I Just Can't Keep Up

No sooner do I jump back into the fray when I learn that the Thunder have made a trade. So Johan Petro is now a Nugget and Chucky Atkins is now a Thunder (Thunderer? Thunderee?). My first thought is, "Cool, I'm glad we still have Joe Smith for the time being". My second is, "Well, I guess either Chucky or Earl Watson will be gone sooner than later". And my third is, "We got a first round pick for Petro?"

Essentially it's the two players plus Denver's 1st round pick in the upcoming draft for the Thunder's second round pick. Still, the Thunder are poised to be big-time players as the trade deadline approaches and this offseason.

Joe Smith and Earl Watson have been the names most often mentioned in trade rumors and now the Thunder, with the addition of Krusty and Chucky are prepared to move on down the path this season while making those more valuable trading chips expendable.

It will be interesting to see whether it's Chucky or Earl that gets moved. My money is on Earl. He was kind of on the outs when the season started and Chucky appears to be simply content with the chance to play. With Slim coming along nicely that should mean just breather minutes for Chucky, something he should be able to stomach better than Earl.

Interesting indeed. But there's a lot more action on the horizon and the Thunder look to be in the center of it.