2011-2012 Finish: 30-36

Season Highlight

Under the guidance of fan-favorite GM Boyd, the Oklahoma City Thunder kicked off the 2011/12 season with much anticipation. They were riding high after finishing the previous year with a 58-24 record, good for second place in the West and the third best record in the league. The Thunder were struck especially hard by the injury bug and finished the year 2 games out of the playoffs (30-36) but set themselves up nicely for another push in 2012/13.

Season Lowlight

Here’s a list of the Thunder players who missed significant time this past year: Zach Randolph (27 games missed), Stephen Jackson (11), Josh Howard (21), Reggie Williams (21), and Mike Miller (32). This resulted in 10 different starting lineups through the year. OKC was doomed with this much inconsistency. The most important name on the list is Z-Bo, whose absence in the post was impossible to compensate for. Stephen Jackson did his best to keep the Thunder relevant but ratings updates eventually brought him back down to earth.

Best Trade

The Detroit Pistons send Zach Randolph to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Oklahoma City Thunder send Anthony Randolph, Norris Cole and Kyle Singler to the Detroit Pistons. The Oklahoma City Thunder send a 2nd-Rounder (Cle) and 2nd-Rounder (LAL) to the Detroit Pistons.

OKC got one of the league’s premier post players for an overrated Anthony Randolph and a couple of projects. Z Bo is a big part of the team’s present and future. Nice trade.

Worst Trade

The Cleveland Cavaliers send Chris Kaman and Nolan Smith to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Oklahoma City Thunder send Anthony Tolliver and Serge Ibaka to the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cleveland Cavaliers send a 2nd-Rounder (Cle) to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Oklahoma City Thunder send a 1st-Rounder (OKC) to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

This one hurts. Boyd had to have to his protégé Nolan Smith and it cost him big time. Serge Ibaka is now a stud and would have formed an elite frontcourt with Z-Bo. They also sent away a lottery pick that turned into Terrence Ross. Boyd is still holding out hope that Nolan Smith turns into something special, but with a crowded backcourt in Portland, it doesn’t seem like he’ll get the chance.

Other Notable Trades

The Oklahoma City Thunder send Jason Terry to the Toronto Raptors. The Toronto Raptors send Jose Calderon to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

OKC sent Terry away in return for a more traditional PG, Jose Calderon. If he can remain healthy, Calderon should do a good job distributing the ball to Z-Bo and S-Jax.

The Oklahoma City Thunder send Andre Miller to the Orlando Magic. The Orlando Magic send Mike Miller and Quentin Richardson to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Here he flipped one good player for two average ones in search of more depth. Mike Miller is an expensive member of the Injured Reserve and Q-Rich doesn’t have much left in the tank.

Best FA Signing

Josh Howard – G – OKC has never been a player in the FA market and that trend continued in 2011/12. Josh Howard was signed very early on in the season and was playing well before injuries caught up to him.

Worst FA Signing

Nothing stands out here. Boyd didn’t blow a big chunk of GM points on any player and the ones he did pick up were low risk, low reward bench players.

Star

Stephen Jackson – G – Jackson was by far one of the most dominant 2K players in the early part of the season. In his tenth season in the league, Jax averaged 25ppg, a solid 5 points higher than any other season on his stat sheet. Subsequent ratings updates hurt his game, but we’ll always remember the S-Jax of weeks 1-10!

Surprise

Stephen Jackson – G - Not only was he the team’s biggest star, Jackson was also a huge surprise. Did anyone expect him to have that many 40+ point games? Or how about that 50+ game? Unbelievable. Coach Brooks gave him the green light and Jackson certainly wasn’t shy about gunning it. br>
Goat

Tayshaun Prince – F – You’d expect to get more production for the cost of Prince’s contract. However, the aging forward started only 39 games and was relegated to bench duty for the others. His plus/minus was below zero and his greatest strength, defense, wasn’t a factor in this 2K game engine.

Draft Report Card

OKC traded away their 1st round pick to Cleveland in the Nolan Smith deal and their 2nd round picks in various deals throughout the season.

Looking to the Future

OKC’s starting 5 is set going into next season: Joel Anthony, Randolph, Prince, Jackson, and Calderon. On paper that’s a nice unit to roll with, but the question will be health. All five are over 30 years old and have previous injury concerns. Behind them are veterans like Josh Howard (if resigned), the “Birdman”, and Mike Miller. Boyd should look to upgrade his area during Free Agency. If not, they are one injury away from a repeat of last year.


OKC should be in a win-now mode because they have zero future prospects on their team. The only guys below 30 are Nolan Smith, Reggie Williams, Quincy Pondexter, and Jeff Pendergraph. That shouldn’t inspire confidence in the Thunder fan base.

Upcoming Free Agents

Josh Howard – He could backup 2 positions and would be a nice insurance policy for S-Jax but Howard’s loyalty is an F. Boyd will have to spend some big GM points to get him back.

Jared Jeffries – Jeffries would be happy with a bench role and would see plenty of minutes behind Anthony and Randolph. While he doesn’t do anything great, he’s a serviceable 7 footer.

Matt Carroll – This guy hasn’t been relevant in years (maybe ever?). He didn’t play a single game for OKC last year and the Thunder won’t lose any sleep if that’s the same this season.