Oklahoma City Thunder Lock Up Serge Ibaka With Four-Year Extension And What It Might Mean For James Harden

According to Yahoo! Sports, among other sources, the Oklahoma City Thunder have locked up the third member of the team's four-headed monster of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Serge Ibaka, and James Harden when the team agreed to a four-year, $48 million deal with Ibaka to remain with the Thunder.

Ibaka's new extension leaves Harden as the only member of the Thunder's core group that isn't locked in for the foreseeable future with Oklahoma City.

With Harden emerging last season as the best bench player in the NBA, averaging 16.8 points per game en route to earning NBA Sixth Man of the Year honors, most people thought Thunder GM Sam Presti would have a deal worked out with Harden before moving on to Ibaka's.

However, for reasons that remain unknown at this time, Presti decided to lock in Ibaka first, who is one of the league's best defensive players and only beginning to scratch the surface of his potential ceiling.

At 6'10", and with freakishly long arms, Ibaka has led the league in total blocks in each of the past two seasons, averaging a whopping 3.7 blocks per game while playing and starting all 66 games this past season for OKC.

Ibaka also led the league in total postseason blocks in each of the past two seasons, including a 2.68 average this past postseason to go along with his 9.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game as he helped lead the Thunder to the 2012 NBA Finals.

He was also named to the All-NBA first Defensive Team this past season, and finished second to Tyson Chandler of the New York Knicks in voting for Defensive Player of the Year.

You can't really make an argument that efficiency played much of a role in the team opting to deal with Ibaka's extension before Harden's considering they had very similar PERs this past season, with Harden narrowly edging Ibaka 21.1 to 19.0 in that category.

Both players have had extremely good luck staying healthy and on the court during their first three seasons in the league, as Harden has only missed 10 out of 230 regular season games, while Ibaka has missed only 9 out of 230 games (all nine of his missed games came during his rookie season).

It wasn't because Harden was busy with the Olympics, playing alongside Durant and Westbrook for Team USA on their way to a gold medal because Ibaka played just as deep in the tournament with Spain, settling with a silver medal after Team USA's 107-100 victory over the Spanish team.

Harden was reportedly being shopped around the league at the time of the 2012 NBA Draft, with the Charlotte Bobcats being one team reportedly very interested in making a move for him (they supposedly considered sending their number two overall pick to OKC in exchange for Harden.

I can't say with any certainty that Presti hasn't shopped Ibaka at some point over the past three seasons, although I'd venture to say it's likely Presti has shopped everyone on the roster except for KD at some point just to gauge interest in his players from around the league.

The reason Presti decided to lock up Ibaka for the next four years before dealing with Harden's extension could be as simple as he realized just how bad the Thunder will need Ibaka when they inevitably get matched up against the Los Angeles Lakers and their newest incarnation of twin towers, Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol, in the postseason.

For instance, remove Ibaka from the Thunder's squad and replace him with Dante Cunningham of the Minnesota Timberwolves, who had a PER of 14.94 last season (15.0 is the standardized league average and Cunningham was closet to the mark at the power forward position last season).

I don't think Oklahoma City would win more than two games against the 2012-13 Lakers in a seven game series with that swap, and that's assuming Durant AND Westbrook each have at least one out of this world performance during that series.

Now, let's remove Harden from the equation and replace him with Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors, who posted a 14.97 PER during the 2011-12 season (again, the closest player at shooting guard to a 15.0 PER).

I still don't think the Thunder would be able to pull out four wins against that same Lakers squad (maybe once in every five seven game series between the two), but I do know that it would be a much, much closer fight with Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins down low battling Howard and Gasol with Durant and Westbrook still handling their business.

Basically, what this proves is that Oklahoma City will need all four pieces of their four-headed monster if they want to get past a Lakers squad being led by an insanely determined Kobe Bryant (Do you honestly think the Black Mamba is going to show any sign of mercy or focus on anything beyond the hardwood in his pursuit of his Jordan-tying sixth ring?) and an almost equally determined Steve Nash (still chasing his first ring while holding the fairly embarrassing title of having played more playoff games than anyone in NBA history without even reaching the NBA Finals at an astounding total of 118 games.. and counting).

