Is this getting old yet? Yeah, I thought not. Yesterday, Russ threw down this ridiculous reverse lob. And today, he brings you three dunks of the nasty variety.
The past two games, Team USA hasn’t required the services of KD very much and Westbrook has mainly played in mop-up duty. So there’s nothing all that incredible to take from those games. But the U.S. is 5-0 and headed to the knockout phase, set to play Angola.
Tommy Craggs for Slate with an interesting piece on Kevin Durant and his reported humbleness: “Of course, that’s what really matters in an age that judges athletes foremost on the quality of their salesmanship. LeBron packaged himself poorly. Durant has sold himself well, or at least has given of himself so little that the very idea of his reticence could be fashioned into a cudgel against the Very Bad Thing of the day—ego run amok. More than anything, Durant offers the moralists a clean bank shot at LeBron and his cohort. He will remain useful in this role for a time, and then one day he’ll go and do some Very Bad Thing and shatter all our precious illusions. We’ll have no choice but to pick out a new unicorn, a new cardboard idol to worship, and all the while we’ll wonder how we got the last one so wrong. Did we ever know Kevin Durant at all?” Read more…
Did you know: 27 days until Thunder Media Day. It’s going to be here sooner than you think.
Jason Kersey of NewsOK is thinking political about today’s game against Iran: “I’m fully aware that many people watch sports to get away from things like Iran’s nuclear program. But sometimes sports can add intrigue to the big political issues of the day. The Miracle on Ice, anyone? So, apologies all around if you couldn’t care less about the political implications of a United States vs. Iran basketball game. I, on the other hand, find it captivating.” Read more…
“Kevin Durant will be the NBA’s all-time leading scorer when it’s all said and done,” Iguodala said emphatically to CSN Philly. “He loves the game and has a knack for putting the ball in the basket.”
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the all-time leading scorer with 38,387 points in 21 NBA seasons and played until he was 41. The most games he missed in a season was 20 and he only played less than 75 four times. Karl Malone is second all-time with 36,928 and Michael Jordan third with 32,292. Through three seasons, Durant has 5,967 points and will turn 22 in the next few weeks.
I tried to break down the possibilities over at my other landing page and here’s my conclusion: It’s definitely possible. Not necessarily probable, but I went with pretty conservative numbers and KD is right at Kareem’s number. Say Durant averaged what he did last year (30.1 ppg) for the next 14 seasons. That would have him passing Abdul-Jabbar at age 35. Is it really that hard to see Durant’s average over the next 14 seasons being around 30 ppg? I definitely think not.
Of course so much of this is about health. And on top of that, KD’s mentality. Durant won’t have his eyes focused on this type of individual achievement until he’s satisfied nearly every team goal there is. Once he has his trophies put in the case, he might start caring about this sort of thing. And that’s only a maybe.
The Thunder announced today via a release that they have restructured the front office to compensate for the departure of Rich Cho.
Troy Weaver was promoted to VP/Assistant General Manager, Rob Hennigan to Assistant General Manager/Player Personnel, Paul Rivers to Director of Minor League Operations and Basketball Technology and Brandon Barnett to Director of Minor League Scouting and Manager of Minor League Operations. The team added Michael Winger as Assistant General Manager/Legal and Administration and David Vanterpool as Pro Scout.
“We are pleased to continue to promote from within our organization while also bringing in new people who will enhance and compliment our current staff” said Presti. “The promotions for Troy, Rob, Paul and Brandon are well deserved. They are selfless workers who are extremely committed to our organization.” Presti added, “We are fortunate to have the opportunity to also add people such as Michael and David to our team; both will enhance our organization and help us grow in a positive direction.”
Weaver, who enters his third season with the Thunder organization, spent the previous two seasons as Assistant General Manager focusing on roster development and day-to-day basketball operations. Weaver joined the Thunder after spending four seasons in the Utah Jazz front office. The Maryland native began his career as a coach and spent nine seasons as a collegiate coach with Syracuse University, University of New Mexico and University of Pittsburgh before moving to the NBA. Read more…
Jenni Carlson writing on KD’s rising profile: “Playing in the world championships is only broadening Durant’s popularity. It is growing his brand. It is widening his stardom. That, Thunder fans, is great news for Oklahoma City. Small-market teams like the Thunder face many challenges, but one of the biggest is being able to keep superstars. They want to be paid big bucks, they want to win championships and they want to be able to become megastars, and sometimes, a small-market club can’t provide all of that.”
