OKC Topic Thunder

An OKC Thunder Podcast & Blogsite

Daily Thunder Rumblings – 25 July 2017

Posted on July 25, 2017 by Alex Roig

img_4133-5 If this off-season goes on for any longer, the Thunder will be rumored to be acquiring Michael Jordan from the Charlotte Hornets. Here are today’s Rumblings…

Soooo, Carmelo Anthony and the Thunder reportedly have have mutual interests: “For all that Melo has said about wanting to live in big cities and command large markets, this is a plausible possibility. The Knicks, now under Steve Mills and Scott Perry, could be asking for a lot in Melo deals with Houston or Cleveland. Just a week ago, Melo was all but wearing Rockets red, but after a change of leadership in New York the momentum on such a deal seems to have slowed. It’s probably a good sign for the Knicks as they try to either keep Melo or maximize his value in a trade.”

How Carmelo could fit with the Thunder: “Getting Anthony to OKC would have some of the same issues of the Blake Griffin trade that never happened. Even with questions about fit, Anthony would be a potentially lethal addition to the Thunder offense. Before Griffin, an Oklahoma City native, decided to re-sign a max contract with the Los Angeles Clippers, any deal he was involved in would have had to have been a sign-and-trade in which he’d said “send me to OKC.” Like Griffin, an Anthony trade hinges on the desire to play in Oklahoma City.” Continue reading →

Daily Thunder Rumblings – 24 July 2017

Posted on July 24, 2017 by Alex Roig

img_4133-5 Hello, new week. Don’t be mean. Here is Monday’s edition of DTR…

Fred Katz looks at how the Ronnie Price signing and subsequent cutting will come back to haunt us this season: “The Thunder signed Price to a two-year, $5 million deal last summer, thinking they’d bring in the at-the-time 11-year veteran to be the team’s third-string point guard behind Russell Westbrook and Cameron Payne. The market didn’t dictate giving a second year to Price. It didn’t demand handing a desired third-stringer more than the minimum, either. But Presti had longed for Price for a while. In many ways, Price is the exact type of player Presti tries to keep around in Oklahoma City. He defends hard. He knows the league and the game. He’s extraordinarily bright. Just about anyone who’s played with him describes him as a tier-one teammate. He could probably lock down a coaching job tomorrow if he wanted to stop playing.”

The Thunder pre-preseason team bonding begins in Los Angeles this week: “Paul George certainly isn’t immune to hard work. Every summer George has worked to improve and expand his game. He’s come back from the horrific leg fracture of 2014 which would have ended many players careers. The fact he’s back on track showcasing marked improvements speaks to his work ethic and talent. Sporting a different uniform on a new team, George looks to write his next chapter. For George this season can’t help but feel strange since he’s spent each of his 7 years as a pro with one franchise. And, with all due respect to George Hill, Lance Stephenson and Roy Hibbert ,George has never had a player of Russell Westbrook’s ilk to share the NBA court with.” Continue reading →

Daily Thunder Rumblings – 21 July 2017

Posted on July 21, 2017 by Alex Roig

img_4133-5 Hello, Friday. And hello, Dakari Johnson. Here are the Rumblings on Friday’s edition of DTR….

The Thunder signed 2015 2nd rounder Dakari Johnson to a 2-year contract on Thursday: “The Vertical did not report terms of the deal, but Johnson is likely to sign for the minimum. A 2015 second-round pick, Johnson has not played an NBA game, making him available at a minimum salary of $815,615 in his first season. That makes Johnson a cost-effective option for Oklahoma City, which will be above the NBA’s cap threshold of $119 million by the time it rounds out its roster. And Johnson has support in the organization. He’s made significant strides since he entered the draft in 2015 after his sophomore season at Kentucky. He’s improved his conditioning and his skills, growing in particular as a passer.”

Russell Westbrook finally gets his triple-double achievement commemorated with…….some bobbleheads. Continue reading →

Daily Thunder Rumblings – 20 July 2017

Posted on July 20, 2017 by Alex Roig

img_4133-5

We’re almost there. Just under 90 days until the NBA season starts. Here is Thursday’s edition of DTR…

Steven Adams spoke to two reporters in the Philippines. Some good things came out of that 10 minute interview.

Enes Kanter seriously thought Rudy Gay had signed with the Thunder when he put out that ill-timed tweet. He’s had a heck of a summer: “After making it back to the United States, he blew the lid off Rudy Gay’s free agency visit to Oklahoma City by tweeting a photo of Gay’s nameplate on a locker in the Thunder’s practice facility. Of course, Kanter laughs about it now. “I seriously thought he signed with us, but they just didn’t say it publicly,” Kanter told The Oklahoman Tuesday from New York City. “After I saw he signed with the Spurs, I was like, ‘man I need to get a new source.’”

Jenni Carlson ranks the Thunder’s alternate jerseys. Continue reading →

Sam Presti: Putting back the Jenga pieces

Posted on July 18, 2017 by Alex Roig

Alex Roig – NTTB

Oklahoma City Thunder general manager Sam Presti has had himself quite the off-season. From acquiring Paul George to signing Patrick Patterson and Raymond Felton to cap-friendly contracts, Presti has gone from the man that let Kevin Durant walk for nothing to the man most likely to win Executive of the Year at next years’s NBA Awards.

But if we rewind back to July 4th, 2016, the state of the organization was on much more treacherous footing. One of the pillars of the franchise, Durant, chose to defect to the team’s biggest rival instead of re-signing with the team. Another pillar, Serge Ibaka, was traded two weeks prior to garner younger assets. And the team’s lone remaining superstar, Russell Westbrook, was coming up on the final year of his contract. From the outside looking in, this felt like the end of a memorable, yet disappointing run from a group of young superstars who were drafted together and rose up to prominence, likely a little too fast for their own good.