While the Thunder NEED that four-headed monster intact to secure their best odds at a title, it's a different story entirely whether or not they can actually make it happen.

Assuming Ibaka will be earning about $12 million a season under his new extension, Oklahoma City would have around $47 million committed to Durant, Westbrook, and Ibaka alone starting with the 2013-14 season.

Tack on another $15 million (approximately) for Kendrick Perkins, Thabo Sefolosha and Nick Collison, and those six players alone eating up about $63 million in cap space in 2013-14.

While Harden's qualifying offer is only $7.64 million, it's almost a certainty he will be offered somewhere between $12 million per season and a maximum contract by a team that's chasing him next summer as a restricted free agent.

Even if he draws the short straw out of those numbers, still $12 million per year, that means the Thunder would be committed to $75 million in salary in 2013-14 for Durant, Westbrook, Harden, Ibaka, Perkins, Collison, and Sefolosha if they matched his offer sheet.

With the salary cap expected to be somewhere in the range of $58 million and the tax threshold at around $70 million (and reportedly getting more punitive in 2013-14, hitting teams harder that are over the line), that puts the Thunder almost $17 million over the cap and paying at least $10 million in luxury taxes with a minimum of six more spots to fill on their roster.

While Clay Bennett, owner of the Thunder, has never been one to shy away from spending, I'm not sure he is going to want to spend that kind of money when it can't even guarantee a championship with the Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers on equal or higher ground than the Thunder.

In the end, although it may be tough for Bennett to swallow financially, I don't think he has a choice but to pay James Harden whatever he commands as they easily have the youngest core of the three super teams right now (Thunder, Heat, Lakers. Sorry everyone else, they're just on a separate level at this point) and would almost certainly win at least one championship over the next four or five seasons.

If for some reason Oklahoma City decides they can't afford to keep Harden around and they allow him to leave town, they may be regretting it over the next decade if they fail to win multiple titles without him, because as long as OKC has their four-headed monster of Durant, Westbrook, Ibaka, and Harden in tact, they will remain a threat to win the Larry O'Brien championship trophy almost every season for the next five to ten years.

The Five Best Moves Of The NBA Offseason

In no particular order, here at the five best moves that have been made so far this offseason by front offices across the league:

- The Los Angeles Lakers adding Steve Nash and Dwight Howard AND keeping Pau Gasol: The basketball gods must heavily favor the purple and gold because it seems they ALWAYS come out of trades looking like thieves.

Most recently, prior to this summer, it was the Pau Gasol robbery from Memphis (although that deal looks much better now with Marc Gasol's emergence with the Grizzlies than it did when it actually went down back in 2008).

This summer, they somehow made off like bandits not once, but twice, in separate trades that could alter the championship picture for years to come.

First, they were able to land Steve Nash from their division rival, the Phoenix Suns, for a total of four draft picks (two in each round) that will almost certainly be near the bottom of each round. Two of those picks (their first and second rounders for 2013) are coming in one of the weakest drafts since 2000 and will likely fall at the tail end of each round, making them virtually useless.

While the offer was absolutely horrendous from Phoenix's end, they did the right thing for Steve Nash after everything he gave the franchise, which is something of a rarity for teams in today's sports landscape. Nash, even as he approaches the end of his career, instantly becomes the best point guard Kobe Bryant has played with in the NBA.

Then, for some ridiculous reason that will never make sense to me, the Orlando Magic finally caved in and decided to part with Dwight Howard, only somehow they managed to fail to even get Pau Gasol out of the deal. Other than Andrew Bynum, Josh McRoberts and Christian Eyenga were the only other players Los Angeles had to part with to ADD THE BEST CENTER IN THE NBA.

Instead of potentially landing Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol, while shedding most, if not all, of their horrendous contracts in the inevitable trade of Dwight Howard, the Magic decided to take back a package that didn't include either player and left the Lakers with a starting five of Nash-Bryant-World Peace-Gasol-Howard.