2. I want to see Russell Westbrook’s FIBA defense in the NBA
If you haven’t been watching the World Championships or the exhibitions that led up to it, you’ve really missed out on seeing one of the most crystal clear displays of what Sam Presti was thinking when he drafted Russell Westbrook to be a defensive stopper out on the perimeter for this franchise.
Westbrook has been everywhere defensively on the perimeter and even down on the blocks when he’s seen the opportunity to double a post player. His hands have been almost relentlessly active, his footwork has steered guards to where he wants them to be and, thanks to FIBA rules, Westbrook has used his sizeable strength advantage to amazing effect, bodying guards to the point that they are entirely redirected anytime they want to drive to the bucket.
This display leads me to one thought over and over again as I watch this unbelievable performance: Why haven’t I seen this on the Thunder?
We all might think basketball is really important, but take a step back if you can and have a look at this. One Thunder fan is riding 140 miles via bicycle from Tulsa to OKC to raise money for multiple sclerosis. Anything donated goes 100 percent to MS research and on top of that, American Airlines has agreed to match any contributions. Joseph said he plans on wearing a KD jersey or maybe even a DT-Shirt with something clever printed on it. So if you’ve got ideas, share away. Or if you’ve got the ability, maybe drop a dollar or two Joseph’s way as well.
I already linked it with my international basketball thing Friday, but Rob Mahoney of Hardwood Paroxysm wrote a darn near poetic piece on the Thunder: “Of course, Durant is but one reason why the Thunder have captivated NBA audiences. They’re young and new, and like it or not, hip. They’re athletic and dynamic, from Russell Westbrook’s jams to Serge Ibaka’s swats. Their success is somehow bizarre, improbable, and yet all part of the plan. They’re 50-win underdogs, tightly knit with an old-school, one-goal fabric, but envisioned with modern basketball sensibilities. There is, really and truly, nothing quite like the Thunder.” Read more…
Team USA continued rolling as the Americans moved past Slovenia 99-77 behind 22 from KD and 11 from Russell Westbrook. It was a bit sloppy at times with 17 turnovers and some foul trouble, but the two Thunder players continued to impress. And Westbrook also did this:
Podcast Update: We want to once again apologize to all those who’ve been having trouble downloading our podcast through iTunes on the iPhone. We’ve been in contact with both iTunes and Podbean in an attempt to correct the issue and really haven’t gotten anywhere. To correct the problem we’ve started a new iTunes station that shouldn’t have any trouble. So iPhone users, you should no longer have problems downloading our show. Thanks for your patience and onto the episode.
This week at TGR we talk to SLAM writer and Euroleague Adventures founder Nick Gibson who discusses: Groups A-D of the world championships, the potential impact Tibor Pleiss will have on the Thunder, looking back at picking Harden over Rubio, and so much more. All of that discussion is great, but the biggest part of this episode is our “World Championship Fantasy Basketball Draft” where we selected two teams that will go head to head in the 5 major statistical categories (points, assists, blocks, steals, rebounds). It’s TGR vs. Euroleague Adventures!
Thunderground Radio
Euroleague Adventures
GUARD
Derrick Rose
Ricky Rubio
GUARD
Vasilis Spanoulis
Leandro Barbosa
GUARD
Goran Dragic
Juan Carlos Navarro
FORWARD
Kevin Durant
Linas Kleiza
FORWARD
Ersan Ilyasova
Hedo Turkoglu
FORWARD
Boris Diaw
Novica Velickovic
CENTER
Anderson Varejao
Luis Scola
CENTER
Marc Gasol
Tiago Splitter
We’re still trying to come up with what the wager should be. If you have any ideas let us know and leave a comment. Also subscribe to our new iTunes account as it should work for all media players (iPhone included) and will likely be our main account going into the future.
Episode Breakdown:
00:00 – 03:30: Intro
03:30 – 31:50: World Championship Discussion with SLAM writer Nick
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Team USA rolled Croatia today 106-78 behind 14 points from Kevin Durant and 12 from Russell Westbrook, who also added four assists. I recapped the whole thing at CBS Sports, but there’s definitely nothing to be depressed about for the Americans. KD looked great, Westbrook was solid and the team was focused. And of course, Russell Westbrook showed off the turbo button a bit with this flash to the basket.
