Bleacher Report - NBA Northwest

Top Destinations for 2013 Free Agent Al Jefferson

Sean Hojnacki — Sat, 18 May 2013 06:13:27 -0400

Al Jefferson will hit free agency this offseason, and the somewhat unsung talent has frontcourt-hungry teams licking their chops.

Though he has never made an All-Star team, Jefferson has averaged 16.4 points on 50 percent shooting and nine rebounds per game in his nine-year career. He's sure-handed, has phenomenal footwork and keeps the turnovers down while still averaging a couple of assists a night.

Some have lamented Jefferson's defense, and he can play like a tweener who is too big and slow to defend opposing 4s, yet too undersized to match up against many 5s.

He also lacks the physical edge on the interior, avoiding fouls and contact like an allergy. Jefferson averaged just 2.2 personal fouls per game this season, ranking him 24th among all centers.

While Jefferson is hardly a defensive dynamo, he racks up double-doubles with regularity, and that will be his primary selling point to teams in need of a big.

Jefferson finished ninth in the league this year with 37 double-doubles. And among the players who tallied at least 35 of those, only Jefferson, Al Horford and Dwight Howard averaged better than 17 points, nine rebounds, a steal and a block per game (via ESPN).

There's no doubt that Jefferson is one of the biggest prizes in the coming offseason, so who are the five most likely suitors for his services? Click on, Macduff.

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Ranking the Biggest Offseason Needs for the OKC Thunder

Kyle Ramos — Fri, 17 May 2013 19:03:00 -0400

At the beginning of this season, almost no one expected the Oklahoma City Thunder to be excluded from the postseason picture this early.

I suppose that's what is so exciting and heartwrenching about the NBA: Anything can happen. This anything was a bad thing for the Thunder, as they had their star guard Russell Westbrook taken away by a torn meniscus during the second game of the playoffs.

With the season over, Oklahoma City must look forward—not dwell on the past—if they want to remain in contention for an NBA title.

The silver lining to this offseason is that the Thunder do not have any major contract situations to work out (aside from Kevin Martin), and they also possess two first-round picks in the draft, including one in the lottery.

But what's really the most important thing on OKC's to-do list for the offseason this year? Let's rank the items and take a closer look.

3. Stay Positive and Stay Hungry

With a chance to tie the game in the closing seconds of Game 5 against the Memphis Grizzlies, Kevin Durant pulled up for a wide-open jumper that he'd make 11 times out of 10 in his sleep. Something weird happened, though, and the shot missed off the back of the rim. The world didn't end, but the Thunder's season did.

It wasn't Durant's fault, though. He did all he could to carry this team as far as he possibly could. Sometimes the balls don't bounce your way, and that's what the Thunder have to take away from this season.

Durant—in his post Game 5 interview—wasn't discouraged, though.

KD's suffered through postseason after postseason, coming up short every time, in obtaining that elusive NBA championship. Each time hurts more than the last, but they are all ultimately learning experiences.

This is the message Durant needs to convey to his team. He needs to step up as the leader he is and demonstrate that these trials only make him hungrier and stronger.

Staying positive at times like this is key. If these guys go into the offseason thinking that an NBA ring is unobtainable, that attitude will be contagious and will spread indifference and lack of effort around the locker room.

I know it sounds like I'm giving a half-time speech here, but the Thunder are too young and too full of potential to give up now. They have their core locked in, and their chemistry is among the best in the league. It's up to leaders in the locker room like Durant and Westbrook to make sure their guys stay motivated so that they can all reach their common goal of a championship.

2. Incorporate the Young Talent

One of the pleasant surprises following Westbrook's injury was how well the second-year point guard Reggie Jackson stepped up and over.

Since his shaky rookie campaign, Jackson's showed tremendous growth playing in the backup spot this year and answered the call when Westbrook went down. For the postseason, he averaged 13.9 points, 3.6 assists and 4.9 rebounds, doing more than his fair share to fill the void left by the man he backed up.

This production was great insight into how well talent can develop from sitting, watching and learning for most of a season, sorta like what players like Perry Jones III and Jeremy Lamb have been doing this year.

That's why I believe next year will be their year to really get some good burn in the rotation. The Thunder have both Martin and Ronnie Brewer as unrestricted free agents. I do think they'll make a strong push to keep Martin long-term, but if that deal falls through, Lamb would be thrust into the spotlight as a sixth-man option off the bench.

The same goes for Jones III, who could play either forward position. Without Brewer on the roster, Jones III could easily leap over DeAndre Liggins in the depth chart to earn some playing time.

If we see more of Lamb and Jones III on the court, we'd see a whole new set of weapons for the Thunder on both ends. Sure, there would be some growing pains with the young guns, but those wrinkles are best ironed out early in the regular season.

There's a whole lot of proven young talent on the Thunder who have made their names in the league, but now, it may be time for the even younger guys to fight for a chance to contribute on a regular basis.

1. Find a Replacement for Kendrick Perkins

I've tried and tried over the past couple seasons to really defend Kendrick Perkins. I have.

But this postseason felt like the final straw for me, and I really don't think Perkins is as valuable to this team as I'd always hoped he would be. As you can see around the 1:48 mark in this video, the Grizzlies were none to kind to the Thunder's big man during their playoff series.

Perk isn't usually a numbers guy, but one number really stuck out from his playoff performance. -0.7, according to Basketball-Reference.com. That's right. Perkins fell into the negatives for his Player Efficiency Rating. That essentially means he was so inefficient, it was actually helping the other team.

There were injuries last season that may have hampered his play in the postseason, but there were no excuses to fall back on for this year. Perkins was just flat-out bad, and I think it's time the Thunder move on.

I do know that Thunder GM Sam Presti is no hasty man and will not simply up and trade Perkins over the offseason. He will, however, seek to find an eventual replacement for Perk, possibly in the early part of this year's big-man heavy draft.

You can talk about his toughness, his edge and his championship experience, but at the end of the day, Perkins isn't getting it done on the court, and it's starting to really hurt this team.

Overall, there's no reason to really hit the panic button for the Oklahoma City Thunder. There were some major unforeseen areas of adversity this postseason, but it really showed the value Westbrook has for this team's success. Hopefully, he continues to transcend his diminishing criticism, so that Oklahoma City can come back full strength next season still vying for the pinnacle of success in basketball.

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See Damian Lillard's Hot New ROY Shoe

Grant Hughes — Fri, 17 May 2013 17:54:13 -0400

For Damian Lillard, one of the best things about being named Rookie of the Year has to be the satisfaction he's feeling after achieving his NBA dreams. The second-best thing is probably getting a snazzy new shoe to commemorate the occasion.

Well, it's at least in the top five, anyway.

Sports brand adidas will be releasing a limited edition sneaker called the Real Deal, which is actually a retread from the late 1990s. But don't be mistaken; in terms of design, these bad boys are all new.

And all of the various patterns, symbols and colors have a unique connection to Lillard. Get ready, because adidas crammed more trivia into these kicks than you'd find in a full episode of Jeopardy.

For starters, Lillard's Twitter handle is embroidered on the sock liner. You know, because most folks look to the insides of their shoes for social media information. It used to be that the only thing you'd find inside the tongue of a shoe was its size, but we're clearly living in a different age now.

That feature is a little weird, but most of the others are cool shout-outs to Lillard's past.

The primary colors are red, purple and black, which represent the hues of his high school, college and professional teams. Plus, Lillard was a Wildcat in both high school and college, so the entire shoe is emblazoned with an animal print.

And if we head back inside the shoe, "9800s" is stitched into the liner to represent Lillard's old block. As if that weren't enough, a satellite map of the city of Oakland is also in there.

But wait, there's more!

"Townbiz," which is featured on both the upper and the tongue, is a nod to Lillard's Oakland roots. The same is true of the 510 (Oakland's area code) printed on the inside of the upper.

And those little clasped hands, hooked at the thumbs on the outside of the upper? Those represent Lillard's "Fly Guyz" crew from his neighborhood. They were best known for shooting hoops and liberally using the letter Z.

This shoe is so deeply tied to Lillard's roots that it wouldn't be surprising to find out that the leather was made from recycled baseballs retrieved from the old Oakland Coliseum. That last bit is probably a stretch, but with all of the thought that went into these sneakers, anything seems possible.

So congratulations, Mr. Lillard. You've got yourself a major NBA honor in the Rookie of the Year Award and a pair of shoes that wearers will need a glossary to explain to their friends.

If anyone needs me, I'll be patiently waiting for the release of J.R. Smith's next shoe. If the detail that went into Lillard's is any indication, Smith's might be composed entirely of glitter, those little green ribbons from bottles of Patron and ticket stubs from Rihanna concerts.

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Former Portland Trailblazer, Greg Oden, Looking 'Unbelievable'

Aaron Chung — Fri, 17 May 2013 12:17:02 -0400

You may have heard the expression, "fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me." Former number one draft pick, Greg Oden, however, has not only fooled everyone once, and not even twice, but a whopping five times. Oden has teased NBA fans and NBA teams with his basketball talents and acumen, but the big man has had his knees operated on five times since his rookie year with the Portland Trailblazers.

However, according to former Ohio State teammate, Deshaun Thomas, Greg Oden has looked “unbelievable” in their recent workouts. Thomas and Oden have been training together for quite some time and Thomas is convinced that he is back.

"Man, he looks unbelievable," Thomas said at the NBA draft combine. "He's running. He's lifting weights. You might be seeing a comeback. He looks like he's ready to go. He's running, getting in shape. I'll tell you one thing. For a big 7-footer that's all he does, running and getting in shape. He's looking right."

Oden has developed the reputation of being a brittle big man and has been living under the shadow of Kevin Durant, the number two pick, ever since their rookie draft. But when healthy, every scout in the league knows what kind of force Oden can be in a league with such few big men. So, make no mistake, every team in the league will do their due diligence in evaluating the tantalizing big man, but the bigger question is whether or not Greg Oden will make a fool out of a team once again or give them a fortune.

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Ranking the Biggest Offseason Needs for the T-Wolves

Justin Hussong — Fri, 17 May 2013 06:55:09 -0400

If the Minnesota Timberwolves can capitalize on the 2013 offseason, they can put themselves in prime position to get back to the top of the Western Conference.

You know, like the good old days.

If you're searching for something to hang your hat on, the young pups won more games this year than in any other season since Kevin Garnett left. They only won 31 games, but it was a step in the right direction.

Finally having a core to build upon and with new GM Flip Saunders taking over for the media-lambasted David Kahn, Minnesota faces nothing but positivity and a clean slate moving forward.

As for the offseason, this team does have some work to do. Nothing crazy needs to be done, but some fat needs to be trimmed to push this team to the next level.

Stabilize the Core

The first thing that needs to be done this summer is to assure the stars that everything is peachy.

Kahn was never one to shy away from making bold statements. He was a reporter's dream due to all the times he went out on a limb or stuck his foot in his mouth.

He did not leave town without taking a couple of parting shots.

During his exit interview with Jerry Zgoda of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, he noted how superstar Kevin Love needs to win back the respect of his teammates.

Many of those guys really fought their way back from injury, sometimes multiple injuries. He had two broken hands. He came back once, didn’t play well, broke his hand again and then decided to have his knee done at the end of the year when the pain was such.

Love's relationship with the front office has been rocky to say the least, as we found out during his tell-all interview with Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.

One of Saunders' first tasks as the new man in charge was to make sure the team and Love are on the same page. He has assured us all that Love is happy and that everything should be smooth sailing from here on out.

While Love may have been happier than the recent $190 million winner of the Mega Millions when informed of Kahn's firing, one man who was not jumping for joy was Ricky Rubio.

Ric Bucher of CSNBayArea.com reported that Rubio and his family were quite upset over the move. The situation will most likely blow over, but it is worth mentioning. Rubio was Kahn's guy. Kahn stuck his neck out and drafted Rubio knowing how difficult it would be explaining to the media that his first draft pick would be staying in Spain for two years.

Kahn even drafted 52 other point guards that year to cover his own behind (enough with the point guard jokes already, right?).

Get a Shooting Guard

It cannot be said enough: Minnesota needs shooting guards.

