OKC Should Send Thank You to Beverly

As the NBA playoffs heat up and the Oklahoma City Thunders’ season comes to a screeching halt, most of Oklahoma is cursing the same name. Patrick Freakin’ Beverly. What if that… punk hadn’t gone for a steal before a time out? Do the Thunder sweep the Rockets? Is the Memphis series still 3-1 but this time for the Thunder? Does anyone know where the heck Patrick Beverly lives??

If anyone finds out please let Thunder GM Sam Presti know because Patrick Beverly is the best thing that ever happened to the Oklahoma City Thunder. 

When Beverly lunged for the ball as Thunder guard Russell Westbrook took a timeout in Game 2, the collision caused Westbrook’s knee to twist awkwardly and the UCLA product crumbled in obvious pain. Westbrook would finish the game with 29 points and another Oklahoma City victory but the damage to their 2013 title hopes was already done. 

The future looks brighter than ever though.

The first improvement was Kevin Durant being called on to take more shots than a birthday boy on spring break. We saw Durant take his play to a whole new level and develop, now by necessity, a more aggressive mentality. 

That’s not even the best part. 

Seldom used second-year point guard Reggie Jackson has been thrust into the starting lineup and after a few games, has the look of a potential stud. He’s not an all-star yet but he could be a better point guard than Westbrook.

No seriously, look at the two scouting reports per ESPN’s John Hollinger: 

+ Athletic point guard who plays out of control. Needs to calm down. + Good court vision but instincts are as scorer. Quick and has good size. + Disappointing shooter as rookie. Must improve finishing and shot selection.

Vs.

+ Freakishly athletic shoot-first guard with great burst to basket. Penetrates at will. + Shaky long-range shooter but excels at mid-range pull-up. Makes bad decisions. + Could be excellent defender, but effort has slackened. Great offensive rebounder.

Who’s who?

Obviously the “as a rookie” gives it away that the first is Jackson but the comparison is very similar and when you look at their rookie stats, it’s almost uncanny. 

For the sake of comparison I am calling this season Jackson's rookie season because he actually had a summer league, full training camp and wasn’t in the shortened, full sprint season like last year.

Westbrook shot 42% from the field, 22% from 3 and had a scoring efficiency rating of 1.14. Jackson shot 46% from the field, 23% from 3 and had a scoring efficiency of 1.15. After that, Jacksons (effective) rookie year basically beats out Westbrook's rookie year in almost every efficiency and “per 40” category but I’ll save that for another post. 

This is about options. 

So what if Reggie Jackson is a poor man’s Westbrook, or as I like to look at it, a more true point guard Westbrook? 

That could mean a lot of things for the Thunder. 

In a draft that lacks a certain super-star and has a lot of question marks, the Thunder could really capitalize. They already have a lottery pick from Toronto via Houston for the James Harden trade and then a late round pick (#29).

So let’s assume they don’t hit the jackpot (since it is top 3 protected that would be #4) and pick somewhere near 11. That arms them with a lot of ammo to make a move. 

The one glaring weakness for the Thunder is in the paint. Kendrick Perkins is an offensive wasteland and the only things he adds to the team are a couple hard fouls and a consistent frown. Serge Ibaka is constantly improving at the 4 and Nick Collison is a great energy guy off the bench but a true big man next to them could do wonders for the Thunder. 

The Thunder should look into trading this year’s lottery pick and next year’s first rounder (the 2014 draft is supposed to be stacked with talent) and Reggie Jackson and maybe a throw in or two to whoever wins the draft lottery. 

They should then, not walk, but sprint to the podium and take Kentucky center Nerlens Noel. He is one of the few players in the draft with star potential and he is an above the rim center. He doesn’t need the offense to run through him to score and he blocks shots, much unlike Perkins. With Noel and Ibaka roaming the paint, there might be more blocks in Oklahoma City than a Lego factory.

If you think that’s crazy, remember Noel’s knee injury will likely scare off some suitors and a lottery pick, a first rounder and Reggie Jackson would likely be better than the magic beans Orlando got for Dwight Howard.

Hell maybe Presti shocks everyone and trades Westbrook. Just kidding… kind of. Presti already traded James Harden and this wouldn’t go over well but he did trade Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis in one offseason back in Seattle.

