With the start of the playoffs just a few days away, it’s time to hand out some awards for the 2021-22 NBA season. Amazingly, we are less than two weeks away from the end of the NBA season, which means it’s time to get to work on selecting 2021-22 award winners. I, of course, do
Oklahoma City Thunder
Kevin Durant expects for the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Golden State Warriors organizations to retire his No. 35 jersey shortly after he calls it a career. While Kevin Durant is one of the greatest basketball players in NBA history, his exits from both the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Golden State Warriors were not exactly smooth. Now
The Whiteboard is The Step Back’s daily basketball newsletter, covering the NBA, WNBA and more. Subscribe here to get it delivered to you via email each morning. The NCAA Tournament starts this week shining the spotlight on, among other things, some of the best draft prospects in this year’s class. The consensus seems to be that
Skip Bayless’ feud with Russell Westbrook’s wife took a step in the right direction over the weekend, when Bayless address the interaction itself. This is not the first nor will it be the last public feud in the long, storied career of sports talking head Skip Bayless. At a certain point, you almost have to
The Whiteboard is The Step Back’s daily basketball newsletter, covering the NBA, WNBA and more. Subscribe here to get it delivered to you via email each morning. Assists can be one of the noisest measures of statistical performance because they require to players to make it work. The creator who makes the pass is the one
Feb 15, 2022; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch reacts to the technical foul assigned to him by the referees in the game with the Charlotte Hornets at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports UFC 272: The worst betting pick on Colby Covington vs. Jorge Masvidal card by Byron Smith
The Whiteboard is The Step Back’s daily basketball newsletter, covering the NBA, WNBA and more. Subscribe here to get it delivered to you via email each morning. It’s been more than a month since we last looked at the rookie class as a whole. Over that stretch, several rookies have continued to impress while Cade Cunningham
Dec 2, 2021; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Ty Jerome (16) goes to the basket against Memphis Grizzlies guard Desmond Bane (22) during the first half at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports MLB trade grades: Who won Hunter Renfroe-Jackie Bradley Jr. swap? by Scott Rogust The Oklahoma City Thunder were humbled
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has added a new trick to his bag this season, and the Hawks’ offense has struggled to get off the ground. Much of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s career has unfolded in relative obscurity, but the absence of a spotlight has done nothing to stall his growth as a player. The 23-year-old made steady, substantive improvement
The Whiteboard is The Step Back’s daily basketball newsletter, covering the NBA, WNBA and more. Subscribe here to get it delivered to you via email each morning. To be clear, the Oklahoma City Thunder offense is not good right now. Through nine games they’ve averaged just 98.0 points per 100 possessions, worse than any team but
Oct 14, 2021; Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Josh Giddey (3) runs down the court against the Denver Nuggets during the first quarter at BOK Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports 49ers fan goes viral, dressed for football weather (Photo) by Cody Williams Colts offense getting more help from refs than Carson
Russell Westbrook had a quadruple-double for the Los Angeles Lakers against the Oklahoma City Thunder but that isn’t a good thing. Under normal circumstances, an NBA star putting up a quadruple-double would be an awesome achievement. What Russell Westbrook did on Wednesday night against the Thunder proved that’s not always the case. The Lakers guard
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was an incredibly efficient creator despite carrying the entire load for the Oklahoma City Thunder. What if they put more talent around him? By the box score, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander already looks like a star for the Oklahoma City Thunder. He averaged 23.7 points, 5.9 assists and 4.7 rebounds per game last season on
The Whiteboard is The Step Back’s daily basketball newsletter, covering the NBA, WNBA and more. Subscribe here to get it delivered to you via email each morning. For 13 seasons, Russell Westbrook has been an object of endless fascination for NBA fans — his personality, his fire, his athleticism, his style of play, his stats, his
Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, the former talented star of the Villanova Wildcats, has agreed to a four-year, $8 million rookie deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder. The six-foot-nine power forward was the 32nd pick of the 2021 NBA Draft. Oklahoma City traded their 34th and 36th pick in order to move up to select the Wildcat. On
The Oklahoma City Thunder have secured star guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to a long-term contract extension on Monday night. The 2021 NBA free agency negotiation window officially opened up at 6:00 p.m. ET on Monday, and the agreements have been non-stop. Free agents were not the only ones to secure long-term contracts with their teams. There
Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports Watch: Tom Brady tried to raise his speed rating in Madden22, it was an epic fail by John Buhler 2021 Olympics women’s 200m breaststroke final: How to watch online by Baigen Seawell The Thunder have three first-round picks and tons of trade options heading into the NBA Draft. Could Collin Sexton
With Ben Simmons’ options dwindling down for teams to choose from, and his cutting off communication with the Sixers, his trade destinations have shrunk even further. The estranged Philadelphia 76er, Ben Simmons, has recently cut off all communications with his team. All conversation has been strictly between Simmons’ agent and the Sixers, and that is
From Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer, the reporter mentioned, “Lakers have a ton of veteran-type players ready and interested to come sign on minimum deals.” Now, this is not necessarily breaking news near the end of July, but this gives fans a reason to believe that Los Angeles is going all in this offseason to win
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 25: Kemba Walker #8 of the Boston Celtics dribbles during the first half of Game Two of their Eastern Conference first-round playoff series against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center on May 25, 2021 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and
