Oklahoma City the place to be for Kevin Durant

The future of the NBA has made a home in Oklahoma City and apparently wants to keep it there. Kevin Durant, who can be a restricted free agent in 2011, told reporters last week that he will lock himself in with the Thunder if he is offered a maximum contract extension this summer.

Durant unquestionably is a future MVP and possibly is in the conversation for the award this season. It's one fewer potential target for the Knicks and one more star player buried in a tiny market for the NBA.

While LeBron James has at least publicly expressed his adoration for New York and the grand Garden stage, Durant has made it clear he's quite comfortable living at a much slower pace. After watching the Larry Bird / Magic Johnson documentary on HBO earlier this month, Durant said he related to Bird, the self-proclaimed "Hick from French Lick.''

"I'm similar to Bird. I like being at home," said Durant, who grew up in the Washington, D.C. area, which is hardly the Indiana farmlands. "I like staying at my mom's house and her cooking. That's the kind of person I am. I'm not into the big-city lights and the paparazzi, that type of stuff. I just love playing basketball and chillin' out."

Durant went to the University of Texas and seemed to really take to southern hospitality. He dabbles in music, but aside from that, he isn't anywhere near as visible as some of the game's more pretentious and ubiquitous young stars. Most NBA players list Oklahoma City as one of their least favorite stops on the road (aside from being a great place to catch up on lost sleep), but Durant appreciates the down-home appeal and the fact that in Oklahoma City, unlike most major markets, he can be left the heck alone.

He can go for a walk and not be mobbed by fans, autograph-seekers and people trying to hitch their wagon to a gravy train. There are people around, of course, and most of them know who he is. But they let him be. In Boston, fans used to flock to Bird's house in the springtime to watch him mow his lawn. Seriously.

"I'm good in Oklahoma City. I love it here," Durant said. "I like going outside and seeing the neighbors and they say, 'Hello.' They make me cookies and give me Skittles. There are cities you may not get that."

Though the team is doing extremely well selling tickets, its market size doesn't allow the Thunder to dare go over the luxury-tax threshold. Still, general manager Sam Presti has rebuilt this franchise (remember, it once resided in Seattle) through the draft, and a few years of pain have produced an unparalleled crop of young talent with unlimited potential. "I want to have an opportunity to win,'' Durant said, "and I think we have that here."

He added, "So it's not about the market and it's not about me getting more money, because we're all blessed to be playing in this league, getting the money we're getting. I don't want to be greedy, basically. I love being here. It's a perfect place for me. Trying to get to a bigger market is the last thing I'm worried about."

Darko blames coach Brown

Darko Milicic is still spinning his sob story to whomever will listen. The former Knicks center recently told Sports Illustrated that his lack of development as an NBA player (and a No. 2 overall pick in 2003 . . . well done, Joe Dumars) was due to the fact that he was told to watch and learn. "It's all bull," Milicic told the magazine. "I didn't learn anything by watching. There is no practice in the world even close to game situations. They're trying to keep you happy, trying to keep you thinking your time is around the corner, but it's a lie. You can't keep everybody happy. But I was in the flow and listened to them and now it's too late."

Milicic is a mind-boggling case study in entitlement. What's amazing is that Dumars' credibility was on the line with that selection, yet Milicic believes the Pistons had no intention of having him develop and succeed.

But Milicic said it was Larry Brown who ruined him. "He is a guy who doesn't understand anything, a guy who can't understand what kind of player you are," Milicic said. "Even if I made a shot, he'd tell me it was not a good shot. That took my mind off basketball. I got frustrated and wondered, 'If they weren't going to put me in the game, why was I there?' So I started thinking of stupid stuff and began not caring about the game, not trying to get better."

Skiles getting bang from Bucks

Scott Skiles typically might have a short shelf life as a coach, but you can't argue with the immediate results. In his second season in Milwaukee, Skiles already has the Bucks not only firmly entrenched in a playoff race but shooting for the franchise's first winning season since 2002-03.

The streaking Bucks (35-29), who have a young core with rookie point guard Brandon Jennings and others such as Luc Mbah a Moute and Ersan Ilyasova, have been the hottest team in the East since the All-Star break with an 11-2 record, including five straight wins.

"Our confidence is high, but we've still got to stay grounded," said center Andrew Bogut, a former No. 1 overall pick who has been a major reason for Milwaukee's success with 16.2 points, 10.4 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game this season. "We still have a long way to go as a franchise."

The Bucks haven't reached the playoffs since 2005-06 under coach Terry Stotts.

Bogut was a rookie that season, when the team lost in five games to the Pistons in the first round.

That same year, Skiles led the Bulls to a second straight playoff berth. The following season, Skiles' Bulls won 49 games and reached the second round, but lost to the Pistons. He was fired in 2007-08 after a 9-16 start.

With the Phoenix Suns, Skiles twice reached the playoffs in his first two seasons (1999-2000 and 2000-01) but resigned the third season with a 25-26 record.

Jackson takes action on coaching aspirations

Mark Jackson is preparing to take another shot at becoming an NBA head coach. Last week the former NBA point guard, a finalist for the Knicks' opening in 2008, signed with Kauffman Sports Management Group, which represents several coaches and team executives throughout the league.

Jackson was very high on Donnie Walsh's list for the Knicks' job in May 2008, and at the time there was reason to believe he would be the choice. But when Mike D'Antoni became available after a falling-out with the Phoenix Suns, Walsh went with the more experienced choice. Still, Walsh believes Jackson could become a great coach someday.

"He's really bright," Walsh said, "beyond that which you normally see even in NBA head coaches."

Jackson works alongside Jeff Van Gundy on ABC/ESPN telecasts of NBA games and used to work Nets broadcasts on the YES Network. Coincidentally, Jackson could be a strong candidate for the Nets, especially with his Brooklyn roots seemingly making him a perfect fit for a team looking to move into a new arena there in 2012. There are whispers that new owner Mikhail Prokhorov will be looking to make a big splash and might try to attract a bigger name, possibly from the college level, such as Mike Krzyzewski or John Calipari.

Another option is in Los Angeles with the Clippers, who also will be looking for a coach this summer. Jackson played for the Clippers from 1992-94.