Trying to figure out the curious SI preview cover

First, how awesome is it that the Thunder is on the cover of Sports Illustrated’s NBA preview issue? Not LeBron and his two friends. Not Kobe and the champs. Nope, instead it’s the little kids from Oklahoma City splashed across the cover of SI.

But the question is, what the heck is Nenad Krstic and Thabo Sefolosha doing on the cover? Kevin Durant we get (or at least I hope you get). But Thabo and Nenad? Where’s Russell Westbrook and Uncle Jeff? Serge Ibaka and James Harden? Why go with two players that while starters aren’t really recognizable?

I’ve got a theory and I tried to sort of explain it at CBS Sports in probably a not-so-clear way. The word is that KD didn’t want to be on the cover alone, so he asked for teammates. Whether he chose Nenad and Thabo or that’s who the Thunder sent is another thing. But really, the SI cover is just another example of OKC’s team first philosophy.