I'll never know how Los Angeles Laker's GM Mitch Kupchak managed to swing those deals, but I'm going out on a limb here and declaring him the NBA Executive of the Year. Heck, the NBA might as well go ahead and give him the real award now, it's not like anyone is topping his moves this offseason.

- The Denver Nuggets acquiring Andre Iguodala in the Dwight Howard mega-deal: The Nuggets found a way to sneak themselves into the Dwight Howard mega-deal as one of the two teams that helped facilitate D-12's move to the City of Angels and they made out quite well for their troubles.

Denver added one of the most well-rounded players in the league in Iguodala and all it cost them was Aaron Afflalo, Al Harrington, and the lower of their 2014 first round draft picks.

Afflalo is a great young talent at point guard, however, the Nuggets will be just fine with Ty Lawson and Andre Miller still manning the back court. Lawson is also two years younger than Afflalo, and his 19.4 PER (Player Efficiency Rating) crushed Afflalo's 14.7 PER this past season, so I think it's safe to say Denver kept the better of the two.

Iguodala is still on the right side of 30, at only 28 years old, and is coming off a pretty solid run with the USA's Olympic squad that earned their second consecutive gold medal. Through his first eight seasons in the league, all with the 76ers, Iguodala averaged 15.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 1.7  steals per game.

His critics have always hammered him for not being able to be "that guy" who carries a team on his back. However, Denver doesn't need him to fill that type of role, making him the perfect fit for their system.

Iggy's addition could push Denver from a borderline playoff squad all the way up the ladder in the West to the upper rungs, just below the Los Angeles Lakers and Oklahoma City Thunder, but as good or better than anyone else in their conference.

-  The Brooklyn Nets walking away from negotiations for Dwight Howard with the Orlando Magic: The Nets and Howard had their eyes set on each other for nearly a year, dreaming of a pairing they felt would be perfect both for the franchise and the player.

However, in mid-July, after months and months of negotiations that had gone no where, Nets GM Billy King gave the Orlando Magic a deadline to get something done or Brooklyn was walking away from the table for good.

I'm not sure if the Magic and/or their new GM Rob Henenigan thought King was bluffing when he told them of the deadline, however, we are sure of how it turned out now.

King wasn't bluffing, as the Nets walked away from negotiations for Howard and almost immediately swung a deal with the Atlanta Hawks to bring Joe Johnson to Brooklyn to pair with Deron Williams in the backcourt.

They re-signed Williams and Gerald Wallace to long-term deals, signed Brook Lopez to an extension, kept Kris Humphries on a two-year deal, and added several other complementary pieces as well.

While the pairing of Williams and Howard might have been nice for Nets fans, their supporting cast would have been somewhere between pretty bad and "Seriously, THIS is why we wanted to team up in Brooklyn?" bad for the duo.

Think about it. They would have had to part with Lopez, Humphries, MarShon Brooks, and several decent draft picks just to land Howard and bring back some of Orlando's collection of horrible contracts, which in turn, would have kept them from signing role players like C.J. Watson, Jerry Stackhouse, and Mirza Teletovic.

I'd much rather have Williams-Johnson-Wallace-Humphries-Lopez and a decent bench instead of Williams-Jason Richardson-Hedo Turkoglu-Earl Clark-Howard and a bunch of nobodies (with no draft picks) any day, all day, and twice on Saturday's.

- The Atlanta Hawks moving their two worst contracts (Joe Johnson and Marvin Williams) in less than 24 hours AND arguably improving in the process: New Atlanta Hawks' general manager Danny Ferry would almost certainly be the front-runner for NBA Executive of the Year if not for Mitch Kupchak's two armed robberies.

First, he traded Johnson, and the league's most expensive contract, to the Brooklyn Nets for Anthony Morrow, Jordan Farmar (since waived), Jordan Williams, DeShawn Stevenson and Johan Petro, as well as a 2017 second round pick.

Later in the day, he then shipped Marvin Williams (the team's constant reminder that the Hawks could've drafted Chris Paul to his hometown Hawks and blew it) to the Utah Jazz for Devin Harris.

