Bull’s-Eye on Kevin Durant, Thunder?

The Oklahoman warns KD and the team that, due to recent success, they will face big-time pressure in the upcoming season: “There was a moment in each of Team USA’s five preliminary-round games in the FIBA World Championship that spoke to what kind of season the Oklahoma City Thunder could be in store for. The scene didn’t unfold on the court or the sideline. In fact, you didn’t see it at all. It was heard, emitting from the broadcast booth like a sonic boom. Whenever Kevin Durant manufactured a fall-away jumper or a fast-break dunk, the fawning would begin. ESPN color commentator Fran Fraschilla invariably insisted Durant, 21, is so immensely talented that he would be among the top two players picked, perhaps even the top overall selection, in any hypothetical world basketball draft. As if the Thunder hasn’t harvested enough hype following a stirring 50-win season that ended with a rack of awards and a riveting playoff series, OKC must now bear the burden of possessing a player some are openly considering the best in the world. A part of it doesn’t compute considering the Thunder won just 23 games in 2008-09. But there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight for the high praise.”