Oh you already heard that? Well it's awesome in any event. It's now possible that the two of them could be in Thunder uniforms through the 2011 season. That hopefully bodes well for ticket sales.
Even getting them through next year should be all the time necessary to determine if they are, in fact, keys to the championship puzzle. All signs point to yes obviously with Durant but Green has work to do. Although, he did make the NBA All-Rookie team last year along with KD so that should at the very least bode well.
After I heard the news it got me to thinking about the question of the Thunder being able to keep talent and to attract marquee free agents. This is one of the topics detractors of the NBA in OKC keep raising. People like to say that there is no way any one would want to come here to play or live or have anything to do with this "small-time" city. It seems to me the answer has something in common with the University of Oklahoma.
Think about it. Marquee recruits have the opportunity to play anywhere in the country. In any environment they like. Los Angeles (USC, UCLA), Miami, anywhere else in Florida, Austin (great night life), Colorado (mountains) and on and on and on. Virtually anywhere has arguably better scenery or better nightlife or more entertainment options than Norman, Oklahoma. Go ahead and lump OKC in there for that matter. Yet, recruiting talent is never a problem. Maybe it's tradition, maybe it's coaching, maybe it's wanting to play for a perennial winner. Whatever the case, they come. Insert the, "Maybe it's the money" joke here.
As it relates to the Thunder I have to believe that, with all things being equal, OKC should be able to compete for free agents and retain top level talent. While tradition and perennial winning might not be a calling card yet there are several benefits to OKC. One, this team seems to have a vision of what it wants to be and how it needs to be built to be competitive year in and year out. Two, this team is stockpiling assets in order to position itself to be a player in the free agent market. Three, a person's money goes further here than it does in other places.
Also, whose to say that each and every player is going to base his decision on nightlife or activities available. Is that not what roadtrips are for? Maybe some guys like to stay in or maybe they are family men. I'm just saying there is more to it than the social scene (which really ISN'T that bad- I have to believe it compares favorably to Salt Lake City for instance).
Ultimately, players are fiercely competitive. They can't make it to this level without a desire to succeed. If the OKC front office sticks to their plan and vision to build a competitive team the right way then why wouldn't someone want to come here, be a key cog in the wheel and have an opportunity to star and help win basketball games? They have a chance to be the only game in town, heroes of the city and to play for great crowds night in and night out.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Thursday, October 16, 2008
A Little Time Off Hopefully Goes a Long Way
The Thunder don't play a game until next Thursday. This is welcome news on many fronts. Half the squad is in the infirmary so they get to spend some time in the ice baths. More offense will get installed, film can be watched and teaching and personnel meshing can continue.
Another note from the Thunder's home game the other night. There were a lot of people rocking Thunder wear and that was cool to see. It really is awesome that this community, and by that I mean the entire state, can rally around a single team.
This is taken from thundermadness.com, The Oklahoman's Thunder fan site and I think it illustrates my point from yesterday people wanting to compare everything to the Hornets.
Quoth Kandi, "After having season tix for the Hornets 2 years,and purchasing 4 for this year, I was ver much anticipating Tuesday night. But WOW! what a left down. Everything seemed thown together. The crappy announcer was dry and really didn't have energy and seemed to be prodded from behind to speak sometimes. The sound or music selection (or lack of) wow sad, the music sound lights and announcer should be the driving force behind the croud getting it pumped up. Not saying "Ok guys lets say defence." How lame! No pregame light show except the light going off then on. No time out stunts, half time was like Hinder decided to stay in the stands, so they had to come up with a quick idea. Thunder Girls? That was the best they could come up with. And did we see them dance? No. No t-shirt launcher. I was front row club level and I was S.O.L. I really hope they are holding back for the regular season because everyone paid WAY too much money to watch a high school production. I'll have to wait and see."
First off, it's the National BASKETBALL Association and not the National Sideshow Association. Shouldn't the basketball be most responsible for fans getting into the game? Also, when the team put together a list of "things that must be done by the first preseason home game" how high was smoke machine or t-shirt launcher do you think? Higher than, say, uniforms, tickets, a court, a practice facility, places for players to live, staff, etc?
Regrettably, Kandi is not alone in this sentiment. My blessed mother could very well be using the moniker Kandi to post (although my mom can spell and doesn't speak Interweb). And there are thousands like them.
Patience please.
Another note from the Thunder's home game the other night. There were a lot of people rocking Thunder wear and that was cool to see. It really is awesome that this community, and by that I mean the entire state, can rally around a single team.
This is taken from thundermadness.com, The Oklahoman's Thunder fan site and I think it illustrates my point from yesterday people wanting to compare everything to the Hornets.
