With the Third Pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, the Oklahoma City Thunder Select...

The 2009 NBA draft is just over 24 hours away. Many NBA insiders, columnists and bloggers are convinced this is the worst draft class ever. Maybe so. But I'm excited because it's the first draft for the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Look down and to the right on your screen. There's a poll asking which player the Thunder will select with the third pick. It will be one of those players. Here's my case for and against each of them assuming they are even available when the Thunder are on the clock.

Hasheem Thabeet
The case for: He's a 7'3" shot blocking specialist. He will make anyone think twice before driving to the basket. This particular specialty was noticeably lacking from the 2008-2009 Thunder squad.

The case against: He's "raw", his offense game is a "work in progress" at best, his enthusiasm for the game of basketball has been questioned. Also, there's recent draft history of the Thunder/Sonics trying to draft a franchise Center.The list reads like a who's who of busts and includes such notables as Serge Ibaka, Mo Sene, Johan Petro and Robert Swift.

Ricky Rubio
The case for: For months this has a been a two man draft of Blake Griffin and Ricky Rubio. His passing has been compared to Larry Bird and Steve Nash. To paraphrase Bill Simmons, "He was put on Earth to make other players better". He has professional experience and he played well in the Olympic gold medal game. He's 18. He has by far the most trade value even with an expensive contract buyout.

The case against: They drafted the point guard of the future last year in Russell Westbrook. His shooting has been questioned which means the quad-fecta of Rubio, Westbrook, Sefalosha and Weaver might combine for one of the worst long range shooting backcourts of all time.

James Harden
The case for: He's a Shooting Guard in a Point Guard dominated draft class. He has good size and is left handed. He's a better athlete than people realize. He has a high basketball IQ and, by all accounts, is a gym rat. He does not need to be first banana and has a team-first attitude. He is probably the best "fit" in terms of sliding in and finding his role within the team and locker room.

The case against: He has a tendency to disappear in games. Um, that's about it.

Tyreke Evans
The case for: He's a good athlete, a hard worker and has excellent size. He's versatile in that he can play the point or off-guard. He might have the most "upside" of anyone.

The case against: What do you do with two Russell Westbrook's on the floor (could possibly be a plus)? The Thunder don't necessarily need another Point Guard.

Stephen Curry
The case for: He's probably the most dynamic player besides Rubio. He can shoot the lights out. He's versatile like Evans in that he can play both guard positions. Very high basketball IQ. Along with Rubio and Harden he's probably the most NBA ready.

The case against: He wants to be a true point guard. His size is a concern to some.

Jordan Hill
The case for: He's an athletic freak. He has lots of "upside". In a class short on big men he's probably the best outside of Griffin and Thabeet.

The case against: There will simply be better, safer options at the third spot. Forward is the Thunder's deepest position with Durant, Green, Collison and DJ White.

So, with the third pick in the 2009 NBA draft, the Oklahoma City Thunder select...

Rubio, Harden or Curry. In that order. No way it's Jordan Hill and I hope it isn't Thabeet. Evans is just the odd man out.

John Hollinger of ESPN Ranks NBA Franchises; Thunder 12th

John Hollinger of ESPN.com has put together his ratings of all 30 NBA teams based on all-time history. He ranks the Oklahoma City Thunder 12th.

I'm sure this news rankles those in Seattle and their empathetic brethren. I don't blame them. In fact, the feeling is mutual.

It's flattering to be considered in the upper crust of the NBA. The Thunder are ranked five spots ahead of the Knicks and one ahead of the Pistons? Are you kidding me?

The fact of the matter, for good and ill, is that the Thunder are not the Sonics anymore. Sonics fans resent their history being attached to the Thunder. Thunder fans are more than happy to let Sonics fans keep it. I haven't met a person yet who brags about winning a 1979 NBA championship. No one claims Gary Payton or Shawn Kemp. You cannot and will not see any championship banners hanging in the Ford Center dated prior to 2008. There's a banner that says established in 2008, not 1967.

The Thunder should be 30th. Let us earn it. The Thunder could rise to 25 in 5-10 years judging by the current direction of some franchises. That would be a near meteoric rise really.

