Hair Jordan, forever.
NTTB Rumblings – 11 May 2018
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.”
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The Offseason Beat : 03 – 09 May 2018
Here on NTTB, during the offseason, we’ll be looking to do a weekly article on the happenings around the Thunder organization. Before the explosion of social media, the offseason was usually a waiting game of news and stories. A signing here. A signing there. Unless someone made the police blotter in a major way, the stories weren’t really there. But now, with most players giving fans access to their lives 24/7, newsworthy events and stories are plentiful.
Here are a couple stories from this past week:
May 3rd – Alex Abrines undergoes surgery to repair a sports hernia.
It’s always been known that when it comes to Alex Abrines, problematic knee issues can sometimes creep to the surface. Last summer, while playing for his native Spain, Abrines had to sit out most of the FIBA EuroBasket tournament with knee issues. Because of the knee issues, Abrines was unable to fully implement an offseason training regiment and as a result, came to camp a little out of shape. Using the first 2 months of the season as a training camp, Abrines eventually found himself a featured part of the rotation and stayed healthy throughout the season, save for a couple minor injuries here and there. Continue reading The Offseason Beat : 03 – 09 May 2018
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NTTB Rumblings – 10 May 2018
Royce Young (ESPN) on Paul George’s knee scope that occurred yesterday: “George dealt with knee soreness for much of last season, sitting out a game on Dec. 29 because of it. According to a press release, “the Thunder, George and his representation collectively determined” the procedure be done by Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles, with Thunder medical personnel present.”
Jimmy Do (OKCThunder.com) on the Thunder opening up their 19th Thunder Cares court: “Our goal is to do courts across the state of Oklahoma. Ardmore was a place we wanted to get to and it worked out because our partner at Enable Midstream has a presence here,” said Christine Berney, vice president of community relations for the Thunder. “It’s a perfect match.” Continue reading NTTB Rumblings – 10 May 2018
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NTTB Rumblings – 09 May 2018
Dr. Rajal Brar (The Injury Insight) gives an in-depth look at Andre Roberson’s injury and recovery: “Think about it like this: You’re about to do an explosive dumbbell curl with a light weight (lets say 5 pounds) and as you’re about to intensely curl the arm up, an additional 50 pounds is added. You’re making a forceful contraction against a weight that you weren’t ready for or expecting – that’s a recipe for overloading the muscle and tearing fibers. That’s what happened to Roberson – in his case a complete rupture.”
Kyle Newport (Bleacher Report) on the idea around the league that the Thunder should trade Russell Westbrook: “There’s an increasing number of people around the league who think the Thunder should look at trading [Russell] Westbrook. To be clear, not a report. Not Thunder sources think they should do this. Just in spitballing ideas with teams around the league, there’s a number of people who have heard, just like, ‘It’s time for something to change here.'” Continue reading NTTB Rumblings – 09 May 2018
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NTTB Rumblings – 08 May 2018
Tim Bontempts (Washington Post) looks at the biggest questions facing the Thunder this offseason: “It ended with Russell Westbrook taking 43 shots for the second time in as many years in a playoff game – both Thunder losses – and getting into confrontations with fans at halftime and after the game. It ended with Thunder Coach Billy Donovan going down with the Carmelo Anthony ship, playing the fading star with the season on the line when all evidence suggested the team would be better with Anthony on the bench.”
Albert Dadson (Hoops Habit) on the Thunder’s options for Carmelo Anthony moving forward: “Anthony wants to be more involved in the Thunder’s offense if he comes back. The problem with trying to get rid of Carmelo Anthony is the fact that he will have the final say in his status for next year thanks to a player option for the final year of his contract.” Continue reading NTTB Rumblings – 08 May 2018
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NTTB Rumblings – 07 May 2018
If you are a true Thunder fan on Twitter, than you know who Nanae Yamano is (by Kaz Nagatsuka of the Japan Times): “Sometimes nonverbal means of communication can connect you to the world. And social media makes it so much easier nowadays. Saitama Prefecture housewife and amateur artist Nanae Yamano has proven that with her cute drawings of NBA players.”
Brett Dawson (NewsOK) on how the Thunder have prepared for the cost to bring back Paul George: “In 2012, it traded James Harden rather than sign him, a move that’s been widely criticized in hindsight — and no doubt is one reason why skeptics wonder if the Thunder will pay the cost to remain competitive. But it was a younger franchise then, coming off its fourth season and third playoff appearance in OKC. It hadn’t built the equity it has now, and the financial future of the league looks different.”
The new episode of the NTTB podcast is up. Give it a listen. Continue reading NTTB Rumblings – 07 May 2018
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Episode 32 – A Disappointing Finale
On Episode 32 of the NTTB podcast, we discuss the following topics:
- A Review of Games 5 and 6
- Disappointing season
- Exit Interview
- Melo drawing a line in the sand
- Paul George saying all the right things
- Billy Donovan back for next season
- Sam Presti Exit Interview
- Looking at the rest of the playoff series
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!
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Thunder vs. Jazz Preview (Game 6)
- When: Friday, 27 April 2018 at 9:30 pm CST
- Where: Vivint Smart Home Arena, Salt Lake City, UT
- TV: ESPN/FSOK
- Radio: WWLS The Sports Animal (98.1 FM, 640 AM, 930 AM (Spanish))
- Line: Utah -6.5 | O/U – 207
Five Things For This Game
1. Rudy Gobert
Hidden in the euphoria of the epic 25-point comeback win in Game 5 was the fact the Thunder stunk it up offensively when a non-foul troubled Rudy Gobert was in the game. In the first half, when Utah was able to build a 15-point lead, Gobert had a defensive rating of 73.7. After the Thunder’s comeback, Gobert still remained as the only Jazz player with a defensive rating below 100 at 89.9. Continue reading Thunder vs. Jazz Preview (Game 6)
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NTTB Rumblings: 27 April 2018
Nick Gallo (OKCThunder.com) previews Game 6: “As a coach you always go into a game with a plan of what you want to do, but more often than not those plans change,” Head Coach Billy Donovan said. “You always have to make decisions for what’s best for the team at that point in time.”
Jimmy Do (OKCThunder.com) on the Jr. NBA coming to Oklahoma City: “In addition, Oklahoma City was selected as one of 10 cities nationwide to host a Jr. NBA 3v3 League. Solid Rock Basketball in Edmond was selected as the host site, generating eight local teams that qualified for the National Championship in Atlanta in March.” Continue reading NTTB Rumblings: 27 April 2018
Now That's Thunder Basketball 