Category Archives: Offseason Beat

A look at Thunder happenings during the offseason.

Daily Thunder Rumblings – 10 August 2017

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It’s the day of Thor. Where’s my hammer? Here are the Rumblings.

Nooooooo!!!!!! We all knew this day would come, but it still feels weird: “Have the Thunder’s ’Stache Bros been reduced to an only child? That was the indication on Thursday, when one half of Oklahoma City’s mustachioed duo, Enes Kanter, posted a Twitter picture of teammate Steven Adams sporting a clean-shaven face (though still with his trademark long hair). Assuming it’s a current photo, Kanter is a solo Bro.”

It’s official: The Thunder will play in their first neutral site regular season game on foreign soil (not including Canada): “We’re excited to be asked to participate in the NBA Mexico City Games 2017 as the NBA expands its global reach,” Thunder general manager Sam Presti said in a statement. “As we enter only our 10th season of Thunder Basketball in Oklahoma City, we feel incredibly fortunate that our team and fan base will get to experience our first regular-season‎ game abroad.” Continue reading Daily Thunder Rumblings – 10 August 2017 →

Daily Thunder Rumblings – 09 August 2017

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img_4133-5Mike, Mike, Mike…guess what day it is???? Here are the Rumblings.

The schedule will look a little different this season than in season’s past. A lot more emphasis on rest: “In a memo given to teams this week, the league outlined how it hopes to reduce the stresses of travel and give players a chance to recover more than in the past. This is a proactive measure aimed at both player safety and to reduce the number of games in which teams rest healthy players. After a series of high-profile players didn’t play in major matchups last season, the new schedule protects key national television matchups to make sure teams aren’t playing on back-to-back nights.” Continue reading Daily Thunder Rumblings – 09 August 2017 →

Daily Thunder Rumblings – 08 August 2017

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img_4133-5Happy Tuesday. 70 more days until the NBA season starts. Here are the Rumblings….

David Aldridge of NBA.com ranks the teams in terms of what they’ve done in the offseason: “Compounding the rest of the league’s dilemma is that there was far less money in the system — about a third — than there was a year ago, when most everyone in the game lost its collective mind and threw money at any free agent with a pulse. Also, the league is about to tip over, it is so imbalanced at present, with a significant majority of the game’s elite talent in the Western Conference.” Continue reading Daily Thunder Rumblings – 08 August 2017 →

Daily Thunder Rumblings – 07 August 2017

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img_4133-5Somebody’s got a case of the Mondays. Here are the Rumblings….

Episode 6 of the NTTB podcast is up. You should give it a listen.

David Scott of Ridiculous Upside looks at Daniel Hamilton possibly being Oklahoma City’s next great sharpshooter: “Oklahoma City has longtime been lack of a dedicated deep shooter since the exit of Anthony Morrow. Therefore, a skilled outside offense-man coming out of their very own development team would be both efficient and something to brag about for the organization. They currently boast Doug McDermott and Alex Abrines who have already stood out to be improvements in OKC’s outside shooting efficiency, so hopefully fans of the Thunder can expect to see a change of momentum from outside this season. No matter the turnout, it will still he interesting to see how the Thunder’s young team turns out with the addition of Dakari Johnson, Terrance Ferguson, and now the sophomore, Daniel Hamilton.”

Senator Jim Inhofe says Kevin Durant is welcome back in Oklahoma. Senator Inhofe… TMZ…What is going on????  Continue reading Daily Thunder Rumblings – 07 August 2017 →

NTTB Podcast (Episode 6) – LeBron, Westbrook, and Kaepernick

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IMG_4109On Episode 6 of the NTTB podcast, we discuss the following topics:

  • LeBron James to OKC?
  • Daniel Hamilton signing
  • Preseason Schedule
  • No Westbrook extension…you worried?
  • ESPN record projections
  • Daryl Morey and James Harden
  • Twitter Questions
  • The Art of Fighting not by the Clippers
  • Positionless and Conference-less NBA
  • Hot/Cold – Colin Kaepernick

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 – 04 August 2017

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img_4133-5Happy Russell Westbrook Day to all. Although I doubt he signs his extension today. Here are the rumblings for this Friday.

Daniel Hamilton signs a two-way contract with the Thunder: “Hamilton, a 6-foot-6 shooting guard, played 49 games for the Blue last season. The 21-year-old averaged 14.9 points, eight rebounds and 4.6 assists per game, shooting 42.6 percent from the floor and 37.4 percent from 3-point range. “Daniel has shown significant strides in his development since entering our program,” Thunder general manager Sam Presti said in a release. “We are thrilled that he will receive the first two-way contract in Thunder history as we expect him to spend time with both teams this season as he continues to evolve as a player.”

