NBA Top 200 List: Steph Curry With the Shot, Boy?

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I've been thinking about putting together this massive post since the outset of the NBA postseason, and I'm finally getting around to it now. I watch and talk about basketball so often that it's really a necessity. Of course when we undertake a task like this, we run into the following issues:

1. What are the rankings based upon? Just this season? The past handful of years? Entire careers?

2. What carries more weight, cold statistics or the eye test?

3. How do we compare guards to forwards, forwards to centers, etc?

Well, at the end of the day, these are the questions I'm asking myself when evaluating an NBA player:

• How unique is the player? Are there a bunch of guys just like him?

• Can he create his own shot?

• Does he have the killer instinct? Yes, no or maybe?

• Is his game defined? Relative to that, does he play consistently?

• Does the consistency of his game contribute directly to his team’s success?

• Is he a two-way player?

• Have they been able to stay healthy? 

• Are they consistently aggressive or do they play passively at times?

• Do they WANT it?

• Are they a boom-or-bust player? Too much of a wild card?

Without further ado, in the words of the diabolical and twister Joker, "Here...we...go."

200. Meyers Leonard

What I like: Leonard is a big, strong kid who hustles and has made a concerted effort to improve his offensive game. He added a perfectly adequate three-point shot to his repertoire this season, to go along with his activity on the offensive glass and reasonable ability to finish around the rim. He's also active and physical defensively, if not entirely skilled.

What I don't like: Low ceiling. He deserved more playing time from head coach Terry Stotts this season, but even at 22-30 minutes per night his ceiling would be around 12-13 points and 7-8 rebounds per game.

199. Brandan Wright

What I like: Wright was one of the most consistent and useful back-up centers in the NBA when he played behind Tyson Chandler (and last season, Samuel Dalembert) in Dallas. He is a limited off-the-ball offensive player a la DeAndre Jordan, Mason Plumlee or more of the like, but he finishes the plays he's paid to finish. He's a coordinated pick-and-roll lob player with good springs and long arms. Defensively he's a good shot blocker with limited bulk to guard post-ups. 

What I don't like: Jeff Hornacek didn't seem to find him very useful in Phoenix. Devin Harris was Wright's pick-and-roll lob partner in Dallas, but no one was really looking for him that way in Phoenix. It just goes to show you, if a guy doesn't have one-on-one offensive game, he can be a forgotten man on teams without skillful and/or willing passers.

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198. Otto Porter

What I like: Here's a guy who looked absolutely lost for most of his first year and a half as a pro, then all of a sudden he seemed to figure things out. Some credit goes to the savvy tutelage of the great Paul Pierce. The rest gets attributed to Porter's length, athleticism, energy, willingness to attack/cut/move without the ball and the pure basketball ability that earned him a high lottery selection.

What I don't like: Otto needs to work on his triples if he wants to be an all-around offensive threat at the wing position. His ballhandling is suspect as well. 

197. Alex Len

What I like: Raw size and surprising ability. Len is not a clumsy Hasheem Thabeet type, despite his legitimate height and potentially-gawky length. He can catch and finish in deep, and his touch is better than I expected it to be. Defensively he's a shot blocker who needs to work on his lateral movement and team rotations. Len ran into a lot of the same problems as Brandan Wright at #199 -- the Suns' rotating guards throughout the season (Dragic, Bledsoe, Thomas and Knight) aren't generally looking to spoon feed their bigs. I suppose that's kind of the nature of the league in general, now. 

What I don't like: Lack of defensive quickness and no jump shooting game at this point. We'll see if he works on that.

196. Kosta Koufos

What I like: The guy's a pro. He's not particularly spectacular in any way, but he plays hard, gets in solid position on both ends of the floor and finishes nicely at close range. He was a totally serviceable starting center during his days as a Denver Nugget. Nowadays, he's exactly the kind of player you want as your back-up big. 

What I don't like: His once quick feet aren't as quick as they used to be. Showing some decline with age, but is still a useful giant.

195. Beno Udrih

What I like: "Beno Draino" knows his game. Protect the ball, come off high screens and knock down mid-range lefty jumpers. He's reliable, experienced and isn't going to kill you when your ace point guard is off the floor. I always find value in consistency and a player with a defined game, even if he's a pure role player.

What I don't like: Opposing point guards salivate when they see Beno in front of them. He isn't big, strong or particularly fleet of foot at this stage in his solid NBA career.

