Who: Oklahoma City Thunder (3-1) vs. Indiana Pacers (3-1)
When: 7 AM CDT
Where to watch: NBATV (Cox 256, 726 HD)
Video Stream: N/A
A couple notes: Look for today’s Thunder lineup to be a lot like yesterday’s. Probably a lot of youngsters like Ryan Reid, Latavious Williams, Mustafa Shakur and the like… The Pacers probably haven’t been psyched with Paul George’s play so far. In a word, underwhelming… Lance Stephenson on the other hand has been pretty impressive, though he scored just four yesterday… Magnum Rolle, formerly of the Thunder, has looked like a pretty high-energy shot-blocker. Nice looking player… If you’re putting money on Josh McBob fighting anyone on the Thunder roster today, I’m betting on Byron Mullens. Seems like a match made in heaven to me.
Preview
Nick Collison alerts us to the next pressing NBA free agency question that we’ll all have on our minds over the next year:
DECISION 11′ has officially begun!!! 365 days until Nick Collison announces his free agent decision in a one hour special live on PBS!!!
Gosh I love Nick Collison. But seriously though, I hope it’s the Thunder’s name he calls. If for no other reason than tweets like these.
Other
Nick Collison
I don’t know, just in case you folks are looking for a place to chat about it. Matt Moore and I will be keeping it hot over at CBS Sports. If you’d like to have a peek, that’d be cool.
Also, I thought I’d break a little something for you – Sources: LeBron will not announce Oklahoma City as his destination. Also, he will not play for the Minnesota Twins, Baylor Bears or Toronto Maple Leafs. Carry on.
Other
BOX SCORE
OKC beat Orlando 80-78. A few quick notes while we prepare for the LeBrocolypse tonight.
- No James Harden, no Eric Maynor meant more Mustafa Shakur and more Kyle Weaver. And both played pretty well. Shakur actually played REALLY well. Shakur netted 21 on 6-10 shooting, dished out five assists and only turned it over once. He was in control throughout the game and never wavered in confidence. I said last year he is an NBA roster player. Someone is going to grab him eventually. For shame OKC really doesn’t have room.
- Weaver on the other hand showed some good and bad. Good: scoring 21 points. Bad: taking 21 shots to do it (7-21). Good: seven assists. Bad: five turnovers. But Weaver went 3-6 from deep and the fact he actually took 21 shots is semi-encouraging. Normally he’s passive to a fault. He really tried to assert himself today. Read more…
Recap
Who: Oklahoma City Thunder (2-1) vs. Orlando Magic (0-3)
When: 12 PM CDT
Where to watch: NBATV (Cox 256, 726 HD)
Video Stream: Right here
A couple notes: I don’t think James Harden is playing today, based on this tweet… The Magic have a couple nice players including Stanley Robinson, Patrick Ewing Jr and Daniel Orton, who may or may not be a nice player… Is it just me or is Paul Davis Ryan Bowen’s clone?… No word on Kyle Weaver and why he sat out yesterday… No Serge Ibaka again… Eric Maynor is doubtful… We’ll see a lot of Latavious Williams I’d assume today. He played well today and I’m sure the Thunder staff wants to see more.
Preview
The day is finally here. Kevin Durant can officially sign, Cole Aldrich officially becomes part of the team and OKC plays a very important summer league game against Orlando. Anything else going on? I think that’s pretty much it…
JA Adande on KD’s extension: “Still, I guarantee you no one will look back on this contract in six years and say, “What were they thinking?” That makes sense because there wasn’t any airtime or Twitter characters wasted on wondering “What is Durant thinking?” this summer. We were all distracted, wondering about LeBron’s future whereabouts, when maybe we should have been wondering whether — wherever he ends up — his team could beat the Thunder.” Read more…
Bolts
BOX SCORE
What a day. But even still, you’ve got to make time for summer league. Got to. It’s can’t miss stuff, right? The Thunder defeated the 76ers 89-80 today. Some notes and observations:
- Another poor shooting day from James Harden. Just 3-10 from the floor, but again, he managed 21 points because he went 15-18 from the line. He had five rebounds too! But six turnovers. Harden hasn’t been bad by any means this summer, but he hasn’t blown anyone away either. Keep in mind though, Harden is doing what he’s supposed to – staying aggressive, getting to the line and creating opportunities. Forgive him a little. It’s July and he hasn’t played competitive basketball in three months.
- Kyle Weaver was in street clothes today (no reason as to why yet), so Robert Vaden got the start. And Darth Vaden didn’t exactly capitalize. In 28 minutes Vaden scored two points on 1-5 shooting. Eek. Read more…
Recap
I found this just incredibly awesome. Darnell Mayberry tweeted that after talking with KD, terms to Durant’s extension were agreed upon at 11:02 p.m. CT on June 30.
If you deduce that, the Thunder showed up at 11:01 and the terms were agreed upon at 11:02. So it took one minute (!!!) for KD to agree to his contract with the Thunder. Either Sam Presti is a fast talker or Durant really, really, really wanted to be part of this organization. It just keeps getting better and better. Tomorrow we’re going to read that during the contract negotiations KD saved a small child from a fire and signed 5 million autographs for his neighbors.
News
Kevin Durant
Who: Oklahoma City Thunder (1-1) vs. Philadelphia 76ers (2-0)
When: 2 PM CDT
Where to watch: NBATV (Cox 256, 726 HD)
Video Stream: Right here
A couple notes: This is OKC’s first look at Evan Turner who hasn’t been extremely impressive in his first two games totaling just 25 points total… Serge Ibaka is still out and not expected to play… Latavious Williams should see more action as result of that… Jrue Holliday has been excellent for Philly averaging 16.5 ppg in the Sixers first two.
