point line. Keep in mind that last year he was only one season removed from using a 19’9 arc and had to get used to a 23’9 arc. His range will extend and he will get stronger as is the case with most NBA players.

The second guy that will be important to this team is not who you may think. You probably thought that I would say Jeff Green because he has to learn how to be the Scottie to Durant’s Michael. But the answer is actually Desmond Mason. Besides allowing Durant to move down to shooting guard, he becomes the veteran leadership on this team. That of course is important on this team because… well, look at their roster. This team may be good some day, but they could really use a guy to show them the way. Desmond Mason has never really been in any trouble to speak of and here’s the kicker… OKC loves them some Desmond Mason. What’s that you say? Why do they love him? Well, Desmond Mason went to Oklahoma State. He actually stayed for all four seasons. That’s not all! He played for the Hornets when they were in OKC and was a crowd favorite then. They are happy he is back and will be ready to cheer him on for the 3rd time.

This team should be an entertaining team to watch, but shouldn’t win many games. They will be better than last season, but not by much. They will probably continue to be the worst team in the Western Conference which is for the best because hopefully they fail in OKC and can move to a city that needs a team, not one with owners who have enough money to hijack one. As you can see, I am a bit bitter about the theft of the Seattle Supersonics from the Emerald City of Seattle. I think Clay Bennett is a lying cheat who committed one of the worst crimes in the history of sports. For full disclosure I should point out that I am not from Seattle, am not a Sonics fan, and am not a fan of injustice. More than being a fan of the NBA, I am a fan of sports. I don’t want any city to lose a team they had for 41 years because the wrong guy bought it for the wrong reasons. Because of that, I have decided to dedicate the portion of this post that would normally be a Youtube clip of the current team, to the former franchise of the Sonics. May we never forget them.

Prediction: 15-20 wins, 11-15 in the Western Conference.