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194. CJ McCollum

What I like: Here's a guy who very quickly redefined his offensive game. Throughout his rookie season and about half of his sophomore campaign, it seemed like McCollum was trying to be a pure shooting guard because that's what the organization told him they needed. What's the problem with that? He's not a pure three-point shooter and he's not really a comfortable catch-and-shoot player. McCollum really came into his own when he began utilizing his off-the-bounce quickness and driving relentlessly -- both right and left -- to the rim. An argument could be made that he was the Blazers' best player in their unsuccessful postseason series against the Grizzlies. 

What I don't like: I don't know if C.J.'s short-term success was a fluke. It's too small of a sample size to really make a determination. I'll have to see more consistency over time to move him up.

193. Austin Rivers

What I like: Like Otto Porter and C.J. McCollum, Rivers decided to suddenly play his best basketball in the playoffs. That definitely isn't a bad thing. When Rivers realized he could use his size and quickness to attack the paint while more established players like Blake Griffin, JJ Redick and Jamal Crawford drew the majority of the defensive attention, he became an extremely valuable reserve for his father's team. We'll see if he can carry that new found confidence over to next season. 

What I don't like: Rivers has actually been a negative contributor for most of his short NBA career. He has spent a lot of time hurting his teams with indecisiveness and wildly inconsistent perimeter shooting. We'll see which Rivers shows up in 2015-16.

192. Chris Andersen

What I like: He may look like an unreliable loose cannon, but on the court, that couldn't be further from the truth. In a way, "Birdman's" look is a calculated bit of misdirection. When given the playing time, knowledgeable NBA enthusiasts have always considered him one of the premier shotblockers in the game; however, he can also be useful on the other end of the court with his lob-catching ability, offensive rebounding and "50/50 plays," as Coach Spo would say. He's a true team guy. 

What I don't like: Another "limited" or "low ceiling" player, as I have dubbed others. Creates little to no offense on his own and makes little impact on the game when his hustle level is below 100%.

191. JJ Hickson

What I like: When healthy and surrounded by the right cast of characters, Hickson can be a productive and sometimes-explosive flex big. He finishes hard -- often with two hands -- at the cup, makes athletic plays and dominates the glass at times. The key to that sentence, of course, is "at times."

What I don't like: Seems to get injured often and also appears to wear out his welcome with his coaches and/or teammates. He gets major run for stretches, but eventually becomes more of a 7th or 8th man for his team(s). Would only be a starter on three or four teams, at most.

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190. Jason Terry

What I like: "Jet" is a winner...always has been. I thought he was finished when he was on my Nets last season, but then he bounced back as a solid contributor for a very formidable Rockets team this year. At this stage in his superb NBA career (now third all time in three-pointers made), Terry's offensive game is pretty simple: Shoot threes when open and use the pump fake and threat of the three as a gateway to the paint and his patented pull-up jumper.

What I don't like: He was never an elite defender, and now with diminished foot speed he's certainly below average. That's surely an issue when he has to guard guys like Steph Curry, Chris Paul, Mike Conley and Tony Parker out west.

EDITOR'S NOTE: I just realized there's no way I'll ever finish this thing, with descriptions. Here's the rest in list form, 1 to 189:

LeBron James 1

Russell Westbrook 2

Stephen Curry 3

James Harden 4

Anthony Davis 5

Chris Paul 6

Kevin Durant 7

Blake Griffin 8 

Kyrie Irving 9 

DeMarcus Cousins 10 

John Wall 11

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Jimmy Butler 12

LaMarcus Aldridge 13

Dwight Howard 14

Brook Lopez 15

Marc Gasol 16

Carmelo Anthony 17

Tim Duncan 18

Mike Conley 19

Monta Ellis 20

Chris Bosh 21

Pau Gasol 22

Kevin Love 23

Gordon Hayward 24

Damian Lillard 25

Jeff Teague 26

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Klay Thompson 27

Kawhi Leonard 28

Rudy Gay 29

Al Horford 30

Zach Randolph 31

Dwyane Wade 32

Nikola Vucevic 33

Derrick Rose 34

Joe Johnson 35

Dirk Nowitzki 36

Tony Parker 37

Paul Millsap 38

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DeMar DeRozan 39

Bradley Beal 40

Wesley Matthews 41

Tyreke Evans 42

Al Jefferson 43

Ty Lawson 44

Goran Dragic 45

Brandon Jennings 46

Greg Monroe 47

Khris Middleton 48

Eric Bledsoe 49

Isaiah Thomas 50

Draymond Green 51

Kyle Korver 52

Kemba Walker 53

DeAndre Jordan 54

Reggie Jackson 55

Brandon Knight 56

Paul George 57

Jamal Crawford 58

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Kobe Bryant 59

DeMarre Carroll 60

Deron Williams 61

Andre Drummond 62

Hassan Whiteside 63

Kevin Martin 64

Enes Kanter 65

Andrew Wiggins 66

Kyle Lowry 67

Derrick Favors 68

Darren Collison 69

Serge Ibaka 70

Victor Oladipo 71

Michael Carter-Williams 72

Eric Gordon 73

Markieff Morris 74

Ricky Rubio 75

Kenneth Faried 76

Chandler Parsons 77

Rudy Gobert 78

Paul Pierce 79

George Hill 80

Tobias Harris 81

Danny Green 82

C.J. Miles 83

Jordan Clarkson 84

Tristan Thompson 85

Timofey Mozgov 86

Harrison Barnes 87

Joakim Noah 88

J.J. Redick 89

Boris Diaw 90

Lou Williams 91

Marcin Gortat 92

Josh Smith 93

Nicolas Batum 94

Arron Afflalo 95

Mo Williams 96

Luol Deng 97

Nene Hilario 98

Ryan Anderson 99

Mike Dunleavy 100

Jarrett Jack 101

Tony Allen 102

Nerlens Noel 103

Taj Gibson 104

Terrence Jones 105

Andrea Bargnani 106

Thaddeus Young 107

Courtney Lee 108

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Dennis Schroder 109

Jeff Green 110

David West 111

Tyson Chandler 112

Andre Iguodala 113

J.R. Smith 114

Jordan Hill 115

Andrew Bogut 116

Jared Sullinger 117

Jrue Holiday 118

Evan Turner 119

Amir Johnson 120

Patty Mills 121

Carlos Boozer 122

Jodie Meeks 123

Wilson Chandler 124

Jusuf Nurkic 125

Trevor Ariza 126

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Giannis Antetekounmpo 127

Jonas Valanciunas 128

O.J. Mayo 129

Rodney Stuckey 130

Brandon Bass 131

Robin Lopez 132

Corey Brewer 133

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist 134

D.J. Augustin 135

Gary Neal 136

P.J. Tucker 137

Avery Bradley 138

Elfrid Payton 139

Robert Covington 140

Matt Barnes 141

Ersan Ilyasova 142

Patrick Beverley 143

Manu Ginobili 144

Marcus Morris 145

Gerald Henderson 146

Greivis Vasquez 147

Gorgui Dieng 148

Danilo Gallinari 149

Dion Waiters 150

Gerald Green 151

Kelly Olynyk 152

Luis Scola 153

Bojan Bogdanovic 154

Aaron Brooks 155

Alan Anderson 156

Mike Scott 157

Nikola Mirotic 158

 Omer Asik 159

Marco Belinelli 160

Jae Crowder 161

Zaza Pachulia 162

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Zach LaVine 163

Marresse Speights 164

Donatas Motiejunas 165

Leandro Barbosa 166

Anthony Morrow 167

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope 168

C.J. Watson 169

Wayne Ellington 170

Amare Stoudemire 171

Lance Stephenson 172

Iman Shumpert 173

Tyler Zeller 174

Pero Antic 175

Marcus Smart 176

John Henson 177

Quincy Pondexter 178

Shaun Livingston 179

Jeremy Lin 180

J.J. Barea 181

Rajon Rondo 182

Jerryd Bayless 183

Tony Wroten 184

Trey Burke 185

Nick Young 186

Kent Bazemore 187

Randy Foye 188

Will Barton 189

My 200 Favorite Movies: Gosling & McGregor Keep Us Guessing In Cryptic "Stay"

With slick and self-assured performances in Fracture, Crazy, Stupid, Love and The Ides of March, off-beat turns in Lars and the Real Girl, Half Nelson and Drive, and dramatic skill in Blue Valentine, The Notebook and The Place Beyond the Pines, sex symbol Ryan Gosling has catapulted himself to the A-List of Hollywood. 

While I am a strong supporter of the vast majority of those films, my favorite of Gosling's is actually Stay (2005), a lesser-known entry on his impressive resume. Though to be fair, since he isn't top billing, it isn't exactly his film. 

