OKC Loud Links: Pick-Up Action

We have one Thunder pre-season game in the books, and their second is tonight, with the Mavericks coming to town. It will be interesting to see if Rick Carlisle decides to give Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd some minutes tonight, since they both sat out in game 1. Last night, we also got our first look at the re-made Clippers and...wow. This is going to be a fun season.

Chris Paul's Clippers Have Arrived | Sports Illustrated

It isn't just how good point guards pass to open guys; it is how good point guards make their guys get open.

Durant Goes Full Dirk Nowitzki | NewsOK

Kevin Durant busted out the one-legged fadeaway against the Mavericks, later crediting Dirk Nowitzki's mastery of the shot. Even better, Durant was working off of the types of screens that HoopSpeak highlighted last week, which freed up Durant from the guard of Shawn Marion.

Jordan & Paul Do Terrible Things to the Lakers | Ball Don't Lie

I look forward to reading that sentiment many times this season.

Chris Paul Trade Stained NBA's Credibility | Yahoo! Sports

"Let’s not talk too much about how the sausage was made" - David Stern

"Are you not entertained?" - Maximus

Northwest Division Preview | CBS Sports

Golliver thinks the Thunder will come out on top, but overall the division overall could be more competitive than it has been in years.

How Melo and Amare May Con Voters For Another Year | Wages of Wins

Amare Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony made WoW's overrated list last season. Will full season working together improve their efficiency?

Celtics Bummed They Didn't Get David West | 8 Points, 9 Seconds

The Celtics are really striking out these days.

Season Preview: Southwest Division | Behind the Basket

The Mavericks still rule the haunt, but the Grizzlies are the up and comer who can take a huge step forward this season.

More links after the jump.

Thinking About Giving Her a Call This Weekend | HoopSpeak

In which the Rockets are compared to a debutante cocker spaniel.

Nets New PA Guy is Interesting | Ball Don't Lie

I think Prokhorov may have inadvertently hired Rob Zombie to do the Nets' PA work.

Top Free Agents of 2012 | SB Nation

Dwight Howard and Deron Williams headline the list.

Afflalo Re-Signs With Nuggets | CBS Sports

Arron Afflalo decided to return to the Nuggets for 5 years and $43 million. This is not a bad pay-day, but it goes to show how the player market has gone haywire in the past few weeks.

Antonio McDyess to Retire | CBS Sports

Antonio McDyess was waived by the Spurs and intends to retire. He has definitely been one of the better role players in the league these past two decades; unfortunately, injuries robbed him of his high potential.