Chat transcript: Jenni Carlson digs into Thunder hoops, recruiting and more
NewsOK Sports 10:08 a.m. Welcome to the Power Lunch chat. Jenni Carlson will be on at 11 a.m. to take your questions, so get them in now and we'll get started with some Thunder, Sooners, Cowboys and Super Bowl talk.
10:16 a.m. Good morning, everyone! Can't wait to get today's chat started in a bit. Send those questions in now. Can be Thunder, recruiting, Super Bowl or whatever. I'm game for anything!
11:01 a.m. Hey, it's time to go! Can't wait to see what everyone wants to talk about today.
11:01 a.m. When do you think OKC's streak will end? What is your guess on thier record at the all star break?
11:02 a.m. Geez, the last time I went on record saying when a streak would end, I was DEAD wrong. We did a prediction on that homecourt winning streak the Thunder had earlier this season, and I said it would last another two or three weeks. It ended the next night, I think. ...
11:03 a.m. So, I may not be the one you want to ask this! But I suspect the Thunder has a great chance to keep the winning streak going another five or six games. They'll be favored in all of those games, so why not pick 'em to win? ...
11:04 a.m. I'll go 43-12 at the All-Star Break. I think my math is right. (I was told there'd be no math!)
11:04 a.m. Is it possible that Brooks finally has realized that Perkins needs to be removed from the starting lineup in order for this team to make it to the NBA finals? If this game against Miami didn't prove how worthless Perkins is against the upper echelon teams I don't know what would. His usefulness came and went when Andrew Bynum went to the eastern conference and that was some time ago. It only took losing an NBA finals and 6 more losses in a row for Brooks to figure this out...not bad!
11:05 a.m. Nope, that's not what Wednesday night meant at all. Perk in the starting lineup is usually what the Thunder needs, but the Heat (and a couple other teams) present unique matchup challenges where the smaller lineup is the way to go. ...
11:06 a.m. If you think Perk has outlived his usefulness, you didn't see him a couple weeks ago against LaMarcus Aldridge. The Thunder beat the Blazers that night thanks in large part to the defense Perk played on him down the stretch. And that's just one example that I could mention.
11:06 a.m. how many empty seats will there be for Saturday's game vs Baylor? aren't we still ranked in the top ten?
11:07 a.m. OSU is ranked No. 8, though the rankings came out before this week's games. I assume the Cowboys will drop a bit after the Bedlam loss. ...
11:08 a.m. As for empty seats, I suspect they'll be several thousand. That seems to be the trend this season. And truth be told, this matchup has lost some steam as Baylor has gone down the tubes. Once upon a time, the Bears were a top-10 team nationally. Now, they are ninth in the 10-team Big 12.
11:08 a.m. thoughts on the "little brother" chant last Monday night when we played OU? why do they call us little brother?
11:09 a.m. Stuff like that happens in rivalry games. I'd prefer that classiness dictated people's actions, but we know that isn't the case in our society. All fan bases everywhere do that kind of thing. ...
11:10 a.m. And if you need me to explain why OU fans call OSU "little brother", well, you might want to ask Sooner fans. I really don't want to speak for them.
11:10 a.m. Can you explain Perkins statement on twitter "Sacrificing is what good teams do."? Is he saying he sacrificed something? If so what did he sacrifice?
11:10 a.m. Minutes. He usually plays about the same number of minutes. He didn't play near that number Wednesday. And as near as we know, he didn't complain about it. ...
11:11 a.m. Some of us might say that isn't a sacrifice, but in sports, that's widely considered one.
11:11 a.m. The only Thunder game I ever attended was last year against Brooklyn, and they smoked us with their 3 point shots. Is tonight the proverbial trap game as Thunder just came off such an emotional high.
11:11 a.m. Considering the then-struggling Nets came into OKC earlier this month and beat the Thunder, I don't believe that this is a trap. The Thunder knows that it can be beat by these guys. ...
11:12 a.m. Is there a come-down from Wednesday's game? Maybe. But this is another nationally televised game in one of the world's biggest markets. Oh, and the Super Bowl's in town. I have to think they'll be plenty of buzz to get the players up for this one.
11:13 a.m. Man, it's getting hard to watch OSU basketball. Such talent on the floor...too bad the coach can't get more out of 'em. In all honesty, I enjoyed watching outmanned and outgunned Eddie Sutton teams in the 90s because I knew the guys were coached well and played hard. Eddie's teams might lose, but it was going to be because of talent and not coaching. I question the latter for Ford's teams.
11:13 a.m. You can question the coaching. That's allowed. But here's the thing -- doesn't it stand to reason that the coaching plan sort of gets tossed out the window when your big guns can't stay on the floor? ...
11:14 a.m. Foul trouble has become a BIG problem for these Cowboys, and no matter how much Ford and Co. game plan, all of that effort is for naught when Smart and Nash are sitting on the bench by them. ...
11:15 a.m. Could the coaches adjust better to that? Maybe. But before you start bashing Ford, you have to acknowledge that he's put behind the eight ball when he has to play Christen Sager more minutes than LeBryan Nash.
