Via SI.com:

The Oklahoma City Thunder were fearing the worst when reserve guard Eric Maynor tumbled to the floor last night, clutching his right knee, midway through the fourth quarter of the team’s win over the Rockets. Now the worst has been confirmed - the team announced today that Maynor has torn his ACL and is done for the season.

The team that gets seemingly no injuries has finally suffered a blow, with the conductor or our second unit suffering a season-ending ACL tear. The good news is that ACL injuries are much more recoverable than they used to be, though that's about the only good news. Maynor will be sorely missed, and we can only wish him the best of recoveries.

The injury presents some questions surrounding our second unit. Who takes the job of backup PG? We certainly won't be able to replace Eric Maynor, since all of the players we have left in the guard positions are play more in the vein of Russell Westbrook or Thabo Sefolosha than they do Eric Maynor. Royal Ivey presents an interesting option, but he's more of a defensive guy than a distributor, and he's sitting on the IR, so I doubt he gets the job. Lazar Hayward could possibly fill the role, but he's the type of guy who completes the scoring play, not the one who sets it up. After eliminating those two, you're left with the rookie, Reggie Jackson.

He did his fair share of ball handling in Boston College, averaging 4.4 assists in both of his last two seasons. But it's no secret that he's more of a combo guard than Maynor is, and he hasn't really spent any time running the point in the NBA. There's always a first time, but it's hard to see such a big responsibility go to a rookie who hasn't really proven himself yet.

However, there is another intriguing option for backup point guard in James Harden. Harden has been averaging 4 assists this year, turning in 8 against Phoenix and 6 against Portland. Though he hasn't exactly run the offense, it's not hard to see that his knowledge of where players are on the floor is much better than that of Russell Westbrook. Consequently, he's excellent at calling his own plays and finding the open man. But, he's already an excellent option at SG, and I don't know whether Brooks will want to move him down to PG.

To be honest, it's hard to predict what the Brooks will do. Maynor's loss will definitely be felt over the next few games, as the team adjusts to an entirely new man holding the ball. My guess is some sort of 50/50 split, with Harden and Jackson both getting time at the position. If Harden does get time at backup PG, though, expect Hayward to see time at SG, rather than Jackson. I doubt Brooks would have both Harden and Jackson on the floor while Harden played PG.

How do you think this injury will affect the Thunder? Vote in the poll, post a comment!

Darnell Mayberry is reporting that the Thunder have traded back-up center Byron Mullens to the Charlotte Bobcats for a 2013 2nd round draft pick.

Thunder Trades Mullins to Charlotte | NewsOK

The seven foot center has been used sparingly by the Thunder over his first two seasons, as he has struggled to crack the rotation. The Thunder were hoping that Mullens would round into a player similar to traded center Nenad Krstic, but Mullens was not able to take the next big step in his career while wearing the Thunder uniform.

By trading Mullens to the Bobcats and not taking any player back in return, the Thunder gain:

1. A free roster spot, with which they could fill down the road
2. A trade exception of approximately $1.38 million

Via Sports Illustrated:

The Minnesota Timberwolves have traded forward Lazar Hayward to the Oklahoma City Thunder for two conditional second-round draft picks and guard Robert Vaden.

The deal was completed on Tuesday and the Wolves immediately waived Vaden to clear a roster spot to bring in free agent point guard J.J. Barea.

Welp, it looks like we finally have our answer as to who will be filling the 15th roster spot on our team. We play the Timberwolves four times in a typical season, but Lazar Hayward had only played a total of 5 minutes and 6 seconds against us, with 2 points, a rebound, and and assist. Those two points happened to be a dunk, which you can see in this video. Overall, he seems decent enough, showcasing a good array of offensive moves and decent court vision. He's capable of scoring in double-digits, but you have to take his stats from last year with a grain of salt, as the Timberwolves were a complete mess, were often playing in irrelevant games, and Lazar Hayward sometimes got garbage time minutes.

We also lost Robert Vaden in the deal, but he was immediately cut by the Timberwolves, and it wasn't likely that we would have re-signed him, anyway. He never played a minute in a Thunder uniform, and was mostly there to provide someone who could shoot threes at practice. Now, we have someone who's going to guard Durant at practice.

Okay, now that I've gotten all of the official stuff out of the way, HOW COOL is it that we have a guy named Lazar on the team?! Whether you pronounce it like "La Czar" or "Lay-Czar" or "Lazer", it's probably the best name to hit the Thunder since Saer Sene. Hayward is a cool name to go along with it too. Kind of sounds like some over the top 80s action hero name.

Thanks goes out to bbeeck for the early Fanshot.

Some thoughts from Canis Hoopus' comment section on the Lazar Hayward deal after the jump.

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Shane Battier, a veteran role player who made a significant impact on the Memphis Grizzlies' playoff run last season, is a free agent. Battier offers a wide array of positives, ranging from his outside shooting to his defensive prowess to his locker room leadership abilities. He is one of the more cerebral players in the league who has a strong sense of both team concept and his personal place in the game. He'd also make for a great addition to the Thunder. 

Mr. Everyman Kevin Durant is on the case.

