Denver Nuggets in OKC tonight to play the Thunder. Not a game which elicits great emotion from this blogger. Oklahoma City is currently engulfed by Winter Storm Goliath with freezing rain, sleet, and snow gripping the city. Add to the fact this is not a stellar Denver club under first year coach Mike Malone.
Denver enters tonight as a sixteen point road underdog and losers of four of their last five games. Add to the fact, Wilson Chandler was lost for the season due to hip surgery back in November and Danilo Gallinari is doubtful tonight. This is not an immensely talented team even with those two playing, let alone absent.
I have the Nuggets at No. 13 in the West on my preseason bracket sheet. At 12-18 and not really in possession of an offensive or defensive identity, a star player, or any real momentum in their rebuild under Malone. Nuggets are 7-9 on the road this season. Color me not overly positive on the prospects of this Denver club.
OKC comes into this game off of what I think is their second worst performance of the season — a nine point home loss to the Chicago Bulls who promptly lost to Dallas the next day. OKC’s 100-85 home loss to Boston still ranks as their worst overall performance in my season to date notebook.
Gradewise—I gave OKC a D for their performance on Christmas. Steven Adams was non-existent. Serge Ibaka was horrible. Andre Roberson wasn’t solid. Dion Waiters was terrible. Morrow did hit some threes–which was encouraging. Kanter was borderline okay. DJ Augustin continued to struggle. Billy Donovan wasn’t what I would describe as innovative. But most disturbing to me was that Durant and Westbrook failed to lead by example on the defensive end of the floor kind of half-assing it for stretches of the game.
I love Durant and Westbrook, but if these two great offensive stars don’t start leading by example on the defensive end–the Thunder are going nowhere beyond the second round of the Western Conference Playoffs. I’m tired of bitching about it on here, but it is what it is. Defense wins championships. This is not rocket science stuff.
The youth male faction on Daily Thunder seem to think the insertion of rookie Cam Payne will solve all this, and you know what, as poorly as Augustin has played of late, maybe giving Payne some minutes tonight wouldn’t be a terrible thing.
OKC blew out Denver at home earlier this season and tonight should be the same if Durant and Westbrook come ready to play along with the three other starters.
Denver should have a rotation of Will Barton, Kenneth Faried, Emmanuel Mudiay, Gary Harris, Jameer Nelson, Randy Foye, Darrell Arthur, JJ Hickson, Jefferey Lauvergne, Kosta P, and Mike Miller.
Fifty-two games left in this regular season. Billy Donovan should clearly see what he has to do make this team better and at the least a reasonable threat to get to the Western Conference Finals. If not—then I don’t understand the buyout of Scott Brooks’ last season of his contract by the Thunder.
Pre game talking points in the Thunder locker room. Play harder, play smarter, play like you care.