2010-2011 Finish: 58-24

What went well

Sure, the Thunder had a great year but GM Boyd can't let a good thing go and traded his team out of success once again. Despite finishing near the top in the Western Conference, the team lost in seven games in the first round to the upstart Sacramento Kings. Just like the season before, the Thunder were one of the most feared teams in the league but lost their bite by the time the playoffs came along. What happened?

The season began with Boyd sending off John Salmons and Omri Casspi (who never suited up for OKC) to the Lakers for David West. They then consolidated more, bringing in Jamal Crawford from the Bobcats for Antonio McDyess, Toney Douglas, James Johnson and Craig Smith. So far, so good.

The Thunder weren't big players in the FA market, grabbing low-tier guys such as Anthony Tolliver, Shawne Williams, Erick Dampier and Shawne Williams. Surprisingly, Boyd had only one more preseason trade up his sleeve, sending the immensely overpaid Rashard Lewis and Von Wafer for the declining Peja Stojakovic and Randy Foye. Kinda a stinky deal all around.

OKC started the season dominant, winning many of their early games. Boyd fine-tuned early, shipping off Ryan Anderson and Cartier Martin to the Nuggets for Marquis Daniels. Somehow, Anderson found his step in Denver. Daniels injured his spinal cord and never played again that season.

For his tenure in OKC, Boyd traded everyone (sometimes multiple times) except star Chris Paul. After bitching about his play all season long, he finally pulled the trigger (one he threatened to do over and over before), sending Paul and Collins to the Kings for Stephen Jackson and Ben Gordon. Not a bad haul at all for his star, but the fans were furious. It didn't stop there. After dumping Daniels and signing Eddy Curry (!!), Boyd kept trading. He also sent Peja to the Kings, getting Sasha Vujacic and Raymond Felton. A few weeks later, Vujacic, Felton and Foye rode the Boyd Express (no, I'm not talking about a part of his body here) off to the tanking T'wolves in exchange for Matt Barnes and Elton Brand. Another injury-prone PF? The size would soon hurt the Thunder.

What went bad

The Thunder won the second seed but Chris Paul got the final taste of revenge. Bolstered by a trade with the flailing Bulls, the Kings beat the Thunder in seven games. David West's injury kept him out of the final 20 games of the season, as well as the playoffs. He was sorely needed. S-Jax played well, but Brand was absolutely pathetic, averaging 8.1ppg and 7rpg. Gordon was bad too, hitting only 5.9ppg. And Chris Paul? He averaged 14.6ppg and doled out 4.3apg. Ex-Thunder Jason Richardson led the Kings in points. Then again, most players in the league are ex-Thunder.

Looking to the future

The Thunder come into the new season with a few questions. Both West and Crawford are unlikely to be back. Boyd made another big deal on draft day, one that may irrevocably change his team's progress this season. Desperate to get Nolan Smith on his team, he sent away up and coming big man Serge Ibaka, a 1st rounder and Tolliver to the Cavs for Chris Kaman (!!) and Smith. Cavs GM, Alejandro ain't no fool and took the deal immediately, upgrading his center and saving like $14mil.

Smith is a solid role player, nothing more, and hopefully Boyd's blind devotion won't make the poor kid start as the team's floor general. Cole, on the other hand, has more potential. He is a large point guard and can handle the floor. He just has no range. Let's hope Cole doesn't get Paulitis and decide to jack threes all season long.