Stay, directed wonderfully by Marc Forster (Monster's Ball, Finding Neverland, Stranger Than Fiction and World War Z), stars Ewan McGregor as Dr. Sam Foster, a psychiatrist who has been asked to try to help Henry Letham (Gosling), a gifted art student who is threatening to commit suicide on his upcoming 21st birthday. Letham's favorite artist is Tristan Reveur, an immensely talented painter who killed himself on the Brooklyn Bridge on his 21st birthday. 

Tasked with understanding Henry's motives and general state of mind, Sam becomes increasingly intrigued by him, at times appearing to inherit some of Henry's issues or even switch places with him. Henry claims that he has nothing to live for and that he deserves to die, but why?

We learn that the woman Henry pines over, a friendly and unassuming waitress named Athena, (Elizabeth Reaser) has no inkling of his affections and that his parents are both dead -- or are they? And if they are, how did they die?

As the movie progresses, Henry meets Sam's friend, Dr. Leon Patterson (the late Bob Hoskins), a blind man with whom Sam plays chess. During their initial meeting, Henry adamantly claims that Leon is his father, much to Sam's dismay and Leon's utter confusion. "Dad, what are you doing here?" Henry asks with pain and disbelief in his eyes, "I saw you die."

Later on, Sam has a disturbing encounter with a woman claiming to be Henry's mother (Kate Burton). So what the hell is going on? Are these people Henry's parents? Who is telling the truth, and where is the line between delusion and reality?

Much of Stay's intrigue lies in those questions. 

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It's difficult to truly categorize the film -- it has strong elements of suspense, mystery and drama, all of which are handled with flair and style by the director, Mr. Forster. I'm a fan of Gosling, McGregor (see Beginners, not for everyone but I found it soothingly bittersweet), Hoskins and Naomi Watts -- who plays Sam's girlfriend, Lila, who also attempted suicide in the past -- but in my opinion Forster is the star of Stay. 

There is a story developing in the foreground, but the story Forster is manipulating in the background is equally as interesting and at times, puzzling. Pay close attention to the visuals, and you will be rewarded. 

I can't divulge much about the ending except that, the more times I've seen this movie, the more I've liked it. Stay ends up packing a surprising emotional punch. In today's era of formulaic crowd pleasers, isn't it a great joy NOT to know the ending of a film within the first ten minutes of the proceedings? 

"Stay" with it, keep an open mind, and you will enjoy it. I know I do. 

** JOHNNY FRO'S RATING: 9 out of 10 **

2015 NBA Playoffs: Harden & Griffin Struggle With the Pressure

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1. James Harden is choking -- again -- and no one is noticing. 

Along with Stephen Curry, James Harden is one of the two most entertaining basketball players in the universe. Most of the time, Harden is one of my personal favorites. 

However, I can't deny my extreme frustration with him come playoff time. For the third time in Harden's relatively short professional career, he is blatantly choking during postseason play. I think the guy is phenomenal, but we simply cannot deny the facts:

2011-12 Regular Season:  49.1% FG, 39% 3PT, 16.8 PPG

2011-12 NBA Finals:  18-of-48 (37.5% FG), 7-of-22 (31.8% 3PT), 12.4 PPG

2013-14 Regular Season:  45.6% FG, 36.6% 3PT

2013-14 Postseason:  37.6% FG, 29.6% 3PT

2014-15 Regular Season:  44% FG, 37.% 3PT

2014-15 Postseason:  32.1% FG, 22.2% 3PT

I mean, seriously, look at those differentials! There is absolutely no way to refute those statistics; Harden clearly feels the pressure under the bright lights of the postseason. And if you don't give a crap about the stats, just watch every playoff game (like I do)...he consistently misses makeable shots that he routinely buries throughout the regular season, especially short-to-midrange step-back jumpers. 

So why isn't anyone noticing? Because the Rockets are up 2-0 over the stumbling Mavs. Harden has plenty of time to turn it around -- because Houston will most certainly advance past Dallas -- but the fact remains that I am very concerned about his psyche. There are definitely indications of a mental breakdown. 

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2. Chris Paul and Blake Griffin are two of the best players in the world, but they continue to falter down the stretch of critical games. 

In terms of skills, I have absolutely nothing bad to say about Chris Paul or Blake Griffin. I think CP3 is one of the best all-around point guards in the history of the NBA, and Griffin is one of the most explosive and versatile power forwards the game has ever seen. 

