Ian Thompson of SI writes that OKC is the most efficient franchise: “Clay Bennett’s payroll is the envy of his fellow owners. For starters, no team has less salary on the books than the Thunder, but look deeper: More than $5 million is covered by an insurance policy on Matt Harpring, whose contract the Thunder took on while netting rookie point guard Eric Maynor in the deal. That leaves the Thunder at $49 million in actual operating costs — or an unheard-of $1 million per win. Of that total, another $8.7 million is paid to veterans Etan Thomas and Kevin Ollie, who rarely play. Boil it all down and their nine-man rotation is making $32.8 million this season in return for the league’s 10th-best record and fourth-stingiest field-goal defense.”
Daily Thunder reader Xiaoyu Lu was lucky enough to be one of the locals to escort Kevin Durant and James Harden around town. Here’s his account of hanging with two of the Broingtons for a couple of days in China. Also, the picture above is of a gift that was given to KD when he arrived.
Kevin Durant and James Harden just came to China for a tour last week. Fortunately, I was able to be one of the four City Ambassadors of Beijing to show them around here, and my friends did the same thing in Chengdu and Shanghai.
During his tour in China, Durant visited the Forbidden City and the Great Wall in Beijing. The magnificence of the Forbidden City surely surprised Durant and Harden, for they cannot stop saying words like amazing and crazy. And on the Great Wall, Harden kept saying he was scared. Read more…
At the mayor’s convention, Mick Cornett was asked about the MAPS project. This part was interesting: “Cornett said he called NBA Commissioner David Stern the day after the Ford Center vote passed with about 62 percent in favor and apologized that 38 percent of voters didn’t approve of the plan, though Stern said it represented overwhelming support.”
The Thunder will play the Grizzlies in a preseason game Oct. 12 at the BOK Center in Tulsa. Ticket information should be coming soon. Read more…
Hello fellow DT readers out there. I’m hoping you’re reading this in the dry and sheltered confines of your home, office, well pretty much anywhere but inside a car on your smart phone just trying to kill the time as you wait for a road to become unblocked or opened back up.
And since we’ll all probably remember this day as the day the OKC metro single-handedly crushed the rain record for the month of June in what will probably amount to a 10-12 hour time-span, that got me thinking: “I wonder what the fans of the Thunder will take away from this last season and what they consider to be the biggest and most memorable moment from the last year.”
So I’m opening up this little article here to let you join in the conversation and give us all the gift of your brightest and best memory from this pretty historic season.
To kick us off, I’ll jump in first with what can only be referred to as the single most intense, exciting, anxious and awe-inspiring sporting event I’ve ever experienced first hand—aka, Game 3 against the Los Angeles Lakers.
I’m going to try my best to be brief so I’ll start this by saying that you could feel the electricity on the street as you approached the Ford Center. This was it. The first playoff game in Oklahoma City history and somehow you were lucky enough to find yourself with a ticket and an almost comically oversized t-shirt in a sea of blue. Read more…
SLAM’s mock has OKC taking Daniel Orton: “Outside of the statistics, this was a pretty obvious selection. If you’re less than impressed after checking out Orton’s freshman numbers of 13 minutes, 3 points, 3 rebounds and a block you’re not alone. A lackluster freshman year is Daniel Orton exactly why we have the opportunity to snag an athletic big man with enough upside to make Jay Bilas order and chug six consecutive Jager-Bombs with the 21st pick. As usual, the numbers don’t tell the whole story. Orton is a home town boy, straight out of Bishop McGuinness high school in Oklahoma City. He was a five star recruit and the biggest signee of the much-maligned Billy Gillispie era at Kentucky. He’ll be at home here – literally — and eager to move beyond last season’s disappointment.”
Ryan Russillo lists his ten most likely draft busts: “Daniel Orton: It is always a challenge evaluating a potential lottery pick that only played 13 minutes per game, but Orton sure seems like an inconsistent player. Granted, he is huge, moves well and is good around the basket, but when he gets caught in traffic with the ball, the possession doesn’t end well. On film, I find myself wondering what he was thinking with some passes, and I rarely have an answer. Orton gets frustrated too easily and can take himself out of games. He is a good team defender, shows on screens, closes out on the perimeter and holds position well, but he goes for a lot of fakes and he needs to cut down on his fouls.” Read more…
(Good morning DT faithful. Thank you for your support of Daily Thunder. U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!)