So thanks but no thanks Mr. Hollinger. We're still on the ground floor and just fine with it.

Hardin, Ibaka not in Thunder's Plans?

Here is a question I posed yesterday on an NBA chat with Hoopsworld's Steve Kyler:

Keith in Oklahoma City:
Please tell me the Thunder will not take Thabeet. He seems like too much of a project at 3 especially given their checkered past of drafting Center projects. Plus, they have Hardin and Ibaka to evaluate right?

Here was Steve's Response:

Steve Kyler:
Hardin was in for their vets mini camp and underwhelmed... he's likely off the board for them... Ibaka, whats a deffered pick... he may never play in the NBA, so scratch him off too... none of those guys were high level picks, so saying you struck out in the 2nd round is not the same as saying you missed on a top 5 pick.

I doubt that OKC takes Thabeet, but here is the case for Hasheem... at 7' 2.5" he'd be among the tallest players in the league... he can rebound and block shots, and does not need a single offensive possession to be effective... on a team loaded with scorers, he'd be a welcome relief.

The other thing to consider... almsot no one in this class plays major minutes as a rookie... most will split time with someone else.. so you have time to develop Hasheem... if you think you can do that, then you draft him.

I am not sold anyone believes they can make Hasheem into Mutombo.

Are the Thunder and Pistons up to the Devil's Bidny?

Courtesy of Jonathon Givony of Draft Express:

"With the Detroit Pistons looking to get as far under the salary cap as they can this summer, and the Oklahoma City Thunder being one of the few teams who are able to help them shed salary, the two teams have emerged as natural trade partners, multiple NBA sources told DraftExpress this past weekend.

With very few teams projected to have cap space this summer (Oklahoma City, Memphis, Portland, Sacramento and Atlanta being the main ones), it appears that Detroit could be in great position to take advantage of the strength of this free agent class and nab a couple of pieces that would put them right back in the mix to compete for the Eastern conference finals. Detroit is currently slated to be around 20 million dollars underneath the cap, but could shed another five million or so by unloading the contracts of Amir Johnson and their first round pick (#15).

Enter the Oklahoma City Thunder. They are reportedly high on B.J. Mullens (as is Milwaukee), and likely would be able to nab him with the 15th pick. Considering how far under the cap they’ll be this summer, they would have no problem taking on Amir Johnson’s expiring 3.66 million dollar contract. They should be able to find a suitor for their late first round pick if they choose to do so, as teams like San Antonio, Houston, Toronto

and Orlando are all in the market for a draft choice in that range.

With the money Detroit frees up, they could go after their top two free agent targets, rumored to be Paul Millsap and Ben Gordon."

According to basketball-reference.com, Johnson averages 9.9 rebounds, 9.9 points and 3.1 blocks per 36 minutes of court time over his career. It appears he has a cult following, as evidenced here.

Johnson is an athletic freak who has spent the first three years of his career filling his body out and learning the game.

So leave it to Sam Presti to come out smelling like roses if this thing pans out. You swap this year's 25 pick and some cash for this year's 15 pick, a guy who was barely out of that 25 pick range three years ago, is only 21, appears to be poised to blossom into a double-double type player with more playing time and has a small expiring contract.

Pick 15 gives the Thunder a shot at Terrence Williams, B.J. Mullens (who the Thunder are rumoured to be intrigued by) or Gerald Henderson. Choices at pick 25 could include Gani Lawal, Chase Budinger or Marcus Thornton. Maybe not a massive upgrade but an upgrade.

If you get Johnson then you can take a chance on a project Center like Mullens and take the risk out of selecting Hasheem Thabeet with the 3rd pick. Common sense and my detective skills tells me that if this rumour is true then the Thunder are much more interested in James Harden, Stephen Curry or possibly Ricky Rubio.

Exit Interview

So the season is over. What to do now? Well, NBA players go through exit interviews so I might as well also.

I'm cleaning up my locker, grabbing some extra shoes for my summer workout (I probably won't need them) and addressing the media before I head off for parts unknown.

