Thunder At A Glance – 27 September 2018

img_4063Brady Trantham (The Franchise OK) on news and notes from the second day of training camp: “When you do offensive rebound, and we’ve been a good offensive rebounding team, if Steven or whoever it is doesn’t score immediately on a putback and the ball comes back out, it’s going to be very difficult to reset the offense. We’ve got to be able to continue attacking right away, and randomly probably.”

Nick Gallo (OKCThunder.com) says length will define the Thunder’s defense: “For now, the Thunder isn’t getting to do a ton of five-on-five work, although they did get some live work in at the end of both practices. With both Russell Westbrook and Andre Roberson sidelined, the Thunder coaching staff is keeping the two backcourt stalwarts heavily involved in the mental portions of practice that will be going on all week long.” Continue reading

Thunder At A Glance – 26 September 2018

img_4063Erik Horne (NewsOK) on the prowess of Dennis Schröder in the pick and roll and an update on Andre Roberson: “When Thunder post-practice opened to the media, Roberson was in a rotation of wing players taking catch-and-shoot 3-pointers off passes from team assistants. It wasn’t a lot of movement, but when the drill was finished, Roberson chased after a ball without running and even gave it a few kicks before corralling it.”

Grant Afseth (OKC Thunder Wire) on how the bench role could help Schröder: “The top area where Schröder will make an impact for Oklahoma City will be with his playmaking and ability to run an offense. The Thunder are used to having a high-usage guard like Westbrook in their starting unit as their focal point, and they haven’t had someone on their bench to lean on in a similar fashion. That’s where Schröder comes into play.” Continue reading

NTTB Podcast – Thunder’s 2018 Media Day

IMG_4109Just a collection of the Thunder’s media day interviews for your listening pleasure. Enjoy.

  • Billy Donovan – Start to 10:48
  • Russell Westbrook – 10:49 – 18:30
  • Paul George – 18:31 – 27:20
  • Raymond Felton – 27:21 – 31:55
  • Abdel Nader – 31:57 – 37:03
  • Nerlens Noel – 37:04 – 41:56
  • Steven Adams – 41:57 – 54:25
  • Patrick Patterson – 54:26 – 1:01:12
  • Alex Abrines – 1:01:15 – 1:07:35
  • Jerami Grant – 1:07:37 – 1:12:30
  • Andre Roberson – 1:12:32 – 1:22:55
  • Dennis Schroder – 1:22:57 – 1:28:25
  • Terrance Ferguson – 1:28:27 – 1:31:00
  • Deonte Burton – 1:31:00 – 1:32:46
  • Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot – 1:32:47 – 1:36:20
  • Tyler Davis – 1:36:21 – 1:39:01
  • Hamidou Diallo – 1:39:03 – End

Thank you for listening. We will be doing a podcast once a week. If you have any Thunder or NBA related questions, make sure you hit us up on Twitter (@alexroig_NTTB or @Montero_A13).

We are on ITunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, and Tune In under the NTTB Podcast. Make sure you leave us a 5-star review if you can. As always, Thunder Up!

https://www.buzzsprout.com/111153/812567-2018-thunder-media-day.mp3?download=true

Paul George: My Fight Song

paul george

“This is my fight song/
Take back my life song/
Prove I’m alright song/
My power’s turned on/
Starting right now I’ll be strong/
I’ll play my fight song/
And I don’t really care if nobody else believes/
‘Cause I’ve still got a lot of fight left in me”

Yes, this is, in fact, the chorus to “Fight Song” by Rachel Platten. But to Oklahoma City Thunder fans and to Paul George, this might as well be the anthem for the upcoming season.

We’re familiar with the song and dance. Oklahoma City traded Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis for Paul George. We started seeing mental images of Westbrook and George hoisting the Larry O’Brien above their heads in celebration. We also saw the underwhelming season that transpired in 2017-2018. One that ultimately was put to an end as the Utah Jazz defeated the Thunder in 6 games in the first round of the playoffs. Continue reading

Thunder At A Glance – 21 September 2018

img_4063Erik Horne (NewsOK) on who will decide who will start at power forward: “We have to let Billy make those decisions,” Presti said. “He’s in charge of what happens once the ball is tipped up and once we are competing. He makes all the decisions relative to what happens between the lines.”

