" I don't want to see them get a big guy " - George Karl

[Plainsman]

" because if they were to get a big guy they would be pretty impressive."

Are The Thunder Playoff Material?

People around the NBA are starting to use that "P-word" and the Oklahoma City Thunder in the same sentence. What a difference a season makes.

While you've read in this space for well over a year my belief in the Thunder and GM Sam Presti, you're starting to see it play out between the lines. Of course, it's still very early, and no one understands that better than Thunder head coach Scott Brooks.

"I don't put too much thought into (the playoffs)," said Brooks. "There's a lot of season remaining. We just have to work and improve. Every season some teams have a legitimate chance to win a championship and some teams have a legitimate shot to make the playoffs. We're like every other team. We want to win as many games and if we can talk about the playoffs one day that would be great, but right now we're focused on just improving and getting better. We understand there are a lot of games left."While the Thunder has an emerging offensive star in Kevin Durant, Brooks maintains that it's the other end of the floor that will ultimately determine Oklahoma City's fate this season.

"I like what we're doing. We're getting better defensively. I knew going into the season that if we're not going to defend like the way we're capable, we're going to be in for a long season. We're not there yet. We're getting better, and our guys understand that we have to defend for us to compete for wins. I like the mindset of our guys. We're a young team that plays hard, for the most part, every night."

Perhaps the most important observations of what's happening in Oklahoma city can be heard coming out of the mouths of other teams and coaches around the league. While Nuggets head coach George Karl wasn't ready to say the Thunder were going to make the playoffs just a fourth of the way through the season, he did have this to say after his team played Oklahoma City last week: "I don't want to see them get a big guy because if they were to get a big guy they would be pretty impressive."

Not bad for a team that won just 23 games a season ago and started the 2008-09 season 2-21.

http://www.hoopsworld.com/Story.asp?story_id=14713

[Thunderus]

That's good stuff...

[soonabooma]

I like that people are starting to respect us. When you're one of the teams with alot of history and tradition it's easy to look down on teams like OKC, being an OU fan I know how arrogance works. But I think alot of players and coaches around the league are really starting to respect what our team is doing and the potential they have. We've got such a strong young core to build around, and with the addition of a new piece or two, this team is gonna be tough for anybody to deal with.

[thundafan]

We have a big guy-Ibaka. Ok he's not a true big guy, but I've said since summer league that this guy is going to turn out to be a force and I still hold to that opinion. He will be a force to reckon with down lown offensively, I believe. The guy has shown great touch and we all know how quick his feet are. When he starts to develop some of his moves more, he will be hard to stop simply for the fact that he elevates so high with each shot.

[Tordön]

Too bad Tyson Chandler's knees sucked or we could be that team.

[ZeusExMachina]

Originally Posted by thundafan

We have a big guy-Ibaka. Ok he's not a true big guy, but I've said since summer league that this guy is going to turn out to be a force and I still hold to that opinion. He will be a force to reckon with down lown offensively, I believe. The guy has shown great touch and we all know how quick his feet are. When he starts to develop some of his moves more, he will be hard to stop simply for the fact that he elevates so high with each shot.

The sky is the limit with Ibaka. I love the guy, and can't wait to see him develop as a big man, but I think this team is one consistent low post threat away from being a legitimate playoff spoiler. If Ibaka could find some consistency to his game, this team would rise above a lot of other teams in this league.

We don't necessarily need a Bosh or Gasol, just someone who can get the defense's attention if the ball goes down low. I think that can be Ibaka in time.

[Capt Jack Sparrow]

Originally Posted by Tordön

Too bad Tyson Chandler's knees sucked or we could be that team.

You mean the team with the busted up center that is having his worst season since his rookie year?
And its an ankle and toe injury.
Yeah, too bad

[Urukgali]

That surely is a truth.Ibaka is a beast ! I love his rebounds and blocks.He throw some nice dunks aswell.My guess is that at the end of the season his value will be much much higher.Now he just needs experience.

[Plainsman]

So far this year, Chandler's ppg and rb are lower than his last two years in Chicago

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/...oLgZQiK7CNPKB4


Its easy to see what CP did for him .

[DAK!]

I just did a calculation of rebound, points and blocks per minute and the only year he had a worse rebounding rate was his rookie season. The only year he had a worse points rate was his last year in Chicago and the only time he had a worse blocks rate were his last two seasons in NO.

These things have already been stated but it still needs to be emphasized that overall he's no more valuable than he was his rookie season when he made a small fraction of what he's making now.

[soonabooma]

I totally agree about Ibaka. That guy is top notch. He looks pretty comfortable for having only played a couple of months of NBA ball. Think about how great he's gonna be when he really develops his game, just doing the little things that make him even more effective at this level. He's a hard worker, he seems to be a quick learner, and he plays hard, he's fearless out there, and that's why we need to make sure to hold onto him for a long time. The guy can pretty much do it all and that's hard to come by. We always talk about guys that we want or think we need, but eventually....Serge could end up being like a Chris Bosh/Kevin Garnett type of player for us. Brooks just needs to have in on the floor as much as possible. When he's in good things usually happen, so we need to approach it that way. He needs to be in the lineup.

[Jimmy Early]

Ibaka is the same age as Cade Davis.

[DAK!]

Originally Posted by Jimmy Early

Ibaka is the same age as Cade Davis.

Who is Cade Davis?

[thundafan]

Cade Davis is a 6'5 guard for the University of Oklahoma. I'm not sure about the significance of Serge Ibaka being the same age as Cade Davis. Serge is the same age as a thousand other college basketball players too.

[Jimmy Early]

Originally Posted by thundafan

Cade Davis is a 6'5 guard for the University of Oklahoma. I'm not sure about the significance of Serge Ibaka being the same age as Cade Davis. Serge is the same age as a thousand other college basketball players too.

My only point is that Serge is YOUNG - the age of a college junior. He has a LOT of time to improve.

For DAK's sake, maybe I should have said "Ibaka is younger than Kemba Walker."