That was the feeling during the press conference Presti had the evening following Durant’s departure. The questions ranged from, “when did you know Durant was signing with the Warriors?” to “are you now going to trade Russell Westbrook?”. It was the first time I’d ever seen Presti a little rattled during a press conference. (And by rattled, I mean Presti stumbled over like five words over a 45 minutes presser.) Continue reading →

Daily Thunder Rumblings – 18 July 2017

Posted on July 18, 2017 by Alex Roig

img_4133-5 Hello Tuesday. Hopefully everyone is over their weekend/Game of Thrones coma. Here are the DTRs…

Just when you think the awards are done, here comes Sports Illustrated crowning Russell Westbrook the most fashionable athlete for 2017: “Why not? This is the two-word mantra by which he shops, but also by which he practices, plays, walks, talks, dresses and eats. It’s the phrase he wears on an orange silicone bracelet on his wrist. It’s the phrase that helped him reap the 2017 MVP award after averaging a triple double, a feat no NBA player had achieved since Oscar Robertson in 1961–62, while piling up a record 42 of them. It’s the phrase that appears in the name of his charity organization, the Russell Westbrook Why Not? Foundation. It’s the phrase he hashtags on his Instagram posts, which often show off his unorthodox attire. “It goes across so many things, not just in fashion but your whole self,” says Westbrook. “It’s so important to remember to be yourself, regardless of what others think.”

Erik Horne looks at four questions still unanswered for the Thunder this offseason: “It’s been almost a month since the NBA Draft, and the Thunder rookie still hasn’t signed his contract. Ferguson’s clearance is still being worked out with the International Federation of Basketball (FIBA), as the 19-year-old played in Australia last season. The biggest potential benefit to Ferguson getting his deal done has already passed. The Thunder would have liked to have him play Summer League, but now that it’s over there’s no rush in getting him signed. He should have his deal done in time for training camp in September. Last offseason, rookie Domantas Sabonis didn’t sign his contract until Aug. 12.” Continue reading →

Daily Thunder Rumblings – 17 July 2017

Posted on July 17, 2017 by Alex Roig

img_4133-5 A little late, but here are the Rumblings as we begin the new week on DTR!

A great one on one interview from Royce Young and Andre Roberson: “Were you talking to other teams or did you basically just work with the Thunder directly on this before shopping around? Roberson: Oklahoma City is where I wanted to be, to be honest. So I tried to work a deal with them first before we went to anyone else, and that was that.”

Erik Horne looks at the options for the Thunder in regards to Kyle Singler: “Singler remaining salary will still be on the Thunder’s team salary when he’s waived, but the Thunder would be able to “stretch” the contract over twice the number of remaining years on Singler’s deal, plus an additional year. The Thunder has until Aug. 31 to stretch Singler’s contract. Singler has two guaranteed years remaining on his contract, and a third year which is a team option. That means the remaining $9.66 million guaranteed over two years (2017-18, 2018-19) could be stretched over seven seasons in even amounts. Singler’s cap hit this season would be lowered from $4.66 million to $1.38 million, saving the Thunder $3.28 million this season.” Continue reading →

NTTB Podcast (Episode 2) – Adapting To The Times

Posted on July 16, 2017 by Alex Roig

On Episode 2 of the NTTB podcast, we (Alex and Anthony) discuss the following topics:

The Paul George welcoming party and presser
Are the Thunder evolving to keep up with the times in the NBA?
NBA rules changes
Nick Collison’s contract extension
All Russell Westbrook does is win
And news and notes around the NBA

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 under the NTTB Podcast. Make sure you leave us a 5-star review if you can. As always, Thunder Up!

Daily Thunder Rumblings – 13 July 2017

Posted on July 13, 2017 by Alex Roig

Had a great time at the Paul George welcoming party and introductory press conference. Hopefully next year, at this time, we’ll be celebrating his contract extension. Here are the Rumblings.

Royce Young looks at the year long recruitment the Thunder are about to undertake with Paul George: “George was supposed to arrive at 1 p.m., and word had circulated on social media. Thunder fans, as has become their tradition, deployed to meet at their usual spot. On what was of course the hottest day yet of summer in Oklahoma, George’s flight was delayed an hour and a half. Bottles of water were passed around. A dozen or so pizzas showed up. Fans chanted, played music, fanned themselves with homemade signs and exchanged conversations that mostly started and ended with some variation of “Paul George? Paul George!” But George was here now, and he walked to the fence and pressed his hand up against it, dragging it from one end of the line to the other. Fans chanted “P-G-O-K-C!” as he posed for a selfie up against the fence. He waved and jumped in a black SUV. Fans hustled their way to line the road that exited the hanger and waved at George and his family as they were chauffeured off into OKC. And thus began Day 1 of a one-year recruiting trip.” Continue reading →

Highlights from the Paul George introductory party/presser

Posted on July 13, 2017 by Alex Roig

pg13

The Oklahoma City Thunder held a welcoming party for new forward Paul George at The Jones Assembly building in downtown OKC. The event was something new for the Thunder as they’ve never really held a welcoming party for any player. Thunder GM Sam Presti said as much in his press conference. But he also said the Thunder have always been an organization that is willing to try new things. These are different times and the Thunder are really in a new position. No longer are they trying to just keep homegrown talent. For the first time, they are trying to woo someone. And that year-long courtship has gotten off to a promising start.

Here are some of the highlights from tonight’s party and presser.