Horne (NewsOK) on Presti talking about injury updates: “Presti added that he feels good that the Thunder will have both Westbrook and Roberson back at some point “relatively early in the year.” Westbrook underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee last week and is expected to be reevaluated in three weeks, one week before the Thunder tips off against Golden State in the regular-season opener Oct. 16.” Continue reading

Thunder At A Glance – 19 September 2018

img_4063David Aldridge (NBA.com) with a status update on several players who were injured last season, including Andre Roberson: “The 26-year-old Roberson will be with the team when camp begins. He has been with the Thunder all summer and been on the floor doing drill work and shooting, though he is not yet cleared for either contact work or five on five play. The Thunder will obviously be conservative with him as he nears his return to play.”

Per the Thunder’s website, the team has entered into a 10-year partnership with OU Medicine: “As part of the agreement, OU Medicine will provide expertise and resources to help support the Thunder medical staff in creating elite conditions for player training, treatment and care. The two organizations will also work together on advocacy and public education to drive awareness on key health and wellness issues.” Continue reading

Thunder At A Glance – 10 September 2018

Friend of the site, Stephen Dolan of Thunderous Intentions was correct about Andre Roberson’s involvement with shooting coach Chris “Lethal Shooter” Matthews: “Now, with this knowledge firmly in hand, we can move on to hopes and dreams. In an ideal world, Dre would shoot 40 percent from three, 85 percent from the line, and heal with the speed of Wolverine. But even in our dreams, let’s try to be reasonable.”

Congrats to Thunder assistant coach Maurice Cheeks on his induction to the NBA Hall Of Fame.

https://youtu.be/BwAdZquXl-0 Continue reading

Thunder At A Glance – 27 August 2018

img_4063On the latest episode of the NTTB Podcast, we discuss our best Thunder memories, how the Andre Roberson recovery timeline could affect the team, and we preview the Southeast Division.

Brett Dawson (NewsOK) on Andre Roberson’s admission that he likely won’t be ready until December: “Roberson told KABB that, “Knowing the history of this injury, not many people come back from it the same way,” but noted that “in today’s day and era, in terms of technology, medicine and stuff like that, it’s totally different.” He credited the Thunder’s medical staff with helping him work his way back.” Continue reading

NTTB Podcast – Episode 42 (Thunder Memories and Southeast Failures)

IMG_4109On Episode 42 of the NTTB podcast, we discuss the following topics:

  • Andre Roberson’s recovery timeline
  • Looking at the Thunder wing options
  • Possible NBA rule changes
  • Paul George’s interview with DRAMA
  • Abdel Nader’s contract deadline pushed back
  • Top 3 Thunder memories
  • Southeast Division preview
  • NBA News

Intro/Outro music provided by OSC Productions

Thank you for listening. We will be doing a podcast once a week. If you have any Thunder or NBA related questions, make sure you hit us up on Twitter (@alexroig_NTTB or @Montero_A13).

We are on ITunes, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, and Tune In under the NTTB Podcast. Make sure you leave us a 5-star review if you can. As always, Thunder Up!

https://www.buzzsprout.com/111153/785489-episode-42-thunder-memories-and-southeast-failures.mp3?download=true

NTTB Thunder Rumblings – 20 August 2018

img_4063Nick Gallo (OKCThunder.com) on the resilliency of Andre Roberson during his rehab process: “At the beginning of August, he joined some teammates in Los Angeles for informal workouts, participating in what he could. A couple weeks later, he ran. He didn’t get very far, but that’s because his sprinting came on a high-speed treadmill. It was a proud moment that Roberson showed to the world on Instagram, and a sign that even if Roberson isn’t completely back to 100 percent, both his health and his confidence are heading that direction.”

A great piece by Brett Dawson (NewsOK) on how the last 10 years of Thunder basketball have helped shape Oklahoma City: “According to data provided to the Thunder by the city, each home game translates to $1.5 million in economic impact for OKC. That’s almost $700 million since the team arrived in 2008. Since the Thunder arrived, downtown’s residential growth has outpaced the city’s as a whole. There are more than 5,000 residential units downtown, a dramatic increase since 2008.” Continue reading