Usually when a team has the third pick in the NBA Draft, the team would be lucky to reach the .500 point the following season. For the Thunder, they were able to reach the 50-win plateau for the first time since they moved from Seattle to Oklahoma City. With a core that includes Kevin Durant, Jeff Green, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden, the future could not be brighter. However, it could all come together this coming off-season. Let’s be honest; the chance of LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, or Amare Stoudemire coming to Oklahoma City is pretty much 0%. However, there will be other all-star caliber players on the market such as Carlos Boozer and David Lee. Do not put it past Oklahoma City management to shell out money for a big man.

Oklahoma City, Seattle, or whatever you want to call them, have lacked a big man for a long time. Since the days of Shawn Kemp, they have not had a huge inside presence. They passed up on Brook Lopez, although they are hardly at fault due to the success of Russell Westbrook. But this team has gone through big men of the likes of Robert Swift and Jerome James. This can all be fixed in the 2010 off-season, if management solves the big man problem.

by David at the Sports Fan Blog Network

The Oklahoma City Thunder seemingly have found a winning formula — Kevin Durant and a lot of defense.

Durant matched his season high with 40 points and the Thunder defeated New Jersey 105-89 Monday night, sending the Nets to their 10th straight loss — their second double-digit losing streak of the season.

The key for the Thunder was the final 17 minutes when they limited New Jersey to 17 points, including 13 in the final quarter.

“I was so pleased with the how we played in the fourth quarter,” said Durant, who made 15 of 22 shots and excited the road crowd with a couple of big dunks. “No matter if I got 40 or not, we played so hard in the fourth and limited their touches, limited them to one shot and out and we got some easy baskets. That was a great effort in the fourth.”

The win was a season-high third straight for the Thunder (16-14).

“We have a long ways to go,” Durant said. “We still have a lot of slip-ups in games, but we are getting better. Hopefully, we peak at the right time.”

Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of ESPN.com

Durant went 5 of 5 from 3-point range as the Thunder finished 9 of 17 from behind the arc.


Click here to read the full article – By MURRAY EVANS of dc50tv.com

Below are links to memorabilia available for Kevin Durant.