Who's the Defensive Stopper. Bueller? Bueller?

Dez Mason is gone for the season. On offense, he's been the Thunder's prototypical "no, No, NO!....Yesss!" player. Meaning, his offensive game looks like it has a zero-percent success rate but he's actually pretty solid.


His defense is another story altogether. The Thunder are now 0-9 in games that Mason doesn't play. Uh-oh. He's provided much needed energy to the starting lineup and his veteran moxy yields results that you don't see in the box score.


So how do you replace that? The obvious solution would seem to be Jeff Green. They are about the same size and Green can guard at least three positions. But Green hasn't slid over to Mason's starting position of shooting guard. Instead, Kyle Weaver has been inserted into the lineup.


I like Kyle Weaver's game. His passing and ball-handling indicates he has a high basketball IQ. I also mentioned a couple of weeks ago that he could be a real defensive pest. So I like that he is getting this opportunity.


I don't see him as the long term starter at the position though. Hopefully he can learn as much as he can the remainder of the season and prove that he is a piece in the long term puzzle. Then, next season, he can provide the spark off the bench that I think his game is really more suited for.


If this is what Sam Presti is thinking (and, let's be honest, there's a good chance it isn't) then maybe it offers a glimpse into how this upcoming draft and offseason could go.


For instance, if the Thunder get Blake Griffin then why not move Jeff Green over to the 2? It's a position he can guard and his shooting has improved dramatically this year. If that's the case then why not stick Jeff Green at the 2 now instead of Weaver and insert Nenad Krstic at the 5 and slide Nick Collison to the 4? The answer is probably that, short term, Collison can't defend a 4 as well as Green. It's probably not wise to bank on ping-pong balls falling in your favor.


But in any event, I think it's safe to assume that if Mason were healthy or now with Kyle Weaver replacing him, neither man is the long term answer to start at the position. So maybe we're gazing into the cystal ball and the Thunder are looking to draft or trade for a shooting guard.


In the short term we can only hope that the Green/Weaver combo steps up. This next month looked rough anyways but now it could be downright brutal.