Quoth Kandi, "After having season tix for the Hornets 2 years,and purchasing 4 for this year, I was ver much anticipating Tuesday night. But WOW! what a left down. Everything seemed thown together. The crappy announcer was dry and really didn't have energy and seemed to be prodded from behind to speak sometimes. The sound or music selection (or lack of) wow sad, the music sound lights and announcer should be the driving force behind the croud getting it pumped up. Not saying "Ok guys lets say defence." How lame! No pregame light show except the light going off then on. No time out stunts, half time was like Hinder decided to stay in the stands, so they had to come up with a quick idea. Thunder Girls? That was the best they could come up with. And did we see them dance? No. No t-shirt launcher. I was front row club level and I was S.O.L. I really hope they are holding back for the regular season because everyone paid WAY too much money to watch a high school production. I'll have to wait and see."
First off, it's the National BASKETBALL Association and not the National Sideshow Association. Shouldn't the basketball be most responsible for fans getting into the game? Also, when the team put together a list of "things that must be done by the first preseason home game" how high was smoke machine or t-shirt launcher do you think? Higher than, say, uniforms, tickets, a court, a practice facility, places for players to live, staff, etc?
Regrettably, Kandi is not alone in this sentiment. My blessed mother could very well be using the moniker Kandi to post (although my mom can spell and doesn't speak Interweb). And there are thousands like them.
Patience please.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
66'ers Get Top Pick in D-League Draft
The Tulsa 66'ers, the NBA D-League affiliate of the Thunder have drawn the first overall pick in the upcoming D-Leage Draft.
Article
Over 100 former D-League players are on current NBA rosters. 3 point shooter anyone?
Article
Over 100 former D-League players are on current NBA rosters. 3 point shooter anyone?
Welcome to Thunderdome!
Clippers 90, Thunder 88
Last night marked the first appearance of the Thunder at the Ford Center. It's the only appearance the team will make in the preseason. All phases, from gameplay to announcing to the crowd, looked and felt like preseason.
But that's okay.
The team was, at times, sluggish and sloppy but there were some highlights. Johan Petro did a wonderful impersonation of a true center. That was great to see. Nick Collison looked like the closest thing to consistently dependable that the Thunder might have (uh oh). KD finished strong again. When he gets his shot to drop more reliably he will prove to the OKC fanbase that he is truly a superstar.
Lowlights included sloppy play from the backcourt. Lots of turnovers (7 between Earl Watson, Russell Westbrook and John Lucas III) and another 10 from Durant and Damien Wilkins. Free throws were missed late that accounted for the difference in the final score.
The nagging question that's on my mind is how will the Thunder fare when opposing team's best players are on the court for the majority of the game? Last night the Thunder had KD, Collison, Westbrook, Wilkins and Lucas on the court in crunch time. Aside from Lucas that's probably not a stretch for the real show. Meanwhile, the Clippers had no Baron Davis for the entire game, no Marcus Camby the entire game and yet the Thunder scratched and clawed their way to a two point loss. Yes they played 5 games in 7 days. Yes, with injuries and lack of practice time (PJ and KD both said less than half of the offense has been installed) PJ hasn't been able to properly evaluate personnel options. Hopefully, after an 8 day layoff betwixt games the Thunder will be able to offer a more proper showing of what they can do.
From an organizational standpoint I feel like the Thunder have plenty of room for improvement in terms of a "game experience". Regrettably, all the OKC fans have to compare it to is the Hornets and I got the sense that for at least the first half most people in the arena were comparing everything to the Hornets. This will probably be even worse on Opening Night when the place is packed and more seat owners are in attendance.
What people need to remember is that when the Hornets were relocated their entire organzation was uprooted. They basically took everything and everyone associated with the game from New Orleans Arena and recreated it in the Ford Center. In the case of the Thunder, fans need to realize this is much more like an expansion than a relocation. I doubt as many people moved with the team from Seattle as did from New Orleans. Likewise, the team name didn't move, the colors didn't move, the mascot didn't move. All of this is being added piece meal. And frankly, nuances such as sound effects are not as important to have nailed down for the first preseason game as, say, things related to the actual game. The court isn't even finished.
I don't really care either that the Thunder Dance Team is going to be called the Thunder Girls but I do imagine that Marketing probably lost some sleep kicking around ideas before they came up with the moniker. What's more important is this. Now that's Major League.
Also, what's the rush? Why not let the character of the team and the city have some time to marinate together? I think the result will be better than a rubber stamp copy of what the Hornets do. It might actually result in a more unique atmosphere over the long haul. So patience, at least for a season. We are all starting new here.
That said, 16,000 plus is not too shab for a preseason game and in the second half the crowd started getting more and more into things. By the end, it was raucous and I think the players got a good taste of what they can expect if they can play hard enough to keep things close.
Here's a picture of what it looks like in Section 309
Last night marked the first appearance of the Thunder at the Ford Center. It's the only appearance the team will make in the preseason. All phases, from gameplay to announcing to the crowd, looked and felt like preseason.
But that's okay.