However, this Clippers team never gets over the hump because CP and BG don't make the necessary backbreaking plays down the stretch of playoff nailbiters. Case in point, in the Clippers' excruciating Game 2 loss to the Spurs, Paul missed a very makeable game winner at the end of regulation and Griffin committed two embarrassing (and virtually unforced) turnovers. 

Conversely, Tim Duncan, Patty Mills, Boris Diaw, Danny Green and Kawhi Leonard had no problems making high-pressure plays for San Antonio. Which leads me to the following prediction:

The Clippers are an outstanding team, but I don't think they are quite ready to beat the Spurs four times in a postseason series. The Clips looked dominant in Game 1, but I think the Spurs will out-execute them over the entirety of the best-of-seven series. 

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3. Rajon Rondo and Deron Williams are officially the most pathetic losers in the NBA. 

Rondo has always had a reputation as an individual who is very difficult to coach and/or get along with, but now he's playing for Rick Carlisle and Mark Cuban, and alongside legend Dirk Nowitzki, and somehow his attitude gets worse? How can that be? We're talking about one of the top five head coaches in the league, one of the most passionate and dedicated owners and a great teammate, warrior and champion. 

Basically, Rondo's an asshole and he's also a crappy player at this point. Although, I will say, he's not entirely to blame. Dallas' front office dug its own grave when it broke up one of the most efficient and effective offenses in the league to acquire a past-his-prime point guard with zero perimeter shooting ability. As we watch point guards like Curry, Paul, Kyrie Irving, Damian Lillard, Jeff Teague and Mike Conley light it up from the outside, one can only wonder why the Mavs opted for an aging point man who creates an obvious defensive advantage for the opposition. Worst transaction of the season.

As for Williams, my blood boils the second I see his face or hear his name. Here's the misconception about Williams: People keep saying that he's finished physically, but that simply isn't the case. He's still one of the best ballhandlers and passers in the game. Deron Williams' issues are entirely mental and emotional. He's afraid of success. He's afraid of the big moment. He shrinks when his teammates, coaches and fans need him most. We saw this again when he missed an easy game-tying jumper in Game 2 against the Hawks.

He still has skills, but he'll never be a winner. Deron Williams is a loser, through and through. 

Late-Night Boredom Review: Smith & Robbie Are Charismatic Con Artists in "Focus"

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In some sense, if you've seen one movie about con artists or "grifters," you've seen them all. Veterans of the genre know that the hero (or antihero) will be in some seemingly inescapable jams throughout the story, but in actuality, those jams are exactly where the hero wants to be. It's only a matter of time before we find out that it was all a part of their plan. 

Focus (2015) starring Will Smith and Margot Robbie, is no different -- but that doesn't make it any less entertaining. 

Smith plays Nicky Spurgeon, a smooth, calculating and uber-experienced con man. Nicky can pick pockets and strip wristwatches with his eyes closed, but his most lucrative talent lies in the orchestration of big cons. Nicky is the popular leader of a large network of like-minded and similarly-skilled grifters who look to him for organization, guidance and scouting of potentially big scores. 

Jess (Robbie) is not nearly as experienced. She has all of the tools -- skilled, stunningly attractive and morally flexible -- but she's a small timer. When an attempted scam of Nicky goes terribly wrong, she realizes that he is the man she needs to learn from. If she's going to reach the big leagues as a scammer, Nicky represents her pathway to the promised land. 

And off we go. Of course elaborate schemes ensue and sexual attraction develops between Nicky and Jess, but is it genuine? Is Nicky using his experience and misdirection to turn Jess into a very useful pawn, or is Jess more seasoned than we are led to believe? In their blossoming romance, who is the con and who is the mark?

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Not surprisingly, this is revealed at the end, but along the way we meet some entertaining supporting actors: Adrian Martinez as Farhad, Nicky's overweight and hilarious best friend and right-hand man and BD Wong as Liyuan, a fabulously wealthy high roller who tests the limits of Nicky's ego and resolve during a prop betting sequence at the Super Bowl. Both Martinez and Wong generate a number of laughs in limited screen time. 

In the end we have a light, slick well-crafted caper film by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa. These guys know how to entertain. They helmed Crazy, Stupid, Love (2011), one of the better films of its genre this millennium. I give Crazy, Stupid, Love something like an 8 or 8.5 out of 10, whereas Focus is more like a 7.5. 

The conclusion reminded me of 1973's Best Picture winner, The Sting (starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford), but I didn't mind much. I wasn't expecting much to the contrary. 

If you're looking for an easy, entertaining evening out, Focus is worth a look. 