Royce Young drops an opinion many won’t like, but that is perfectly true: There is a better chance that Paul George stays if the Thunder make a deep run. Listen to the video in the article. The article itself is almost click-baitish.  Continue reading Daily Thunder Rumblings – 04 August 2017 →

Thunder sign Daniel Hamilton to a two-way contract

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OKC BLUE
Bryan Terry – The Oklahoman

The Oklahoma City Thunder announced, on Thursday, they signed Daniel Hamilton to the franchise’s first 2-way contract. The Thunder selected the 6’6″ guard out of UConn with the 56th pick in the 2016 NBA Draft. In his final season at UConn, Hamilton was named 2nd Team All-ACC.

Last season, Hamilton played on the Thunder’s G-League affiliate, the Blue, where he averaged 14.9 points, 8 rebounds, and 4.7 assists in 31.2 minutes per game. His rebounding average led all qualifying rookie guards last season in the G-League.

He’s also played for the Thunder in summer league the last two years. This past summer league, Hamilton led all players in assists per game for the Orlando Summer League at 6.8.

As a 2-way player, Hamilton has the ability to join the Thunder for 45 days. The rest of the time, he’ll be with the Blue. Hamilton’s contract will be between $75,000-$275,000, depending on how many days Hamilton spends with the Thunder. In addition, Hamilton’s deal will not count against the team’s salary cap or 15-man roster.

Hamilton has a good basketball pedigree. His older brother, Jordan, played 5 seasons in the league with Denver, Houston, New Orleans, and the Clippers. His younger brother, Isaac, currently plays for UCLA.

Daily Thunder Rumblings – 03 August 2017

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img_4133-5Another week, another connection to a superstar. Where there is smoke, there is usually fire. 75 days until the first day of the season. Here are the Rumblings (and I’m not talking about your earthquake, Edmond).

A great article by Rob Mahoney of Sports Illustrated on how the Thunder might deploy Russell Westbrook and Paul George: “Somewhere deep within Russell Westbrook’s triple-double season was a call for help. Westbrook took what he could while he could, approaching his superstar positioning with a marauder mentality. Every possession was an opportunity; no one defender could really stop Westbrook, and thus his—and much of the team’s—internal calculus put the ball in his hands for wave after wave of attack. Few have worn their high usage so well. No player in the modern statistical era has posted a usage rate so high, and yet Westbrook drove ferociously into the teeth of the defense on possession after possession.” Continue reading Daily Thunder Rumblings – 03 August 2017 →

How the Warriors may force LeBron James to Oklahoma City.

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I feel like I’m writing these types of articles at least once a week. Not that I’m complaining. There was once a time when the Oklahoma City Thunder weren’t even mentioned in the same breath when discussing names like LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony. But the Golden State Warriors have gone all Fresh Prince of Bel-Air on the NBA and flipped things upside down. In order to combat that, the big names of the game are figuring out, in order to compete against the Dubs, they will likely have to join forces together.

Lee Jenkins of Sports Illustrated is the premier basketball writer of his time. If there is a big story to tell, Jenkins is probably the one telling it. His stories are bits and pieces of not only the player, but also the people around said player. His articles are about as insider as they come; like a literal reality show. Don’t get him confused with Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. Jenkins isn’t in the business to break news, he’s in it to the tell the story behind the breaking news.

When Jenkins speaks, it’s certainly not off the cuff. There is a lot of contexture behind his statements, especially when he says something that may be considered “breaking news”. He gets an insider’s view into a lot of the players’ lives, and with that, probably a lot of one on one time when the cameras aren’t on. Players tend to relax a little bit when the cameras aren’t focused on them. To say that Jenkins may “know” a player is probably understating it. Continue reading How the Warriors may force LeBron James to Oklahoma City. →

Daily Thunder Rumblings – 02 August 2017

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Hopefully everyone who got paid yesterday is rich in mind, body, and soul. Here are the Rumblings for Tuesday.

A look at how the Thunder stacks up against the rest of the West: “The biggest improvement the Oklahoma City Thunder will need to make is three-point shooting. Last season, the Thunder shot 32.6% from three. This will also change with George as he is a career 37% three point shooter. PG will demand the ball more this season than Victor Oladipo did last season, therefore taking away shots from below-average shooters like Andre Roberson. Defensively, the Thunder guarded the three moderately well. They held opponents to 35% shooting. However, their opponents shot 50% from the floor last season. Oklahoma City had trouble in the post. The loss of Serge Ibaka was troubling for the Thunder on the block. However, the addition of Patterson paired with Adams, should change that percentage easily.” Continue reading Daily Thunder Rumblings – 02 August 2017 →