Tag Archive | Russell Westbrook

Thunder Up

By Alex Horowitz

For the first time since Russell Westbrook’s rookie season, the Oklahoma City have stumbled out of the gate. Currently sitting at 5-13 and 3^rd place in the Northwest Division, the Thunder have much reason for optimism; their sights are set on an NBA championship this season.

Why would a team with such a poor record have such a lofty goal? Having two of the league’s most talented players in reigning MVP Kevin Durant and the aforementioned Westbrook certainly helps. Unfortunately for OKC, both stars have missed the majority of this young season. Westbrook did not make his debut until last week versus the Knicks, while Durant played his first minutes in Tuesday’s loss in the Big Easy.

It may already be a month into the season, but then again, it is ONLY a month into the season. The Thunder have plenty of time to get their act together and will climb their way atop the Western Conference standings at ease. As usual, the conference is stacked with contenders such as Memphis, Houston, San Antonio, and Portland, but among those clubs, only the Spurs have more playoff experience than this young Thunder team.

Yes, even though OKC has been among the league’s elite since 2010, they are still a relatively young group of players. Their average age of 25.8 years is ninth youngest in the association. But don’t let that fool you; the Thunder are a team with a veteran-like attitude. They will not fret over a difficult start to the season, because they understand it’s a process, a grind, and that many more months of regular season play are yet to be played. When asked about turning around the team’s season around, Durant oozed with confidence

“We’ve got a great locker room, we’ve got a great team, we’ve got a great group of guys. No doubt,” Durant said. “We’ve really got to put on our hard hat every game and grind ’em out, (via Royce Young, NBA writer for ESPN.com).

Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook will have to lead if OKC wants to win a championship (Via AP)

Westbrook added onto Durant’s optimistic attitude, understanding the reality of where the Thunder current stand in relation to the remaining length of the season.

“How many games we got left? Sixty-something?” Westbrook said. “How many games we out of eighth place? Five, six? Not worried” (via Royce Young).

A tough start and a bad stroke of luck has doomed the Thunder to start their seventh season in the Sooner State. But backed by the leadership of its star players, the team appears to be in good hands. Larger goals lie ahead as they aim to win their first championship since their Seattle days, while a healthy starting lineup will attempt to reestablish the chemistry they’ve flawlessly executed throughout the past several years.

Lil Wayne once featured in his song “Kobe Bryant” that no one was starving for a world championship more than Kobe. Today, that title now falls on Kevin Durant. In Oklahoma City, it’s finally #ThunderUp time again.

Alex Horowitz is a senior at Briarcliff High School and is an aspiring sports writer. As a lifelong sports fan, he has rooted for the New York Knicks, New York Mets, and Detroit Lions. You can follow him on Twitter @alexhorowitz3

11/01/13

Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Pickups

By Josh Wicker

Even though the season is just starting, the NBA still has many surprises and uncertainties. Fantasy owners are still unsure if players’ performances are the real deal or just a fluke. Here are some must adds for the Fantasy Basketball 2013-14 season:

Standard League Finds:

Michael Carter Williams (78.8% owned in ESPN Leagues)- Almost a quadruple double in his first career game. That was an incredible performance and if he is still available in your league, he is a must add. He is on a team that has potential but lack depth at the point guard position. It appears that the 76ers are giving him a main role with the team and as a result, fantasy owners should take notice.

Michael Carter-Williams enters his first season with high expectations, after a breakout debut game (Via Philly Sports Live)

Deandre Jordan (58.2%)- I cannot understand how he was not taken in most leagues as a mid to late round pick. He provides points, rebounds and blocks on a very good Clippers team. He is also getting a very high amount of minutes and of course, you cannot forget about the lobs. Even though Doc Rivers does not like the term, Lob City still exists and Jordan is one of the two main beneficiaries.

Reggie Jackson (46.8%)- KD can not do everything for the Thunder. He needs a Russell Westbrook to soften the load. But, since Westbrook is injured, the Thunder are looking at Jackson as a solid starter at the point. He might even play at the shooting guard position when Westbrook gets back. He can provide steals, points and assists and should be picked up.

Miles Plumlee (8%)- Since Marcin Gortat was traded to the Wizards, a spot has opened up at center,and it seems like Plumlee has got a good grasp on it. He performed very well (18 points, 15 rebounds) and the only competition is with unproven rookie Alex Len. The Suns organization plans on giving Plumlee a lot of playing time and fantasy owners need to capitalize on this.

Taj Gibson (3.16%)- He is clearly the first big man off the bench for the Chicago Bulls. The only reason that he is not starting is because the Bulls are very deep with big men. However, they have one of the better front courts in the league. He provides solid rebounding and points for the Bulls and also can for your fantasy team.

Deeper League Finds:

This section contains players who are owned in less than 2% of ESPN leagues, but can be high reward or should be owned by more people in larger sized leagues.

Andrew Nicholson (1.6%)- Even though he is not playing many minutes, Nicholson is still providing 30+ minute like stats. He is currently one of the first off the bench for the Magic, but could easily become a starter because of his stellar play.

Randy Foye (0.6%)- When you get this far down in percent owned, normally all of the players are backups. But Foye is the starting shooting guard for the Nuggets alongside Ty Lawson and will provide points and three pointers. He is a scoring threat and can even add a couple of rebounds.

Boris Diaw (0.4%)- One of my personal favorite players, Diaw will
normally be brought in for defense, but can also pass extremely well and nail the occasional three. He currently plays about 20-25 minutes a game but that can increase because of the old age of the Spurs. He is a scrappy player who will fight for rebounds and is a good add in deep 16 or more team leagues.