Oklahoma City Thunder Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Thunder Notes: Westbrook, Kanter, MVP

April 21st, 2017 at 7:48pm CST by Austin Kent

After an historic regular season, Russell Westbrook‘s magic hasn’t been quite enough to lead the Thunder to success against the Rockets but that doesn’t mean Billy Donovan‘s confidence in the star guard is wavering, Ramona Shelburne of ESPN details.

“I have an enormous amount of trust and confidence after being with Russell this season for 82 games and seeing the ways he’s closed out games and different things that he’s done,” the Thunder bench boss said.

Westbrook put up 14 missed shots in the fourth quarter of the Thunder’s Wednesday night loss, the highest recorded in the past 20 years, but his track record of success in the clutch is otherwise impressive.

Per Shelburne:

In the regular season, Westbrook’s 82 made field goals in clutch time (the last five minutes of a game, with the score within 5) were 18 more than any other player.

There’s more from the Thunder:

Though his defensive inefficiencies come to light when James Harden is on the court, the answer may not be as simple as trotting Enes Kanter out there when he’s on the bench, Berry Tramel of the Oklahoman writes. When Kanter is on the court and Harden is sitting, the Rockets have outscored the Thunder 48-31.
The NBA has fined Russell Westbrook $15K for using inappropriate language in a press conference, the league reports in a press release.
Though it’s one of the most heated MVP races in recent memory, four of five Hoops Rumors staffers selected Russell Westbrook as this year’s winner. “James Harden’s season was special, but Westbrook’s was historic,” Arthur Hill said.

NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 4/20/17

April 20th, 2017 at 9:24pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Here are the D-League transactions for the day:

The Raptors recalled forwards Bruno Caboclo and Pascal Siakam from Raptors 905, the team’s media relations department tweets. Neither player was active for Game 3 of Toronto’s playoff game against the Bucks on Thursday. Siakam had 15 points and 10 rebounds against the Maine Red Claws on Wednesday as Raptors 905 advanced to the D-League Finals. Caboclo scored 16 points in the 103-88 victory.
The Celtics recalled big man Jordan Mickey and point guard Demetrius Jackson from the Maine Red Claws, according to the team’s Twitter feed. Mickey had 13 points and nine rebounds against Raptors 905, while Jackson contributed 21 points and five assists in the season-ending loss.
The Thunder recalled forward Josh Huestis from the Oklahoma City Blue, the team announced in a press release. Huestis had a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds during Wednesday’s 102-114 season- ending loss to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. He averaged 17.7 PPG and 6.7 RPG in six postseason games with the Blue.

Northwest Notes: Westbrook, Oladipo, Gobert, Burks

April 20th, 2017 at 7:01pm CST by Dana Gauruder

ABC analyst Jeff Van Gundy believes the Thunder should seriously consider playing Russell Westbrook the entire game during the postseason, as he told Mel Bracht of The Oklahoman. The Thunder outscored the Rockets in Game 2 by 11 points in the 41 minutes that Westbrook played. Westbrook’s 51-point, 10-rebound, 13-assist effort was wasted in a 115-111 loss that gave Houston a 2-0 series lead. Oklahoma City is better off with Westbrook staying on the court even if he wears down as the game goes on, Van Gundy told Bracht. “I think he gives them a better chance even if he is diminished somewhat due to fatigue by playing the whole game,” Van Gundy said. “Maybe it will be different at home, but the dropoff is huge.”

In other playoff developments around the Northwest Division:

Thunder coach Billy Donovan doesn’t want Victor Oladipo‘s shooting woes to affect his overall game, the Associated Press reports. The shooting guard is averaging 8.5 PPG and shooting 19% from the field through the first two playoff games. Donovan wants Oladipo to realize his defense and rebounding are also important. “Victor’s not a one-dimensional player — he can do a lot of different things,” Donovan said. “Taking his mindset off the ball going in the basket, and him realizing, ‘I’m not going to allow myself to be defined by that because there’s too many other things I can do out there to help this team.'”
Forward Doug McDermott was a bright spot for the Thunder in Game 2, as he scored 11 points in 14 minutes. “I knew I could have an impact on this series,” McDermott told Brett Dawson of The Oklahoman. “I know my shot’s always gonna be there, and they have to respect that.”
Jazz center Rudy Gobert will remain sidelined for Game 3 of the series against the Clippers, according to another AP story. He hyperextended his left knee and suffered a bone contusion in the opening minute of the series. The Jazz were outscored 60-38 in the paint in Game 2 while going with a smaller lineup most of the way.
The Jazz will also be without shooting guard Alec Burks for Game 3, the team’s PR department tweets. Burks received a platelet-rich plasma injection into his left knee on Thursday. Burks, who averaged 6.7 PPG in 15.5 MPG over 42 games during the regular season, has not appeared in the series.

NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 4/15/17

April 15th, 2017 at 10:29pm CST by Arthur Hill

Here are Saturday’s assignments/recalls from around the league:

The Thunder assigned forward Josh Huestis to their Oklahoma City Blue affiliate, the team announced in a press release. Huestis has participated in four D-League playoff games with OKC, averaging 19.0 points and 5.5 rebounds per night, while shooting 56% from the floor.

NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 4/14/17

April 14th, 2017 at 8:44pm CST by Milo Taibi

Here are Friday’s assignments/recalls from around the league…

The Raptors assigned Bruno Caboclo and Pascal Siakam to Raptors 905, the team announced via Twitter (link). Caboclo and Siakam should pick up steady minutes for Raptors 905, as they take on the Maine Red Claws in the D-League Eastern Conference finals.
The Rockets recalled Chinanu Onuaku, Isaiah Taylor, and Kyle Wiltjer from the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, the team announced via Twitter (link). All three players received 35+ minutes in Rio Grande’s Game 1 loss to the Blue on Thursday.
The Thunder recalled Josh Huestis from Oklahoma City Blue, the team announced in a press release. Huestis scored 11 points over 29 minutes with the Blue in the D-League playoffs last night.

Thunder Execs Rebuffed Job Offers; OKC Never Considered Trading Westbrook

April 14th, 2017 at 4:08pm CST by Luke Adams

In the wake of a historic regular-season performance that could earn Russell Westbrook an MVP award, Lee Jenkins of SI.com and Royce Young of ESPN.com took deep dives this week into Oklahoma City’s year, providing several interesting tidbits in their pieces. Jenkins, for instance, reports that several high-ranking executives in the Thunder‘s front office rejected job offers from rival teams within the last year, as those clubs anticipated a “post-Durant exodus” that never materialized.

Meanwhile, Young writes that after Durant left for Golden State last July, the Thunder did their due diligence by fielding trade calls on Westbrook from a number of teams, but “never remotely considered” trading their star point guard. If Westbrook had turned down the opportunity to sign an extension with OKC, the Thunder’s stance may have shifted, but the team preferred to lock up Westbrook for multiple years rather than to consider moving him.

NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 4/13/17

April 13th, 2017 at 3:06pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are Thursday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

The Thunder have assigned Josh Huestis to the D-League, the team announced today in a press release. The Oklahoma City Blue are in action tonight, as their playoff series against the Rio Grande Valley Vipers gets underway, so Huestis will get a chance to play in that game.
The Rockets have assigned Chinanu Onuaku, Isaiah Taylor, and Kyle Wiltjer to their D-League squad, according to the team (Twitter link). The trio, of course, will suit up for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers and will take on Huestis’s OKC Blue tonight.
Demetrius Jackson and Jordan Mickey have been recalled from the Maine Red Claws, the Celtics announced today (via Twitter). Boston’s D-League affiliate remains alive in the NBADL postseason, but the team’s series against the Raptors 905 doesn’t get underway until Sunday, so Jackson and Mickey can stick with the NBA club for now.

NBA D-League Assignments/Recalls: 4/11/17

April 11th, 2017 at 6:03pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Here are Tuesday’s D-League assignments and recalls from around the NBA:

The Warriors have recalled Damian Jones from their D-League affiliate, tweets Anthony Slater of the Mercury News.
The Rockets have recalled Kyle Wiltjer from the Rio Grand Valley Vipers, according to the team’s Twitter feed. Wiltjer scored 21 points in the Vipers’ win over the Los Angeles D-Fenders on Monday.
The Thunder have recalled Josh Huestis from the Oklahoma City Blue, per a team press release. In 32 games with the Blue this season, the small forward averaged 14.6 points per game.

Thunder Turn Heartbreak Into History

April 9th, 2017 at 9:45pm CST by Austin Kent

It’s been an interesting year for the Thunder, one that started with devastation when Kevin Durant decided to leave via free agency. One thing the franchise has to be proud of, Erik Horne of the Oklahoman writes, is how they’ve responded to the heartbreak with a historic season. “We’re going to continue to advance, and we’ve always taken the approach of things are more new beginnings than endings, and there’s a new beginning here for the Thunder,” general manager Sam Presti said. “We have to embrace that, and we have to lean into that.”

Westbrook Sets New Triple-Double Record

April 9th, 2017 at 8:15pm CST by Austin Kent

When fans pictured the game in which Russell Westbrook recorded his record-setting 42nd triple-double, it would have certainly been impressive, but few could have conceptualized that the game that pushed him ahead of Oscar Robertson would involve a 50-point, 16-rebound, 10-assist stat line and a game-winning buzzer beater.

Alas, that’s exactly what happened.

Just days after clinching a triple-double average for the season, Westbrook went to work chasing history. Had the 28-year-old not managed to complete the feat Sunday, he’d have had two more chances before the end of the season on Wednesday.

Westbrook’s historic triple-double came on an assist when Semaj Christon nailed a jumper and it was at that moment that the Big O’s 55-year, 1961-62 record fell.

A run of seven triple doubles from March 22 to April 4 put the guard in position to tie Robertson’s mark but he was thwarted twice this week against the Grizzlies and Suns. Consider the Nuggets more welcoming of history.