Steven Hill picked up by OKC Thunder

The Thunder has signed Steven Hill, a 7-foot center out of Arkansas. Hill averaged 4.2 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.1 blocked shots as a senior and was the SEC Defensive Player of the Year his junior season. Undrafted, Hill was one of Portland’s final cuts.

"We worked him out twice in the summer,” Carlesimo said. "He’s not threatening to get in the rotation. We’re still trying to get Robert (Swift) and Mo (Sene) in the rotation. But he’s healthy, he can defend and block shots. As quick as he can learn (our system) he’s a guy we’ll evaluate and figure out whether he can help us.”

Hill, from Branson, Mo., was in Fayetteville, Ark., when he got a call late Sunday night.

"I knew a few teams were interested,” Hill said. "Obviously when you’re the final cut you’re disappointed. But I took a lot away from my first NBA experience. Now I’m elated. It will be a mental thing to learn the offense and defense as quickly as possible.”

Collison not going down without a fight

Coaches love to play the "how can we bench Collison" game, as non-high-flying pale skins are not part of the NBA marketing plan. But Nick can come up big.

Great game tonight against Houston, as Collison (6'9 255 PF, 5th year) led OKC to victory in his 30 minutes of play, scoring 21 on a mere 10 shots, adding 9-10 from the charity stripe. Such aggressiveness is just what he needs to send his game over the top.

Nick has been a solid player the last couple years, almost averaging a double double last year with 9.8 points and 9.4 boards over 28 mpg, and if he continues to demonstrate the aggressiveness to go with his skill, he will have a breakout year.