Whether it be opening up the checkbook for a player like O.J. Mayo—whom they are rumored to already be targeting, according to Matt Moore of CBSSports—Kevin Martin, Tyreke Evans or J.J. Redick, this group will be stuck in the mud without a capable off-ball guard.

The Timberwolves could swing a trade for Eric Gordon. They could stay put at their likely top-10 drafting position and snag Victor Oladipo or Shabazz Muhammad. They could even re-sign Chase Budinger and develop Alexey Shved.

If the boys in the front office are feeling extra adventurous, they could even try to swing a trade and move up in the draft for the super-athletic Ben McLemore.

This squad just has too many options for this to be an issue again next season. The T-Wolves haven't had a franchise shooting guard since...well, forever.

Luke Ridnour is a backup point guard, and that's it. For too many times, fans have had to watch guards blow past him for and-1s. Ridnour resorts to hand slaps to stop players after they burn him. It simply has to stop.

Flip Saunders cannot fill this hole with a temporary band-aid. Kahn's signing of Brandon Roy was like trying to stop a flash flood with sandbags. It also cannot be another low-risk, high-reward move like the Michael Beasley or Darko Milicic acquisitions.

A shooting guard might be the only thing keeping this team from contention. The power forward cannot continue to be the most reliable outside threat if the team wants to contend for an NBA title.

Minnesota shot 30 percent from three-point range this season, which was last in the league. While Love and Budinger missed most of the season, it is still no excuse. If Victor Oladipo out of Indiana falls to the Timberwolves in the first round, they must jump all over him. A reliable offensive force that can shut down wing players with ease is the last piece to round this team into form.

The recipe is simple. No major overhauls need to be done this offseason. Saunders only needs to bring in a dynamic shooting guard for this team to succeed.

Bring Back Pekovic

Most importantly, the T-Wolves must bring back the best center they ever had. Minnesota was awful when its anchor was out of the lineup this season.

Nikola Pekovic heads into this offseason as a free agent looking for a huge payday. He has also expressed his "100 percent" desire to stay put, according to Charley Walters of the Pioneer Press.

When "Pek" entered the league, he could not stay out of foul trouble to save his life. Two years later, he has improved his game to the point where he is a legitimate top-10 center in the NBA.

In a league becoming more wing oriented, having a bullish center to toss the ball into during offensive lulls has become a luxury. Few centers are capable of carving out space and racking up easy buckets like Pekovic can.

The playoffs are showing that the West is wide open. The two teams in the conference finals in the Memphis Grizzles and San Antonio Spurs still run completely through their big men. Memphis' offense starts and ends with Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph down low, and the Spurs' entire team still flows through the seemingly immortal Tim Duncan.

With Pekovic back in the fold, he and Love would form one of the scariest low-post combinations in basketball. They also complement each other perfectly due to Love's outside shooting prowess.

Pek also acts as Rubio's security blanket. The "Pek and Roll" between them works to perfection, with Pekovic laying out little point guards and then finishing jaw-dropping dimes from Rubio at the rim.

Whatever Pekovic warrants on the open market, Minnesota has to pay him.

Once again, this offseason does not need to be as drastic as past ones. A little fine-tuning and refueling should get this team to the top of the West once again.

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What's Next for OKC Thunder After 2013 Playoff Exit?

Dan Favale — Thu, 16 May 2013 18:30:43 -0400

The Oklahoma City Thunder have some work to do.

After falling in the Western Conference semifinals to the Memphis Grizzlies, it's become clear that the Thunder aren't necessarily in the position they thought they were.

With a healthy Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City would have obviously been in better shape to make more noise, but even with him the Thunder were far from perfect.

Kevin Durant left everything he had on the floor, and he'll be the first to tell you that he has no regrets. But the Thunder can't remain complacent after what transpired during the postseason—they have to do something.

There has to be a next step.

*All stats for this article were compiled from Basketball-Reference, NBA.com and 82games.com unless otherwise noted.

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Official WSDOT Seattle Area Traffic Account Trolls OKC Thunder on Twitter

Dan Favale — Thu, 16 May 2013 13:11:37 -0400

Welcome to Seattle, where it doesn't rain nearly as much as you think and the traffic reports are callous and cutthroat.

You read that correctly.

Formerly known as the Seattle Supersonics, the now-Oklahoma City Thunder fell to the Memphis Grizzlies in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals.

It was a loss that ended the Thunder's season and any hope they had of capturing an NBA title. Oh, and it also provoked a snarky response from the Seattle area.

Less than 24 hours after Oklahoma City's loss, the official WSDOT Seattle area traffic Twitter account fired some social-media shots the Thunder's way.

Ouch. It's so true. But ouch. Talk about bitter.

To be honest, there's no way this was solely about the Thunder. They're five full seasons removed from their time in Seattle, and while the wounds haven't completely healed, they're not still hemorrhaging, either.

Well, that's not entirely true. They're now extremely fresh.

But that has more to do with the NBA rejecting the proposed sale of the Sacramento Kings that would have given Seattle their beloved Sonics back.

Clad with the knowledge that it was once again deprived of housing an NBA team, Seattle is projecting its anger onto Oklahoma City. Or rather, its local traffic provider is.

The traces of frustration not-so-subtly hidden within these 140 characters (126, to be exact) aren't difficult to understand. Of course Seattle is angry. How could it not be?

For quite some time, it appeared as if the Sonics were on the cusp of a revival. Now, that dream is dead. And visions of an expansion team won't have the opportunity to be actualized until 2016. So we get it. Seattle is angry.

To displace the blame onto the Thunder, even sarcastically, isn't fair. Oklahoma City is one of the most devout fanbases in the NBA. It wasn't the fans who personally stripped Seattle of the Sonics (damn you, Clay Bennett).

Nor was it Kevin Durant. He remains one of Seattle's greatest supporters. It just happened. These things sometimes do.

If Seattle needs to berate someone, Clay Bennett is still out there.

Better yet, take shots at the Maloof brothers. They're ~~heartless soul-suckers who destroy everything they come into contact with~~ the ones who helped create a false sense of hope.

But leave Oklahoma City alone. Your time will come (again), Seattle.

And when it does, I would hope Oklahoma City's traffic report doesn't opt to troll your inevitable playoff exit.

Follow @danfavale

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Figuring Out What Went Wrong for the Denver Nuggets During the Postseason

Nick Juskewycz — Thu, 16 May 2013 04:24:33 -0400

It was the same old story for the Denver Nuggets. They post a winning record and earn a berth to the playoffs, but take an early exit and begin their offseason plans shortly after.

There was good reason to believe the 2013 NBA playoffs would be different. The Nuggets were first in points, tied for second in rebounds and third in assists during the regular season. They had one of the deepest teams in the league, complemented by being one of the best at attacking the rim and getting to the free-throw line. They also had the league's best home record and the No. 3 seed.

Yet, Mark Jackson's Golden State Warriors stole home court in Game 2 and gave George Karl's club a 4-2 defeat in the first round.

What went wrong for Denver this time?

Nuggets' Perimeter Defense

First and foremost, you have to tip your hat to Stephen Curry. In just his first playoff series, the sharpshooter averaged 24.3 points on 46.8 percent shooting, including 44.2 percent from behind the arc. He also pitched in with an impressive 9.3 assists and was deadly off the initial high-ball screen. Outside of LeBron James, Curry's been the most consistently dominant player in the playoffs thus far.

Having said that, Denver's perimeter defense was atrocious. It didn't matter if it was in the pick-and-roll, isolation or transition, the Nuggets gave Curry way too big of a cushion to pull the trigger. Even worse, he still got to the middle of the floor at ease, forced Denver's defense to collapse and got the other shooters involved.

It wasn't just Curry though, Jarrett Jack had the flexibility as well. He got in the paint both in the half court and full court, his mid-range jumper was falling and he always seemed to be the guy to end a Nuggets run.

Jack was also tremendous in other areas. Not only did he dish out seven assists per game, the 6'3" point guard also grabbed 5.2 boards.

Mark Jackson made the excellent decision to go small in his starting lineup when David Lee went down in Game 1. Even though Jack had only started four games during the regular season, Jackson went after the Nuggets weakness with one of his strengths.

Denver tried multiple combinations defensively, but there was no execution. The Warriors guards shot over Ty Lawson. They got around Andre Iguodala and Andre Miller. The extra pass was made on the double-team. They forced Denver to make a bad switch on the high-ball screen and made Kosta Koufos or JaVale McGee defend on the perimeter.

Golden State Controlled the Inside Despite Loss of David Lee

Even though the Nuggets won points in the paint by 36 for the series, the Warriors' big guys were superior. Since this was a series where guards on both teams got to the lane off the dribble and scored at the rim in the fast break, that statistic is somewhat misleading for the post players.

The Warriors were the better team on the glass, going plus-27 over the six games. While that is influenced to a degree with Golden State earning the 49.4 to 43.8 advantage in field-goal percentage, Denver has no excuse for that when the fourth-best rebounder from the regular season is missing.

Without Lee for much of the series, someone had to step up to complement the Golden State guards. It was Andrew Bogut.

The Aussie center spent much of the regular season battling injuries and didn't play in any of the four regular-season meetings against Denver, but he got healthy at the right time. After shooting just 45.1 percent from the floor in the regular season, Bogut crushed the Nuggets by executing 63.2 percent of his attempts with all of his makes coming from inside the paint.

Furthermore, Andrew led the series with 62 rebounds, 24 offensive boards and a remarkable 14 blocked shots.

This chart shows the difference from Bogut against Denver versus his regular-season averages.

Where were the Nuggets' big men?

Kosta Koufos, who started all 81 games he played in during the regular season, started coming off the bench after Golden State's dominant victory in Game 2. He was a minus-43 for the series and averaged a weak 3.3 points and 3.5 rebounds.

As for JaVale McGee, the numbers were there for the most part, especially when he landed the starting spot in Game 5 and Game 6. However, outside those two games, he didn't make an impact off the bench like he did in the regular season and even found a way to make another appearance in Shaqtin' A Fool with two different highlights.

Granted, he only played 14 minutes each time from Game 2 through Game 4, but the man who led the Nuggets in PER in the regular season was not nearly as efficient in the postseason.

The story was different for Kenneth Faried. The Manimal missed Game 1 because he was still recovering from his ankle injury (per Benjamin Hochman of The Denver Post) and played limited minutes off the bench in Game 2. The longer the series went on, Faried brought more production in scoring and on the glass, but it wasn't enough.

Denver could have used a 100-percent Faried and the seven-footers to play to their capabilities.

Denver Couldn't Limit the Damage in the Third Quarter

The Warriors didn't just outperform the Nuggets in the third quarter, they demolished them. It didn't matter if Golden State forced a turnover and Harrison Barnes got a dunk on the other end or Curry launched a three-pointer from the Golden Gate Bridge. Denver had no answer.

This is how the Nuggets performed in plus-minus points by quarter in the series.

(The fourth quarter was even.)

When the Warriors caught fire, the Nuggets' opportunities were limited in transition and Denver got stagnant in the half-court offense. Unless Andre Iguodala was getting to the free-throw line, Ty Lawson was essentially the only one to score against Golden State's momentum.

Ty did most of his damage off the high-ball screen by either getting to the rim or making the mid-range jumper. He also dished out eight assists per game and was by far the Nuggets' MVP of the playoffs.

He didn't get enough support from Wilson Chandler (31 percent) or Corey Brewer (25 percent) from behind the arc. Evan Fournier didn't provide much of anything in the first four games and eventually lost his spot in the rotation. Andre Miller had a stellar Game 1 and did a solid job posting up Jack inside, but really struggled at Oracle Arena (8-of-34 from the field).

Considering all those factors, and that Danilo Gallinari would have helped in both scoring and rebounding, the Nuggets didn't get enough easy baskets. The dribble-drive motion offense was for the most part ineffective.

The first quarter in Game 5 was what Denver fans were hoping to see a majority of the time, when the Nuggets scored 36 points on 11 assists (six different players had at least one assist).

Instead, it was the Warriors doing that kind of work in the third quarter. That success allowed them to pull away for wins in Game 2, Game 4 and Game 6, and come back for the victory in Game 3.