On paper, the moves don't look like much of an upgrade. However, once you realize that Ferry turned Johnson's 2012-13 salary of $19.8 (and the near $70 million beyond this season) and Williams into a top ten three point shooter (Morrow, career 42.6%), a solid back-up point guard (Harris), and $20.5 million in expiring contracts (all six players they acquired have contracts expiring after this season, including Farmar, who was already waived),

After their other signings and moves, including the additions of Kyle Korver and Lou Williams, the Hawks are right back at the level they were at prior to the trade, only with approximately ten times the potential when you factor in all the new faces and the franchise-altering amount of cap space they will have next summer.

While their 2012-13 roster might not fare much better than Atlanta's recent string of first or second round playoff losses, they are primed to transform into legitimate, consistent contenders if they continue making all the right moves.

Keep an eye on the Hawks and their stockpile of expiring contracts at the trade deadline in February. With a core of Josh Smith, Al Horford, Jeff Teague, Lou Williams, Devin Harris, and Kyle Korver, Atlanta is only a player or two away from being a serious contender in the East (although they will almost certainly remain in the Miami Heat's massive shadow as they share the same division).

However, with Danny Ferry trading the most untradeable contract in the league within days of taking the Hawks' GM job, nothing he does will surprise me from now on.

- The Miami Heat stealing Ray Allen away from their biggest rival in the Eastern Conference while also adding Rashard Lewis: While many people who follow basketball thought Pat Riley would focus on adding some more size to the Heat's front court as his top priority this offseason, he went out and did almost the exact opposite.

However, when you have the opportunity to land the best three point shooter in NBA history AND one of your main rivals' best players in the same signing, you just can't pass that up, regardless of current needs.

While Miami could clearly use an upgrade at the center position, they have already shown they have what it takes to win an NBA title playing "small ball" and employing a rotation of semi-competent big men other than Chris Bosh.

While Allen lost his starting role with the Celtics last season to Avery Bradley amid lingering injuries, he won't have to play nearly as many regular season minutes for Miami and will almost certainly be used primarily as a spot up shooter lurking around the three-point line, meaning a lot less running around the floor on offense which means less wear and tear on his body.

With his ability to knock down open threes with such consistency, as well the Heat's plethora of other talented three point shooters (Mike Miller, Shane Battier, James Jones, etc.), Miami will almost certainly be one of the best three point shooting teams in the league next season.

With LeBron James and Dwayne Wade commanding double and triple teams every time they drive to the rim, I also expect more than a few of those threes will be wide-open looks.

Although Rashard Lewis might not be the legitimate big man Riley and the Heat have been searching for during the past two summers, at 6'9, he gives them another player like Chris Bosh that can shoot the ball well enough away from the basket that it forces the man covering him to leave the post and come out to guard him.

With a line-up of James-Allen-Wade-Lewis-Bosh on the court, for instance, head coach Erik Spoelstra would have an almost unlimited amount of options on the offensive side of the ball to work with.

Lewis and Bosh can either take the ball down low to the rim or spot up and shoot from 15 feet, causing nightmares for the large percentage of the league's power forwards and centers that have trouble playing defense away from the rim.

If either one of them draws their man away from the basket, it makes it all the easier for LeBron or Wade to take off and drive to the rim, scoring an easy dunk or lay-up and/or drawing a foul on someone moving off their defensive assignment to try and cover the guy with the ball.

By chance someone makes the defensive switch in time to stop whoever is driving to the rim, it will likely come at the expense of leaving Allen or another one of Miami's deadly three point shooters wide open on the perimeter.

Allen also knows Miami's chief rival in the Eastern Conference, the Boston Celtics, quite well having spent the past five seasons with them prior to deciding to take less money and playing time to chase a second (and maybe even a third or fourth) ring with the Heat.

While the Lakers clearly made some earth-shaking moves by acquiring Steve Nash and Dwight Howard this summer, Miami's addition of Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis keeps them in the pole position of the championship race as they look to repeat and build upon last season's success.