After taking on another first-round pick from the Boston Celtics, could the Oklahoma City Thunder trade for Sixers point guard Ben Simmons? Simmons hasn’t been made available by Philadelphia…yet. They’re in the middle of a playoff run, of course. Yet, Doc Rivers squad blew a 20-point lead in Game 5, and now face elimination in
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JUNE 01: Marcus Smart #36 of the Boston Celtics handles the ball against the Brooklyn Nets in Game Five of the First Round of the 2021 NBA Playoffs at Barclays Center on June 01, 2021 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and
The Whiteboard is The Step Back’s daily basketball newsletter, covering the NBA, WNBA and more. Subscribe here to get it delivered to you via email each morning. The Oklahoma City Thunder have largely been overshadowed this season. Their brief offseason was highlighted by the departure of Chris Paul and additions to their absurd war chest of
After two consecutive years of being the seventh or eighth seed in the Eastern Conference and quickly exiting the playoffs after an uncompetitive first-round series, the Orlando Magic broke up the core of those teams at this year’s trade deadline. Gone are stalwarts like Nikola Vucevic, who became a two-time All-Star during his time in
The Boston Celtics lost to the tanking Oklahoma City Thunder, and NBA Twitter let them have it. The Boston Celtics have had some head-scratching losses this year, but Tuesday’s defeat might be their most confounding and inexcusable one yet. In a 119-115 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Celtics gave up a very winnable
Mar 21, 2021; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets guard John Wall (1) looks to drive around Oklahoma City Thunder forward Luguentz Dort (5) during the first half of an NBA basketball game Sunday, March 21, 2021, in Houston. Mandatory Credit: Michael Wyke/Pool Photo-USA TODAY Sports) Tyreek Hill reveals he denied Chiefs request to restructure contract
Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports NBA trade grades: Raptors land clever replacement for Norman Powell by Rucker Haringey Raptors take the first step, trading Norman Powell to the Trail Blazers by Steven Kubitza The 76ers have landed veteran point guard George Hill in a three-team trade with the Thunder and Knicks ahead of today’s 3
On March 22, 2021, the worst fast break attempt in the history of the NBA occurred, thanks to Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Theo Maledon. He followed it up by turning the ball over. Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Theo Maledon will be roasted alive on his team’s next film session after completing the worst fast break attempt in the history
George Hill, Oklahoma City Thunder. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) NBA rumors: 1 major hiccup preventing Kyle Lowry trade to Heat by Braulio Perez The Oklahoma City Thunder have reportedly set their own deadline when it comes to fielding offers for point guard George Hill. The 2021 NBA trade deadline is on Thursday, March 25. It feels more
According to the latest NBA rumors, the Miami Heat are exploring a deal for Trevor Ariza. The Miami Heat make a ton of sense as a buyer heading into the 2021 NBA Trade Deadline, but this probably wasn’t what most people had in mind. According to The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor, the Heat are exploring a
Hamidou Diallo is heading from Oklahoma City to Detroit as the Thunder, and the Pistons agreed to a swap deal involving Sviatoslav Mykailiuk and a draft pick. It’s trade time for Oklahoma City and Detroit. According to Adrian Wojnarowski, the Thunder have agreed to send shooting guard Hamidou Diallo to the Pistons in exchange for
The Oklahoma City Thunder are a totally new team after myriad changes this past offseason. Here are five big questions facing the Thunder this season. 1. Which is the higher number: Future first-round draft picks owed to the Thunder or the number of OKC wins in 2020-21? According to my count, Oklahoma City has a
The Oklahoma City Thunder will look vastly different this season. It’s now Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s team. Can the 13th-best young player deliver? Praise showered down from the heavens — and from the keyboards of fans and journalists alike — when the Oklahoma City Thunder traded star wing Paul George to the L.A. Clippers in the summer
The Oklahoma City Thunder are sending Ricky Rubio back home to the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Phoenix Suns dumped Ricky Rubio to get their hands on Chris Paul, but luckily for the well-respected veteran, he won’t have to spend any time dealing with yet another rebuild. Okay, so maybe the Minnesota Timberwolves aren’t an established playoff
Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images Texans to interview former Bengals coach Marvin Lewis for head coaching job by Cole Thompson The NBA is postponing the Houston Rockets’ season opener against the Oklahoma City Thunder due to COVID-19 concerns. Two days into the 2020-21 NBA season, the league is already being forced to postpone its first
Atlanta Hawks, Oklahoma City Thunder. (Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports) A collective jersey debacle made the first half of the Atlanta Hawks vs. the Oklahoma City Thunder game on Friday night completely unwatchable. The Atlanta Hawks and the Oklahoma City Thunder proved to the world once again that red uniforms and orange uniforms do not
The Houston Rockets, Oklahoma City Thunder and New Orleans Pelicans have leveraged superstar trades into a huge number of draft picks. But how far ahead of the pack are they? The past two years have seen a succession of enormous, superstar trades in the NBA, with Anthony Davis, Paul George, Russell Westbrook (twice), Chris Paul
Feb 10, 2021; Los Angeles, California, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Luguentz Dort (5) reacts with center Al Horford (42) after scoring a basket and drawing a foul against the Los Angeles Lakers during the second half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports Eagles could have a deadline for Carson Wentz
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder, Gary Trent Jr., Portland Trail Blazers. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) Bad Coaching in the NFL: Dan Campbell wants kneecaps by Mike Tanier Shai Gilgeous-Alexander found Gary Trent Jr.’s flop to be of the hilarious variety on Monday. There are flops and then there is whatever Gary Trent Jr. of
Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers, Oklahoma City Thunder. (Mandatory Credit: Craig Mitchelldyer-USA TODAY Sports) MMA champion Ben Askren to come out of retirement to fight YouTuber Jake Paul by Amy Kaplan Damian Lillard owns the Oklahoma City Thunder with his incredibly petty new Adidas shoes. When Damian Lillard dropped 50 points and eliminated the Oklahoma City