Serge Ibaka, James Harden And The Question That No One Knows The Answer To

Scott Brooks Contract Extension: Thunder GM Sam Presti Says 'Things Are Progressing'

The Oklahoma City Thunder officially have no head coach just weeks after finishing the 2011-12 NBA season as the Western Conference champions. Scott Brooks contract expired at the stroke of midnight this Sunday morning, which means that Brooks can technically take some newfound leverage to the table with the Thunder front office as a free agent. Or the team could also go another direction. However, the only issue is time at this point since all parties involved are saying the right things.

After such an incredible season where the Thunder turned the corner in the NBA Playoffs and took out veteran, storied teams like the Spurs (even after being down 2-0), the Lakers and Mavericks, the team’s priority should be the stay the course and keep the core and head coach together. The attitude from team general manager Sam Presti seems to be just that.

"As we always say, the conversations themselves have to stay internal," said Presti. "But we’ve talked quite a bit about how important we feel Scott is, not only to the team but also to the organization and the fact that we wouldn’t be in this position without his contributions.

"So, I can tell you that we feel like things are progressing," he continued. "Our feelings remain consistent. And Scott, I think, has made it clear that this is an organization that he wants to be a part of and continue with. But until anything’s finalized, it would be premature for me to make any further comment."

Brooks is 174-125 in four season as the team’s head coach.

For more on the Oklahoma City Thunder, head over to Welcome to Loud City and join the discussion.

Thunder Rumors: Scott Brooks, OKC Still Working On Extension

Scott Brooks saw his contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder expire at 12:01 a.m. Sunday night but both he and the Thunder are hopeful that the two sides can put the finishing touches on a new four-year deal soon.

Thunder general manager talked about the situation at Saturday's news conference that introduced new draft pick Perry Jones to the media.

"As we always say, the conversations themselves have to stay internal, but we've talked quite a bit about how important we feel Scott is, not only to the team but also to the organization and the fact that we wouldn't be in this position without his contributions. So, I can tell you that we feel like things are progressing. Our feelings remain consistent. And Scott, I think, has made it clear that this is an organization that he wants to be a part of and continue with. But until anything's finalized, it would be premature for me to make any further comment."

Brooks reportedly made $2.1 million last season but is in line for a raise after helping lead the Thunder to the NBA Finals.

For more on the Oklahoma City Thunder, head over to Welcome to Loud City and join the discussion.

Scott Brooks, Oklahoma City Thunder Nearing New Contract

Scott Brooks is nearing a four year extension with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

2012 NBA Draft Reaction: SB Nation Grades Oklahoma City Thunder

It's safe to say the Thunder came away with a steal in grabbing former Baylor star Perry Jones III with the No. 28 overall pick in Thursday night's NBA Draft.

Last season, Perry could've easily been a lottery pick, but since he decided to stay in college another season and in this case, expose himself a bit, he dropped quite a bit in the first round this year.

OKC won't complain about it because they'll get a quality prospect for a bargain. SB Nation NBA editor Tom Ziller makes a really good point here about the ridiculousness of Fran Fraschilla comparing Jones to Serge Ibaka, though.

Jones dropping in the draft and losing money was worth noting. So was the fact that the Thunder could use another tall person on their roster if they don't keep Ibaka. But the comparison... Uncalled for at best.

This, from Ziller, who gave the Thunder draft night an "A":

Seriously though, how can you argue with this? If we forget Baylor's 2011-12 season ever happened, it's like OKC got another top-5 pick. Fran Fraschilla's on-air decision to compare Jones to Serge Ibaka was a bit eyebrow-raising, but this is still too good a pick to question.

Read more about the Thunder at Welcome To Loud City.

Oklahoma City, Scott Brooks Still Far Apart In Negotiations

According to the latest report from Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, the Oklahoma City Thunder and Scott Brooks remain far apart in contract negotiations:

The Oklahoma City Thunder have added a fourth year to a contract extension offer to coach Scott Brooks, but the two sides still have significant differences on salary, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.