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What We Learned About OKC Thunder from Their 2nd-Round Playoff Series

Tom Schreier — Thu, 16 May 2013 02:28:12 -0400

The Oklahoma City Thunder have lost to the Memphis Grizzlies, 4-1, and will not advance to the Western Conference Finals this season. Projected to compete with the Miami Heat for the NBA Championship at the beginning of the season, OKC traded superstar sixth man James Harden to the Houston Rockets and had to play in a much more difficult conference in order to try to take the crown from King James and Co.

The Thunder lost to another team that traded away its superstar—Rudy Gay was dealt to the Toronto Raptors in the middle of the season—but they also had to play without a cornerstone player, Russell Westbrook, who got injured in Game 2 against the Rockets.

Fortunately for basketball fans in Oklahoma City, the Thunder are one of the youngest teams in the league and will have other chances, but this one still hurts…

Fans are going to be left wondering: What if we had Harden?

Harden began the year in “Eff You” mode, dropping 37 and 45 points, respectively, in his first two games for the Rockets. Oklahoma City got to see him up close in its first-round series, when it dispatched Houston in six games.

Mr. Harden had a few tricks up his ~~sleeve~~ beard, dropping 30 points in three of the six games and scoring at least 20 points in five of the games. He only tallied 15 in Game 4 but got the last laugh with a 105-103 win.

The team obviously did not expect Westbrook, who never misses a game, to get injured when it shipped Harden to Texas, but he is more talented than what it has now. Kevin Martin, 29, will never be the impact player Harden is, and it's uncertain how good Reggie Jackson, 22, will end up being.

It’s nothing to lose sleep over; what’s done is done, but this is going to haunt Thunder fans after the early exit.

How do you win after a big trade? Just ask Memphis.

"Yeah I'm still up on my grizzly, Mike Conley. That was just a preview, cause they got nothing on we."—"Handclaps & Guitars," Chiddy Bang.

The Memphis Grizzlies are one of the best-run organizations and a model franchise for small-market teams. They knew that Gay was due for a windfall, and there was no way that a professional basketball team in Memphis was able to afford to blow through the luxury tax to keep its superstar player.

When the Grizzlies dealt Gay to Toronto, they knew that somebody had to step up to replace his production.

Marc Gasol may be establishing himself as the Alpha Gasol in the NBA (sorry Pau!) and Zach Randolph has been playing motivated (like he’s being chased by a cat), but it is Mike Conley who has really stepped up for the Grizz.

Zach Lowe broke it down in his recent Grantland profile of the Memphis point guard:

The biggest difference between Conley and Gay — and Gasol and Gay — is that Conley's shot-hunting grows organically from within Memphis's offense. Gay's shot-hunting largely existed outside of that offense, or ground it to a halt. Most of Conley's scoring chances come via the pick-and-roll, which means that if a Conley scoring pursuit goes nowhere, there is a natural pass available — one that keeps all the screening and cutting gears turning.

The Grizzlies are benefiting from smart management: They were able to let their star go because another one would thrive in their offense.

Oklahoma City needs to do the same thing with Durant.

OKC must take advantage of Durant’s efficiency.

Durant looks at so many shot charts, you’d think he was playing Battleship. He is so focused on efficiency; John Hollinger should describe his motor as “hybrid.” Lee Jenkins of Sports Illustrated reports that he has hired his own analytics expert and has found his “hot spots” on the court:

[Justin] Zormelo sits in section 104 of Oklahoma City's Chesapeake Energy Arena, with an iPad that tells him in real time what percentage Durant is shooting from the left corner and how many points per possession he is generating on post-ups. After games, he takes the iPad to Durant's house or hotel room and they watch clips of every play.

He will find spaces where he struggles to score and work on the shot in practice. If he finds that he is unable to score from a certain place, he will simply avoid taking that shot. He has even gone so far as eschewing buzzer-beaters during the regular season.

Durant scored at least 25 points in every game during the postseason, but he underperformed because he was forced to take shots he was uncomfortable taking in an effort to replace the production lost when Westbrook got injured.

With a healthy Westbrook, this offense should once again cater to Durant’s strength and allow him to adhere his own green movement.

Conclusion

Durant needs Westbrook. That’s the bottom line.

The former isn’t going anywhere, and the latter is known as one of the most reliable players in the league. The two should be able to challenge LeBron and the Heat in the future; it’s just not going to happen this year.

For the time being, fans need to forget about Harden. The team should take a couple of notes on Memphis, a fellow small-market team that appears to have things figured out.

Tom Schreier covers the Northwest Division for Bleacher Report and writes for TheFanManifesto.com. Visit his Kinja blog to see his previous work.

Follow @tschreier3

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Does Kevin Durant Get a Free Pass for Failing in the Clutch?

Jesse Dorsey — Thu, 16 May 2013 01:41:03 -0400

A shot clanking off the back of the rim was the last-ditch effort for the Oklahoma City Thunder to stay alive, but the Memphis Grizzlies just did weather the comeback as Kevin Durant failed to deliver a win for his team.

It was the right shot to take. Durant may have had an open lane, but he had a free look from 16 feet, and he tends to make those in his sleep.

That shot was the imperfect end to an imperfect night for Durant, who scored just 21 points on 5-of-21 shooting. Sure, he added eight rebounds and six assists, but it was all negated thanks to seven turnovers and a horrible shooting night.

Not only was it a singular bad game, but it was a horrible way to end a series in which Durant absolutely played his brains out.

After averaging 30.8 points, 11 rebounds and 6.8 assists on 46.2 percent shooting and a 41.7 percent clip from the three-point line in the first four games, Durant left us all with questions after a flop of a Game 5.

How would the series be different if Russell Westbrook was on the floor there with him? What could have happened if Durant made just a few more shots at the end of games?

Most importantly, however, we've got to think about this series in the grand scheme of things. What does it tell us about Durant, and can we hold too much against him for failing against such a ferocious Grizzlies squad?

As far as his production "in the clutch" (defined as a game in the fourth quarter or overtime, fewer than five minutes left and neither team ahead by more than five points) is concerned, Durant was more than lackluster.

Kevin Durant is a combined 4-22 on field-goal attempts with 9 points in the 4th quarter and OT of the last 3 games.
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) May 16, 2013

Game 1 was easily his best clutch performance of the series, scoring eight points on 4-of-5 shooting, an assist and the go-ahead bucket in Oklahoma City's lone win.

Going forward, he scored two points on 1-of-4 shooting in Game 2, two points in a 1-of-2 performance in Game 3 (plus two missed free throws), three points on 1-of-7 shooting in the fourth quarter and overtime of Game 4, and zero points on two misses in Game 5.

That puts him at 15 points on 7-of-20 shooting, and just 2-of-5 from the free-throw line. Shooting 35 percent in the waning minutes of a game isn't good for Tony Allen, let alone Kevin Durant.

Does that mean Durant is suddenly this un-clutch player that deserves our derision much like LeBron James early in his career? Taking it that far seems rather extreme.

For the first time since his rookie season, Durant was forced to play a game without his eternal sidekick. Put Westbrook on the court alongside Durant for these past five games and they will likely shake out differently.

That's not to say the Thunder would have easily taken control of the series, but they likely wouldn't have lost four out of five games. They've shown us what they are capable of, and Durant has shown us what he is capable of as well.

Playoffs included, Kevin Durant finishes the season with the league's 4th-highest Clutch PER (33.00). Important note for tomorrow.
— Couper Moorhead (@CoupNBA) May 16, 2013

Without Westbrook, Durant faced the wrath of the Memphis defense in the final seconds with the help of a spot-up shooter, an athletic, jump-shooting big man, a 38-year-old Derek Fisher, and the Euro-steppin' Nick Collison. That's not me taking a jab at those four guys (well, it is a jab at Fisher), but rather pointing out that there was no second option for Durant to turn to.

I think this series made us realize just what type of player Durant is. It's not that he needs a team around him that can help him out in the clutch, it's that he expects the guys on the court to be what they have been over the course of the season.

A hefty portion of Durant's shots late in games came with the shot clock winding down. That isn't because he's foolishly dribbling the clock out, but rather because he's frantically trying to get his teammates involved, just as Westbrook would.

In the Thunder comeback that just fell short in Game 5, Durant didn't score a single point. They climbed out of a 10-point hole over the course of six minutes thanks to Kevin Martin, Reggie Jackson, Serge Ibaka, Fisher and Collison.

Durant was far from useless, dishing with four assists in that stretch with another one negated after Martin got fouled on his way to the hoop. What we witnessed wasn't necessarily just Durant failing in the clutch (which he did), but the Thunder failing as Durant trusted his teammates perhaps a bit too much.

Realize that Westbrook makes the rest of these guys better. Not because of some cliché floating around with every description of John Stockton or Magic Johnson, but just because of the fact that he gives defenses another player to worry about.

It's been a thunderstorm in Oklahoma City since Westbrook went down after the second game of the playoffs, and they did their best to slog through it, but the rain is still pouring.

Durant: "Sometimes you've got to ride out the storms to get to the sunshine."
— Royce Young (@dailythunder) May 16, 2013

It's a disappointment sure, but this team is still the best in the Western Conference when they're healthy.

They'll be back next year (Westbrook included), ready to give it another go.

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Russell Westbrook's Injury Wasn't Only Thing That Derailed Thunder's Title Hopes

Dan Talintyre — Thu, 16 May 2013 01:14:41 -0400

Many Oklahoma City fans will look back on this season and point to the moment when Russell Westbrook went down as the reason for their playoff demise.

Yet as much of an impact as it had on the Thunder and their offense, Westbrook's injury wasn't the only thing that derailed their title hopes. It certainly didn't help—which we definitely know to be true now—but the reality is that no Westbrook didn't necessarily mean no hope for the Thunder this postseason.

It just happened to turn out that way.

There's little doubting the impact Westbrook has on the team, and as many have attested to following his injury, it's an impact we never quite understood.

Until now, that is, when an eliminated Thunder and frustrated Kevin Durant portray exactly how important Westbrook was (and still is) to this franchise. That fact needs to be understood first and foremost, for you'll be hard-pressed to hear anyone saying the absence of Westbrook didn't have an impact on the Thunder or damage their title hopes.

However, as important as he is, his injury wasn't the only thing that derailed those hopes.

After all, the Western Conference powerhouse was still averaging 3.2 points per game better than the league average with Westbrook's absence.

According to ESPN, their average points per game without Westbrook was still more than that of the Indiana Pacers, who appear likely to win through to the Eastern Conference Finals provided they can finish off the New York Knicks. So to straight up say that no Westbrook equals bad offense isn't at all correct—especially when you have Kevin Durant (and his current form) running your offense.

Just on Durant—it's interesting to see how he fared sans Westbrook.

We know Westbrook is a great player to have alongside Durant because it means teams can't double-team Durant all the time and he gives great assists and so on, but the numbers suggest that even without the star guard, Durant was more than capable of leading the offense.

Up until Game 5, Durant was still making 53.4 percent of his shots from inside the arc. His true shooting percentage was still up over 60 percent. As crazy as it seems, Durant was in fact a more efficient scorer than Golden State's superstar Steph Curry this postseason.

And that's without Westbrook by his side the entire time, which kind of pokes holes in the argument that Durant is a terrible scorer without his sidekick.

Yes, Westbrook's absence did mean Durant couldn't carry the offensive load as well as he did before, but the star forward still did a pretty good job in his absence, which leaves us with just one main reason for the Thunder's playoff demise.

Themselves.

Westbrook's injury and subsequent absence hurt, but the reality was that the Thunder weren't good enough to beat the Grizzlies even with him in their squad.

They weren't strong enough in the half court; they didn't muscle up on defense, and they didn't make those big shots that will win you NBA championships.

Official NBA.com statistics (h/t ESPN) show that in the final five minutes of a game (or "clutch minutes"), just three players on the Thunder's squad scored any points. Serge Ibaka didn't score a point, whilst Kendrick Perkins and Kevin Martin didn't even attempt a shot—showing that their offensive problems haven't been just Westbrook's fault.

The Thunder simply didn't step up at either end of the court when Westbrook went down, and they've reaped the consequences as a result of those inadequacies.

Nobody is saying that Westbrook's injury was a blessing or that it's easy to lose a guy who finished top 10 in MVP voting this season. But when you consider what the Thunder still had to work with and the direct impact of Westbrook's absence, they still could very well have won this series provided they stepped up and took some of the slack.