Overall I'd say I did a fair job throughout the season. I faltered down the stretch no doubt. It wasn't from lack of interest so much as the personal and professional life getting in the way.

Probably the best way to sum it up would be to do a list of the top 10 things I loved and hated from the season that was.

Top 10 things I hated:

1. PJ Carlesimo's final game. The Thunder played the Hornets at the Ford Center and it was the poorest effort I've ever seen from professionals. The Thunder had completely given up on PJ. At that point there were two choices for the Thunder front office. Be the de facto laughingstock of the NBA or get rid of PJ. They did the right thing.

2. The media practically boycotting the Thunder because of the move. I understand it sucked and it needed to be discussed but after a while the cheap shots at every opportunity started making grown men sound like someone had stolen their woobie.

3. The Wave. I treat that bitch like 7-Up. I never have I never will.

4. The halftime magician who almost drowned. Not only was the simultaneous realization by 18,000 people that they were witnessing someones death a "buzzkill" but it almost doomed everyone to being "treated" to pre-teen cheerleaders for halftime acts for the remainder of the season.

5. The Thunder online store. Gouging people on the web is both seedy and unnecessary.

6. Me not getting chosen to shoot a halfcourt shot. No one made it this season. I guarantee I will make it if I can only figure out how to get chosen.

7. Robert Swift. I went through all the trouble of making a t-shirt for god's sake and the thanks I get is a goofy looking soft whitey riding the pine all season.

8. Getting trounced by Portland at home. Portland is supposed to represent the Thunder's future. A bonafide ass-beat proved just how far there is to go for the Thunder.

9. My mom and sisters running into Kevin Durant, Russel Westbrook, Jeff Green and ESPN's Ric Bucher at a yokel City Bites instead of me. WTF?

10. My wife hitting the Rookie Wall and calling into question my need to renew my tickets for season 2. Thankfully she caught a second wind and we came up with a plan to make it happen but it was nip-tuck for a while.

Top 10 things I loved:

1. When the Thunder and OKC fanbase "clicked". It happened sometime right around New Year's. OKC fans up until that time were comparing everything to the Hornets and wondering what they had and which player's could fill the void left by Chris Paul et al. But there was a game where the fans were into it at the end. They were cheering their guts out for their team and the players realized that their fans were on board with them. Still gives me chills.

2. The media changing their tune from "OKC Thieves" to "OKC- Team on the rise". The cheap shots began to fade once Scotty Brooks was named interim coach and the Thunder starting showing signs of life. Suddenly they were a team on the rise and loaded with so much young talent that people enjoyed the hell out of watching them.

3. Scotty Brooks. The guy just seems like an OKC kind of guy. Now he and his family are living here full time and hopefully he can stick around for a good long time.

4. The likability of the players. There doesn't seem to be a douche among them (except Earl Watson if you ask my wife). Everyone seems very happy, laid back and happy. Nobody moaned about being in OKC.

5. Winning a ball autographed by the whole team. Not one of those chintzy mini balls either. An official NBA ball. Sweet.

6. Sam Presti and/or any move made by Sam Presti. Vetoing what appeared to be an awesome trade for Tyson Chandler, picking up Nenad Krstic, picking up Thabo Sefolosha, getting a draft pick for Johan Petro. The guy just makes great moves and has put the Thunder in great position for the future.

7. The unsuspecting lady in front of me who got pegged in the boobs by the t-shirt cannon. Once I found out she was alright it quickly became the highlight of my night. Be on your toes when the t-shirt cannon is involved.

8. Still not having a favorite player. It's still a toss-up between KD, Jeff Green and Rust Dust. So much to like about each of them.

9. Rumble the Bison. Yeah it's a mascot but in a season where the move was poo-pooed, the logo, colors and uniform were poo-pooed, even the city was poo-pooed, Rumble proved to be a well-timed hit.

10. Having season tickets to a professional sports team in my home town. A lifelong dream realized.

Other notables: The win over the Spurs, the season-ending de-pantsing of the Clippers. George Karl saying nice things about the Thunder's future, the ongoing improvement of in-game festivities, the Thunder Girls.