Thank you for your service, Nick Collison!

From the man of the hour:

Royce Young (ESPN) helps Nick Collison pen his retirement letter: “I’ve played with some incredible players, future Hall of Famers, and had the unique experience of spending my entire career with one franchise, but in two different cities. I started in cold gyms in small towns in Iowa and ended up playing in more than 1,000 games over 15 years in the best league in the world. I’ve had an incredible run. I’m proud of my career. But it’s time to go. I’m retiring from competitive basketball.”

Gary Bedore (Kansas City Star) on Collison’s former college coach, Roy Williams, reminiscing on his former player: “We had a 45-minute conversation,” Williams said. “He said some great things to me. I tried to tell him how proud I was, but he said some things that made me feel very, very good. I didn’t go out there for him to make me feel good,” Williams added, laughing, “I went there to try to help make him feel good, to let him know I was still supporting him as much as I possibly could.”

Fred Katz (Norman Transcript) say Westbrook can improve his shot via his pre-shot mechanics: “Though Westbrook has always been a below-average 3-point shooter, he’s far more successful as a spot-up threat than as a pull-up one. He’s weaved in and out of solid seasons and unacceptable ones throughout his career, but has hit 34 percent of catch-and-shoot 3-point attempts since Second Spectrum began tracking that type of data in 2013-14. And while Westbrook’s catch-and-shoot accuracy is still below league average, a 3-point shot that has a 34 percent chance at going in is usually an efficient one. It means more than one point per possession, a top-tier figure for a half-court offense.”

Russell Westbrook released a statement on Collison’s retirement in Westbrookian fashion:

Don’t forget about the last regular season home game for the Thunder this past season and what Westbrook did before the game. I’m pretty sure he knew:

And who could ever forget this piece of cinematic history?

Nick Gallo (OKCThunder.com) reflects on Collison’s career with the Thunder: “Around town, Collison earned the moniker Mr. Thunder, a nickname given to him by Thunder Assistant General Manager Troy Weaver, who encouraged the team to carry themselves more like the well-respected, longtime NBA forward. At the practice facility however, Collison goes by “Dirty”, a nickname coined by assistant coach Mark Bryant.”