They didn't, however, and we all know how the story ends.

Credit should be given to the Grizzlies, who stormed back in their first-round series against the Los Angeles Clippers and have carried that momentum with them ever since.

Were it not for Durant's game-winner in Game 1, they could very well have swept Oklahoma City this series, and it wouldn't have been undeserved at all given how well they've played defensively.

But even with that, the Thunder can only blame themselves. They had their chances without Westbrook, and they couldn't step up—not consistently, and certainly not as a team.

And you can't fault Westbrook for that.

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Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Memphis Grizzlies: Game 5 Postgame Grades and Analysis

Michael Pina — Thu, 16 May 2013 00:47:51 -0400

The Oklahoma City Thunder will not be returning to the NBA Finals, and they have the Memphis Grizzlies to thank.

Behind a monstrous performance from Zach Randolph, who scored 28 points, the Grizzlies beat the Thunder, 88-84. Kevin Durant played the entire game but had one of the worst shooting performances of his career, finishing with 21 points on 21 shots, and missing a wide open elbow jumper with three seconds left that could've sent the game to overtime.

Begin Slideshow

Can Reggie Jackson Become OKC Thunder's Next James Harden?

John Friel — Wed, 15 May 2013 21:49:19 -0400

Comparing second-year guard Reggie Jackson to future perennial All-Star James Harden isn't fair to either player.

Especially to Jackson, who the Oklahoma City Thunder are going to hope becomes the next Harden. While they won't expect Jackson to become the Sixth Man of the Year anytime soon, like Harden was in 2012, they do expect him to gradually fill in the shoes left behind by one of the league's most versatile and explosive shooting guards.

Harden was traded to the Houston Rockets after deciding not to take a pay cut to remain the Thunder's sixth man. Impending luxury tax penalties forced the Thunder and Harden into making a critical decision regarding their future.

In the end, Harden didn't want to make significantly less than Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, so he took a max deal with the Rockets.

Without Harden, the Thunder have been scrambling for players who could possibly fill the role of explosive guard who can facilitate as a passer and scorer. In his final year with the Thunder, Harden's role on the team was as large as it had been the previous two seasons as he recorded a career-high PER of 21.1

Surprisingly, there has actually been a decline in the shot attempts from Durant and Westbrook, who both took fewer field-goal attempts per game this year than they did the previous season with Harden by their side. Oklahoma City is obviously attempting to find other mediums for offense, and that includes Jackson, who is taking more shots and playing more minutes than he did in his rookie season last year.

Serge Ibaka thrived the most off of Harden's absence in terms of an increased role in the offense, taking nearly 10 field-goal attempts per a year after only taking a shade above seven.

The introduction of Kevin Martin, who was acquired in the Harden trade, also played a part in Durant and Westbrook taking less shots. The problem with Martin is that although he can hold his own in the scoring column, he doesn't provide near the intangibles Harden can provide.

Martin has career averages of 3.3 rebounds and two assists per game. At 30 years old, you already know what you're going to get out of K-Mart. He has been the player who has attempted to take over Harden's former position of sixth man, but he isn't coming close to matching the four boards and four dimes James was contributing off the bench in his last year with the Thunder.

Oklahoma City can't rely on Kevin Martin to become their next James Harden. That player is going to have to be Reggie Jackson, the 23-year-old first-round pick by the Thunder who averaged five points on 46 percent shooting in his second year.

It was a significant jump from the three points on 32 percent shooting he was averaging the previous year. He also averaged 2.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists per, good enough for six rebounds and 4.4 assists per 36 minutes.

Still, Jackson was only getting 15 minutes worth of playing time on average. His role in the postseason has increased significantly, and he is now playing more than double the minutes he was playing in the regular season, garnering nearly 33 minutes of playing time per night.

He's also taking advantage, too, averaging 13.7 points on 48 percent shooting, 4.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists. Jackson has also bumped up his three-point shooting percentage of 23 to a respectable 32 percent.

His three-point shot has played a solid role in telling how well the Thunder play. When they win, Jackson is shooting 31 percent and has a field-goal efficiency of 52 percent. When the Thunder lose, however, Jackson is shooting 17 percent on threes and and his field-goal efficiency drops to 49 percent.

In the midst of the Thunder falling in the semifinals, there is a silver lining that has shone through Jackson. He's another young piece on a young team that will be set to contend for NBA titles during at least the next five years.

While he's not James Harden, he's also no slouch. Jackson is going to earn himself a significant spot in next year's regular-season rotation after the postseason he's had.

With a completion percentage of 74 percent around the rim this postseason, Jackson also shows that his 6'3" frame does little in the form of keeping him away from the trees down low.

Jackson was a 75 percent shooter at the rim in the regular season this year, a vast improvement from the 45 percent he was shooting in the same area in his rookie season.

Much like Harden, Jackson has also seen gradual and significant improvement during his first few years with the Thunder. With the confidence he's garnering from his increased role in the playoffs, Jackson should expect to make the jump from fringe player to key rotation player over the offseason.

Against the Memphis Grizzlies vaunted defense, Jackson is averaging 13 points on 53 percent shooting. He is the third-leading scorer on the Thunder, only behind Durant and Martin, and is the second-leading assist man with 14 assists in four games.

Although he's already turned the ball over nine times in four games, he has shown that he is capable of taking care of the ball after averaging only two turnovers per 36 minutes in the regular season.

With Russell Westbrook out of the lineup, Jackson has become one of the Thunder's primary facilitators. It's also been a showcase of what he'll have in store for Oklahoma City in the future, as he'll end up becoming a rotation player off the bench alongside Martin and Nick Collison.

It seems he's going to fit right in, too. Per SynergySports, Jackson is among the league's top scorers as the pick-and-roll man, using it 28 percent of the time and shooting 55 percent on 108 field-goal attempts. He also ranks 39th in the league in isolation sets, garnering 0.92 points per possession and shooting nearly 44 percent.

Jackson does have an excellent mindset for a player in his position. Aware of his below-average jump-shooting ability, he ended up taking 200 of his 429 field-goal attempts this past season within 10 feet of the rim.

Overall, Jackson had 26 percent of his field-goal attempts come at the rim. Unfortunately, the 142 three-point shots he jacked up caused his field-goal percentage and overall efficiency to slip.

It's his spot-up shooting that keeps him far away from being anywhere near Harden's level.

While Harden shot 39 percent overall and 35 percent from beyond the arc this season on spot-ups, Jackson was only a 35 percent overall shooter and 30 percent from deep on the same plays. The comparison is skewed, however, as Jackson was far more reliant on spot-ups than Harden, who was more reliant on isolations.

He hasn't done much better on the defensive end guarding spot-ups, as he's allowing his assignment to convert 44 percent of their three-pointers on those plays, per SynergySports.

One thing is for sure: "Mr. OKCtober" needs to work on his jumper over the summer.

With the possibility of 20 minutes of playing time per game in his future, Jackson is going to have to become a more well-rounded player to avoid being one-dimensional and having an offensive repertoire that's easy to solve by defenses.

It's difficult to say Reggie Jackson is going to become the next James Harden when he can't shoot in the same zip code. At Jackson's age, Harden was already shooting 39 percent from beyond the arc and taking nearly five three-point attempts per game.

Jackson has taken 141 three-point attempts this season and has only converted 25 percent of those threes. An improvement from the 13-of-62 he shot the previous year from the same distance, but not the numbers that are going to bring up thoughts of Harden and his career three-point percentage of 37.

Fortunately, he'll have a long summer to improve upon the shot that is currently holding him back.

He's not going to be the next James Harden, though. Harden is a legitimate superstar averaging 26 points as a primary option with Houston now, and it's tough to imagine Jackson averaging anywhere near that many as a primary option anywhere.

He'll be a contributing member of the Thunder's bench, as long as he continues to stay aggressive, but he won't begin to fill in the shoes that Harden left behind until he works on his jumper and makes himself a threat who can thrive outside of the paint.

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NBA Picks: Memphis Grizzlies vs. Oklahoma City Thunder, Game 5

Jeff Grant — Wed, 15 May 2013 13:56:26 -0400

The Oklahoma City Thunder are 8-2 against the spread when playing at home and coming off a loss since the start of the regular season, which is important to consider when making your NBA picks Wednesday, as they take on the Memphis Grizzlies at Chesapeake Energy Arena.

Sports bettors will find that the Thunder are 4.5-point favorites in the pro basketball odds (courtesy of SBR Forum), while the total sits at 185 in the market.

Let's take a closer look at Game 5 of this Western Conference semifinal series from a betting perspective, while offering a prediction on the first-half total along the way.

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Denver Nuggets GM Calls Andre Iguodala's All-Defensive Team Snub 'Mind-Boggling'

Dan Favale — Wed, 15 May 2013 08:48:33 -0400

Masai Ujiri is confused.

The Denver Nuggets' general manager turned NBA Executive of the Year is a smart man, yet he was genuinely befuddled by Andre Iguodala's All-Defensive snub (via Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post):

It’s mind-boggling to me. I mean, when the US Olympic team enlists a defensive stopper, there is no question who they choose – Andre Iguodala. Yet, for some reason he can’t be considered one of the top-10 defensive players in the NBA? It’s just shocking that he continues to be overlooked as a world-class defender in our league. I honestly thought he should be in the conversation for defensive player of the year, let alone first or even second team all-defense.

Obvious Mile-High City bias aside, Ujiri has a point.

Iguodala is known as one of the best perimeter defenders in the league, a reputation that has carried him for nearly a decade. And nothing changed while he was with the Nuggets.

Iggy helped transform Denver's defense in his one season with the team. Though not considered the most oppressive of defensive attacks, there was an obvious improvement.

During the lockout-truncated 2011-12 campaign, the Nuggets ranked 21st in defensive efficiency. This past season, they finished in the top 11.

Per Synergy Sports (subscription required), Iguodala also allowed just 0.8 points per defensive possession himself. To put that in perspective, the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year, Marc Gasol (second team), allowed 0.77, Paul George (second team) relinquished 0.82 and Chris Paul (first team) allowed 0.83.

Selections go beyond those numbers, but there is actually a case to be made for Iggy; Ujiri wasn't just being nice.

Well, he was probably still trying to be nice.

Iguodala is projected to opt out of the last year of his contract and enter unrestricted free agency. The Nuggets would like to hold onto him and coming to his defense (no pun intended) on a matter like this is a good way to begin their courtship. Especially when the All-Defensive Teams mean so much to Iguodala.

Following the announcements, Iggy took to Twitter to offer his thoughts on his ever so noticeable absence.

If it really is "politics as usual," they're not very sensible ones. Iguodala wasn't the only snub.

The most glaring issue (even more so than Iggy being given the shaft), was Gasol being named to the second team.

This marks the second straight season that the Association's Defensive Player of the Year wasn't named to the first team. Tyson Chandler, the 2012 recipient, was named to the second team as well last season.

Now that's mind-boggling.

Not unlike Iguodala's vexing exclusion from these ranks altogether.

*All stats in this article were compiled from Basketball-Reference and Synergy Sports unless otherwise attributed.

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Utah Jazz Top Free Agent Target at Every Position

Justin Hussong — Wed, 15 May 2013 05:10:44 -0400

With eight free agents, including three of the team's four highest paid players, the Utah Jazz will have a plethora of options in free agency next year.

Utah can afford to toss bushels of money at anybody they please. The team only has about $25 million committed to next year's roster as of now.

This squad is at a crossroads, and next year will be year one of a distinctively new regime in Salt Lake City. Spending all their money bringing back the likes of Al Jefferson, Paul Millsap and Mo Williams might keep them in contention for the No. 8 seed in the west for the foreseeable future.

If Utah wants to ascend towards the peak of the Western Conference mountain, they will need to build around their young core of draft picks in Enes Kanter, Derrick Favors, Alec Burks and Gordon Hayward.

Many free agents are out there to help this team move forward.

What we know is that things must change because this current roster simply cannot get it done. With such a bountiful class of free agents at their disposal, Utah will have plenty of guys to look at outside of their own roster in order to speed up their rebuilding process.

