OKC Loud Links: One Star Down, One to Go

Now that Chris Paul has found a home in Clipper land and is undoubtedly started working on his lobs to Blake Griffin, we have one more mercurial megastar in Dwight Howard that needs to decide what is best in life.

Season Preview: OKC Thunder | Ball Don't Lie

The BDL gang does a great job looking at the Thunder from all different angles, each one coming to a similar conclusion - the future looks bright.

Best Pictures from Media Day | Daily Thunder

Young grabs some great pix taken from the Thunder's official media day album. I think I'm going to make Byron Mullins' armpit my new desktop background.

Durant to Play More Power Forward? | NewsOK

It sounds good in theory, but the key is the match-up. In the right situation, Kevin Durant can tear up a team. In the wrong one (i.e. Blake Griffin) he's in for some pain.

Day 9: The Might of Dwight | Grantland

Simmons shifts his gaze toward Dwight Howard, arguing that it is unclear that Dwight really knows what he wants. If he wants rings, there is only one place to go.

Lazar Hayward Will Make Durant, Team Better | NewsOK

I told [Durant], ‘I'll be going up against you all the time. I'm going to push you. I'm going to fight you. I'm going to try to make you mad...But at the end of the day, it'll help him because when those guys (opponents) guard him, they're not going to let him do what he wants. It wouldn't be fair to him if I didn't do my best every night in guarding him at practice. So at the end of the day, it's good for both of us."

CP3: Winners and Losers | CBS Sports

At the end of the day, it's all a zero sum game. Golliver examines the fallout.

Paul to the Clippers: Transaction Analysis | Basketball Prospectus

Feldman examines in depth where the bar is raised to for Paul and Griffin, as well as how the rest of the pieces of the trade will sort themselves out.

Eric Gordon's Rush Hour Commute | ESPN

Eric Gordon's career is probably going to flourish in New Orleans. It probably does not make this memory any brighter.

Stern Made the Best Deal | Sports Illustrated

He probably did. The Lakers fallout was shocking and the Clippers' original take was disheartening, because it seemed like Stern was chasing too much. However, once it became obvious what the league was after for the Hornets, they were smart to make the Clippers deal work.

Thunder!! | Grantland

I like the Grantland promo for the Thunder, but I think this article has been done already.

Lakers Mad that Clippers Got Paul | CBS Sports

I don't think any one of us ever thought the Clippers would get the drop over the Lakers, including the Lakers.

David Stern Drives the Tank | HoopSpeak

The CP3 trade likely puts the Hornets back in the lottery. Perhaps that's where Stern wants them.

More links after the jump.

Blake Griffin: Shotmaker | Ball Don't Lie

I think talents like this one are far more common than we might think. Even so, it's always good to have that shot in your back pocket.

New Orleans Patience Will Reign | SB Nation

Hornets fans know this - they had capped out. They were not going to get better than they already were, and there were no championships on the horizon. The faithful will show their patience though, because who knows when another Kevin Durant or Blake Griffin might show up.

Hamilton Clears Waviers, Signs with Bulls | CBS Sports

Rip Hamilton finally found his way out of Detroit and will be teaming up with Derrick Rose and crew.

In NBA, Dynasty Builds You | HoopSpeak

Harper examines the growing strangeness that has encapsulated the NBA in these past 12 months.

Dust Settles | Hardwood Paroxysm

Time to pick up the pieces.

Western Conference Season Preview | Behind the Basket

The Lakers still lead the pack, but with the big trade and an irregular season, can something unusual happen?

Do the Nuggets Know What They're Doing? | Wages of Wins

A vote of confidence? George Karl is still there, right?