The team was, at times, sluggish and sloppy but there were some highlights. Johan Petro did a wonderful impersonation of a true center. That was great to see. Nick Collison looked like the closest thing to consistently dependable that the Thunder might have (uh oh). KD finished strong again. When he gets his shot to drop more reliably he will prove to the OKC fanbase that he is truly a superstar.
Lowlights included sloppy play from the backcourt. Lots of turnovers (7 between Earl Watson, Russell Westbrook and John Lucas III) and another 10 from Durant and Damien Wilkins. Free throws were missed late that accounted for the difference in the final score.
The nagging question that's on my mind is how will the Thunder fare when opposing team's best players are on the court for the majority of the game? Last night the Thunder had KD, Collison, Westbrook, Wilkins and Lucas on the court in crunch time. Aside from Lucas that's probably not a stretch for the real show. Meanwhile, the Clippers had no Baron Davis for the entire game, no Marcus Camby the entire game and yet the Thunder scratched and clawed their way to a two point loss. Yes they played 5 games in 7 days. Yes, with injuries and lack of practice time (PJ and KD both said less than half of the offense has been installed) PJ hasn't been able to properly evaluate personnel options. Hopefully, after an 8 day layoff betwixt games the Thunder will be able to offer a more proper showing of what they can do.
From an organizational standpoint I feel like the Thunder have plenty of room for improvement in terms of a "game experience". Regrettably, all the OKC fans have to compare it to is the Hornets and I got the sense that for at least the first half most people in the arena were comparing everything to the Hornets. This will probably be even worse on Opening Night when the place is packed and more seat owners are in attendance.
What people need to remember is that when the Hornets were relocated their entire organzation was uprooted. They basically took everything and everyone associated with the game from New Orleans Arena and recreated it in the Ford Center. In the case of the Thunder, fans need to realize this is much more like an expansion than a relocation. I doubt as many people moved with the team from Seattle as did from New Orleans. Likewise, the team name didn't move, the colors didn't move, the mascot didn't move. All of this is being added piece meal. And frankly, nuances such as sound effects are not as important to have nailed down for the first preseason game as, say, things related to the actual game. The court isn't even finished.
I don't really care either that the Thunder Dance Team is going to be called the Thunder Girls but I do imagine that Marketing probably lost some sleep kicking around ideas before they came up with the moniker. What's more important is this. Now that's Major League.
Also, what's the rush? Why not let the character of the team and the city have some time to marinate together? I think the result will be better than a rubber stamp copy of what the Hornets do. It might actually result in a more unique atmosphere over the long haul. So patience, at least for a season. We are all starting new here.
That said, 16,000 plus is not too shab for a preseason game and in the second half the crowd started getting more and more into things. By the end, it was raucous and I think the players got a good taste of what they can expect if they can play hard enough to keep things close.
Here's a picture of what it looks like in Section 309
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Rough Weekend
After a weekend which saw the Oklahoma Sooners fall to Texas and the Thunder lose to Sacramento and Golden State it was nice to see the a Thunder victory Monday night.
Kevin Durant scored 20 in the 4th and played incredible defense and did what he had not done up to this point in the preseason; carry his team.
Hopefully it's the start of great things. Durant looked phenomenal, Chris Wilcox had a ton of energy and Nick Collison played really well also.
The thing that keeps gnawing at me with this team though is will they be able to keep up when the opposing team's firepower goes on a run? The Thunder scratched and clawed last night against a Houston team that put a bunch of riff-raff on the floor in crunch time. In crunch time their go-to-guy was D.J. Strawberry. Tracy McGrady didn't play and Yao didn't play in the 4th.
Who cares. A win is a win and even though it's only preseason it's huge to get the first one under their belt.
Now it's on to the OKC debut, the home debut and I can't wait. I'll try to get some pictures and post them. I'm very excited and interested to see the crowd. It would be awesome if the OKC fans can truly make the Ford Center (dba Thunderdome) a home court advantage.
Kevin Durant scored 20 in the 4th and played incredible defense and did what he had not done up to this point in the preseason; carry his team.
Hopefully it's the start of great things. Durant looked phenomenal, Chris Wilcox had a ton of energy and Nick Collison played really well also.
The thing that keeps gnawing at me with this team though is will they be able to keep up when the opposing team's firepower goes on a run? The Thunder scratched and clawed last night against a Houston team that put a bunch of riff-raff on the floor in crunch time. In crunch time their go-to-guy was D.J. Strawberry. Tracy McGrady didn't play and Yao didn't play in the 4th.
Who cares. A win is a win and even though it's only preseason it's huge to get the first one under their belt.
Now it's on to the OKC debut, the home debut and I can't wait. I'll try to get some pictures and post them. I'm very excited and interested to see the crowd. It would be awesome if the OKC fans can truly make the Ford Center (dba Thunderdome) a home court advantage.
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