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Creating the Perfect Offseason Plan for the Portland Trail Blazers

Eric Edelman — Wed, 15 May 2013 02:56:02 -0400

Although they're all at home watching the NBA Playoffs from the comfort of their living rooms, it isn't all bad for the Portland Trail Blazers.

With an aspiring star at point guard and a few other solid pieces on their roster, the Blazers are already very close to being fringe playoff team. With a few tweaks here and there, there's no question we'll be looking at yet another youthful upstart squad in the Western Conference a la the Golden State Warriors.

Draft Acquisitions

Free agency is great in the short term, but nothing beats adding prospects you can build around for the future. Portland will have three picks to work with, and while no one would confuse this collection of talent with the 2003 NBA draft, the guys available in the first round aren't exactly scrubs.

The NBA draft lottery has yet to occur, but there are already whispers about the Blazers, wherever they may end up in the draft order, having their eyes set on UCLA prospect Shabazz Muhammad. After striking gold with Damian Lillard last year, the Blazers would love to have yet another impact rookie in their backcourt.

In terms of scoring, Portland needs help. Adding an offensive weapon like Shabazz, who averaged 18 points per game in his one season at UCLA, could improve their mediocre production. The hope for the Blazers is that Muhammad would develop a chemistry with Lillard and the two would be the foundation for a solid future.

As far as their remaining picks? Some draft analysts have them targeting Nate Wolters and Alex Abrines—two guards who would further bolster their backcourt down the road but will more than likely spend their rookie seasons in the D-League.

All in all, Portland's primary impact from this draft will hinge on how patient they are with Muhammad. He has all the talent in the world, but it largely depends on how he fits in with the likes of LaMarcus Aldridge, Damian Lillard and others.

Contracts and Free Agency

In addition to the team's emphasis on getting younger, the Blazers have a handful of contracts that need sorting out. With numerous expired contracts, trimming some fat would provide a bit of much-needed cap flexibility.

As far as their expired contracts, J.J. Hickson absolutely needs to be a priority as far as re-signing.

Hickson was the team's leading rebounder, mostly because of his incredibly high motor. Portland cannot afford to lose Hickson, so again, inking him to another deal is priority number one.

On the other hand, guys like Elliot Williams, Sasha Pavlovic (team option) and Nolan Smith will most likely not be retained. It would also make sense for the Blazers to make a qualifying offer to Eric Maynor, who's a solid reserve player and a nice complement to Lillard. Other than Maynor and Hickson, most of these empty contracts are for players making questionable contributions to the team.

The Blazers would be better off going out and trying to acquire a Jarrett Jack or Nate Robinson with the freed up cap space. Yes, you'll have fewer bodies in the rotation, but Portland could really use a gunner like a Jack or Robinson coming off the bench—guards or wings capable of playing isolation offense. This team really lacked a punch when the first unit sat down, but an electrifying reserve scorer who knows his role would be a nice pick-up. However, that might mean you'd have to forget about matching Maynor's contract.

It's still a little too early to project how the upcoming offseason will play out, but Portland's primary objectives should be letting some of those lesser contracts walk and signing a key reserve.

Coaching and a Goal for the New Season

Most people would look at a bad record, and they'd be quick to blame the head coach for the team's failures.

Yes, they had down season, but head coach Terry Stotts, who just finished his first year at the helm, did a good job considering the pieces with which he had to work.

Names like Stan Van Gundy, Brian Shaw and Phil Jackson are likely being mentioned in just about every front office in need of a coach, but this franchise isn't one of them. Stotts should be given a little more time to work with this squad, as it seemed to respond to his easy-going, teacher-like approach. The Blazers are young, and they still need to be chiseled into form.

Unlike a team with established veterans, this unit isn't in need of a Zen Master to mentally manipulate them into contenders overnight; this is a team that just needs a teacher like Stotts, who can correct their errors and build these young players for the future.

Would the playoffs be a realistic goal for this team? Yes, absolutely. The Western Conference—especially the seventh and eighth seeds—is completely wide open. Anything can happen in the NBA, and although it's possible, this team shouldn't be too hung up on missing or making the postseason at this point and time.

Stotts should have this team shooting for a .500 record—or at least a significant improvement on last year's record. For Stotts, being a teacher means being patient.

He needs to teach his team to crawl, walk and then run.

Right now, they're somewhere between the crawling and walking phase, but when Lillard and the rest of these young guns eventually get more NBA experience and confidence under their belts, you can rest assured they will be ready to run way past the expectations that people will have set for them.

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Minnesota Timberwolves Have Real Shot Now That Rick Adelman's Returning

Tom Schreier — Tue, 14 May 2013 16:26:41 -0400

Let’s be honest: The Timberwolves needed Rick Adelman more than he needed them.

Adelman, 66, has already had considerable success at his stops with the Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings and Houston Rockets. Had he retired after this season to care for his ailing wife, Mary Kay, he would go down as one of the greatest coaches in NBA history.

Perhaps it is his quest to win his first championship as a head coach, perhaps it is his relationship with the returning players or perhaps he is happy to see David Kahn go (Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the two did not get along back in 2011).

Whatever it is, he is back and the Timberwolves are better for it.

First of all, Adelman has a good relationship with two pending free agents, Nikola Pekovic and Chase Budinger, as well as Kevin Love—the man Minnesota doesn’t want to see head down to Los Angeles (or elsewhere) in 2015.

Pekovic has blossomed under Adelman’s tutelage, and while he is not as vocal about his relationship with his coach, every sign points to the two getting along. The Wolves had trouble defending inside without their ginormous Montenegrin setting up camp in the paint and they need his offensive production, which has increased every year, to give guys like Derrick Williams and Love a little slack.

Budinger came out and said that he’s interested in returning to Minnesota as long as Adelman is the head coach next season, telling Jerry Zgoda of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, “That’s a big part of it. He knows how I play. I work well in his system. [Adelman’s decision] going to weigh big.”

While Pekovic’s impact is easy to see, Budinger’s contributions are a bit more subtle.

He is an excellent three-point shooter that can also throw down a massive dunk or two during the course of a game. He uses his outside shot to force defenders to play him close and then will sneak past them with his lanky, lithe frame to get to the basket.

Budinger found out how to be an impact player in Adelman’s system and should thrive next season as long as his knees hold up.

Finally, as we all know, Love would have rather played for Donkey Kong than David Kahn. The addition of Flip Saunders is nice, as his reputation as a winning coach should give him credibility among the players, but make no mistake: Keeping Adelman in town is the biggest factor. The double whammy of dropping D.K. and retaining Adelman is a win-win for both K-Love and the Wolves.

In the Wojnarowski article referenced above, the Yahoo! Sports writer says that Adelman wanted to coach Love, as the Oregon native played with his son in high school. The two clearly have a good working relationship and Love has become one of the best power forwards in the game under Adelman.

It also cannot go overlooked that the coach has created a system that Ricky Rubio can thrive in and has been patient with Derrick Williams.

Few players in the NBA can pass like Rubio does, but we wouldn’t see his no-look, behind-the-back, between-a-defender’s-legs, over-hyphenated passes if he was in a system that cramped his creativity. Instead, last year it seemed like everyone knew what they were supposed to do in the corner offense and Rubio, the floor general, knew exactly where his teammates would be at any given time.

While Rubio may be the only person that is disappointed about Kahn’s departure, at least he has the stability of playing for the same coach again this year.

With Williams, let’s not forget that just about everyone had just about left him for dead at the beginning of the season. When the Timberwolves started dropping like flies at the beginning of the season, D-Will got a lot of playing time, but failed to take advantage of it. He was this incredibly athletic forward that just looked completely lost on the court.

Adelman eventually reduced his minutes, but kept sending him out there, allowing him to make adjustments on a game-by-game basis. Towards the end of the season we saw the real D-Will: He was hitting outside shots, slashing to the basket and even started playing some better defense.

Williams is a freak athlete that should be a staple in the Minnesota rotation for years to come. Not only will he hear a familiar voice this year, but he can also go into the season knowing his head coach will be patient with him. Confidence is key for Williams, as it is for many players, and he has every reason to feel secure entering next season with Adelman at the helm.

In the end, not only has Adelman proven that he is an elite coach in the NBA, but he also has a good connection with the key components of the Timberwolves going forward. Love and Rubio are the poster boys, Minnesota’s NBA Jam team. Pekovic is the team’s rock. Williams is the most versatile player. And Budinger is either the sixth man or a converted shooting guard that completes the starting five.

In an ideal world, Adelman sticks around for a couple years, brings a championship to Minnesota and rides off into the sunset, handing a competitive team off to his successor.

That is a pipe dream, of course, but so is keeping Adelman. And for right now, after all Minnesota’s fans have been through, we’ll take that.

Tom Schreier covers Minnesota sports for Bleacher Report and writes for TheFanManifesto.com. Visit his Kinja blog to see his previous work.

Follow @tschreier3

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Late-Game Collapses vs. Grizzlies Will Haunt Kevin Durant for Years to Come

Jimmy Spencer — Tue, 14 May 2013 16:23:37 -0400

Kevin Durant needs to be careful.

He’s just 24 years old, but he is closing in on the same you-can’t-win-a-title treatment that once devoured LeBron James.

The pressure on the greats to win a title comes quicker than Russell Westbrook through the lane—or the loss of a superstar teammate.

No excuses, though. Back in April, Durant told Sports Illustrated that he’s “tired of being second.” It was a bold statement that provided insight into Durant's urgency.

But to be the greatest means overcoming the improbable, and right now, Durant isn’t doing that.

Outwardly, his per-game playoff averages of 31.8 points (47.6 percent shooting), 9.1 rebounds and 6.3 assists are epic. However, individual postseason numbers never overshadow wins and losses. Without Westbrook, the Thunder have only gone 3-5.

The most important element in winning? The ability to close games.

Durant has caved when it matters. He was just 2-of-13 combined in the fourth quarter and overtime of the Thunder's Game 4 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. He missed two free throws in the final minute of the Thunder's close Game 3 loss.

He opened the first two games of the Western Conference semifinals with strong finishes, but the last two games—both losses—have been ugly. Here are the figures of his fourth quarters in the series versus Memphis:

Game 1 (W)	6-of-9	67%	12 points
Game 2 (L)	4-of-7	57%	10 points
Game 3 (L)	1-of-4	25%	2 points
Game 4 + OT (L)	2-of-13	15%	5 points

The thing is, no one is going to remember those first two games. No one is going to remember the layup that Durant finished to send Game 4 to overtime or the game-winning shot in Game 1, either.

No, the narrative of how a player responds to pressure shifts dramatically in playoff letdowns—even though Durant was one of the more clutch scorers of the regular season.

Durant was second in the league behind Kobe Bryant in "clutch scoring" (subscription required), or points scored in the last five minutes of games within five points.

However, the numbers don't tell the entire story. Durant shot just 39.2 percent in that clutch window, down from his 51 percent overall in the regular season.

It's certainly tougher to score in the final moments, but the drop-off is more significant than that of fellow superstars. In comparison, LeBron James shot 44.2 percent, Chris Paul shot 49.2 percent and Bryant shot 42.6 percent.

Durant's ineffectiveness in the fourth quarter has cost the Thunder in two consecutive games, and it's not Westbrook's fault.

Of course, Westbrook would help. Those fourth quarters might not be close if he was healthy, but that doesn't matter now.

Durant wants to be the man, and he is missing the opportunity. That urgency he felt when he told Sports Illustrated he was done being second isn't being delivered upon.

If you want to talk about Bryant's inability to win without Shaquille O'Neal or Pau Gasol, or James' inability to win before Dwyane Wade, well, add Durant to that conversation. He's clearly not capable of doing it without Westbrook.

The brief time Oklahoma City has had to adjust to the loss of Westbrook has zero effect on the missed shots late in games.

He's still young and he isn't there yet, but the window for a title can shut quickly. Anything can happen, just as it did this season with the injury to Westbrook.

Remember how quickly James earned the can't-win sticker for not hitting clutch shots for the Cleveland Cavaliers?

The talent that surrounded James in Cleveland is similar to the Thunder's talent without Westbrook. James faced plenty of double-teams, played heavy minutes and was undoubtedly tired late in games.

Durant doesn't deserve a free pass just because he's nicer to the media.