11:15 a.m. since the DOK claims that osu is the state's "basketball school" what is the series record in basketball in the bedlam series? Osu has to be on top right?
11:15 a.m. We claimed OSU is the state's basketball school? I'd love for you to produce proof of that. That is news to me. ...
11:16 a.m. As for the Bedlam series, I don't have the number in front of me, and I can take time to look it up or I can ask you to Google it. I'm tempted to ask you to Google it ...
11:18 a.m. OU held a 126-89 series advantage about five years ago. I'm sure if I wanted to hold up the chat longer, I could find the updated record, but it's safe to say that OSU hasn't made up ground to take over the series lead.
11:18 a.m. Is curling back in the Olympics, and are you going to watch (you said any topic)?
11:18 a.m. Is curling back? Did it ever leave?!?! ...
11:19 a.m. Curling is on the program, and it has been on the program for quite some time. Curling is arguably my favorite Winter Olympic sport. I will watch as much of it as possible. ...
11:19 a.m. And if you want a little tease, I can tell you to be on the lookout for yours truly writing a column about curling in the coming week or so. You won't want to miss it.
11:19 a.m. OK 2 years from today (2016) name starting 5 for the thunder up
11:20 a.m. Harry Man, the only thing I would say for certain is that KD and Russ will be here as long as they want to be. After that, I don't even know what the starting line up will be next Wednesday.
11:20 a.m. Brooklyn 114-thunder up 109..and something big will happen in this game..
11:20 a.m. Well, the Nets ending the Thunder's streak would be pretty big.
11:20 a.m. who does jenni like in the super bowl and what about daily oklahoman sports editor mike sherman like...
11:21 a.m. Jenni likes the Broncos. Not sure about The Boss.
11:21 a.m. Hey Jenni, Do the Sooners get both Parker and Clark and which would make the biggest impact?
11:21 a.m. Our folks who cover recruiting are fairly certain that both guys will end up at OU. Or at least they were last I heard. ...
11:22 a.m. I hear that both guys are really good, but Clark might make the bigger impact. Defensive line is an area where the Sooners haven't had a true disrupter/difference-maker since, who, Gerald McCoy? It's been awhile. Sounds like Clark could be that kind of talent.
11:22 a.m. I think nick collison should be a nba all star...his game is just very fine to watch...how many games has nick won with his fundamental play (MANY)
11:23 a.m. No doubt that Collison has a huge impact on this team, but his game isn't All-Star worthy. Sorry to burst that bubble, Harry Man.
11:23 a.m. If Durant wasn't on this scoring binge and the Thunder would have been .500, do you think Westbrook would be coming back before planned as rumored?
11:23 a.m. Hard to say, Chase. A good question, though. ...
11:24 a.m. I have to think that Westbrook might be given a bit more time to heal this time around because last time, he had the swelling re-occurrence. And since the team is playing so well, the urgency is definitely diminished. ...
11:25 a.m. If nothing else, it has to ease his mind to take as much time as he needs. Things are going fine right now without him. Get healthy and come back when he's absolutely ready.
11:25 a.m. The Thunder were hot and lucky a couple times on 3-pointers. The Heat were neither. Yet my biggest take on the game, the young Thunder players found the Miami Heat players mortal.
11:26 a.m. The mental side of that game seems big to me, too. It let the Thunder know that it could beat the Heat, and let the Heat know that, even without Westbrook, the Thunder could beat it. If OKC wins again in a couple weeks, that could be a big mental advantage should they meet in the Finals.
11:26 a.m. Why are people so blind to the fact that Perk does have value?
11:27 a.m. Beats the heck out of me. But I suspect it has to do with offense. People want to weigh everything based on offensive statistics. And because his are so lacking, they believe he isn't valuable.
11:27 a.m. thoughts on Jake Bugg?
11:27 a.m. Tell me who he is, and I give you some thoughts.
11:27 a.m. RE: The starting line up in 2 years. I say Westbrook, Roberson, KD, Ibaka, Adams. With Reggie, Lamb, and PJ# coming off the bench
11:28 a.m. Seems like a possibility.
11:28 a.m. why keep bringing up the fact that the supersonics moved from seattle to okc? everyone already knows this, is it just a way to increase page views and or comments on your articles?
11:29 a.m. I think I've mentioned it twice in the past year or so. Just so happens that both instance have been in the past week. But twice in a year? Is that too much?
11:29 a.m. How do you think this recruiting class is going to rank when it is all said and done compared to Oklahoma's previous classes under coach stoops
11:30 a.m. Billy, I have to admit, I'm not much on recruiting rankings. Every year there are guys who everyone thinks will be stars who bust and guys who no one cares about who become starters. Recruiting rankings are about as inexact a science as you can find.
11:30 a.m. Jake Bugg a former grad asst at osu, got fired this week by Mike Gundy. look him up on twitter
11:30 a.m. Will do.
11:30 a.m. All right folks, my time here is up. I appreciate all the great questions. Hope you have a great weekend!
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Jenni Carlson
Jenni Carlson, a sports columnist at The Oklahoman since 1999, came by her love of sports honestly. She grew up in a sports-loving family in Kansas. Her dad coached baseball and did color commentary on the radio for the high school football... Read more ›