Honorable Mention:

- The Oklahoma City Thunder stealing Perry Jones with the 28th pick in the first round of the 2012 NBA Draft: Normally, teams coming of an appearance in the NBA Finals don't find themselves in a position to land a player at the NBA Draft that will have any meaningful impact on the franchise in the immediate future.

However, that's exactly where Oklahoma City found themselves during this year's draft as they were the beneficiary of Jones' tumble down the draft board after last minute medical red flags went up regarding his potential knee problems.

Jones, who was once projected as high as a top five draft pick, fell into the Thunder's lap after many teams passed on him due to concerns about the meniscus in his knee dating back to before he played at Baylor.

Standing 6'11 and talented enough to play almost position on the floor, Jones will almost certainly find decent minutes starting out as a rookie, and if he begins to live up to his sizable potential early in the season, could even find himself playing a significant role with the team come postseason time.

Even if for some reason Jones doesn't work out in the long run and fails to live up to his once towering expectations, Sam Presti and the Thunder will have lost nothing other than a late first round pick. If he does work out, Presti once again looks like a genius grabbing the guy everyone else was scared to touch. It's a win-win situation for the Thunder and there is potential here for it to be an extremely big win if Jones pans out.

Saturday's Late News & Notes: Bucks & Bulls Want To Trade Up In Draft, Knicks Interested In Derek Fisher, & More

 --  The New York Knicks are apparently interested in Oklahoma City Thunder reserve point guard Derek Fisher, who will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.


The 16-year NBA veteran has played extremely well for the Thunder in recent weeks and looks as though he has at least a couple more years left in the tank.

The Knicks could definitely use someone with Fisher's veteran experience and leadership to help create chemistry for a team that clearly lacked it for much of this past season.


While they will have major interest in the guard, they won't be able to offer him any major money if they do pursue him, as New York won't be able to offer him more than a $1.4 million veteran minimum contract.


After the way Fisher has played in the postseason, there definitely won't be a shortage of offers for his services, and if the Knicks want to convince him to come to the Big Apple, they will need to make a heck of a sales pitch.


One factor that may not work in their favor, if it plays a role at all, is the fact that Fisher's former head coach Phil Jackson currently appears to have a little bit of an issue with the team.


While Jackson recently said the Knicks roster was "clumsy" (verifying that he meant the chemistry between Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire wasn't there) and that he wouldn't have taken the teams' head coaching job even if it had been offered to him, the fact remains that team owner James Dolan apparently never even considered the thought of offering it to the Zen Master.


I highly doubt Jackson will play any type of role in where Fisher ends up signing in free agency, however, I still can't see Fisher going to the Knicks when he could stay with Oklahoma City, who definitely has better odds of seeing another Finals appearance over the next two years than the Knicks do.


Which team do you think would be the best fit for Fisher next season? Will he retire if the Thunder win a championship, giving him a seventh ring?
-- The Chicago Bulls are keeping their options open this summer when it comes to improving their roster, and according to Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio, one of those options includes potentially trading up in this month's NBA Draft, possibly all the way into the lottery.

The Bulls won the Eastern Conference during the regular season, finishing with a 50-16 record, tied with the San Antonio Spurs for the best record in the NBA.

However, Chicago lost superstar Derrick Rose in the opening game of their first round series against the Philadelphia 76ers to a torn ACL and the Bulls went on to lose the series in six games.

Although the Bulls have some quality talent surrounding Rose already, including Carlos Boozer, Joakim Noah, and Luol Deng, they could definitely use some more depth behind them.

Chicago currently owns the #29 pick in the draft so they would almost certainly have to include a player or two to make a deal to get them in the lottery.

Luckily for the Bulls, they have the contracts of Ronnie Brewer and Kyle Korver (both around $5 million) to offer in any potential trades, as both are valuable assets with expiring contracts.

According to sources close to the team, the Bulls are rumored to be interested in guards such as Austin Rivers, Dion Waiters, or Jeremy Lamb.

-- The Milwaukee Bucks are also moving up in the NBA Draft, although their climb won't be nearly as far as Chicago's if the Bulls can somehow make it into the lottery.