While the notion of Battier joining the Thunder remains unlikely, due in part to the fact that the OKC roster is jam packed and because Battier will likely have myriad suitors and the potential for a big payday, the thought of Battier in Thunder colors is tempting. However, if there was one veteran player in the league who might be willing to forego more money in order to join a championship idea, it just might be Battier.

Via Kiiitv.com:

An attorney for NBA star and southeast Texas native Kendrick Perkins says he is innocent of all charges stemming from his weekend arrest.

...

In a press released obtained by 12 News HD, Beaumont attorney Langston Scott Adams says, quote "Mr. Perkins has maintained his innocence to the charges and is recovering at home with family suffering from injuries he received during the incident."

It appears this arrest is more serious than many of us thought it was. Or, his lawyer is blowing things out of proportion. Honestly, there's really no way to know at this point. But hopefully none of the injuries that he suffered are too bad, and we wish him luck in recovering.

This comes after the initial arrest and the details following it.

There's not much to say that hasn't been said, so stay tuned for further updates in what we're all hoping is a short saga.

Via IamaGM.com and Yahoo! Sports:

A statement from police in Beaumont, Texas, said officers saw a large crowd outside The Ticket night club just after 2 a.m., and received complaints of fights and pepper spray inside.

An officer saw about 50 people inside around Perkins, who police said was attempting to fight the club’s manager. The statement said the crowd pushed Perkins out the back door of the club, where he continued to yell obscenities and start other fights.

I think the most hilarious part of this situation is that he was in town for a camp which is supposed to teach children "drug awareness and life skills." Kendrick Perkins pretty much showed to be lacking in both areas by what he did today. 

Apparently Stephen Jackson was also on the scene and was pulled into a police car, but he was not booked on any charges. (At least, according to TMZ.) Leave it to Perk to upstage one of the most notoriously troubled NBA players. 

None of us know what really happened, or why Perkins was so angry. Maybe he saw a bad example being set by the club owner and he just happened to be liquored up. Maybe the Club owner was just sitting and being nice, but Perk decided to pick a fight for no reason. Maybe he was saving a nest of young kangaroos. I don't know, but the worst thing that could happen is that he gets slapped with some sort of fine when teams are actually able to dish out fines. And it only helps his tough guy image...even if he was doing something dumb.

This brings up an interesting point, though. If any NBA player wanted to get involved in a bit of trouble with the law, now would be the time to do it. As they are on strike from the NBA, they cannot be fined until the lockout is over, which will be probably enough time for the teams to forget all of their transgressions. As long as there isn't a gun or car involved.

Via TMZ:

NBA star Kendrick Perkins was arrested in Beaumont, TX this morning for public intoxication and disorderly conduct ... TMZ has learned. 

Perkins -- who plays for the Oklahoma City Thunder -- was booked into Jefferson County Jail at around 4:00 AM. According to the jail, he posted $251 bond and was released shortly thereafter.

And with this report, both Boston Celtics traded to the Thunder have been charged with crimes, as Nate Robinson was charged with public urination back in June.

But this situation is laughable, at best. Of course, no one likes somebody being drunk and acting like a jerk, but there are many worse things other NBA players have done, and I doubt anyone will remember this by the time the season starts.

You could get on a high horse and claim that this is no way to set an example for your children, or how this is no way to act when you're on a multi-million dollar contract. But given that very little is known about the charges, I wouldn't pick up my pitchfork just yet. In case you didn't get the memo, team toughness comes with a price.

Via IamaGM.com and Marc Stein of ESPN:

Agent Aaron Goodwin told ESPN.com on Tuesday night that he has met with officials from Turkish club Besiktas and has likewise begun exploring opportunities for Durant in Spain and Russia. Goodwin added that playing in China is not something Durant is considering at this time.

The Turkish newspaper VATAN has reported that Besiktas, if ultimately rejected by Bryant after weeks of trying to get the Los Angeles Lakers' star swingman to commit to join New Jersey's Williams at the Istanbul club, would then shift its focus to trying to sign Durant to play with Williams in the event of an extended lockout.

As we enter mid-August, the Rumor mill is beginning to churn again. Players are seeing the reality of the lock-out, and the latest player to look at contact offers is the Thunder's own Kevin Durant. Right now he's looking at an offer from Turkish club Besiktas. Yes, this is the same club that has signed Deron Williams and has been constantly hassling Kobe Bryant to sign.

How seriously can we take Besiktas? Well, it depends. Besiktas is probably the shadiest team in Europe when it comes to money. Recently, the soccer side of their club (which is run by the same people) was involved in a match-fixing scandal, forcing the club to freeze it's assets on both sides of the ball. Furthermore, according to HoopsHype, the team hasn't payed any of its' players on time in the past three years, and that three players currently under contract with Besiktas are trying to be forcibly waived. Of course, Deron Williams and Kevin Durant (should he sign) will get paid, just as Allen Iverson did. The question is whether the team will have the money to pay the other 13 players on the team.

Of course, Durant is just talking to Besiktas, and nothing is finalized. But if he wants to keep his image as a team player, I'd advise him to stay the heck away from that club. There are other shady clubs in Europe, but Besiktas is the shadiest of the shady, and they aren't even competing for the Euroleague championship this year. He'd be better served to follow a team that already has a history of success, rather than a team that offers him the big bucks.

Thoughts? Vote in the poll, post a comment!