HOOPSAHOLIC

It pains me incredibly to say this because they're no question my favorite team, but the Oklahoma City Thunder need to wake up, NOW! After losing to the lowly Utah Jazz last night, the Thunder have now dropped three in a row and seven of their last nine. With Russell Westbrook expected to miss at least six more games if not more, and Kevin Durant probably going to miss even more than that, it might be time to start worrying just a little bit in OKC.

Please don't get me wrong, I'm not hitting the panic button here and claiming that the Thunder need to tank like Maverick's owner Mark Cuban has recently said. I know the Thunder are dealing with the worst injury situation the NBA has probably ever seen, but the teams OKC are losing to are just pathetic. Starting with the Jazz last night, the Thunder's last week and a half is littered with losses to teams they should've beaten despite being without KD and Westbrook. The Bucks and Pistons are the two that stick out like a sore thumb. If it weren't for Anthony Morrow scoring 28 points against the Celtics you could've added Boston to the list of sub-par teams that have had their way with the Thunder. 

Every match up against a winnable opponent is so precious for the Thunder right now. Without the two mega-stars, those are games that OKC desperately has to win in order to keep their head above water. It's reasonable to lose to team's like the Rockets or Grizzlies, because through the beginning stretch of the season both of those teams have proven to be apart of the league's elite. The Thunder fought valiantly against both of those teams and were close to pulling out victories despite being largely undermanned. That seems to be the ultimate story of the Thunder's injury-riddled season. 

Who's to blame for these inexcusable losses? Normally you would point the finger at the head coach, but I don't know if that's necessarily the case with Scott Brooks. He's so far said the right things and seems to have the guys believing they can win on most nights. The reason they've only been able to pull of that feat three total times this season is primarily on the shoulders of Serge Ibaka. Am I saying that it's all his fault and that he's played terribly? No, not at all. I'm saying that when your two best players go down with an injury, it should be the next guy up to lead the way. In OKC's case the next guy is Ibaka and he hasn't proven he can be the go to guy for any team. It's also been made crystal clear that Ibaka is primarily a role player, and all of his all-star talk in the past is a little far fetched. Through the first twelve games this season Ibaka is averaging 15 points and 7.3 rebounds. Both numbers are down from last season in 2013-14, a year where Ibaka was the third option on the team. The difference now is that he needs to play like the number one guy for the Thunder, but instead his numbers are technically getting worse. 

I was reading an article on Grantland a couple of weeks ago and the writer made a great point about the Heat last season when LeBron James and Dwayne Wade would both sit out of games. The Heat's third option, Chris Bosh used that opportunity to thrive and show that he can be "the guy." Ibaka either doesn't have that mindset, or the skill to do what Bosh did. That in my opinion is the key reason OKC isn't winning the games they should. If it weren't for the stellar play of Reggie Jackson, things could be even worse in Loud City. I'm not giving up on the Thunder, because I believe when Durant and Westbrook return that OKC be able to win enough games to sneak into the playoffs. That's if they're both able to return by mid December at the latest. If it gets to be later than that, then I may start finally hitting the panic button. For now, the Thunder take on the Nuggets tonight on the road. Denver is actually one of the three teams the Thunder have been able to beat this season. I don't think I have to say it, but I will anyway... Tonight is definitely a needed win for OKC.