Breaking News! Thunder Execrises Options on Durant and Green

Oh you already heard that? Well it's awesome in any event. It's now possible that the two of them could be in Thunder uniforms through the 2011 season. That hopefully bodes well for ticket sales.

Even getting them through next year should be all the time necessary to determine if they are, in fact, keys to the championship puzzle. All signs point to yes obviously with Durant but Green has work to do. Although, he did make the NBA All-Rookie team last year along with KD so that should at the very least bode well.

After I heard the news it got me to thinking about the question of the Thunder being able to keep talent and to attract marquee free agents. This is one of the topics detractors of the NBA in OKC keep raising. People like to say that there is no way any one would want to come here to play or live or have anything to do with this "small-time" city. It seems to me the answer has something in common with the University of Oklahoma.

Think about it. Marquee recruits have the opportunity to play anywhere in the country. In any environment they like. Los Angeles (USC, UCLA), Miami, anywhere else in Florida, Austin (great night life), Colorado (mountains) and on and on and on. Virtually anywhere has arguably better scenery or better nightlife or more entertainment options than Norman, Oklahoma. Go ahead and lump OKC in there for that matter. Yet, recruiting talent is never a problem. Maybe it's tradition, maybe it's coaching, maybe it's wanting to play for a perennial winner. Whatever the case, they come. Insert the, "Maybe it's the money" joke here.

As it relates to the Thunder I have to believe that, with all things being equal, OKC should be able to compete for free agents and retain top level talent. While tradition and perennial winning might not be a calling card yet there are several benefits to OKC. One, this team seems to have a vision of what it wants to be and how it needs to be built to be competitive year in and year out. Two, this team is stockpiling assets in order to position itself to be a player in the free agent market. Three, a person's money goes further here than it does in other places.

Also, whose to say that each and every player is going to base his decision on nightlife or activities available. Is that not what roadtrips are for? Maybe some guys like to stay in or maybe they are family men. I'm just saying there is more to it than the social scene (which really ISN'T that bad- I have to believe it compares favorably to Salt Lake City for instance).

Ultimately, players are fiercely competitive. They can't make it to this level without a desire to succeed. If the OKC front office sticks to their plan and vision to build a competitive team the right way then why wouldn't someone want to come here, be a key cog in the wheel and have an opportunity to star and help win basketball games? They have a chance to be the only game in town, heroes of the city and to play for great crowds night in and night out.