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Still wishing the Thunder had taken Stephen Curry instead of James Harden?

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For the last year and a half, Thunder reserve guard James Harden has suffered the slings and arrows of not being Golden State golden child Stephen Curry.

More than a few fans have publicly wondered and often preached how much better the Thunder would be had it taken Curry rather than Harden with the No. 3 pick in the 2009 NBA Draft.

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This hypothesis reached its peak Dec. 5 inside Oklahoma City Arena when Curry, who was drafted at No. 7, exploded for 39 points while shooting 14 for 20 from the field, 4 for 7 from 3-point range and 7 for 7 from the line. He also had six assists, two steals and played 46 minutes.

Harden had a solid game, though not nearly as flashy with 12 points, 2 for 3 from 3-point range, 4 for 4 from the line, two rebounds and two steals in 25 minutes.Curry and his fellow Warriors (32-42) once again visit the Thunder (48-24) on Tuesday at 7 p.m.In two games against OKC this season, Curry has averaged 42.0 minutes, 31.0 points, 9.5 assists, 2.0 steals and is shooting 63.2 percent from the field.

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As a rookie last season, he averaged 21.0 points, 4.5 assists and 4.0 rebounds.General manager Sam Presti and coach Scott Brooks obviously won't discuss what the Thunder might be with Curry on its roster, which would be disrespectful to Curry, Harden and all teammates.

However, Presti and Brooks freely confirm Curry and Harden are superb fits precisely where they are. Harden particularly has excelled since the Thunder's trades 16 games ago with Boston and Charlotte.The 21-year-old Harden is sandwiched between a pair of 22-year-old All-Stars in Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook on the league's third-youngest roster.The 23-year-old Curry plays alongside a should-be All-Star in fellow guard Monta Ellis.To those longing for a Curry-Harden swap, a reality check: You can't simply swap stats.Statistically, Curry dwarfs Harden. But this is the NBA, not a fantasy league.

Players have to blend, feed off each other and make each other better. It's about chemistry, not raw numbers.A few things to consider had OKC selected Curry rather than Harden:* Curry wouldn't start for the Thunder. Westbrook is the starting point guard.

You can't start Westbrook and Curry in the same backcourt. They're both 6-foot-3 and 185 pounds. Starting two players that size works fine in college. Starting two that size in the NBA begs for a match-up problem. Harden is 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds.* Curry no doubt enjoys starting and averaging 34.9 minutes a game in his career. How much would he enjoy not starting and playing maybe half those minutes? Ever heard Harden complain about playing time or not starting? A young player accepting his role is always a huge plus.* Had Curry been in OKC, would Westbrook have developed into an All-Star reserve in just three seasons? Remember, the more minutes for Curry, the longer it takes Westbrook to grow at the position.

* There is only one basketball. The more shots Curry takes, the fewer shots everybody else gets. That hasn't been a problem for him in Golden State, but it could have been a potentially big problem in OKC. Would Durant have become the NBA's youngest scoring champ last season if he's sharing shots with Curry? Could Curry have adapted to taking 7.9 shots per game (Harden's career average) rather than 14.2 shots (Curry's career average)?*

Curry was runner-up to Sacramento's Tyreke Evans for 2009-10 Rookie of the Year. Harden has since joined the discussion for Sixth Man of the Year.

A win-win.* Where would OKC be defensively with the offensive-minded Curry? Harden often struggles on defense, but there has been some notable improvement.* If the Thunder had Curry, it likely would not have Eric Maynor, Nazr Mohammed, Daequan Cook or Cole Aldrich.Because Curry primarily would play point guard for the Thunder, there would have been no trade to acquire a rock-solid backup in Maynor from Utah in Dec. 2009.

There also likely would have been no interest in acquiring Cook, who is shooting 43.4 percent (46 for 106) from 3-point range since Brooks consistently started bringing him off the bench on Jan. 28.OKC had a 27-win improvement last season, which gave the Thunder the necessary draft assets to trade for the No. 11 pick in Aldrich, which in turn brought in Morris Peterson from New Orleans, which eventually led to the acquisition of Mohammed from Charlotte.Would Curry also have spurred a 27-win improvement? Maybe, maybe not, but it's hard to argue with what has transpired without him.The Thunder is 98-56 (.636) with Harden on its roster and will advance to the playoffs for a second straight season.
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Robert Kraft remains ‘confident’

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Patriots owner Robert Kraft has been optimistic since the beginning of the NFL labor negotiations with the entity formerly known as the union. One of the most high-profile owners famously believed a deal could be struck in a week.
Even with the realities of the past few days setting in — the union decertifying, the owners locking out the players and a total breakdown of negotiations — Kraft’s high hopes for a new collective bargaining agreement haven’t diminished.

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“While disappointed by the (union’s) action to decertify, I remain confident that an agreement will be reached and that the 2011 season will be played,” Kraft said yesterday, in his first comments since the nightmare scenario for football fans played out.

Kraft spent the week in Israel on a previously planned trip with Gov. Deval Patrick, in “constant contact” with his fellow negotiators. He did not detail his reasons for optimism.