Milwaukee, who currently owns the #12 selection, is rumored to be interested in moving up into the top ten.

According to Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal-Times, the Bucks have spoken to the Charlotte Bobcats about acquiring their #2 pick, although Milwaukee doesn't have much to bargain with beyond Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis (neither of whom are going anywhere).

The Bucks are apparently looking for a big guard even though they already have one of the top backcourts in the NBA in Jennings and Ellis.

“They told me they could use a big guard like me,” said Will Barton, who played in college at Memphis and recently worked out for Milwaukee. “We’ll see what happens.”

Also of note, according to the same article, the Bucks and Jennings' agent, Bill Duffy, have yet to have any meaningful discussions about an extension for the team's starting point guard.

Could that be a sign they might consider taking another point guard with their lottery selection?


-- Which team do you think would be the best fit for Derek Fisher in free agency? Who should the Bulls target if they trade for a lottery pick? How far up in the draft will Milwaukee go if they can make a trade? Share your thoughts below in the comments section.

Complete Highlights From Game 2 Of 2012 NBA Finals, Which The Miami Heat Won 100-96 Over The OKC Thunder

This is the best video I have found so far with highlights from the second game of the 2012 NBA Finals between the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Heat jumped out to a big lead early in the game, however, Oklahoma City fought back hard in the second half in what almost seemed like deja vu from Game 1.

However, this time the Oklahoma City Thunder couldn't finish off their late comeback attempt, with Kevin Durant missing a potential game-tying shot with under 10 seconds remaining in the game, allowing the Heat to end a three-game losing streak in the NBA Finals dating back to last season.



Which play do you think qualified as the "Play of the Game"? Was it one of Serge Ibaka's sick blocks? Perhaps one of D-Wade's ridiculous shots? Or was it one of the thunderous dunks that got thrown down throughout the night? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Did The Referees Miss A Crucial Foul Call Against LeBron James In The Final Seconds Of Game 2?

With the Oklahoma City Thunder only trailing 98-96 to the Miami Heat as time ran down in Game 2 of the 2012 NBA Finals last night, three-time league scoring champ Kevin Durant drove to the rim and put up a floater only a few feet away from the rim.

As Durant released the shot, it appeared LeBron James put his elbow into Durant's abdomen/rib area, possibly affecting the shot and causing the shot to come up just short.

To make matters worse, it also seemed like James fouled Westbrook trying to secure the rebound off the missed shot, however, the referee called the foul on Russell Westbrook and Oklahoma City.

That foul call, with just 7.1 seconds left in the game, sent the reigning MVP to the free throw line for the Miami Heat, where James clinched the game with two made shots.

Check out footage of the controversial play right here:




Do you think the referee missed the call(s) on the play? Or did he make the right decision letting the play go since the contact was pretty minimal? Share your thoughts below in the comments section.

Oklahoma City Thunder's Serge Ibaka With The Sick Block On LeBron James In Game 2

Serge Ibaka had five blocks in Oklahoma City's 100-96 defeat to the Miami Heat last night, but none may have been bigger than this one he had on reigning league MVP, LeBron James.

Ibaka's solid all-around defense was a huge reason the Thunder were able to dig themselves out of a 17 point hole in the first half and trim the lead just two points in the games' final minutes.




Is Serge Ibaka the best shot blocker in the NBA right now? If not, who do you consider to be the best? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Could Oklahoma City Actually Be Considering Trading James Harden In The Offseason?

Arguably the second most popular player on the Oklahoma City Thunder roster behind Kevin Durant, reigning Sixth Man of the Year James Harden could possibly be on the trade block during the offseason according to a report from CBSSports.com.

The report quotes an anonymous source as saying the Thunder might consider moving Harden, as he and Serge Ibaka are both due for extensions following next season.

Considering the team has committed a huge amount of money on Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, the Thunder would be hard pressed to keep all four players unless someone is willing to stay for less than market value.

Durant signed a five-year maximum extension in July 2010 worth $86 million, while Westbrook inked a five-year maximum extension in January of this year rumored to be in the $80 million range as well.