Brooks reportedly wants to be one of the highest paid coaches in the NBA, which would put him in a yearly salary range north of $4 million. The Thunder, meanwhile, have stuck with an offer that would give him $2-3 million annually.

And while Brooks deserves a tremendous amount of credit for shepherding the growth of a young Oklahoma City team, the franchise is at a different spot than where they were 4-5 years ago and they may want a coach who emphasizes in-game strategy and tactics over a steady hand and long-term development.

For more on the Oklahoma City Thunder, head over to Welcome to Loud City and join the discussion.

Oklahoma City Thunder's Sam Presti Calls Scott Brooks 'Integral To Organization'

As far as those within the organization of the Oklahoma City Thunder are concerned, they’ve always had their man. Neither the front office nor Scott Brooks, the coach himself, have wavered with any sort of panic or wonder about how the team would approach the last year of Brooks’ contract with the team. Now it seems it’s only a matter of time before Brooks is re-signed.

"As we’ve said before, Scotty is an integral part of our organization and critical to our success," Presti said. "And we value him greatly. We’re looking forward to having those conversations, as he said, in the coming days. But he’s been integral to our success. We wouldn’t be in the situation that we’re in without him and his commitment to the organization and to our players."

In the past week or more, rumors have swirled about Phil Jackson or Jeff Van Gundy possibly taking over the loaded roster of the Thunder, but Presti denied any such rumor as "rubbish."

Expect a move to come soon even with the NBA Draft on the way this Thursday given the way Presti talked about the importance of rehiring Brooks.

For more on the Oklahoma City Thunder, head over to Welcome to Loud City and join the discussion.

Thunder Offseason 2012: Sam Presti Denies Coaching Change Rumors

After the Oklahoma City Thunder fell to the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals, rumors began to swirl that head coach Scott Brooks, who is without a contract, would be replaced by Phil Jackson or Jeff Van Gundy. However, general manager Sam Presti has denied those rumors.

Presti on the Phil Jackson/Jeff Van Gundy rumors: "To me, it's rubbish."

— Royce Young (@dailythunder) June 24, 2012

Presti went on to add that getting a deal done with Brooks is a "top priority." Negotiations are expected to begin soon between Brooks and the Thunder.

In addition to updating the coaching situation, Presti gave some player updates, as well. Lazar Hayward, Cole Aldrich and Reggie Jackson will play for the Thunder's summer league team while Tibor Pleiss will not be joining the team next season.

For more on the Oklahoma City Thunder, head over to Welcome to Loud City and join the discussion.

2012 Oklahoma City Thunder Offseason: Time To Sign James Harden To An Extension

The Oklahoma City Thunder are young. Everyone knows that. So there is no need to make wholesale changes to a roster that is still growing together. If you make the NBA Finals, blowing things up isn't the smartest thing to do. Just lock up your important pieces then get back to work.

And that means locking up James Harden to a contract extension.

The reigning Sixth Man of the Year had a marvelous regular season and a great first three rounds of the playoffs before struggling in the Finals against the Miami Heat. But despite the struggles, the Thunder don't get to the Finals without Harden and locking him up long-term is the Thunder's first priority of the offseason, according to Royce Young of DailyThunder.com.

"I'm just leaving it up to my agent and [Thunder general manager] Sam [Presti]," Harden said. "They'll do a pretty good job of working it out. I'm focused on several other things right now. But when the time is [right], they'll figure it out and it'll be done.

"This is something special here. A dynasty is being built here. So we're winning, we're having fun and we're brothers. The other stuff, you can't buy it."

Sounds like Harden wants to stay and the Thunder definitely want to keep him. All that's left is the numbers.

For more on the Oklahoma City Thunder, head over to Welcome to Loud City and join the discussion.

NBA Offseason 2012: Kevin Durant Against Major Changes To Thunder

Kevin Durant doesn't think the Thunder need to make major changes this offseason, as they look to capture the 2012-13 NBA title next season.