What is Iceland known for? Ice? Land? That whole story you heard in fifth grade about Greenland and Iceland and some sort of confusion between the two in naming them (I obviously didn’t really listen to it)?
Whatever it is, I would think basketball would be relatively low on the list. And thus, one would assume, making it somewhat odd to be a fan of the NBA in Iceland. Somewhat odd. Not completely out of this world to enjoy it.
But what’s really odd – meaning more than somewhat - is being an Oklahoma City Thunder fan in Iceland, one of the least visible teams in the league. Which brings us to Hlynur Omar Bjornsson, the self-proclaimed only Thunder fan in Iceland. Let me ask it for you: “Huh? How? Why?” So I asked him, among other things.
You know if you look real hard, it kind of looks like OKC's logo.
You are a Thunder fan in Iceland. Simply, how and why?
I‘ve always liked basketball and the NBA. As a kid I started supporting the Sonics. First, because of Shawn Kemp and his monster dunks, but eventually Gary Payton became my favorite player. I‘ve never been to Seattle, but my father used to travel there quite a bit because of his work (visiting the Boeing offices) and he really liked the city, so at least I had some connection to the city.
When the team was sold and eventually relocated to Oklahoma City, I was pretty upset and thought that if there was any time when you were allowed to actually switch your allegiances and become a fan of another team, this was it. So I tried to find a new team to follow but none stood out. I then noticed that every morning when I checked the NBA news or the box score, the team I looked up first was the Thunder. How was my old team doing? How was Kevin Durant playing? I was really excited when the Sonics drafted KD so maybe I was just keeping track of him? Read more…
Interview
Iceland
Jim Brylewski, President of the Tulsa 66ers, was kind enough to give me a few minutes to ask him about the state of the 66ers and the relationship between them and the Thunder. Among many interesting things, one is that the 66ers will be unveiling a new logo and new colors to match the Thunder within the month, Brylewski said. But there’s lots of good info like the advantages of having a D-League team so close, the way the franchises integrate between each other and how the 66er franchise sees itself within the Thunder organization. 
Daily Thunder: How big was it for the 66ers to move to downtown Tulsa?
Jim Brylewski: For us right now, the growth of downtown Tulsa, by April every team will be playing in downtown Tulsa. So we think it’s instrumental to the growth of the city and we think there’s some synergy now for everybody to be playing essentially within blocks of each other.
DT: And the team is playing in the… Civic Center?
JB: We’re playing in the Tulsa Convention Center. It is in the process of being renovated and will be completed by early November.
DT: Are there any aspirations to ever move to the BOK Center?
JB: Right now, from a financial standpoint, what the other teams pay in rent is not feasible from a cost standpoint.
DT: The Thunder made a slick move when it purchased its own D-League franchise. Why do you think other teams haven’t done this?
JB: I don’t know. I think that Houston just entered into an agreement where they’re handling the basketball operation in Rio Grande Valley. It’s a slow approach but I think once some of the other NBA teams see the value from a developmental standpoint that you’ll see that grow. I think that initial expense may hold back some. But from a developmental standpoint, but for us on the basketball side, if Shaun Livingston pans out the way that it looks like he’s going to, that’s the value of the franchise. So I think once other NBA franchises see that and see the benefit, that you’ll see it slowly turn that way. Read more…
Interview
Jim Brylewski, Tulsa 66ers
Yes, that’s right. Sam Presti was gracious enough to give me a few minutes to ask him a bunch of questions ranging from free agency, next year’s expectations, what he does in his free time and whether he’s decided on OU or OSU. It’s all really great. At least his part of it is. (You can also listen to the interview in full if you so please. Also, I realize I said Earl Watson instead of Chucky Atkins in the first question, so no need to point that out. I was a little nervous, all right?)
Talk a little about bringing in Etan Thomas and trading away Damien Wilkins and Earl Watson Chucky Atkins.
We’re really excited to have Etan. He’s a guy we feel than can contribute to what we’re trying to do as a basketball team. He brings a defensive mentality and physical nature to our and adds more depth to our frontline.
