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Darnell Mayberry: Upcoming road games will be a test for Thunder's defense

The Oklahoman's Darnell Mayberry took questions on the Oklahoma City Thunder today in his Power Lunch Chat. Join our Power Lunch Chat's Monday-Friday at 11 a.m. on NewsOK.com/Sports. Here's a recap of today's Q&A.

By Darnell Mayberry | Published: February 25, 2013 Comment on this article

The Oklahoman's Darnell Mayberry took questions on the Oklahoma City Thunder today in his Power Lunch Chat. Join our Power Lunch Chat's Monday-Friday at 11 a.m. on NewsOK.com/Sports. Here's a recap of today's Q&A:

Darnell Mayberry 11:16 a.m. Greetings, ladies and gents.

tom 11:17 a.m. Last night notwithstanding, this team has played some pretty bad defense the past few weeks. What is your gut feeling, that this is a serious problem, or that the NBA schedule is a long grind and these guys were just mentally tired/bored and checked for a short stretch?

Darnell Mayberry 11:18 a.m. I'm waiting to see what happens over the weekend. The road games at Denver and at the Clippers will be huge tests for the defense. The Thunder has allowed 105 points on 45.4 percent shooting in its past 10 road games. So if the team can buckle down against those two offenses, it should show that things are headed in the right direction.

harry man 11:19 a.m. hello mr. mayberry from hawaii.your thunder up look good against a team that is very good..but they miss ROSE

Darnell Mayberry 11:19 a.m. Indeed they do. Still a pretty good defensive team. But Rose is the key to their offense. Nobody else on that team can consistently get his own shot.

harry man 11:20 a.m. who does thunder up play NEXT?

Darnell Mayberry 11:20 a.m. Hornets. Thunder is 3-0 against New Orleans. Two have been blowouts. Reggie Jackson was the savior in the other. I kid. I kid. :)

harry man 11:21 a.m. 16 min. delay

Darnell Mayberry 11:21 a.m. Yeah, my bad.

Guest 11:21 a.m. Please tell us that Fisher isn't going to average 20+ minutes this time around.

Darnell Mayberry 11:22 a.m. Directly from the team's press release: "The guard averaged 4.9 points, 1.4 assists and 1.4 rebounds in 20.4 minutes per game. In 20 playoff games with the Thunder, he averaged 6.3 points, 1.6 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 22.3 minutes per game." So I cannot. All I can say to that is we'll see.

Guest 11:23 a.m. How many minutes do you seel Brooks playing fisher now?

Darnell Mayberry 11:24 a.m. We'll see. However Brooks ends up using Fisher will say a lot about a few things, namely how much he still trusts him and how much he does or does not trust Reggie.

harry man 11:24 a.m. if darnell mayberry owned a hoops team name 7 players you want on your team?

Darnell Mayberry 11:26 a.m. Chris Paul, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Tyson Chandler, Derrick Rose and Tim Duncan.

John 11:27 a.m. With the signing of Fisher, who's minutes will be cut? Last year he played some 20 mins a game.

Darnell Mayberry 11:27 a.m. Depends on whether he's the second or third string point guard.

tom 11:27 a.m. How do you think Fisher will be used?

Darnell Mayberry 11:28 a.m. My head tells me he'll be the third string point guard and third string shooting guard. My gut tells me he'll find a way to get on the court anyway.

harry man 11:28 a.m. thunder up 118 new orleans 98

Darnell Mayberry 11:28 a.m. Thanks for the weekly prediction.

harry man 11:28 a.m. d. fisher is a new thunder up AGAIN...Why so late. maybe they know they need him to beat my spurs

Darnell Mayberry 11:28 a.m. It's more about when Maynor was traded. The team only has two point guards now.

Guest 11:29 a.m. Is Reggie's minutes gone? Why are the Thunder so in love with Derek Fisher.

Darnell Mayberry 11:29 a.m. That remains to be seen. Fish is a five-time champion, a savvy player and a sage veteran. There are benefits.

Guest 11:30 a.m. Speaking of minutes, what do you think the rotation will look like with Fisher and Brewer in the fold?

Darnell Mayberry 11:31 a.m. I think Brewer gets more minutes than Fish, perhaps whatever DeAndre Liggins was getting and perhaps Durant's minutes at the start of the second quarter. But Fish, again, I would think wouldn't play all that much. Maybe in crunch time situations, but not as much throughout the game.

John 11:31 a.m. Do you think Lamb should be getting a few minutes each game, when the team is up 10+. Cause its not a sure thing that K Martin will be resigned. Get him some seasoning before the next year.

Darnell Mayberry 11:31 a.m. I'm starting to, yes.

harry man 11:32 a.m. harry man team consist of (pinetar baldwin, mayberry, your sports editor, lew alcinder, thabeet, magic, bill russell)

Darnell Mayberry 11:32 a.m. I will gladly be the backup point guard on that team. Thanks!

tom 11:32 a.m. Is it just me or has the "Russ should pass the ball to KD more" narrative largely died out on the national scene?

Darnell Mayberry 11:33 a.m. Oh just wait until the playoffs start. You'll see how alive it remains.

Darnell Mayberry 11:34 a.m. Anything else? Going once, going twice....

John 11:35 a.m. Ortin plays really hard when he is in, is he pushing Thabeet for the back up spot anytime soon? I really like Thabeet, but like the what Ortin is doing as well.

Darnell Mayberry 11:36 a.m. I doubt it. The team seems to have Thabeet in the long term plans more than Orton. And, frankly, I think Thabeet has shown more than Orton. I'd be shocked if Orton slides up the depth chart anytime soon.

tom 11:36 a.m. When you talk with other Beat Writers, what are consistent things you hear about the Thunder?

Darnell Mayberry 11:36 a.m. See you in the Finals.

Guest 11:37 a.m. Do you see the Lakers making the playoffs as the 8th seed. if so would it actually be better for the Thunder to be the 2nd seed to avoid them in the first round.

Darnell Mayberry 11:39 a.m. It's possible. They're only 2 1/2 games behind Houston. There's no guarantee the Rockets hang on. If the Thunder would prefer to see a team I'd think it'd be Houston rather than L.A. I doubt the Thunder needs to purposefully avoid the Lakers. They're not that good. But the Rockets are a better matchup, no doubt.

John 11:39 a.m. Yeah, I am a fan of Thabeet. Wish he would get a little more aggressive. But overall, like his role on the team.

Darnell Mayberry 11:39 a.m. He's getting better every day. Story of the Thunder...Thanks for the questions. My apologies for the delay. Have a great week.