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Friday Bolts – 10.2.09

Of course. It was all the media’s fault: ”While playing in Poland for their respective national teams this summer, Krstic thunderbolt23and Gortat began what Krstic described as a friendly conversation in the presence of journalists. Gortat, Krstic said, mentioned that he could see himself playing with the Thunder. “He just said he wants to be here because he thinks he can fit here,” Krstic said. “He actually said he can fit with my game because he can play inside and I can shoot outside. We just talked and they put in the papers that he wants to be here and he’s coming here. It was a mistake.”

HoopsWorld recaps Scott Brooks’s comments from media day: “And not only is Brooks feeling settled in, he seems happy. “I like the city where I’m living. My family likes it. I’m very comfortable with being in Oklahoma City. I’m thrilled,” he said. “We have state-of-the-art facilities, and they are only going to get better. So it just gives all of us a chance to just focus on playing basketball, coaching basketball, so I’m very excited and comfortable to be in this situation.”

Kevin Durant, being awesome: ”Pro basketball star Kevin Durant, who grew up in Prince George’s County and developed his skills at the Seat Pleasant Activity Center, is giving back to the community. Durant, who turned 21 this week and plays for the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder, donated $25,000 to the center that he started attending 11 years ago and where he participated in the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission’s Xtreme Teens programs.”

Charley Rosen previews the Northwest Division. I would paste in a section, but it was like the anti-Simmons piece. I think Rosen wrote the thing in haiku.

Dime asks: Who is better, OKC or Memphis?: “Who will finish the year with a better record is hard to say. You know the Thunder are definitely going to improve their record by at least 10 games. The question is, how well will the Grizzlies gel? Because on paper, they could be a playoff team. If O.J. steps up his game and Iverson and Randolph fit in well with coach Lionel Hollins’ system than they could very well step ahead of OKC in the power rankings. Since Memphis ranked last in the West for points per game (93.9), getting two proven scorers will help. I also think the Grizz are a better defensive team, so if I were a betting man, I’d have to give the slight nod to Memphis having more wins come April.”

News of the Coincidental: Emeka Okafor has sprained his toe and will miss at least the team’s first two preseason games. Something about NOLA, big men and toes.

Shaun Livingston hurt his knee. And he’s trying to come back. Did you know?

I swear, I said the exact same thing when I saw the trailer: “At theatre to see The Informant.Watching previews. Wondering if its smart to advertise ure movie as”from the creators of WildHogs”"

Chris Silva with a practice report from yesterday: “Forward Jeff Green was the man of the moment at the end of practice. The forward showcased his precision passing by becoming the only player to successfully bounce pass a basketball into a ball rack, thus saving the rest of the team from running sprints.”

A feature on D.J. White and his first camp: ”D.J. White can get after it. He can scrimmage, he can bang bodies in the post, he can play. Anything his teammates do during training camp, White can, too. Last year, White couldn’t do much of anything. A jaw injury wiped out training camp for the former Big Ten Player of the Year and relegated him to bystander status. Sure, he watched every practice, was in every team huddle and participated in every meeting, team function and community event, but doctor’s orders prevented him from playing.”

Viva El Trueno! All 41 Thunder home games to be broadcast in Spanish on both TV and radio. Eleno Ornelas, Spanish voice of the Texas Rangers, will be on the mic.

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<a href="#comment-24529" rel="nofollow">@dj </a>
"A lack of veteran leadership, which is precisely why Malik Rose should make the squad even if he never plays."

...huh?

Vince :
“If O.J. steps up his game and Iverson and Randolph fit in well with coach Lionel Hollins’ system than they could very well step ahead of OKC in the power rankings.”
Uh, that’s kind of the point. The reason why no one really wants Iverson or Randolph is that they DON’T fit into anyone’s system. If Hollins’ system involves cherry-picking layups, never passing, and playing bullfighter defense, then, yes, Memphis will make a playoff run.

Totally. Well said. That is the smartest point of the week Vince.

@dj
"A lack of veteran leadership, which is precisely why Malik Rose should make the squad even if he never plays."

...huh?

Memphis could possibly make a playoff run, but there is an equal chance that Z-Bo and Iverson will cause entire thing will fall apart. We'll just have to wait and see.

"If O.J. steps up his game and Iverson and Randolph fit in well with coach Lionel Hollins’ system than they could very well step ahead of OKC in the power rankings."

Uh, that's kind of the point. The reason why no one really wants Iverson or Randolph is that they DON'T fit into anyone's system. If Hollins' system involves cherry-picking layups, never passing, and playing bullfighter defense, then, yes, Memphis will make a playoff run.

@Shane

Only if Iverson has a big year. He didn't get ANY interest in the offseason. Memphis was the only team that made him an offer. And this was an off season where hardly anyone used their mid-level exception, so it would not have been hard to trump Memphis' offer of a little over $3MM.

Nix :
Hopefully there’s also something about NOLA giving OKC Centers at cut rate deals.

The more I think of the possibility of an Okafor trade, the more I like it.

@Shane
I have to think that unless another team is desperate for a scoring guard, the potential risks of bringing in Iverson would likely be viewed as outweighing the benefits in many teams' eyes. See: Marbury, Stephon.*

*KG being healthy would have helped, but more and more teams realize that team cohesiveness is often crucial in bringing home a title.

@Robert

26 days until the Thunder's first game!

Maybe someone already said this in an earlier comment on another post but am I the only one who thinks that Iverson will be out of Memphis by mid-season? With a one year deal on a team that is trying to bring in more talent, Iverson might as well change his name to Trade Bait. Even if all Memphis gets is a draft pick in return.

Hopefully there's also something about NOLA giving OKC Centers at cut rate deals.

For a while, I thought only the Thunder has a thing for players coming back from serious knee injuries: Livingston, Krstic, Thomas and I know I'm probably forgetting some of the guys who aren't on the roster these days. But the more I consider it, I think it must be an Oklahoma thing, Jason White and Ryan Reynolds, to name two off the top of my head. Maybe we should forget about looking to next year's free agency and concentrate on who gets hurt in the near future. Hell, I expect we'll see Alonzo Mourning in a Thunder uniform before the end of training camp.