With that much money tied up already, it's not out of the realm of possibility the team may have to trade Harden or Ibaka, but could the Thunder really part with one of the most important reasons why they are playing in the 2012 Finals?

While Harden comes off the bench for the Thunder, he is almost always on the floor in the fourth quarter when the game is on the line, which is the time when the really good players are always on the court.

He's averaging 16.8 points per game in these playoffs, which oddly enough is the same number he averaged during the regular season.

But the most important thing about Harden isn't necessarily the number of points that he provides, but when he provides them.

When Durant and Westbrook are struggling, more often that not Harden is the one that will keep the team together on offense by sparking big turnarounds with even bigger shots.

He's also one of the big reasons teams struggle guarding the Thunder on defense as almost no one in the league has three players that are good enough defensively to hold Harden, Durant, and Westbrook in check for a full game.

The report from CBSSports.com mentions that Harden might be in play in a potential trade with the Charlotte Bobcats, as they are looking into trade scenarios involving their #2 pick in this month's draft and are interested in acquiring a solid veteran in return.

The Bobcats know they need more than just one rookie to help turn around their franchise after a horrendous season in which they had a league worst 7-59 record, and they could use a player of Harden's abilities to help in that movement.

However, I can't imagine the Thunder letting go of Harden this summer unless they get a mind-blowing offer that they just can't pass up.

With the rumors that the Bobcats want whichever team they trade the second pick with to also take on a bad contract like Tyrus Thomas or DeSagana Diop, there's almost zero chance Thunder GM Sam Presti agrees to a deal like that.

Even if the Thunder realize they can't afford to keep their quartet together, I can't imagine them doing anything before next season's trade deadline.

However, I think team owner Clay Bennett will find a way to keep this core group together, as they could dominate the Western Conference for the next decade with Durant, Westbrook, Harden, and Ibaka leading the charge.

If you were Sam Presti, would you consider moving Harden or Ibaka? If so, is a deal with Charlotte the right move for them to make? Share your thoughts below in the comments section.

Rapper Lil Wayne Feels Disrespected By Oklahoma City Thunder's Arena Staff

Earlier in the postseason, rapper Lil Wayne was upset because he wasn't given tickets by the Oklahoma City Thunder to attend Game 3 of their Western Conference Finals match-up with the San Antonio Spurs.

"Was going to go to the Thunder game tonight but was denied by the team to be in their arena. Wow. Smh. Go Spurs!," tweeted the rap superstar the night of Game 3, which was played in Oklahoma City.

The team would later admit to not supplying Wayne with tickets, saying it was due to limited supply and due to the fact that the rapper would only sit in the front row, which was already sold out by the time he made his request.

Thunder stars Kevin Durant and James Harden offered him tickets to attend Game 4 of the same series, with Durant offering the rapper two tickets in an attempt to bring some celebrity power to Oklahoma City.

While "Lil Weezy" refused to show up for the game, American Idol host Ryan Seacrest was shown courtside during the game, prompting the rapper to hint that race may have played a role in him being denied seats to the previous game.

“That’s not the point, though,” Lil Wayne said. “It’s the players stepping up but, of course, the players aren’t white. I don’t want to be sitting there on behalf of you and I’m sitting next to a (person) that’s like ‘I don’t want this (guy) sitting next to me.’"

Although he was still upset with the Thunder, the multi-platinum rapper turned up at the Chesapeake Energy Arena for Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the Heat and Thunder on Tuesday night.

However, Lil Wayne was still apparently offended or upset by something the staff at the arena did or said to him at some point during his visit.

"Again I was treated like sh!t by the Thunder arena staff...dam..I hope da Heat beat da dog sh!t out em!!" he tweeted about his experience at Game 1.

While he may be upset with the Thunder and their staff, it's not much of a surprise he would cheer for the Heat, as he is routinely at their games when they play at home in Miami anyway, including during their Eastern Conference Finals run against the Boston Celtics.

As matter of fact, I fully expect the self-proclaimed best rapper alive to be sitting courtside in his normal spot Saturday night at the AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami cheering for the Heat.