Pretty much once every four years, we’re all allowed to care about soccer. I’ll be honest – I know little about it. I watched the 2006 World Cup fairly intently and got into the Confederations Cup because the US did well. I know the rules, but I’m hazy on most the big players, who’s good, who’s not and all the like. However, I’m PSYCHED about the United States’ game against England today. The World Cup may just be my very favorite sporting event there is. And that’s saying something because in general, I don’t enjoy soccer. But it’s the one sport that almost transcends itself and truly is bigger than a game. I got chills watching South Africa score the first goal of the tourney. Today it starts for my country and though the States don’t typically fare well, that doesn’t make me any less excited. And if you’re not pumped, this should get you prepared for battle.
Chad Ford reported today that Tyson Chandler is “seriously considering” exercising his early termination option, thus forfeiting the $12.6 owed by the Bobcats for this final year. It may seem odd at first glance because Chandler won’t get that much in the open market, but he’s probably looking for a long-term deal while the market is hot.
Anycrap, the reason I mention this is because Ford mentioned the Thunder as a potential landing spot for Chandler.
Now that the injury is behind him, Chandler is looking to seize an opportunity. With so many teams under the luxury tax next season and only five or six top tier free agents out there, a number of teams are going to be left with lots of money to spend this summer. Not everyone can land LeBron or Dwyane Wade. The other thing working in Chandler’s favor is that there aren’t really any true centers in free agency this summer and a number of teams with cap space including the Thunder, Knicks, Timberwolves, Wizards and Heat need a center badly.
Now $10 million a year for four years isn’t that bad for Chandler, but with the ever-developing Serge Ibaka who plays similar to Chandler, I wonder if Chandler’s price would be too high, coupled with the fact he wants multiple years PLUS his past injury issues. But keep in mind, Chandler is just 27 and should have some good years in front of him. I’m open to the idea, but as always, the price (plus the length of the deal) has to be right (four years, $34 million or something?). But that’s just kind of the disclaimer you slap on any potential signing.
SLAM wants to nickname Russell Westbrook: “Standing 6-3, Russell Westbrook. Westbrook isn’t the most intimidating of players—until he steps on the court. Besides Kevin Durant and the rest of the Thunder’s young squad (check SLAM 138 if you haven’t), RW runs the point for a high-energy offense. He averaged 16.1 ppg and 8 apg during the regular season and is a major reason why the Thunder went from 23 to 50 in the win column since his arrival from UCLA in ’08. The dude is balling and we need a nickname to accommodate him.” I thought he already gave himself one? Read more…
Trey Kerby of Yahoo’s excellent Ball Don’t Lie had a tremendous piece today on Kevin Durant. It’s basically around 800 words of why we all love KD so, so much.
No other superstar would thank another player for wearing his signature shoes, but there’s Kevin Durant saying “I thank Amar’e [Stoudemire] for that” when asked about the Phoenix Suns big man’s preference for the Nike Zoom KD2. No other superstar views the Great Wall of China as “the toughest workout I ever did.” No one else in the NBA is picking Russell Westbrook as their NBA Jam partner, but Durant does with the quickness, ostensibly because he’s “the most athletic player in the league,” but probably more because Durant values him as a teammate. It’s those little things — like being constantly in awe of the NBA, always trying to get better, nurturing teammates — that make Kevin Durant such an important player as the league enters its seventh decade.
Durant, it seems, approaches basketball the way us fans like to think we would — devoted to bettering himself, remaining humble despite clearly dominating and “not [taking] anything for granted because [playing in the NBA] is a dream come true.” Kevin Durant loves basketball more than anything besides winning (“I just want to win”), and that’s not always the case with young players. Sure, they might be able to do a couple of those things, but it’s pretty rare to put all three together.
KD goes on to say for the millionth time that he’s no superstar, just a guy playing basketball. He says he wants an Olympic gold more than an NBA title. He also says the only think he loves more than basketball is winning. Read more…
Chad Ford’s newest mock has Daniel Orton falling to OKC: “Orton is a bit of an enigma. His 3 ppg and 3 rpg as a freshman at Kentucky certainly don’t wow you. But he’s got the raw tools to be a successful big man in the pros. The Thunder were among the teams that were on him early and they might just get lucky and get him here. While Orton is in the discussion starting at the 10th pick, concerns about his knees and his relative lack of playing time over the course of the past two years are weighing on teams. He could easily end up in the lottery, but I doubt he slips further than this.”