Be careful, KD. This is how the storyline begins to develop. What began as a story of a young superstar advancing to the NBA Finals ahead of his time could quickly derail.

And if this happens again next season?

Even the briefest moments of postseason disappointment can haunt you for many, many years.

It might not happen right away, but soon the swell of support will turn and Durant will become the next target—just as it happened to James.

Nightmares happen sooner than you think.

Follow @JimmySpencerNBA

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Proving Why George Karl Deserved to Win NBA Coach of the Year

Nick Juskewycz — Tue, 14 May 2013 05:30:09 -0400

Denver Nuggets fans may not be happy about another first-round exit from George Karl, but the veteran coach undoubtedly deserved to win 2013 NBA Coach of the Year.

After a decent 34-22 start to the season, the Nuggets finished the year 23-3 to give Denver a franchise-record 57 wins.

Furthermore, the Nuggets accomplished this without a superstar or one specific go-to person. They had nine players averaging at least eight points per game and dished out a third-best 24.4 assists.

Other coaches deserve recognition as well. Erik Spoelstra made the most dominant team in the NBA even better. Mike Woodson improved his Knicks team to second-best in the East. Mark Jackson revived the Bay Area and got the Warriors back to the playoffs for the first time since 2007.

Nevertheless, Karl took an average team and reached new heights. Denver was the fourth-youngest team in the league (via HispanosNBA.com), and the veteran head coach had them beating the toughest teams from November until April.

Here's why Karl deserved the honor.

Begin Slideshow

Grading Every OKC Thunder Player's 2nd-Round Performance So Far

Kyle Ramos — Tue, 14 May 2013 03:20:59 -0400

No one really expected the playoff path for the Oklahoma City Thunder to be easy without Russell Westbrook, and their current series against the Memphis Grizzlies is proving that point.

Coming into this series, the Thunder were still trying to get their footing on offense without their floor leader. Unfortunately for OKC, they also happened to be running into one of the best defensive teams in the league.

As a result, OKC's had trouble scoring, only eclipsing the 100-point mark once in the four games so far.

This series is certainly no breeze for the Thunder, and even if they do close out the Grizzlies, it will take all seven games to do so. For now, though, Oklahoma City has been looking like it's finally adjusted to life without Westbrook.

Some players are truly thriving in the adversity while some aren't playing quite like themselves. Let's take a closer look at just how well the whole Thunder roster is doing.

Begin Slideshow

Watch Kevin Durant's Clutch Drive to Send OKC Thunder-Memphis Grizzlies to OT

Jesse Dorsey — Tue, 14 May 2013 00:37:53 -0400

The Oklahoma City Thunder let a big lead slip through their fingers in the second half, but Kevin Durant wouldn't let them fall short in regulation. His scoop shot with seconds left on the clock would give the Thunder five more minutes of life in Game 4.

Oklahoma City had a 17-point lead earlier in the game, but shots started falling for the Memphis Grizzlies, their defense locked down, and they put themselves in a position to win the game with the clock winding down.

With the Thunder on the verge of dropping Game 4 and falling into a seemingly insurmountable 3-1 hole to the Grizzlies, Durant took matters into his own hands.

The Thunder took the ball out of bounds at the half-court line, Durant came off of one screen and then another and grabbed the inbounds pass at the top of the key.

A quick move back in the other direction shook Tony Allen away from him, and he had an easy lane to the hoop.

With Allen behind him, Zach Randolph directly to his left and Marc Gasol pulled out of position by Serge Ibaka posted up in the corner, Durant had just Mike Conley to get through in order to score.

Not wanting to foul Durant and give him a chance for a three-point play, Conley seceded and only half-contested Durant's scoop shot.

Wish Stacey Augmon hadn't gotten the nickname first, because Durant is for sure the real Plastic Man.
— Flynty (@NickFlynt) May 14, 2013

When Kevin Durant effortlessly drives to the rim, for a brief moment, I feel that all is right with the world. It's poetry in motion.
— Not Bill Walton (@NotBillWalton) May 14, 2013

Kevin Durant just screwed in the light bulb.
— Rey-Rey (@TheNoLookPass) May 14, 2013

The shot tied the game at 94 apiece, and after Randolph missed on an attempt to tie on the other end, we were headed into overtime.

He may not be able to do everything for the Thunder throughout an entire game, but one possession is obviously no problem.

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Kevin Durant on Russell Westbrook: 'We Need Him, We Miss Him'

Jesse Dorsey — Mon, 13 May 2013 17:41:39 -0400

After a collision tore the meniscus in Russell Westbrook's right knee during the second game of the playoffs, the Oklahoma City Thunder have won just three of the following seven playoff games without their All-Star point guard.

Given time to reflect on how much the Thunder have changed without Westbrook, Kevin Durant finally spoke up about how he's felt playing without his star teammate (via The Oklahoman's Darnell Mayberry):

Asked Kevin Durant what he's learned about himself in the absence of Russell Westbrook. "That we need him," he said. "We miss him."
— Darnell Mayberry (@DarnellMayberry) May 13, 2013

Oklahoma City is currently in a 2-1 hole in the second round of the playoffs, looking up at the Memphis Grizzlies and in danger of being eliminated earlier than expected.

In those seven playoff games without Westbrook, the team has averaged just 96.7 points per game. Compare that to the 112.5 per game it averaged in two playoff games with Westbrook in the lineup and the 105.7 per game throughout the regular season, and his absence is evident.

Of course, a lot of the lack of scoring can be attributed to the fact that they're currently matched up with the Grizzlies, one of the league's best defensive teams.

Over the course of the postseason, Durant has gone from averaging 26.5 points on 20 shots in the first two games to picking things up, registering just under 23 shot attempts and 34.0 points in the past seven contests.

He's shouldering a much larger load while the rest of Oklahoma City does everything possible to pick up the slack around him.

Reggie Jackson has stepped in to do a fine job in Westbrook's place, but the second-year point guard just hasn't had the time on the court to exhibit the maturity that Westbrook brings.

Not only that, but they're also in a situation where Durant is the only viable isolation option to turn to with the clock running down. Durant is more than capable of scoring, but defenses know he's getting the ball, and they tend to make it harder on him without Westbrook on the court.

In a way, Durant is just reiterating what we've all watched over these past seven games.

Westbrook might take a few too many shots from time to time, and a handful of those shots might be errant jumpers, but that doesn't detract from the fact that he's a true basketball talent.

Without him, Oklahoma City lost a dimension, and its prospects of making it past the second round of the playoffs—let alone back to the NBA Finals—have dwindled mightily.

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Kevin Durant Rocks Sonics Throwback Hat During OKC Thunder Practice

Dan Favale — Mon, 13 May 2013 13:37:13 -0400

Kevin Durant has the Seattle SuperSonics on his brain.

No, seriously, he does. Or on the external part of his noggin at least.

Reporters spotted the Oklahoma City Thunder superstar sporting a throwback Sonics cap at practice on Monday (h/t Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman).

Before any extravagant rumors begin to surface, Durant is no stranger to repping the city of Seattle. It's where he began his career, where he won the Rookie of the Year Award and where Ken Griffey Jr. used to play baseball (though I'm not sure if that last part matters).

Of course, Durant could be donning this latest batch of Sonics memorabilia in support of Seattle's attempts to bring the team back.

The Maloof brothers are either intent on selling the Kings to a group of Seattle investors or hell-bent on screwing over the city of Sacramento (or both) and have thrown the NBA for yet another loop by making it even more difficult for the league to keep the Kings in Sactown.

I'd like to believe that Durant isn't a fan of the Maloofs (I'd like to believe no one is), so I won't take his fashion preferences as a grand gesture of goodwill toward the sorry excuse for owners (human beings?) that are presently running the Kings (into the ground).

It is safe to assume that Durant would welcome the NBA's return to Seattle. For Oklahoma City fans, I implore you not to worry. I doubt he'd demand a trade anytime soon.

Earlier in the relocation process that the Maloofs have turned into a not-so-private purgatory, Durant was happy to hear that Seattle had an opportunity to bring back the Sonics.

He also expressed remorse for Sacramento, because he's Kevin Durant, and that's what he does. He wins us over with a charming smile, humane sense of responsibility, the occasional technical foul and apparently a terrific collection of Seattle keepsakes.

Here's my question to the Durantula, however: How much longer can you get away with adorning yourself in Sonics attire?

Say Seattle pries the Kings from Sacramento and the Sonics live on. Will Durant still feel compelled to wear the clothing—accessories and all—of another team, when that team is active? Or does he have some moral obligation to cease and desist with the support of Seattle—or specifically the Sonics?

I suppose we'll never know unless the Maloofs have their way, in which case we'll know very soon.

Relocation or not, the Sonics live on through Durant and his wardrobe. For now, that's enough.

Follow @danfavale

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Kevin Durant: Serge Ibaka's Shooting Problems 'All in His Mind'

Dan Favale — Mon, 13 May 2013 09:16:14 -0400

Serge Ibaka is in a shooting slump and Kevin Durant knows why.

Since missing a game-tying tip-in against the Houston Rockets in Game 4 of the first round, Ibaka is shooting 23-of-66 from the floor (34.8 percent). Most recently, in the Oklahoma City Thunder's Game 3 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, he went 6-of-17 from the field (35.2 percent).

Ibaka connected on 57.3 percent of his field-goal attempts during the regular season and is a 55.2 percent shooter for his career, so his recent stretch of inefficiency is concerning.

But it's not vexing. Durant understands why Ibaka continues to carom shots off the rim.

"It's all in his mind," Durant explained (via Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com). "If he thinks he's going to make those shots, he's going to make them."

His prognosis appears to be spot on.

Durant added that he and the rest of the Thunder have to help instill confidence in Ibaka moving forward, something the forward himself admitted he was lacking—and they need to do it soon.

Oklahoma City finds itself in a 2-1 hole against a Memphis team it struggled against during the regular season. The Thunder went just 1-2 when facing the Grizzlies this year with Russell Westbrook and are now attempting to overthrow them without him.

To do that, Durant and company need Ibaka to play defense but also to knock down his shots. He had a career year in terms of efficiency. The potential for him to be an offensive force is there. Right now, however, he's become something of a liability.

His 42.9 percent conversion rate is nearly 15 percentage points lower than his regular-season clip (57.3). Ibaka's current shooting rut is also the worst of his career.

The 23-year-old has shot below 42 percent from the field in four consecutive games. Previously, he had never gone more than three straight games (playoffs included) without knocking down at least 42 percent of his shot attempts, making this bout with inefficiency the longest of his career.

If the Thunder wish to erase their current series deficit and advance past the Grizzlies, they cannot expect Durant to do it on his own. They need a more offensively economical contribution from their supporting cast, specifically Ibaka.

Although plenty of others need to step up—Kevin Martin is shooting just 38.1 percent in the Grizzlies series—Oklahoma City's main concern is Ibaka. Sans Westbrook, he's the Thunder's second best player, and a 30.8 percent clip for the series just isn't going to cut it.

"We have to get him confidence," Durant said of Ibaka. "We have to get him some shots and get him going."

Ibaka has to make those shots. Otherwise, it's the Thunder who will have to get going—toward the exit.

Follow @danfavale

*All stats in this article were compiled from Basketball-Reference unless otherwise noted.

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Portland Trail Blazers: What Brandon Roy Meant to the Blazers and Their Fanbase

Alex Tam — Mon, 13 May 2013 00:07:14 -0400

For five seasons, Brandon Roy dazzled and awed Portland Trail Blazers fans with his late-game heroics that turned him into a bona fide NBA superstar.

Now it looks like one of the once-promising rising stars will see his career come to an unfortunate end.

On Friday, the Minnesota Timberwolves waived Roy after one season. The former three-time All-Star played just five games for the Timberwolves, missing significant time due to severe knee injuries that forced the Blazers to amnesty him before the 2011-12 season.

Roy may not have helped the Blazers to a playoff series victory. You won't see his name among the all-time statistical leaders in franchise history. But the memories he provided fans have become legendary for those who witnessed his time in Portland.

Roy, who was the 2007 Rookie of the Year, meant much more to Blazers fans than simply as a player.

