NBA oklahoma city Thunder

ORLANDO -- You figured it might be a long night for young Kevin Durant and his Oklahoma City teammates after he spent a good portion of his pre-game chat Wednesday talking about idolizing Magic veteran guard Vince Carter.

"When I was growing up, I always thought Vince was the best. I still look up to him, and I'm still a big fan,'' Durant said. "I used to watch his highlights as a kid. When I was about 11, my mom bought me a Vince Carter jersey and shorts, his Raptors uniform, and I wore it to every game. I guess that's a little embarrassing to say now, but it's something I'll never forget.''

Durant's innocence was refreshing. It made him and everyone around him smile. But it's probably not the kind of competitive edge that the Thunder needed from him. He is on the verge of becoming an NBA All-Star, but he sure didn't play like one Wednesday night, sinking to his worst performance of the season.

Couldn't help but notice some interesting box score lines from a busy Friday night of NBA games. Among them ...

Oklahoma City has signed guard Thabo Sefolosha to a contract extension to beat Saturday's deadline, his agent confirmed Wednesday to FanHouse.

The agent, Guy Zucker, had told FanHouse on Monday an agreement wouldn't be reached. But he said everything began to change by Tuesday when the Thunder stepped forward with an improved offer.

The deal is for four years, starting with next season. Zucker would not comment on dollars.

Saturday is Halloween, but don't expect many NBA owners and general managers in this shaky economy to dress up as Bill Gates and throw money around.

Oct. 31 is the annual deadline for one-time first-round picks entering their fourth seasons to be eligible to sign extensions that would kick in for their fifth seasons. For stars, it's a chance to land their first really big contract.

But much is silent as the deadline approaches, meaning the overwhelming number of eligible players from the 2006 first round will become restricted free agents next summer. Three players from that draft -- Andrea Bargnani of Toronto and LaMarcus Aldridge and Brandon Roy of Portland -- have inked extensions, but not a lot more activity is expected.

TULSA, Okla. -- It's no surprise Kevin Durant is really pushing the team angle this week.

When asked by FanHouse if he wants to play for Team USA in the World Championships next summer in Turkey, the Oklahoma City forward couldn't stop talking about how badly he wants to represent his country. Sounds as if he'd settle for the role of scorekeeper.

Asked, though, about wanting to play next February in his first All-Star Game, Durant mostly just shrugged. This is apparently not a good time to be talking about such an individual accomplishment.

Durant made news on his Twitter page last Sunday by responding to an Oct. 9 ESPN TrueHoop post that, due to his poor plus-minus rating, Durant "has been killing his team.''

NBA FanHouse walks through the Valley of the Most Likely; we shall fear no topic.

Some basketball statisticians think Kevin Durant has been overrated through two seasons of work, a tunnel-visioned volume scorer. Others believe him to be The Second Second Coming, a future pantheon invitee getting his sea legs. Where's the truth?

We'll find out more this season, I'd bet ... but not without a war.

FanHouse previews a player to watch from each NBA team in advance of the 2009-10 season.

The English dictionary defines relentless as "Jeff freaking Green." I'm not kidding. Go look it up. And if it doesn't say that, then your dictionary has been scared into a lie.

Jeff Green is the other-other Thunder. If Russell Westbrook is The Edge to Kevin Durant's Bono, Jeff Green is one of the other U2 members that you don't actually know because they aren't The Edge or Bono. But if you haven't been paying attention to Green because you've been too busy calling your friends to tell them Kevin Durant is breaking your mindskull, take a second look at the power forward for the Thunder. Because if Oklahoma City is going to take the next step this season, it won't be on the back of Westbrook, but the man they call Predator.

FanHouse previews all 30 NBA teams in advance of the 2009-10 season.

The goal of the Oklahoma City Thunder should be apparent: Rise from the dregs of the Western Conference and into the middle-of-the-pack. That's a realistic endeavor, and it will be the responsibility of coach Scott Brooks to get the Thunder there.

Nobody expects the Thunder to be lumped in with the Lakers, Spurs, Blazers, Nuggets, Mavericks or even Hornets. But it does seem doable for OKC to gain some separation from the Kings, Timberwolves and Grizzlies of the world.

It wasn't as bad as the minor league baseball player who last year was traded for 10 bats. Nevertheless, center Tyson Chandler wasn't too thrilled when he saw last February what New Orleans received for him from Oklahoma City.

Players, you see, are often sensitive about what a team gets back when they are traded. Marcus Camby wasn't dancing the Cha-cha-cha when Denver, in a July 2008 salary dump, got nothing more from the Los Angeles Clippers than the right to exchange second-round picks in 2010.

And Chandler grumbled when he saw all the Hornets, in an attempted salary dump, got for him were Joe Smith and Chris Wilcox, who both had expiring contracts, and the draft rights to somebody named DeVon Hardin.