** FRO'S RATING: 7.5 out of 10 **

Dark Clouds: How the Thunder Can Escape the Gathering Storm

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Once the explosive and popular darlings of the Western Conference, boasting four of the NBA's most promising young talents, the Oklahoma City Thunder (17-19) are now a mere shell of their former selves. In fact, with an exceedingly sloppy and embarrassing 104-83 loss in Sacramento last night, they may have fallen to the rock bottom point of the Kevin Durant era. 

So what exactly is plaguing this talented team?

First and foremost, once and for all, Oklahoma City's brass needs to fire head coach Scott Brooks. To try to summarize Brooks' many shortcomings as a head coach would be an exercise in futility, so here are some of the highlights of his inexplicably long tenure:

1. Knowing there was a good chance he'd be traded or lost to free agency in the future, Brooks still refused to start James Harden in the NBA Finals against the Miami Heat -- a series the Thunder lost handily, four games to one -- instead opting to go with the offensively-challenged Thabo Sefolosha, whose above-average defense never made up for the black hole he created when the Thunder had possession of the ball. 

Though behind Durant and Russell Westbrook on the marquee at the time, most knowledgeable basketball enthusiasts had already recognized that Harden possessed superstar offensive ability. I think it's fair to assume that OKC would have put together a better showing in that series if Harden had played as many minutes as both Durant and Westbrook. Fans will forever think, what if? 

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2. Brooks has been seemingly obsessed with Kendrick Perkins throughout his head coaching tenure, despite the fact that Perkins' slow, lumbering style is in complete and utter contrast to the uptempo nature of his team's core (Durant, Westbrook, Serge Ibaka, Reggie Jackson and of course Harden, at the time). Perkins has never played well with the Thunder -- in fact, he's always been a below-average NBA player -- and yet he has stolen minutes from more useful and style-appropriate bigs like Steven Adams and Nick Collison. 

3. Brooks' offensive system cannot be considered "professional." In all honesty, there is no system. Brooks just speaks in broad generalities and then lets Durant, Westbrook and Jackson play one-on-one while he sits on the bench crossing his fingers. 

Now I will grant him this: His situation is kind of a catch-22. Over the span of the past five seasons, the Thunder have been very successful allowing Durant and Westbrook to freestyle and create opportunities for themselves; however, they've never won it all. What separates the Spurs, Heat and Mavs championship teams from OKC is unselfishness, passing, cutting, spacing and sound technical basketball. The Thunder may still have the best athletes in the league, but Brooks has done absolutely nothing to refine that raw talent. Simply put, he has to go. 

Here's what I would do to turn it around:

1. Establish a consistent rotation and stop giving playing time to guys who are essentially useless. Brooks has been starting Andre Roberson at shooting guard in recent weeks, and he's probably the worst perimeter-shooting guard on the roster. Brooks likes his length and defense, which sounds an awful lot like what he used to say about Sefolosha. Look where that got him. Roberson should be out of the rotation altogether. Same goes for Perkins. 

2. Make sure there aren't too many one-on-one players on the court at once. The Thunder have four of those: Durant, Westbrook, Reggie Jackson and now Dion Waiters. The solution is clear: Durant and Westbrook start together, Jackson and Waiters come off the bench together to carry (what should be) a strong second unit. Jackson and Waiters should both be instructed to work on their catch-and-shoot game because I'm sure they'll be instances where they need to play off KD and Westbrook down the stretch of games. They can't be one-dimensional shooters off the dribble if this team is going to contend with the likes of the Warriors, Spurs and Mavs. 

3. Make sure the floor is spaced at all times. One-on-one players need drive-and-kick lanes. Opposing defenses need to be kept honest. So here's my solution:

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C:  Steven Adams 

PF:  Serge Ibaka

SF:  Kevin Durant

SG:  Anthony Morrow (savvy pick-up by Sam Presti. Brooks uses him incorrectly.)

PG:  Russell Westbrook

6th man:  Reggie Jackson

7th man:  Dion Waiters

8th man:  Nick Collison

9th man:  Perry Jones

That's it. That's all there is to it. Play your best players and those who complement each other's style of play. 

The Thunder can be fixed, but Scott Brooks isn't the right mechanic. 

Mr. Presti, I'm available for an interview. 

John Frascella is the author of "Theo-logy: How a Boy Wonder Led the Red Sox to the Promised Land," the first and only book centered on popular executive Theo Epstein. Looking for a sports columnist? John can be reached at john.frascella@gmail.com.