The Seattle native and University of Washington product represented the transition from the forgettable Jail Blazer era during the mid-2000s to a revival of Rip City. Roy's clutch plays to finish ballgames became a norm at the Rose Garden. With the ball in his hands, you were confident in his ability to do the right thing and will the Blazers to victory.

In 2009, the Blazers at last made the playoffs in Roy's third season for the first time since 2003.

Roy had the best season of his career, finishing ninth in the NBA MVP voting, was voted an NBA All-Star for the second time and was named to the All-NBA second team—the first Blazer to make an All-NBA team since Clyde Drexler in 1992.

With a core of Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge and former No. 1 pick Greg Oden, the question was not if Portland was going to win an NBA championship, but when and how many?

The Blazers went 54-28 in 2008-09 with Roy, Aldridge and Oden in their early 20s. They were considered the future of the NBA—what the Oklahoma City Thunder have become today.

While Oden received much of the fanfare as a potential once-in-a-generation center, the Blazers were unquestionably Roy's team. He was their go-to guy down the stretch.

He provided highlight after highlight, including a miracle three-pointer from deep to down the Houston Rockets on Nov. 6, 2008.

Roy holds the Rose Garden record for most points in a game with 52 on Dec. 18, 2008 in a nationally televised game against the Phoenix Suns. TNT analyst Mike Fratello said during the telecast that Roy took "his game to new level" that night as fans serenaded him with "MVP" chants late in the game.

"This is the best game I've played," Roy told The Oregonian. "I've never scored (that many), even in little league."

Let's also not forget the biggest dunk by far of his career when he posterized the Los Angeles Clippers' Chiekh Samb at Staples Center.

Fans were ready to hoist Roy's No. 7 jersey up in the rafters. He was on his way to displacing Drexler and Bill Walton as the best player to ever wear a Blazer uniform.

Entering the 2010-11 season, however, it was apparent after countless knee surgeries that Roy was not going to be the same player. His degenerative knees that had no cartilage had a huge impact on his game, which suddenly was missing the explosiveness and athleticism that made him such a special player.

He started the final game of his career in a Blazer uniform on Dec. 15, 2010 where he totaled four points, two rebounds and five assists in a 103-98 loss to Dallas.

He did not return to the lineup until Feb. 23, 2011, where he turned into a permanent reserve. His final lasting memory among Blazers fans became a truly remarkable performance in Game 4 against the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the 2011 NBA playoffs.

He helped engineer a 23-point second-half rally by scoring a game-high 24 points in one of the greatest comebacks in NBA history. The Blazers won, 84-82.

Portland eventually lost the series 4-2 to the Mavs, who went on to win the NBA title. But that Game 4 was etched into the minds of Blazers fans as one of the most memorable in franchise history. It seemed fitting that Roy would give one last Roy-like performance to remind the home crowd of the player he was.

Portland decided to amnesty him in the ensuing offseason just one year into a five-year, $82 million contract, which led to his unexpected retirement (h/t Joe Freeman of The Oregonian). It was a big blow to not only Portland, but around the NBA as players reacted on Twitter at the time.

Then-Blazers coach Nate McMillan said it was a tough time to release a player who had been the face of the franchise's turnaround (via Jason Quick of The Oregonian):

The Closer has closed. He was a guy who in the last few years was one of the best closers in the league. When Brandon had the ball in his hands late in ball games, I was really comfortable. You knew something good was going to happen. He was either going to create a shot for himself, or a shot for his teammate. He had some big moments in a short career.

Roy had two opportunities to make his comeback to the RG this past season as a member of the Wolves, but his knees forced him to sit both times. He addressed his return to Portland in March when Minnesota visited and said, "It would have been special for me to come back and play here in this building."

After the Blazers used their amnesty clause, they left the door open for Roy to return in some way down the road should he desire to come back.

His nickname was "The Natural," given to him by radio play-by-play announcer Brian Wheeler. No nickname better suited his game. If healthy, Roy would just be entering his prime today at 28 years old.

His departure from Portland not only was a punch to the gut to fans, but Roy admitted it was difficult for himself (h/t Jason Quick of The Oregonian).

You can walk away from someone who doesn't love you. And you can walk away from someone you don't love. But when the love is mutual, the hardest thing is to walk away.

It's a shame to see a career likely end too early, but Blazers fans who saw Roy play from 2006 to 2011 will no doubt look back on the memories and say, "I was definitely privileged to have witnessed Brandon Roy play."

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Everything You Need to Know About Russell Westbrook Understudy Reggie Jackson

Jesse Dorsey — Sun, 12 May 2013 20:05:40 -0400

If you've been watching the Oklahoma City Thunder since the meniscus in Russell Westbrook's right knee ripped apart and put their championship hopes in danger, chances are you've watched at least one moment from his replacement, Reggie Jackson, that made you raise your eyebrows a bit.

How is it that a late first-round pick from the 2011 NBA draft has jumped into the starting lineup of the defending Western Conference champions without missing a beat?

Essentially he's doing what Jimmy Butler has done for the Chicago Bulls this year, only instead of having half a season to work his way into the team's rotation, Jackson was forced to double his minutes in the middle of the playoffs.

He's been impressive, there's no doubt. But how did he suddenly wrestle minutes away from Eric Maynor to emerge in the second half of the season as a formidable backup, and then jump out as a fine starter just a few months later?

Jackson's journey to Oklahoma City began years ago. As the son of a military man, he was born in Italy and spent most of his youth moving around, including short stays in North Dakota, Florida, Georgia and finally Colorado.

As is the norm for a player as athletic as Jackson, he absolutely dominated in high school. Averaging nearly 30 points and eight rebounds as a senior at Palmer High School in Colorado Springs, Jackson was named the 2007-08 Gatorade Colorado Boys Basketball Player of the Year.

He moved across the country to hop on board with Boston College.

Jackson's college experience wasn't nearly as majestic as his time with Oklahoma City has been, at least as far as team success goes.

The school made the NCAA tournament in his freshman year (2008-09), getting knocked out in the first round by a USC squad featuring Taj Gibson, DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic.

By the time Jackson became the full-fledged star of the team in 2010, they were severely deficient defensively, with the team more or less dependent on his production. Going into his junior season, he had extremely high hopes for his underrated Boston College squad, even seeing it as a potential dark-horse candidate to make its way into the Final Four.

An early-season loss to Yale in which Jackson scored 30 points was exemplary of what the season would turn into: flashes of brilliance ultimately leading to a disappointing result.

The team won 21 games, failed to make the NCAA tournament and lost in the second round of the NIT Tournament to Northwestern. Jackson scored just eight points in his final game with the Eagles.

Jackson declared for the draft soon thereafter, which is when things started to get strange.

The spry young point guard underwent knee surgery in mid-May, and even after recovering he ended up canceling workouts with teams picking in the lottery and in latter portion of the first round.

Everybody soon found out the reason; He was already tabbed by Oklahoma City, and that's where he wanted to land (via SI.com's Sam Amick).

Numerous executives are speculating that the Thunder (No. 24 pick) have given a promise to Boston College's Reggie Jackson, whose camp has refused all workouts and made it known that the point guard already has an NBA home somewhere. The logic leading them there relates to Oklahoma City's bigger picture. It's believed that the Thunder are preparing for life without backup point guard Eric Maynor because of the finances in play.

And now, numerous reports indicate that Jackson's representatives refused to share medical records with various teams. Not surprisingly, an executive from one team with interest in Jackson told SI.com that "a lot of people don't believe he was ever injured" and that numerous teams were put off by the way his situation was handled.

Jackson was drafted at 24th, and Oklahoma City was his new home.

His first year with the Thunder was full of garbage minutes, a huge learning curve and people continually gushing about his wingspan (his 6'3" frame sprouts arms that measure out to 7'1" from fingertip to fingertip).

However, Jackson was stuck behind Westbrook, Maynor and eventually Derek Fisher once the playoffs came around. He racked up 501 minutes in his rookie season and never saw the floor in the playoffs.

This year has been a completely different monster.

By late December, Jackson had nearly made Maynor redundant in Oklahoma City's rotation, completely switching roles with him altogether from 2012 to 2013.

Maynor was traded on February 21st, unofficially making Jackson the full-time backup to Westbrook.

Once Westbrook went down after the second game of the playoffs, Jackson had put in the minutes as a backup, but now it was time for him to be tested as a starter.

He has made plenty of mistakes in the playoffs thus far, there's no doubt about that. However, to claim that he's done anything other than an admirable job as Oklahoma City's de facto point guard would be shortsighted.

A lot of Oklahoma City's success throughout the rest of the playoffs depends on how well Jackson is able to cope, but a lot of its success so far is thanks to his ability to step in and play.

Read more NBA Northwest news on BleacherReport.com

OKC Thunder Choosing Serge Ibaka over James Harden Proving to Be Wrong Choice

Dan Favale — Sun, 12 May 2013 16:06:07 -0400

The James Harden-less Oklahoma City Thunder are changing the way NBA teams need to look at superstar ultimatums.

Sans Russell Westbrook, and left to rely on Serge Ibaka and Kevin Martin to assist the undoubtedly exhausted Kevin Durant, the Thunder are no longer in the position of power they hoped to be in against the Memphis Grizzlies.

Oklahoma City has found itself in a 2-1 hole against one of the best defensive teams in the league, and its offense has bordered on anemic. The Thunder have failed to eclipse 100 points in three consecutive games, which is now their longest streak of the season.

To be fair to the Grizzlies, they were 2-1 against the Thunder during the regular season and held them to under 100 points in two of those three contests. It's difficult to score on them. Their rotations are flawless, they guard the three-point shot well and I pity the fool not named Kevin Durant who attempts to attack the rim with Marc Gasol safeguarding the paint.

Still, more was expected of the Thunder. To be more specific, more was expected of Ibaka and Martin.

Through the first three games of the series, Ibaka is averaging 9.7 points and 6.7 rebounds on 30.8 percent shooting. This comes after he averaged a career-high 13.2 points and 7.7 rebounds on 57.3 percent shooting during the regular season.

Martin hasn't been much better. He's averaging 14.7 points on 38.1 percent shooting a night. He is knocking down over 40 percent of his three-point attempts, but that has meant very little.

And so, once again, we're left wondering if the Thunder didn't make the wrong decision retaining Ibaka over Harden.

I pondered the answer to this very question while Oklahoma City attempted to stave off an epic meltdown against the Houston Rockets. I concluded that the Thunder made the right decision. If they had to pick one—I still maintain they could have kept both—Ibaka filled a need, and Martin could replace much of Harden's scoring.

To a large extent, I still believe just this. Had the Thunder known that Westbrook would tear his meniscus, of course they would have held onto Harden.

But they didn't know. How could they? No team in the NBA is capable of making those predictions. And you can't build your team in fear. If you did, you'd find a reason not to do just about everything.

In conjunction with not being able to foresee the unpredictable, there were numbers to support my claim. Statistically speaking, the Thunder were better on both ends of the floor this season than they were last, numbers that I won't get into detail with because they're nearly irrelevant here (you can take a gander at them in the above-linked article, though).

Much of Oklahoma City's increased (numerical) success had to do with Durant and Westbrook evolving. Without Harden, the two had to take their games up a notch, a transcendence they may not have undergone had their second-unit safety net not been sent to Houston.

Knowing how well Ibaka (and Martin) had played during the regular season in association with the team's not-so-subtle advancements only served as further proof that the Thunder made the right decision.

As we watch Ibaka play like he ate the bones, though, I'm compelled to reconsider my original stance.

I still believe the Thunder made the right decision based on how they were thinking. They didn't deal Harden because they thought Ibaka had a higher ceiling; they just understood that Ibaka filled a need and Harden was a luxury.

So their flaw wasn't in their logic; it's how they got there. The Thunder chose satisfying a need over a more prolific talent—please don't even attempt to argue that Ibaka has more potential—when they perhaps should have chosen the latter over the former.

Again, Oklahoma City couldn't have predicted that Westbrook would go down. But when dealing with an ultimatum that the Thunder themselves imposed, you have to consider the move from all angles.

From there, you have to ask: Who would you rather build around?

The answer? Harden.

Ibaka is talented, without a doubt. But he's not someone you build your team around. He's a complementary piece who capitalizes off the presence of superstars on the offensive end, but that's not a bad thing.

