With the much heralded and controversial move that involved several court battles in Seattle and Oklahoma City, Bennett decided a change in scenery, along with a new name would hopefully change the fate of the storied franchise.

The move eventually cost Bennett $45 million dollars to break free from the remaining two year contract at Key Arena but hopefully with the frenzied fans, and fresh start that OKC offers it will be money well spent for years to come.

The Thunder look to try to improve on a 20-62, the teams worst season in franchise history with some fresh legs from this year’s sophomore core, and new faces taken in this year’s draft.

Even a minor improvement over last year’s mark will be a welcome change for management who has already conceded that expectations will not be high according to Bennett.

The bright spot this season will again be highly touted sophomore guard Kevin Durant, who led the club in scoring with 28.2 points, and a respectable 20.3 ppg average throughout the season.

Durant, a 6’9” guard played just one season for Rick Barnes and the Texas Longhorns before coming out as the second pick in last season’s draft. In his first year playing with the big boys Durant grabbed NBA Rookie of the Year honors.

He can go to the hole and drive the lane at will, but can be erratic and overwhelmed on the court forcing ill-advised shots more often than not for head coach P.J. Carlesimo. Despite his lack of awareness on the court Carlesimo has put the weight of the team squarely on his broad shoulders giving him the fire away from anywhere on the court.

Russell Westbrook looks to bolster a less than stellar point guard position after being picked as the number 4 overall player in this year’s draft. The team also tried to improve on its physical prowess by trading Walter Sharpe and Trent Plaisted to the Detroit Pistons for D.J White

The Thunder look to again be the doormats of the Western Conference, but instead of Seattle fans suffering through what looks to be a rebuilding decade, Oklahoma City will get a taste of what it will be like to back an upstart franchise that if truth be know Seattle would of gave away for nothing.

Another top prospect for the Thunder is rookie forward D.J White out of Indiana. All White did last year for the Hoosiers was average 17.4 points, while hauling down 10.3 bards per game on his way to claiming Big 10 Player of the Year honors. White’s bruising style should lend some credence to the power forward spot for the Thunder

Prediction: 5^th Place 17-65

[tags]kevin durant, okc thunder, nba, d.j. white, seattle sonics[/tags]

D.J. White, who played his college ball under the Sampson fiasco (regime) at Indiana University, earned Big 10 freshman of the year honors, and then matched that with Player of the Years honors as a senior, along with being named to the 2008 2^nd team All-American squad.

White not only brings athleticism to the OKC Thunder, but the team will also benefit by his eagle-like wingspan that should reek havoc on defenses throughout the league.

White should be able to step in and relieve forward Chris Wilcox, who looks to get most of the playing time while White learns the system. After the learning curve of the NBA, the roles should be reversed in the favor of the Indiana rookie.

White’s wingspan should be an added plus on the boards where he averaged a double-double in his senior year in the rough-and-tumble Big 10 last season. The rookie’s strongest suit might possibly be in the half court game where he has developed a strong 10-15 foot mid range jumper and can take it to the hoop if needed.

The only drawbacks to White’s game can be a lack of explosivess off the ball, and aggressiveness in the paint. His awkward style of bringing the ball up the floor limits his ability for an up tempo game that the Thunder looks to run.

With a little time and patience White can, and will lead the OKC Thunder to a better record than last season with his scoring in the low post and his patented baby hook from just outside the basket.

White’s patience should be rewarded early on due to Wilcox coming down with flu-like symptoms just before the start of the pre-season for the Oklahoma City Thunder who open against the Dallas Mavericks October 8^th at a neutral site. D.J. White is favored to start if Wilcox can’t answer the bell in the next couple of weeks. White has proved to head Coach P.J. Carlisemo what he can do in practice so can be a surprise start for Oklahoma City.

[tags]d.j. white, indiana hoosiers, oklahoma city thunder, nba[/tags]