Do you agree with Lil Wayne that the Oklahoma City staff has treated him differently due to race? Or do you think they did the right thing by not catering to the millionaire rapper? Share your thoughts below in the comments section.

Oklahoma City Thunder Complete Turnaround for the Ages, Advance to NBA Finals

By: Stephen Patterson

The Oklahoma City Thunder awoke last Wednesday finding themselves staring at an 0-2 deficit in the Western Conference Finals against a San Antonio Spurs team that had just won their 20th game in a row the night before.

Something clearly happened to Thunder after that Game 2 defeat, in which the Spurs won 120-111 and seemed able to find any shot that they desired against the Oklahoma City defense.

Maybe it was the fact they were headed back home to the Chesapeake Energy Arena for the next two games of the series, complete with their rabid fan base that held faith in their team despite the seemingly impossible task looming ahead.

Or perhaps Scott Brooks spoke to the team on the flight back to OKC and reminded them of just how talented they have been this season and that they could beat this Spurs team and still earn the franchises' first trip to the NBA Finals since 1996, back when the team was still the Seattle Supersonics.

Regardless of what it was that caused the spark, the fire definitely spread quickly.

Last night, the Thunder finished off the Spurs in Game 6 with a 107-99 victory, winning their fourth consecutive game over them after halting San Antonio's winning streak in Game 3 and completing one of the greatest turnarounds in NBA playoff history.

The Thunder found themselves in a huge hole early in the game, trailing by as many as 18 points in the first half and by 15 points at halftime, however, they fought their way back just as they have all series long.

Three-time league scoring champion Kevin Durant led the charge in the victory, scoring 34 points while also grabbing 14 rebounds. He played the entire 48 minutes of the game for the first time all-season and also for the first time in his postseason career.

Russell Westbrook contributed 25 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists, while reigning Sixth-Man of the Year James Harden added 16 points off the bench for the Thunder.

San Antonio definitely put up a fight before finally running out of steam late in the game.

Tony Parker lead the way for the Spurs with 29 points and 12 assists, and although he had a dominant first half with 21 points and 10 assists, highlighted by 17 points and 5 assists in the first quarter, he was largely ineffective when it mattered the most.

Tim Duncan scored 25 points and had 14 rebounds while Stephen Jackson, who shot 6-7 from three-point range, finished with 23 points off the bench.

Manu Ginobili, who had a monster 35 point performance in Game 5 and was averaging 20.2 in the series heading into Game 6, was largely ineffective in the loss, finishing with only 10 points.

Oklahoma City is 12-3 so far this postseason after knocking off the Dallas Mavericks (4-0), Los Angeles Lakers (4-1), and San Antonio Spurs (4-2). Those three teams had been the only representatives from the Western Conference in the NBA Finals since 1998.

The Thunder will meet either the Boston Celtics or Miami Heat in the Finals, which begins on Tuesday.

Oklahoma City was 2-0 against the Celtics in the regular season and 1-1 against the Heat.

With the Thunder holding home court advantage in the Finals, whichever team comes out of the Eastern Conference will have a tough task in Game 1 against a rested OKC team that is 8-0 on the home court this postseason.

Top 10 Dunks of the NBA 2011-2012 Season

By: Stephen Patterson

These are the Top 10 dunks from the 2011-12 season according to NBA.com.

While all of these dunks are pretty sick, I can't help but feel like someone got left out of the final list. Especially when you see how many times Blake Griffin is featured (I'm sorry but I think that dunk he had on Kendrick Perkins was overrated, like a majority of his big plays. However, I do love how he absolutely destroys Pau Gasol twice in the same game earlier in the clip).

Do you think someone else deserved a spot among the Top 10? Are you happy with the order that NBA.com put them in? Share your thoughts in the comments section after you check out the video:

 

All-NBA Teams & Vote Breakdown

What are your thoughts on the All-NBA squads? Should someone have been higher? Lower? Or did someone miss out all together that belongs on the third team? Let me know your thoughts in the comments section.

* Special thanks to www.iamagm.com for the image.