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 Thunder At A Glance – 27 August 2018
All posts by Alex Roig
NTTB Podcast – Episode 42 (Thunder Memories and Southeast Failures)
On 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!
Weekend Programming
They say the Mecca of basketball is located in Madison Square Garden. But I’d like to think, for this summer, at least, the Mecca of basketball is located in Rico Hine’s gym in Los Angeles. Enjoy! Is it October 16th yet?
Thunder At A Glance – 24 August 2018
Dan Feldman (NBC Sports) on the Thunder’s spending ways this offseason: “Oklahoma City is on pace to pay more than $93 million in luxury tax next season, which would be a record. Perhaps, the Thunder will stretch Kyle Singler. That could drop them below the $90 million-plus the Nets paid in luxury tax in 2014. But Oklahoma City is in the same range despite not nearing Brooklyn in market size.”
Shannon Sharpe (Fox Sports)on Russell Westbrook’s unfair reputation. Continue reading Thunder At A Glance – 24 August 2018
Thunder At A Glance – 23 August 2018
Charlotte Edmonds (The Observer) with a piece on Russell Westbrook that will have many of us nodding our heads in agreement: “I’m not trying to suggest that Westbrook is a great player by virtue of his commitment to one team. By that logic, Udonis Haslem would’ve been inducted to the Hall of Fame by now. Rather, I’m arguing that players like Westbrook represent one of the things that are still great about sports — standing by a community instead of trading in a “sacred legacy for cheap jewelry,” in the words of Reggie Miller.”
Micah Adams and Scott Rafferty (NBA.com) look at Kobe Bryant’s top 40 rivals as he turns 40 years of age: “Some of the biggest names in today’s NBA see shades of Kobe when they watch Westbrook. Even Kobe sees it. According to Lakers Nation, Kobe said Westbrook is the player who reminds him the most of himself. “When I turn on the TV and I watch players play, the player that plays with the same kind of emotion and grit and competitive intensity is Russell.” Continue reading Thunder At A Glance – 23 August 2018
Thunder At A Glance – 22 August 2018
Alex Kennedy (HoopsHype) interviews Jerami Grant about this upcoming season: “I’ve definitely had my ups and downs when it comes to my shooting. I’ve shot the ball well one year, then [my percentage] may go down a little bit the next year. Then it may go up again and then down again the following year. One thing I’ve learned from experience is that you have to get game reps in during the summer. This summer, I’ve been trying to get as many game reps in as possible, shooting the ball quickly and trying to get a lot of pick-up in to simulate real-time game speed. There’s a big difference between shooting in workouts and shooting in games, which is why I’m trying to get games reps this summer.”
Nick Gallo (OKCThunder.com) on Jerami Grant, the finisher: “To be fair, some of Grant’s growth is just natural, and has come with physical maturation and added experience. He was just 22 years old when he joined the Thunder on November 1, 2016. Heading into his third year, he’s a 24-year-old with 6,621 minutes of regular season playing time in 303 professional games. Confident in his role and his abilities, Grant has earned the trust and formed bonds with team leaders like Russell Westbrook and Steven Adams, along with Paul George, who also re-signed with the Thunder this offseason.” Continue reading Thunder At A Glance – 22 August 2018
NTTB Thunder Rumblings – 21 August 2018
The Thunder will continue their long-standing relationship with WWLS: The Sports Animal: “The Sports Animal has been a tremendous and loyal partner since our inception in Oklahoma City in 2008. The station’s strong listener base and powerful reach have made it the ideal radio partner. We are excited to continue this successful relationship,” said Dan Mahoney, the Thunder’s vice president of broadcasting.”
Brady Trantham (The Franchise) on how new assistant coach Bob Beyer could help the Thunder: “With the Pistons, Beyer was pivotal in influencing the switch from a heavy based pick-and-roll offense for the first three years of his tenure in Detroit into a motion attack.” Continue reading NTTB Thunder Rumblings – 21 August 2018
Thunder At A Glance – 8.20.18
Steven Adams strumming a guitar because, of course, how could this guy not be more awesomer?????
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Russell Westbrook had himself some fun at the JH (James Harden) Town Charity Basketball Game in Houston. A couple observations: For those of you wanting Westbrook to take it easy in the offseason, he isn’t listening to you. And number two, I’m saddened that we never got to see Westbrook and Harden develop into their primes together.
NTTB Thunder Rumblings – 20 August 2018
Nick 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 NTTB Thunder Rumblings – 20 August 2018
The Thunder’s Summer of Love
If the Oklahoma City Thunder’s summer could be encapsulated into one word, that word would be “love”. Not that smooshy, Barney-inspired “I love you, you love me” love. No. What the Thunder have shown this offseason is love that is running hand in hand with their maturing nature. This isn’t a bunch of 20-somethings planning how they are going to get laid on a Saturday night. It’s not Thunder U, anymore. The Thunder’s core is past the point where words like love, marriage, and monogamy are just reserved for the 12-year vet at the end of the bench. They are, in a word, getting older.
As fans, we sometimes view athletes as overgrown teenagers with huge allowances. Man-children looking for the next great thrill after the game. A player gets into a bar fight: Oh, that’s just boys being boys. A players ends up with 8 children from 6 different women. Welp, that’s athletes for you. We celebrate the man’s man, living the single, athlete life vicariously through our favorite ball players. Continue reading The Thunder’s Summer of Love
