Thursday morning at 11 a.m. PT the NBA will announce that Seattle Sonics swingman Kevin Durant has won the league’s Rookie of the Year award.
Atlanta forward Al Horford is expected to come in second in the final voting.
Durant showed improvement as the season progressed, and in the final month or so really looked like a star worth building around.
Had Horford been more of a scorer, along with his rebounding and solid, rugged play, he’d possibly have come away with the award.

Detroit Pistons President of Basketball Operations Joe Dumars announced today that the club has hired Scott Perry as Vice President of Basketball Operations.  “We are pleased to welcome back Scott Perry to the Pistons basketball operations staff,” said Dumars.  “Scott is familiar with the culture of our team and understands our goals we have as an organization.  Given his past experience with the club, I feel the transition will be seamless.” Perry, 44, re-joins the Pistons after serving as assistant general manager for the Seattle Supersonics for the 2007-08 campaign.  He first joined the Pistons organization as a college scout during the summer of 2000 and was promoted to director of player personnel in June of 2002.  Perry will be responsible for directing day-to-day operations of the basketball operations department, handling player personnel issues and assisting in roster development.

The NBA Board of Governors today endorsed the recommendation of the NBA Relocation Committee and approved the move of the SuperSonics  from  Seattle to Oklahoma City for the 2008-09 season, subject to a resolution of the pending litigation between the Sonics and the city of  Seattle  that  removes any requirement for the team to play at KeyArena for the next two seasons.
“The  support  for the NBA demonstrated by the fans, government leaders and business  community  of  Oklahoma City over the last three years has been extraordinary,” said NBA Commissioner David Stern. “The Board of Governors is confident that that level of local support will result in success for the Sonics franchise in Oklahoma.”
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports: After NBA owners voted 28-2 on Friday to approve the Sonics’ relocation to Oklahoma City, team chairman Clay Bennett said he’d done everything possible to make things work in Seattle and remains hopeful of a negotiated lease buyout. The city of Seattle could delay the team’s departure for two years by winning the pending federal court battle over the lease’s enforcement, but Bennett and his Oklahoma-based ownership group now have a green light from the league to move as soon as that situation is settled… Stern said the vote was 28-2, with the two owners against being Dallas’ Mark Cuban and Portland’s Paul Allen.

Seattle SuperSonics General Manager Sam Presti announced today, second-year center Mouhamed Sene had surgery this past Monday (April 14) to repair a lateral meniscus tear in his right knee. During the surgery, doctors discovered a chondral defect which required microfracture surgery.
Sene will be on crutches for six weeks and will be continually evaluated.
The injury was originally suffered during an Idaho Stampede game at Bakersfield of the NBA Development League on April 4.
 
Sene appeared in 13 games for the Sonics this season, averaging 2.3 points and 1.2 rebounds in 4.8 minutes per contest. Sene also appeared in 27 games for the Idaho Stampede this season, averaging 12.1 points and 8.9 rebounds in 27.5 minutes per game.
The 10th overall pick in the 2006 NBA Draft, Sene has appeared in 41 regular season games in his two seasons with the Sonics and holds career averages of 2.0 points and 1.2 rebounds.

The AP reports: Kevin Durant set career highs with 42 points and 13 rebounds in his first professional double-double, and Jeff Green added 27 points to help the SuperSonics win what could have been their final game as a Seattle team, beating the Golden State Warriors 126-121 on Wednesday night. A strong season-ending performance by a pair of talented rookies would normally be a bright spot for fans of a lottery-bound team. But with the NBA Board of Governors set to vote later this week to approve the Sonics’ move to Oklahoma City after 41 years in the Emerald City, it’s unclear which fans will benefit… Baron Davis scored 21 points in 39 minutes after mysteriously being benched for the second half of Monday’s loss in Phoenix. Monta Ellis led the way with 24 points, Andris Biedrins had 20 points and 17 rebounds and rookie Marco Belinelli had a career-high 17 points.

The Seattle Times (Percy Allen) reports: Howard Schultz says he wants the Sonics back. Nearly two years after selling Seattle’s NBA franchise to Oklahoma City investors, the Starbucks mogul has hired a lawyer and is preparing to file a lawsuit against Sonics chairman Clay Bennett to rescind the July 2006 sale. Attorney Richard Yarmuth confirmed Monday that his Seattle-based law firm, Yarmuth Wilsdon Calfo, is representing Schultz and plans to sue Bennett’s Professional Basketball Club in the next two weeks. “The damages that are being sought is to rescind, unwind the transaction,” Yarmuth said a day after the team played what could have been its final home game in Seattle.

The AP reports: Standing at midcourt, hearing his home fans roar as they never have during his rookie season, Kevin Durant wore a giddy smile, lifting his arms and asking for more from the appreciative crowd. “Save Our Sonics,” they replied in deafening unison. If this was the end of the Seattle SuperSonics, they went out with a rare victory and feeling well loved. “I almost cried, to be honest with you. People kept saying it might be the last game in Seattle,” Durant said. “It was phenomenal.” Durant scored twice in the final 45 seconds, and the Sonics rallied from a six-point deficit in the final 3 minutes to beat the Dallas Mavericks 99-95 on Sunday night… Earl Watson led Seattle with 21 points and 10 assists, while Nick Collison had 18 points and 11 rebounds as Seattle scored the final 10 points and handed Dallas a second straight loss. Durant finished with 19 points, 13 coming in the second half.

Sonics General Manager Sam Presti announced today the team has re-signed forward Ronald Dupree for the remainder of the season.
Aside from the question of how long the Sonics will still play in Seattle, before their possible/probable eventual move to Oklahoma City, the team is in a full rebuild around Kevin Durant, with Jeff Green also on board. Almost everyone else may go this summer or in a year or so.

The AP reports: With one of their top scorers out and the other having a mediocre night, the San Antonio Spurs were still able to grab an easy—and important—victory over the Seattle SuperSonics. San Antonio’s 95-74 win Friday night strengthened its chances at getting home-court advantage, at least for the first round of the playoffs. Tony Parker scored 20 points, while Tim Duncan added 12 points and six rebounds on 4-of-12 shooting for the Spurs… Kevin Durant scored 20 points and Earl Watson had 17 for the Sonics, who dropped all three of their games in a swing through Texas… Jeff Green scored 10 points for Seattle and Nick Collison grabbed 14 rebounds.

The AP reports: Rafer Alston scored 18 points as the Rockets, playing without Tracy McGrady, got 48 points from their reserves to easily beat the Sonics 103-80. McGrady sat out with a sore left shoulder that’s bothered him for more than a week, but the Rockets didn’t miss him, handing Seattle its 11th staright road loss. Rookie Luis Scola had 13 points and 12 rebounds, Luther Head started for McGrady and scored 16 and sharp-shooting reserve Steve Novak added a career-high 17 points as Houston kept pace with first-place New Orleans in the tightly packed Western Conference playoff race… Former Texas star Kevin Durant scored 26, Nick Collison grabbed 15 rebounds and Earl Watson added 16 points and eight assists for the Sonics, who’ve lost seven straight meetings with Houston and 18 of their last 20 games overall.