Monday Bolts – 11.30.09
Interesting note from the Weekend Dime: “Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant became just the fourth player in league history, joining LeBron James (twice), Shaquille O’Neal and Michael Jordan, to score at least 400 points during the first 15 games of a season at age 21 or younger.”
The Thunder sits 13th in Dime’s power rankings: “Are they for real? Friday’s game against Boston will tell us something, but wait until the middle of December when OKC gets Cleveland, Denver, Dallas, Detroit, Houston, the Lakers and Phoenix over a 10-day stretch.”
NBA.com has KD in its MVP discussion: ”Now, there are two views of Durant: The first is that he is not that good a player or leader, a high-volume shooter whose 27 points per game is inflated because he averages more than 20 shots per, an argument augmented by his 3.1-3.2 assist-to-turnover ratio. The other view, to which The Race is beginning to ascribe, is that Durant is the future of the NBA, his young teammates’ success possible only because Durant’s undeniable talents garner so much attention.”
A recap from Bleacher Report: ”Some losses are understandable. Some losses just drive you insane. This loss against the Houston Rockets is one where you go insane. The Oklahoma City Thunder had every opportunity possible to come out of the Ford Center with a victory.”
BDL, Behind the Box: “Too many three-point attempts went awry for Oklahoma City, they missed 14 of 15 overall with only Serge Ibaka (!) connecting. That’s just too many possessions, in a game against any, to waste with nothing to show. Speaking of which, the 19 turnovers didn’t help, nor did the 46-35 rebounding disadvantage.”
An interesting story about the chaplain for the Thunder: ”The Rev. A. Byron Coleman III is in his first season as a chaplain for the Thunder. He’s a busy man in his own right, not only pastoring the Fifth Street Missionary Baptist Church in Oklahoma City, but also teaching two courses per semester as an adjunct professor in the African and African American Studies Program at the University of Oklahoma.”
Hey, remember this?
Scott Brooks gets an A- from HoopsWorld for his work so far: “After a start to the season that many were surprised by, the Thunder seem to have hit their first hurdle of the season. Injuries have started to pile up – Nenad Krstic, Nick Collison, Kevin Ollie, Shaun Livingston, and Kyle Weaver are all battling injuries at the moment and the Thunder will be challenged in the last three games of this five-game homestand. Brooks has his squad fighting in each and every game no matter who or where they’re playing, as is evidenced by OKC’s 5-4 record on the road (impressive for a young, developing team), a tough loss to the Lakers and a win against the East-leading Orlando Magic, both at home. Brooks is the main reason Russell Westbrook has improved as much as he has since he was drafted and Kevin Durant’s offensive game is starting to reach the next level as well. Lastly, Brooks has done well in integrating new back-up PG Ollie, who needs minor knee surgery, and will now be faced with the same challenge with recently-added guard Mike Wilks.”
Kevin Durant with the NBA’s Dunk of the Night:
Berry Tramel on OKC’s home court play: ”The two years that Sir Willis Reed graced us here with the Hornets, he offered a bushel of NBA proverbs. The Thunder is testing Reed’s theory. The baby Boomers lost to Houston 100-91 Sunday night at the Ford Center, where they finish out November 4-4. The Thunder is 5-4 on the road. If this team can figure out how to win at home, it just might be a ballteam.” Wait, wait, wait. Baby Boomers?
Shirts go on sale sometime this week. The response has been pretty huge so if you don’t get one before they sell out, have no fear, more are coming. AGAIN, MORE ARE COMING. For instance, we dropped this little design over the weekend:
@Steve H
Calm down man. Ibaka is 20... and has a LOT!! higher ceilling than those you listed. I see Ibaka being our center of the future. Btw in todays NBA Kemp would have likley been a C that also played some PF.
Rushing to fill a "need" on a team that is still in the rebuilding (yes, we are still in the rebuilding part don't forget) process is how teams peak before becomming a true threat (doubt me? Fine. Go look at the Hornets.)
We don't NEED to have one right now, and if I am seeing Presti's plan correctly we are going to have one of the perenial top defensive teams in the league..with an extremely athletic center or sharpshooting center.
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