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He also joined the league’s side in showing frustration with the union for breaking off talks.
“I think the actions of the union to walk away from Friday’s offer clearly showed their true intentions to take this to litigation all along,” said Kraft, a member of the 10-person labor committee. “I know that the owners are committed to this process, but that the quickest way to do so is through continued negotiation, not litigation. For the sake of all involved, I hope we return to the negotiating table very soon.”
Kraft’s confidence was followed by similar statements from Jets owner Woody Johnson, the Kansas City Chiefs and others. Yet now, activity has halted.
Players cannot talk to coaches.
Players are barred from entering the building, and the many who trained at Gillette Stadium are forced to go elsewhere. Rehabbing running back Kevin Faulk [stats] planned to train at Louisiana State.
“Going back to school,” he said.
Linebacker Jerod Mayo joked that he’ll be working out on a Bowflex home gym in his basement. It’s reality now.
The Patriots [team stats] non-football staff members don’t face furloughs and cutbacks as some other teams, because the Kraft Group runs other businesses such as the Revolution and Gillette Stadium for concerts.
Life may not be so rosy when season-ticket requests are due on March 31, but the team can simply call on its waiting list.
And so, Kraft and his fellow owners brace for a court battle, because the players filed an antitrust lawsuit with a lead plaintiff most would recognize. The suit is called Tom Brady [stats] vs. the NFL.
The goal will be to challenge the NFL’s policies on the draft, the salary cap and free agency, and receive damages they’ve incurred to bring the NFL to its knees. The union has also attempted to block the lockout, which may allow the season to be played under last year’s rules while the court battle continues.
Center Dan Koppen, in an appearance on Sirius NFL Radio, said he wasn’t surprised at being locked out by the owners. But he sounded as optimistic as his owner.

NHL-Oilers lose top pick Hall for season with ankle injury

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Edmonton Oilers rookie forward Taylor Hall will miss the remainder of the NHL season with an ankle injury suffered while fighting an opponent during a recent game, the team said on Friday.

Hall, the first overall pick in last year's NHL Draft, fell awkwardly to the ice at the end of a fight with Columbus Blue Jackets winger Derek Dorsett on Thursday.

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"Taylor Hall has a left high ankle sprain which requires eight weeks to heal, therefore he will be sidelined for the remainder of the season," the Oilers said.

The 19-year-old winger, third in rookie scoring with 42 points, scored 22 goals and added 20 assists in 65 games for the last-place Oilers.

Hall had a goal and an assist in Edmonton's 4-2 win over Columbus before leaving the game limping in the second period but had no regrets and said he felt he needed to take a stand.

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"It's bad luck that I had to leave the game, but I would probably do it again if I had to," Hall said after the game.

"There comes a time when you have to. There's nothing wrong with stepping up and trying to defend yourself because eventually if you keep getting hit and people keep coming in for you, it's not a great feeling to be the guy that keeps on being rescued."

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Refreshed Thomas, Bruins douse the Flames

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CALGARY, Alberta — In his three previous starts, something funny happened to Tim Thomas. The goalie on the fast track to the Vezina Trophy looked like an average netminder.

On Feb. 9, Thomas gave up six goals to Montreal in an 8-6 win. On Feb. 13, Detroit put four pucks past Thomas. Last Tuesday, Mikhail Grabovski and Phil Kessel each tucked a pair of pucks behind Thomas in Toronto’s 4-2 win.
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Last night, all was back to normal.

Thomas turned aside 28 Calgary shots to backstop the Bruins to a 3-1 win before 19,289 at Scotiabank Saddledome. Milan Lucic scored two goals, including a last-minute empty-netter, and Brad Marchand netted his 19th strike.

Thomas’s path to recovery started last week. Tuukka Rask started against the Islanders on Thursday and made 34 saves in a 6-3 win. The following night against Ottawa, the Bruins could have given Thomas the nod, given how he has owned the Senators recently. But with the aim of resting Thomas and getting Rask back on track, coach Claude Julien went back with the Finnish netminder on consecutive nights. Rask responded with a 32-save 4-2 win, while the 36-year-old Thomas got the rest he needed.
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“My legs definitely felt fresher than they had in a little while,’’ Thomas said. “I think that decision paid off for both of us.’’

Thomas faced the heaviest challenge in the first period, when the goal-hungry Flames threw pucks and people at the net. Thomas battled through Calgary’s traffic and turned aside all 13 first-period pucks that came his way.

At the other end, Lucic scored a first-minute goal to give his club some early momentum. The play started when Mark Giordano flipped a puck out of the defensive zone, which prompted the Flames to make a line change. But Adam McQuaid, paired with Zdeno Chara to start the game, gloved the puck at the red line, dropped it to his blade, and smoothly shuttled it forward to David Krejci at the offensive blue line.

Suddenly, the Flames had to scramble to complete their line change. Lucic, seeing Krejci settle McQuaid’s pass, sprinted over the blue line and roared toward the net. None of those things could have happened had McQuaid not made such a quick glove-and-pass play.

“We’ve practiced that the last couple practices,’’ Lucic said. “The forwards get back and giving the D-men an option where they can make a quick pass like that. It was a great heads-up play by McQuaid. We kind of caught them on a line change there. It was a good way to get the game started.’’

Krejci faked a shot, which opened up Miikka Kiprusoff. With the Calgary goalie biting on Krejci’s fake, the center slid a cross-crease dish to Lucic. The left wing had little trouble tapping in Krejci’s feed at 0:59 for the game’s opening goal.Continued...