Orton has a draft journal on NewsOK: “”When people continue to bring up my three-point, three-rebound average at Kentucky, I just smile and say I understand. I know that I’m making the right decision, though. I’m working to improve my shooting and a lot of little things in the post, basically technique. Working out in San Francisco has helped me. It’s gotten me in better shape and has made me tougher mentally. I’d love to play for the Thunder. I know I could help them out a lot and could really see myself playing well with them.” Read more…
Sam Presti has the assets. He has the bevy of picks. But none of this works if Oklahoma City can’t find a partner that is willing to deal.
I would imagine by “move up,” the Thunder would like to get into the lottery. And it’s not going to be easy. Though draft picks – even high ones – don’t always work out, they are extremely valuable assets and are difficult to pry away from teams. They’re cheaper than a veteran and they also give you a fresh player to maybe inject some life into your franchise. So despite what some local sports pundits might say, it will likely take more for OKC to move up than just “packaging” its picks with D.J. White or Kyle Weaver. The trade partner has to get something in return of value. Whether that’s a good player or some breathing room by unloading a contract, a potential trade buddy for the Thunder won’t be easy to reel in. Read more…
Today at the announcement of the announcement of the new World Basketball Festival, it was revealed that Kevin Durant is indeed a part of Team USA for this year’s World Championships in Turkey. He was on stage today along with Yi Jianlian in New York City for the announcement(s).
KD’s reaction: “I am so excited about the opprotunity to represent my country in the World Championships.”
Also of note: KD will be wearing No. 5 during the World Championships. So that’s cool. And here’s a picture of the new jerseys Team USA will be wearing.
Fran Blinebury of NBA.com lists his top 25 free agents: “10. David Lee: Lee tried to cash in for a big payday last summer, but a tumbling economy and the fact that the Knicks held a right of first refusal forced him to sign a one-year deal to become an unrestricted free agent this time around. Unless they can do some creative accounting gymnastics, the Knicks will have to let Lee go if they succeed in their bid to sign two big name free agents. A 20-11 big man with high energy, there are places — Oklahoma City, Houston — where he would be a welcome addition to the lineup.”
The Thunder’s broadcast team was nominated for two regional Emmy Awards. From the release: “The team’s Dec. 22, 2009 game broadcast of the Thunder vs. Los Angeles Lakers at the Staples Center in LA, received a nomination for best live coverage for sports/event. The game was broadcast live on FOX Sports Oklahoma, reaching over 1.7 million households throughout Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri. The team’s weekly magazine television show “Air Thunder,” presented by INTEGRIS Health, was nominated for best sports program series.” Read more…
In response to the NY Post article that cites anonymous “Northwest” sources claiming Sam Presti has already interviewed with the Blazers, Presti said this:
“The story is absolutely false,” Presti said in response Tuesday. “I have not interviewed with any teams or spoken to officials related to a team, nor do I intend to. I have a terrific situation here with the Thunder and enjoy being a member of the Oklahoma City community. I am excited about the short and long term vision for our organization.”
The New York Post says Sam Presti interviewed with the Blazers: “Sam Presti, who yesterday celebrated a third anniversary as Sonic/Thunder GM, making him a rising free agent according to my records, claims he’s perfectly happy in Oklahoma. However, a Northwest source claims he interviewed in Seattle (home of Portland owner Paul Allen) for the Blazers’ job. Oh, that’s right, the job’s taken. Kevin Pritchard owns one year on his contract but he and everyone else (I do believe the Post had it months ago,) believe he’ll be fired immediately after the draft.” And Bob Stoops is seriously going to Notre Dame. For real. I’ll believe this when I see it.
Darnell Mayberry says according to multiple reports, Ron Adams is “expected” to join the Chicago staff. I honestly haven’t seen anything yet that made it sound like this was a done deal. But dang, that’s a bummer if it turns out. Read more…
Ian Thompson of SI writes that OKC is the most efficient franchise: “Clay Bennett’s payroll is the envy of his fellow owners. For starters, no team has less salary on the books than the Thunder, but look deeper: More than $5 million is covered by an insurance policy on Matt Harpring, whose contract the Thunder took on while netting rookie point guard Eric Maynor in the deal. That leaves the Thunder at $49 million in actual operating costs — or an unheard-of $1 million per win. Of that total, another $8.7 million is paid to veterans Etan Thomas and Kevin Ollie, who rarely play. Boil it all down and their nine-man rotation is making $32.8 million this season in return for the league’s 10th-best record and fourth-stingiest field-goal defense.”