Very few big men are capable of carrying teams on their own nowadays. The three-point shot has changed things, as have stretch forwards. It's a guard/wing's league now.

Over the course of the regular season, the Thunder were able to withstand the subtle disadvantages that came with being Harden-less. Come the playoffs, when the rotations are shortened and yes, when a top-10 superstar goes down for the season, they can't be cloaked as easily. Or even at all.

With Harden, the Thunder would be in a better position to beat the Grizzlies and contend for a championship than they are now. Harden can't be removed from the offense the way Ibaka can. He creates his own shot and makes plays for his teammates while Ibaka isn't known for doing either.

Ibaka—the league's leading shot-blocker—is more talented defensively, but Oklahoma City isn't known for its defense. The Thunder ranked fourth in defensive efficiency during the regular season, but their success is predicated upon the ability to score. Harden can do that better than Ibaka (and Martin).

Did the Thunder's depth chart need Ibaka more than it did Harden?

Absolutely. And by that account, the Thunder made the right decision choosing Ibaka over Harden.

After watching how the Thunder have—how Ibaka has—struggled in the face of adversity, however, it's become clear that Oklahoma City may have just been providing the right answer to the wrong question.

Follow @danfavale

*All stats in this article were compiled from Basketball-Reference unless otherwise noted.

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Analyzing Utah Jazz's Biggest Draft Needs

Justin Hussong — Sat, 11 May 2013 22:00:33 -0400

The Utah Jazz are at the beginning of a monumentally important offseason for the state of the franchise. However, with two first-round draft picks and tons of cap space, they are set up to make this offseason a productive one.

Utah has roughly $25.6 million committed to the roster next season. After that, the following season the team has only $1.75 million committed to rarely used forward Jeremy Evans. No other player has a guaranteed contract for 2014-15.

Other than Evans, the team has options on building blocks Enes Kanter, Derrick Favors, Alec Burks and Gordon Hayward. The four represent an ushering of a new era of Utah Jazz basketball. As of now, they are the cornerstones that are the future of this team.

Four of the five positions are filled by that group moving forward. None of the team's point guards are under contract next season, leaving the team clamoring for a franchise player in the backcourt. Mo Williams, Jamaal Tinsley and Earl Watson all could potentially be moving on next season, and in order to turn this group into a cohesive unit, they need a player to guide them.

The Salt Lake Tribune's Steve Luhm recently reported that the team has held a pre-draft workout for a number of point guards, including South Dakota State's Nate Wolters and Myck Kabongo from Texas.

"Utah does need a point guard, and everybody is aware of that," Kabongo said. "I’m excited to come out here. Obviously the history with John Stockton is here. And a lot of other great guards have come through. So it’s a pleasure to be here."

In addition to the 21st pick in the first round, the Jazz also have a lottery pick. Since Utah barely missed the playoffs, it has almost no chance of winning the first pick and will likely be picking around 14th.

Mo Williams averaged 6.2 assists per game this past season. Earl Watson and Jamaal Tinsley both averaged over four assists a game as well but were offensive liabilities for the most part. They combined to score only 5.5 points per game while each shooting well under 40 percent from the field.

Other areas where Utah could stand to improve is from beyond the arc. Only Chicago and Memphis shot fewer threes than Utah did last season.

Aside from Gordon Hayward, Mo Williams and Randy Foye are the squad's only three-point threats. Both are free agents, and if either or both leaves, they take with them a huge part of the offense. Foye made over a third of the Jazz's three-pointers this season, canning a career-high 178 while playing in all 82 games.

NBADraft.net currently has Utah slated to select Kentavious Caldwell-Pope out of Georgia at 14 and Tim Hardaway Jr. from Michigan at 21. Both are off-ball guards and cannot handle the ball very well, so it would be difficult to see both these picks coming to fruition unless the team re-signs Mo Williams.

Regardless, this group needs backcourt depth and talent desperately. Picking a guard with each of their first-round picks would be advantageous of them since their frontcourt is set. Even if Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap both jump ship, Kanter and Favors are more than ready to start. Addressing frontcourt depth is an option the Jazz can explore with their second-round pick.

Thinking outside the box, Utah may be willing to package its two first-rounders in order to move up. There are plenty of guards near the top of the first round. Trey Burke and Michael Carter-Williams will almost assuredly be gone by the time the Jazz are picking, unless they can get lucky in the draft lottery.

The bottom line is that Utah needs guard help in this draft. It specifically needs to address passing, outside shooting and leadership and must make sure that whoever it comes out of the draft with is capable of doing these things.

Past drafts have been kind to the Jazz, as they have come out with Kanter, Hayward and Burks in recent years. They are one good draft away from being a very young, exciting team that can mesh together and eventually be a substantial threat to the rest of the Western Conference.

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Creating Perfect Offseason Plan for the Denver Nuggets

Nick Juskewycz — Sat, 11 May 2013 21:09:14 -0400

Despite a tremendous finish to the 2012-13 regular season and a franchise record of 57 wins, once again the Denver Nuggets were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.

With the offseason on the horizon, it's time to look at how the Nuggets can improve their roster for 2013-14.

Denver had one of the most unique teams in the NBA last season. While there wasn't a superstar, the Nuggets led the league with 106.1 points per game with their aggressive play toward the rim in an up-tempo offense.

Nonetheless, there are a few holes on this team that need to be addressed before the Nuggets can make a run at the Western Conference Finals.

Here is what the Nuggets front office should do before next season.

Try and Sign Andre Iguodala to a 4-Year Deal

Andre Iguodala has a player option of $15,904,750 next season, but according to Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post, Iguodala is expected to opt out and test free agency.

Iggy has nine years under his belt, so pursuing a longer contract at this point makes sense. It seems unlikely that Iguodala will get $15 million per year over roughly four seasons, since his numbers have slightly declined the last few years. The number should be somewhat lower, but not be significantly.

Essentially, if he takes a slight pay cut but is guaranteed to make that amount over roughly four years, the security prevails.

Denver needs to do whatever it can to keep Iguodala. According to Benjamin Hochman's Twitter account who works for the Denver Post, general manager Masai Ujiri wants Iggy to stay put.

Ujiri on Iguodala possibly returning to Nuggets: “I’m very optimistic that things will go well. … We want him back.”
— Benjamin Hochman (@nuggetsnews) May 9, 2013

Here are Iguodala's regular-season per-game numbers from 2012-13 and where he ranks on the team in those statistics: 34.7 minutes (first), 13 points (tied for third), 5.4 assists (third), 5.3 rebounds (third), 1.74 steals (first) and 1.6 fouls (first among players who averaged at least 10 minutes per game).

Iggy has a diverse skill set that makes him a tough player to defend. Furthermore, because of his overall athleticism and the way he attacks the hoop, Andre's a perfect match for Denver's philosophy.

Let's also not forget that while many Denver players didn't live up to their regular-season numbers in the playoffs, Iguodala matched or exceeded his.

The tricky aspect for the Nuggets is that Ty Lawson, Danilo Gallinari and JaVale McGee are all signed through at least the 2015-16 season at between $10 and $12.5 million per year. Adding a fourth player to that list doesn't give Denver a lot of flexibility, but considering how beneficial Iggy is—and if the number is closer to $10 million per year—he's worth it.

Don't Re-Sign Corey Brewer or Timofey Mozgov

Corey Brewer brought momentum off the bench with his scoring both inside and outside for much of the season. He also bricked a ton of shots and didn't contribute a lot in other areas.

While scoring was Brewer's primary job, Brewer's three-point percentage hasn't improved as he moves further into the prime of his career. He hasn't shot better than 30 percent the last three seasons from behind the arc and shot a career-high 3.7 attempts per game in 2012-13. That's too many empty possessions for someone who contributed fewer than three rebounds and two assists per game.

At this point, there's no reason to believe Brewer's production will vastly increase. Even though Corey is a solid defender and has great size at 6'9" playing the 3, he's not efficient enough and is too inconsistent from the outside.

As for Timofey Mozgov, he will be a restricted free agent in the offseason. But according to basketball.sport-express.ru, Mozgov doesn't believe he fits in Denver.

Mozgov is right. He did play in exactly half of the regular-season games, but he didn't see any playing time in the playoffs. Most of Mozgov's minutes later in the year came in garbage time or when someone in the rotation didn't play on a specific night.

For someone who made just under $3 million playing that role, let him go.

Draft a Center

Outside of Stephen Curry's dominance, the biggest deficiency Golden State exposed on Denver was the center position. With both teams averaging 45 rebounds per game (second) and the Warriors without David Lee, Golden State still manhandled the Nuggets in the playoffs on the glass for a 27-board advantage.

More specifically, Andrew Bogut dominated Kosta Koufos. Koufos was a minus-43 in the series and lost his starting spot after the blowout in Game 2. Bogut averaged 8.2 points and 10.3 rebounds in the series while only playing 27.5 minutes.

JaVale McGee provided a spark off the bench in the regular season, whether it was from his acrobatic rejections or his thunderous dunks in transition. However, that was a rarity against the Warriors, and McGee's overall game needs a lot of work.

Therefore, with several center prospects in the 2013 NBA draft, this is the perfect time for the Nuggets to address this need with their 27th overall pick.

One player who would fit the Nuggets system perfectly is Kansas' Jeff Withey. The 7'0" Jayhawks center posted 13.7 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.9 blocks per game in his senior season. He also shot 58.2 percent from the field.

More importantly, Withey not only excelled in Bill Self's transition game and could play above the rim, but he has tremendous footwork and can deal a lot of damage on the low block.

Drafting a player like Withey could make an impact instantly on both ends of the floor.

Sign a Shooter and a Perimeter Defender

Pending Andre Iguodala's decision on whether to stay in Denver or not will determine the options on what the Nuggets can do for the rest of free agency.

Should Iguodala leave, Denver could make a bigger play with the extra $16 million. In examining the players who will become free agents in the offseason, two players fit the scoring role off the bench.

The first is Oklahoma City's Kevin Martin, who will be an unrestricted free agent. Martin replaced James Harden as the sixth man off the bench this season and made 42.6 percent of his three-pointers on 4.8 attempts. He also shot 89 percent from the line and would help Denver's 70.1 percent free-throw shooting (28th).

The other is J.R. Smith. The 2013 Sixth Man of the Year spent five seasons with Denver, and his ability to create his own shot would help the Nuggets in the half court and slow a team like the Warriors down when they begin to catch fire.

He also knows how to bring everyone at the Pepsi Center to their feet.

Smith has a player option for 2013-14, but according to Earl Smith (J.R.'s father) in Marc Berman's article for the New York Post, he expects his son to explore free agency.

If Iggy stays in Denver, the Nuggets won't realistically have those options.

Two names that wouldn't cost as much but still provide a deep-scoring threat are Marco Belinelli and Kyle Korver. Both players will be unrestricted free agents.

In terms of a perimeter defender, Tony Allen, an unrestricted free agent, would be an excellent addition. Allen doesn't scare you with his numbers, but he always takes on the opponent's best offensive player on the outside. There is a reason why he has started for Memphis the last two seasons.

It's crazy to think he was only paid $3.3 million in the 2012-13 season for his tenacious work. But with this being his ninth season in the league, his value shouldn't increase too much in his next contract.

A player like Allen should be a priority for the Nuggets front office.

Keep Julyan Stone, but not Quincy Miller

The Nuggets should extend the qualifying offer to Julyan Stone for just over $1 million. Stone is a young point guard at 6'6" who is mostly known for his defense. He even sneaked in for a few minutes in Games 4 and 5 against the Warriors.

Since the Nuggets need defense on the outside and Denver assistant coach Melvin Hunt is a fan of Stone (per the Denver Post), he's someone to hang onto for the 2013-14 season.

As for Quincy Miller, he only played in seven games in the 2012-13 regular season for a total of 26 minutes. Since the Nuggets have a solid team as it is and they need more of an immediate impact to become a Western Conference Finals contender, his spot on the roster should be saved for someone else.

Conclusion

Ultimately, Iguodala's decision will influence what the Nuggets can do with the rest of their team. If he comes back and Denver follows this blueprint in the offseason, look for the Nuggets to be one of the biggest threats in the West next year.

All salary information is from Hoopshype.com

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