Are The Oklahoma City Thunder Ready To Contend for a NBA Championship ?

In my last article I stated that the Oklahoma City Thunder were hands down the NBA’s best young and upcoming team.

There’s no reason they’re not, they have Kevin Durant who could the new face of the league, they have a great young supporting cast around Durant, a coach in Scott Brooks, and—despite their young age—they reached the NBA playoffs for the first time since making the move to Oklahoma City.

However does that make the Thunder title contenders now?

Are the Thunder ready to take it the next level, rise to the top of the west, and dethrone the champion Lakers, and the trio in Miami?

That’s the question.

The Thunder ended their season by losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in a six game series. In fact, the Thunder were one point away from staying alive and maybe even dethroning the Los Angeles Lakers. Even though they were knocked out in the first round, they ended their season on a positive note.

The Thunder have come a long way since first coming to Oklahoma City, previously the Seattle Sonics (the Sonics went 20-62 in their final season). The Thunder’s inaugural season was one of frustration as the team had a 23-59 record. After two seasons of failing to reach 25 wins, the 09-10 Thunder were the NBA’s team turnaround as they went 50-32 more than doubling the previous year’s win total.

The Thunder moved on to their first playoff berth where they almost shocked the champion Lakers.

Other than the team’s turnaround there were many other bright spots. Kevin Durant became the unquestioned team leader, and he became the youngest player to ever lead the league in scoring.

Russell Westbrook proved to his skeptics that he can play point guard at an elite level, and most importantly the Thunder established themselves as one of the best defensive teams in the league.

To win in the NBA, especially in the playoffs when the game slows down and every possession starts to count, a team must be a good defensive team.

The Thunder ranked 8th in the league in defensive efficiency, and 11th in points allowed. I expect the Thunder to climb up in both categories because young players tend to struggle defensively and get better as their careers progress.

Last season the Thunder surprised many, this year will be exact opposite. The Thunder will come into the season with high expectations, unlike last season where the season was looked at as a positive success despite a first round exit. However that comes with the territory of being an elite NBA team.

The roster to contend is certainly there as the Thunder have their core in place. They have a superstar in Durant, a true number two option in Russell Westbrook, Jeff Green a great complementary player, and James Harden who has the potential to be a great NBA player.

The Thunder also added a big man in Cole Aldrich, the only piece the Thunder have been lacking is a center who can defend and rebound, and it looks like they may have their man in the middle in Cole Aldrich.

The Thunder also have the coaching and front office that will enable them to contend. Head coach Scott Brooks is a defensive coach who has brought a new attitude, and a defensive mindset. General manager Sam Presti the architect of the team, is considered one of the best basketball minds in the league.

Whether it’s the big moves like drafting Durant Westbrook, and Green, or the small moves like trading for Eric Maynor or the rights to Cole Aldrich, Presti has consistently made moves that have improved the roster.

The Thunder have the roster, coaching, and front office to contend with the Lakers and the Heat, however they don’t have the experience.

The Lakers are back to back champions, led by Kobe Bryant, and their supporting cast of Gasol, Bynum, and Odom makes their roster the best in the league. The Heat have infamous trio led by an NBA finals MVP in Dwayne Wade, and all stars LeBron James and Chris Bosh.

Is the Thunder’s roster on par with the Lakers and Heat, from top to bottom?

I don’t think so.

However, maybe Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook get even better, and maybe James Harden can be the 20 point scorer he was at Arizona State. The Thunder have themselves a roster that could at certainly take the Lakers and Heat to seven games.

I doubt that the Thunder can win the NBA championship this year. However, I see them winning over 60 games, establishing themselves as the second best team in the west ahead of teams like Dallas, and Portland, and getting to the western conference finals where they will lose to the Lakers for the second straight time. Next season could be the last season where the Lakers dominate, maybe they could get too old, by then Kobe Bryant will be 33, Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom will be both 31, and Phil Jackson might not be on the bench anymore.

After next season we could see a dramatic shift of the powers in the NBA. The Lakers and Celtics might no longer dominate the league, therefore setting up what could be the most exciting rivalries in sports a Oklahoma City Thunder Miami Heat rivalry.