So Houston actually got Chris Paul. I wonder what this means for the Thunder and Blake Griffin? Let us explore on this edition of DTR.
It’s no secret the Thunder like Blake Griffin. But to make it work, Griffin needs to like OKC: “It’s uncertain what the move means for the Thunder, but it’s another power play for a Western Conference team in a relatively quiet summer (so far) for OKC. What could be revealed soon, however, is the fate of Blake Griffin – the Oklahoma City native and former University of Oklahoma All-American who the Thunder has reportedly had interest in for more than a year.”
Erik Horne looks at what Chris Paul going to the Rockets potentially means for the Thunder in their pursuit of Griffin: “What does it mean for the Thunder? It’s uncertain, but it’s another strengthening move for the teams in the Western Conference in a relatively quiet summer (so far) for OKC. What could be revealed soon, however, is the fate of Griffin, the Oklahoma City native and former University of Oklahoma All-American. That fate could be directly related to the Thunder. Griffin and Paul reportedly were at odds on the Clippers, who had idled in the last six seasons, never advancing past the second round in the Western Conference playoffs. Both were each set to opt out of the final year of their contracts to enter free agency this summer, but Paul opted in to orchestrate his trade. Griffin exercised his early termination clause on June 23.”
And, of course, the other side of the coin (with some interesting injury news for Griffin): “Griffin notified the team last week that he will not pick up his option for next season. The Clippers are of the understanding that it will take a five-year deal to keep Griffin, a source told Shelburne. Complicating the matter however, sources told ESPN’s Michael Eaves, is that Griffin may not be ready for the start of the next season and could possibly be out until December due to a toe injury that cut short his postseason.”
As we’ve seen, Victor Oladipo has been focused on physical transformation this summer. Here’s the why: “But Oladipo’s scoring average dipped to 10.8 points per game in a five-game first-round playoff loss to the Houston Rockets – his first-ever playoff series – and the bad feelings from it still linger. “The playoffs kind of left a sour taste in my mouth,” Oladipo told The Oklahoman Monday night after the NBA Awards in New York City. “A sour taste, period. I’m doing what I can to change that.” That includes a significant physical transformation.”
Wired Magazine looks at Westbrook winning the MVP: “We live in dizzy times, and counternarratives like Westbrook’s quick-stepped gambit toward NBA deification became a rare kinetic rebuttal to the dark shadow of political unsurety and widening social disunity. Throughout the 82-game regular season, he served as a precise metaphor for an imprecise moment in the American chronicle: heave yourself forward, against outwardly impossible hurdles, against cynicism, against disbelief, and even then, when the road ahead remains too nightmarish to navigate, continue on, fight, move forward.”
A video of Oladipo giving back to the community through his camps.
Fred Katz looks at the Thunder upcoming free agents in detail: “This mostly depends on what Collison wants to do. If he’s begging to come back to the only franchise for which he’s ever played, the Thunder would probably extend him a gratuitous minimum offer. It’s tough to imagine him landing a deal for more than that anywhere else. But as Collison has said, he believes he can still play. And his playing time this past season wasn’t indicative that the Thunder thought the same. It’s unlikely OKC won’t change its mind on that. Collison will be 37 years old at the start of next year. So, if playing time is something Collison values, maybe he tests the market. He’s never actually been a free agent before, historically signing extensions.”
Now That's Thunder Basketball 