(Morning Thunder fans. Thank you for your support of Daily Thunder. Go States.)
Team USA kicks off its quest for gold today at 11 a.m. CT on ESPN Classic (that’s Cox channel 255 in Oklahoma). The U.S. plays Croatia, a team that’s not to be overlooked. And as a primer to get ready for the World Championships, how about a little top five video featuring the top five U.S. dunks according to some YouTube uploader. (EDIT: I had my speakers muted when I picked this video and didn’t hear the accompanying music. So I definitely apologize for the coarse language.)
This is a question I’ve been thinking about the last few weeks. We’re so good at it and we’re about to compete against other countries… yet we don’t give a flip. Which is so weird to me.
For us Americans, you slap “USA” across the chest of anything and we’re rooting for it. I found myself watching hours of curling in last year’s winter Olympics. We root on Michael Phelps in a sport nobody cares about. We act like we’re soccer crazy during the World Cup. But when Team USA laces up the sneakers and takes things to the hardwood, we just don’t seem to care. And I have no idea why.
Rob Mahoney of Hardwood Paroxysm looked into this and asked it in an even more interesting manner: Why do people like the Thunder so much and not Team USA when they are so, so similar? Rob and I started chatting about this and some thoughts came to mind for me.
One reason is I think a lot is that the perception (at least in my mind) is that players don’t care about these games. Everyone just assume that Kevin Durant saying that he’d rather win a gold medal than an NBA title is all for show in an effort to pronounce some sort of manufactured patriotism through basketball. I don’t think people believe it. We think players are saying it because it’s the right thing to say, not because they actually are playing for country.
Why do we feel such a sense of pride when Team USA performs well in the World Cup? Why do we all gather in bars and restaurants and 9 in the morning to watch soccer every four year? There’s no reason the World Championships shouldn’t be somewhat as big as the World Cup. Obviously soccer is more popular worldwide, but why do people go soccer crazy here in the US and not for basketball, something we’re awesome at? Read more…
D-League Digest is grading teams’ usage of the D-League and OKC gets a B+: “The Thunder is that intriguing new kid in class that all the girls are talking about. Good-looking, fun, smart and lovable (unless you talk to ex-girlfriend and scorned lover, Seattle). But back on point, the D-League aspect of the Thunder definitely falls under the smart category. With 11 combined assignments and call-ups over the past two seasons, it’s clear that this is a team determined to utilizing the D-League to develop its young talent. They’ve built a team that’s set to contend in the West with a young and improving nucleus, and they’re supplementing that core with pieces that they’re molding and fine-tuning in the D-League. Using the D-League is not a perfect science, but that doesn’t stop the Thunder from experimenting.”
ESPN asked its panel of 93 who the player of the decade would be. LeBron finished first, but KD wasn’t far behind: “Chris Sheridan: He can shoot and score as well as anyone in the league, he’s only 21, his height (don’t believe that listing of 6-foot-9 — it’s more like 6-11½) makes him a particularly tough player to defend, and his ego is not out of control. He’ll probably win the scoring title six to eight times if he stays healthy, and he sounds as though he wants to spend his entire career in Oklahoma City, a small market where he’s comfortable and happy. In many ways, he is the anti-LeBron.” Read more…
Say goodbye to the Ford Center. The Thunder has announced they are in negotiations for new naming rights for the downtown arena.
The Oklahoma City Thunder has begun the process of negotiating with potential new naming rights partners for the Ford Center arena, team officials announced today. The original naming rights contract allowed the team to terminate the existing agreement should an NBA franchise come to Oklahoma City.
The Thunder entered into discussions with the current naming rights partner, the Oklahoma Ford Dealers, but a new agreement could not be reached. As a result, the Thunder has now officially terminated the existing naming rights agreement and entered into a period of negotiations with other potential partners.
Of course first one would have to think about the big corporations here in Oklahoma City. Big Thunder sponsors Devon Energy, Sandridge or Chesapeake have to be early contenders. Or maybe AT&T, as it owns naming rights to the baseball park in Bricktown. Or what about Sonic, which is based out of Oklahoma City. Oh wait, that’s probably not a good one.