One thing I’ve noticed is that it seems the Thunder has all high-character guys. Is that something high on your priority list? Will you sacrifice a really good player if he has character issues?
We’re looking for guys that we think are going to fit with our team. It’s not necessarily for us to be judge and jury on other people, but we are looking for people that are going to contribute to the kind of environment on and off the floor that we strive to have. And we feel good about the type of guys that we have on our roster in terms of their fit together – on the court, also their fit off the court and their commitment to the organization. We’re looking for guys that feel we can be successful in our system. Read more…
Interview
Sam Presti
Darnell Mayberry, the lead beat writer for the Thunder, was gracious enough to take some time to answer a few questions about his experiences covering the team. It may be on the long side, but every answer is definitely worth reading.
Daily Thunder: With the Sooners and the Cowboys, people are really touchy about The Oklahoman remaining unbiased and objective. But with the Thunder, this is the state’s team. Do you find it harder to try and stay objective or is it easy to get caught up being a fan?
Darnell Mayberry: I’m not a fan. That’s the first thing I think it’s important to realize. I am a fan of the 
NBA, sure. It’s my favorite league. But I don’t root for the Thunder specifically or have a team bumper sticker on my car or foam fingers in my house or Kevin Durant autographed pictures hanging on my wall. And so I haven’t found my job as the Thunder beat writer any more or less difficult than any other beat in terms of remaining objective. It’s a professional obligation in my eyes. An awesomely fun and enjoyable one, but one that I take seriously and work very hard at.
Having said that, it’s human nature to want to see people do well. Working closely with so many classy people in the Thunder organization, from players to coaches to front office execs, you want to see them do well. But I’m not happy or heartbroken after every win or loss. My approach to my job remains the same whether the Thunder has a 3-29 record through its first 32 games or goes 20-30 over its final 50. I don’t, however, know any sports journalist, myself included, that doesn’t want to cover a good team. It’s both a pleasure and a professional challenge to chronicle the biggest sporting events of the year. So I’m like every other professional sports journalist I know who wants to continually be in that position. But I don’t let my desire cloud my judgment or show up in my work. The one challenge about this being Oklahoma’s team, and the state’s first major-league franchise, is that there is a ton of excitement about the Thunder. And what I’ve found sort of ironic is while many sports journalists live in fear of being labeled a homer, I’m in a position where fans are upset when I’m too critical. Read more…
Interview
Darnell Mayberry
With all this talk of Memphis possibly liking Hasheem Thabeet, I thought it might get some insight from somebody that knows that team better than anyone. So I asked Chip Crain from 3 Shades of Blue a few questions.
1. Simple question: Hasheem Thabeet or Ricky Rubio?
Chip: That isn’t even a question. Thabeet is a nice big man and you can’t teach size but no one believes this player will become anything more than a defensive stopper in the middle. Rubio could be an all-star and a crowd pleasing player as well. If Memphis publicly contemplates taking Thabeet it would most likely be an attempt to get Oklahoma City to buy the 2nd pick for the 3rd pick and another asset. Oklahoma City would be making a mistake taking Thabeet over Rubio in my opinion however. If Memphis moves down to 3rd and Rubio and Griffin are gone I doubt Thabeet would be the player they take at three anyway. James Harden, DeJuan Blair, Tyreke Evans and others have more upside in the NBA the way I look at it than Thabeet. Thabeet is another Roy Hibbert to me.
2.What makes you want Rubio, when Memphis already has Mike Conley? Conley was the fourth overall pick just two years ago and played better in the second half of the season. If Memphis takes Rubio, are the Grizzlies basically giving up on a top five pick just in his third year?
Chip: Every team needs more than one point guard. Rubio is 18 and will take time to adjust to a new country and a new brand of basketball. If Rubio can beat out Conley for the starting role then moves can be made further down the line. Besides, you don’t draft for need. You take the best player available. Drafting for need causes teams to do really dumb things. Sam Bowie instead of Michael Jordan springs to mind as an example. Read more…
Interview
3 Shades of Blue, Grizzlies