Preview
As pointed out in the comments, I guess this website is sort of irrelevant now.
ESPN The Magazine has ranked the Oklahoma City Thunder No. 25 among the four top major-league sports in its annual Ultimate Standings that measure how much MLB, NBA, NFL and NHL franchises give back to their fans. The Thunder jumps from No. 57 a year ago. The overall ranking is based on how each team fares in eight categories, including fan relations, ownership, players, coaching, affordability, stadium experience, title track (championships already won or expected in the lifetime of current fans) and “bang for the buck” (wins during the past three years per revenues directly from fans, adjusted for league schedules). The Thunder’s ranking for fan satisfaction is fifth best in the NBA and places it ahead of 97 other professional sports teams.” Read more…
Bolts
From KD’s Twitter:
Exstension for 5 more years wit the #thunder….God Is Great, me and my family came a long way…I love yall man forreal, this a blessing!
I honestly don’t know how much I can add to this. We knew it was coming. KD has said all along he wanted to be in OKC and from our short experience with Durant so far, there was no reason not to believe him.
Terms of the deal have not yet been disclosed and of course this doesn’t become official until tomorrow, but I heard a number of around $84 million tossed around. No official confirmation on that though. Marc Spears of Yahoo reports that it’s a firm five-year deal with no opt-out after the fourth year. So he’s CLEARLY totally committed to OKC. And if I understand Larry Coon’s FAQ properly, this extension doesn’t go into effect until after KD’s current deal ends in 2011, meaning we actually have at least six years left with Durant.
As Chris Ballard of SI put it, “Not sure what’s wrong with Kevin Durant. Dude signs 5-year contract and forgets to hold TV special, flirt w/other team or co-opt headlines. It’s almost as if Durant’s number one priority is to play basketball.”
Seriously, what’s up with KD? It’s not all about basketball, teammates and winning. You gotta think about your brand. You gotta think about the fame. You gotta think about going global. These are the reasons I wouldn’t give Durant up for anyone – he’s all about basketball. He’s all about winning. He’s all about team. And for at least the next six years, he’s all about Oklahoma City.
News
Kevin Durant
BOX SCORE
What a game! The Bobcats beat the Thunder at the buzzer on a Jeremy Pargo runner, 86-85. HEARTBREAK IN ORLANDO. Some notes and observations:
- James Harden looked much, much better today. He was finishing at the rim and playing much more aggressively. His jumper has been a little off, but again, that’s not really the concern. Harden is a scorer/slasher first and foremost, so him finishing at the tin is the main goal for this summer. We know he can hit a 3, even though he went 1-5 today from deep. It’s about taking contact and scoring for him. The five turnovers are a bit alarming though.
- The offense did not run without Eric Maynor on the floor. In summer league, a point guard is the most important person on the roster. And Maynor is a pretty good one. The Thunder tried Kyle Weaver, Mustafa Shakur and even Harden a little there. Nothing really worked without Maynor. Maynor’s line: 18 points on 5 of 9 shooting, five assists, four rebounds and three turnovers. Read more…
Recap
Who: Oklahoma City Thunder (1-0) vs. Charlotte Bobcats (1-0)
When: 2 PM CDT
Where to watch: NBATV (Cox 256, 726 HD)
Video Stream: Right here
A couple notes: Serge Ibaka will not play today with a left sprained ankle… The Bobcats have some talent on this roster too. Derrick Brown is a scorer, Alexis Ajinca is a major project with some talent, Gerald Henderson is obviously good and Sherron Collins is a solid point guard… Also, the Bobcats have P.J. Tucker on their summer team. Any Big 12 fans out there likely chuckled a bit at the mention of his name… Yesterday for Charlotte, Brown scored 20 and Henderson scored 20 as they beat Utah 85-83.
Preview
As I casually walked down the hall with toilet bowl cleaner Monday with the holiday weekend winding down, a voice came from the living room with a message that immediately gave me an excuse to quit on my chores.
“Serge Ibaka got hurt.”
What could be worse for the Thunder during summer league play than a long-term injury to No. 9? Some kid trying to make a roster who careens into Kevin Durant on the bench? (Don’t worry, I just knocked on some wood, and you should too. But seriously, maybe put him in a Popemobile on the sidelines? I love that he wants to be there, but PROTECT THAT MAN!)
Thankfully there’s no indication the injury is anything serious, and as of Monday night Ibaka was listed as day-to-day. Fingers crossed further examination won’t reveal anything worse than a boo boo. Read more…
Commentary
Orlando Summer League, Serge Ibaka, Summer League
This is a smallish announcement I need to make before we continue with our regularly scheduled programming. Some of you may have seen the tweets over the weekend, but I have signed on to write full-time at CBSSports.com with Matt Moore of Hardwood Paroxysm on a new NBA blog.
In case you’re wondering, yeah, I’m pretty excited about it.
A few questions I’ll answer before you have a chance to ask them:
Is this the death of Daily Thunder?
Absolutely not. In my mind, this is the rebirth of Daily Thunder. Well, that’s a little much. Really, this is just kind of a good thing for Daily Thunder I guess. Now with a revised schedule, I think I’ll have a little more time to commit to writing (since it’ll sort of be my job now) and DT will be bigger and better than ever. Plus, a bonus! You’ll now be reading an actual sportswriter rather than some pretend wannabe sportswriter. That’s good, right? Read more…
News