Of course, this is a small sample size and Jackson hasn’t exactly been unstoppable or even stopped Mike Conley. OK maybe Beverly isn't the BEST thing to happen to OKC but either way I’m excited to see what Sam Presti does, even if it could mean trouble for the Rockets and the Mavs. 

Mother's Day Power Rankings

In honor of Mother’s Day, I will now release my first annual Mother’s Day Power Rankings. This list will be comprised of the most influential women in my life. A lot of thought went into this and a lot of feelings will probably be hurt but I enjoy sports and in sports we rank. Here it goes:

1.    Maureen Jones
No surprise here. My life’s top seed (there’s a joke in there somewhere) gets the number one spot. If it weren’t for her I wouldn’t be here and after going through the pain of raising me and still loving me, she is the obvious champion.
Last Year’s Rank: 1

2.    Katy Beth Sherman
The first semi-surprise this year, Sherman (for now) passes grandmother Pamela Rhoads for the number two spot. As my fiancé, she has the luxury of choosing to love me and still does. I haven’t matured much so she too has to put up with my childish behavior like my Mom, and she does so well. She is the one contender to the top spot.
Last Year’s Rank: 3 (it was a good number)

3.    Pamela Rhoads
Rhoads falls one spot this year due a proposal out of her control. She’s been my grandmother for going on 24 years now and I have yet to hear her ever say a bad thing about anyone. Her ceiling isn’t as high as some of the others but her floor isn’t as low. She is the only person on this list I don’t think I have ever been upset with. Always a safe pick.
Last Year’s Rank: 2


4.    Nanny Sherman
The first surprise of the year is Katy Beth’s grandmother. Nanny was always a big fan of mine and even told the top ranked Sherman that she loved me and knew I was the one. How can you not rate a woman with that type of confidence and accuracy in the top 5? And to make her case even stronger, she’s sensitive like me.
Last Year’s Rank: 4


5.    Diane Sherman
Diane is a tough one to peg here. As my future mother-in-law she is bossy enough to convince me to move her up or even down but in the end this felt like the right spot. Loving and caring she has probably talked KB out of killing me more than a few times. She also has one of the best laughs in the world and belongs in the top 5.
Last Year’s Rank: 5

6.    Miss Amanda Graff
Amanda Graff is the lone new entry to the top 10. My future cousin, Amanda kept the secret of my proposal for weeks leading up the actual event. If I have a secret or need someone to talk to, it will probably be Amanda.
Last Year’s Rank: NR

7.    Morgan Jones
My Aunt who is only 9 years older than me but we finished college at the same time. Albeit I graduated with an undergrad degree and she got her doctorate but an undergrad from Houston and a doctorate from Georgia are pretty much similar… As an avid Indiana Jones fan, I am just glad someone in the family will be Doctor Jones. She also gave me one of my favorite nicknames: Hashbrown. Not sure how or why but you don’t mean many other Hashbrowns.
Last Year’s Rank: 6

8.    Jordan Bell
My best friend’s younger sister, Jordan has been like a little sister to me. She is one of the funniest people I know and has consistently turned down my date offers so you know she’s really smart.
Last Years Rank: 8

9.    Michaelle Brooks
My Mom’s best friend growing up, married my Dad’s best friend growing up and has been a second Mom to me from the beginning. She took an obvious interest in me when I had the body of Michelin Man toddler and she requested people pay her 9 tickets to stare at me at the Texas State Fair. She also taught me that my Mom was a mushy drunk and I can never repay her enough for that.
Last Year’s Rank: 9

10.    Baillie Lott
The biggest drop of anyone in the Top 10, Lott is one of my fiancés best friends and someone I would still be friends with even if I hadn’t dated Katy Beth. Why the drop then? She moved to Tennessee and like the great pick up line says: She’s the only 10 I see. And plus I’m mad she moved away.
Last Year's Rank: 7

Just missed the cut:
 Mary Nell Jones- Step-Grandmother from the North… Houston. She came to a lot of football over the past few years but couldn’t crack a tough top 10.

Chanda Lawdermilk- She does HR for the Astros and I figure if I put her on here she could get me out of trouble a few times.

Tracey Bell- Another second mom for me, the mother of number 8) Jordan Bell but couldn’t get past her daughter on this one, not with that gimpy hip and everything.

Future Kids- If, God forbid, I have a daughter one day, she will assume the top spot until her early teens then probably make a resurgence after college.