Daily Thunder Rumblings – 21 July 2017

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img_4133-5Hello, Friday. And hello, Dakari Johnson. Here are the Rumblings on Friday’s edition of DTR….

The Thunder signed 2015 2nd rounder Dakari Johnson to a 2-year contract on Thursday: “The Vertical did not report terms of the deal, but Johnson is likely to sign for the minimum. A 2015 second-round pick, Johnson has not played an NBA game, making him available at a minimum salary of $815,615 in his first season. That makes Johnson a cost-effective option for Oklahoma City, which will be above the NBA’s cap threshold of $119 million by the time it rounds out its roster. And Johnson has support in the organization. He’s made significant strides since he entered the draft in 2015 after his sophomore season at Kentucky. He’s improved his conditioning and his skills, growing in particular as a passer.”

Russell Westbrook finally gets his triple-double achievement commemorated with…….some bobbleheads.  Continue reading Daily Thunder Rumblings – 21 July 2017 →

Thunder sign Dakari Johnson

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According to Shams Charania of the Vertical, the Oklahoma City Thunder have signed center Dakari Johnson to a guaranteed two year deal. Johnson, who was drafted by the Thunder in the 2nd round of the 2015 NBA Draft, has been playing on their D-League affiliate for the past two seasons.

Johnson is a big, burly center in the Kendrick Perkins mold. He’s a legit 7-footer with a 7’2″ wingspan. He played two seasons at Kentucky, mainly at back-up center, averaging 15.2 minutes, 5.8 points, and 4.3 rebounds over 78 games. On a different team he may have had better numbers, but playing for Kentucky meant Johnson was usually lower on the depth chart. In Johnson’s two seasons in Kentucky, the players ahead of him were Julius Randle, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Willie Cauley-Stein. All three of those players were selected in the Top-10 of their respective drafts.  Continue reading Thunder sign Dakari Johnson →

Daily Thunder Rumblings – 20 July 2017

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We’re almost there. Just under 90 days until the NBA season starts. Here is Thursday’s edition of DTR…

Steven Adams spoke to two reporters in the Philippines. Some good things came out of that 10 minute interview.

Enes Kanter seriously thought Rudy Gay had signed with the Thunder when he put out that ill-timed tweet. He’s had a heck of a summer: “After making it back to the United States, he blew the lid off Rudy Gay’s free agency visit to Oklahoma City by tweeting a photo of Gay’s nameplate on a locker in the Thunder’s practice facility. Of course, Kanter laughs about it now. “I seriously thought he signed with us, but they just didn’t say it publicly,” Kanter told The Oklahoman Tuesday from New York City. “After I saw he signed with the Spurs, I was like, ‘man I need to get a new source.’”

Jenni Carlson ranks the Thunder’s alternate jerseys.  Continue reading Daily Thunder Rumblings – 20 July 2017 →

Daily Thunder Rumblings – 19 July 2017

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img_4133-5Happy Hump-Day all. Here are the Rumblings…

A moment of silence for the orange Sunset jerseys (according to Erik Horne).

On that same note, here are some interesting tidbits about the upcoming apparel change for the NBA.

Dakari Johnson is getting a lot of attention in his quest to make it to the NBA: “The Developmental League (re-named to the NBA Gatorade League) has given Johnson the minutes he has needed to prove he’s capable of producing for an NBA organization. “Playing in the D-League, they put you in a lot of different positions where I can expand my game. Shooting the mid-range (jumper), handling the ball, doing different things. I feel like my game has grown,” Johnson said. “In college, it was kind of a system thing. Up in the NBA or in the D-League, there’s a freedom. It’s players making decisions.” His expanded game was evident in the Orlando Summer league. Mark Daigneault — head coach with the Oklahoma City Blue, the Thunder’s G-League affiliate, and the coach of OKC’s Summer League team — has worked with the talented big man every step of the way this offseason, mentioning he sees a lot of a former Thunder player in Johnson’s abilities.” Continue reading Daily Thunder Rumblings – 19 July 2017 →

Sam Presti: Putting back the Jenga pieces

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Alex Roig – NTTB

Oklahoma City Thunder general manager Sam Presti has had himself quite the off-season. From acquiring Paul George to signing Patrick Patterson and Raymond Felton to cap-friendly contracts, Presti has gone from the man that let Kevin Durant walk for nothing to the man most likely to win Executive of the Year at next years’s NBA Awards.

But if we rewind back to July 4th, 2016, the state of the organization was on much more treacherous footing. One of the pillars of the franchise, Durant, chose to defect to the team’s biggest rival instead of re-signing with the team. Another pillar, Serge Ibaka, was traded two weeks prior to garner younger assets. And the team’s lone remaining superstar, Russell Westbrook, was coming up on the final year of his contract. From the outside looking in, this felt like the end of a memorable, yet disappointing run from a group of young superstars who were drafted together and rose up to prominence, likely a little too fast for their own good.

That was the feeling during the press conference Presti had the evening following Durant’s departure. The questions ranged from, “when did you know Durant was signing with the Warriors?” to “are you now going to trade Russell Westbrook?”. It was the first time I’d ever seen Presti a little rattled during a press conference. (And by rattled, I mean Presti stumbled over like five words over a 45 minutes presser.) Continue reading Sam Presti: Putting back the Jenga pieces →

Daily Thunder Rumblings – 18 July 2017

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img_4133-5Hello Tuesday. Hopefully everyone is over their weekend/Game of Thrones coma. Here are the DTRs…

Just when you think the awards are done, here comes Sports Illustrated crowning Russell Westbrook the most fashionable athlete for 2017: “Why not? This is the two-word mantra by which he shops, but also by which he practices, plays, walks, talks, dresses and eats. It’s the phrase he wears on an orange silicone bracelet on his wrist. It’s the phrase that helped him reap the 2017 MVP award after averaging a triple double, a feat no NBA player had achieved since Oscar Robertson in 1961–62, while piling up a record 42 of them. It’s the phrase that appears in the name of his charity organization, the Russell Westbrook Why Not? Foundation. It’s the phrase he hashtags on his Instagram posts, which often show off his unorthodox attire. “It goes across so many things, not just in fashion but your whole self,” says Westbrook. “It’s so important to remember to be yourself, regardless of what others think.”

Erik Horne looks at four questions still unanswered for the Thunder this offseason: “It’s been almost a month since the NBA Draft, and the Thunder rookie still hasn’t signed his contract. Ferguson’s clearance is still being worked out with the International Federation of Basketball (FIBA), as the 19-year-old played in Australia last season. The biggest potential benefit to Ferguson getting his deal done has already passed. The Thunder would have liked to have him play Summer League, but now that it’s over there’s no rush in getting him signed. He should have his deal done in time for training camp in September. Last offseason, rookie Domantas Sabonis didn’t sign his contract until Aug. 12.” Continue reading Daily Thunder Rumblings – 18 July 2017 →

Daily Thunder Rumblings – 17 July 2017

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img_4133-5A little late, but here are the Rumblings as we begin the new week on DTR!

A great one on one interview from Royce Young and Andre Roberson: “Were you talking to other teams or did you basically just work with the Thunder directly on this before shopping around? Roberson: Oklahoma City is where I wanted to be, to be honest. So I tried to work a deal with them first before we went to anyone else, and that was that.”

Erik Horne looks at the options for the Thunder in regards to Kyle Singler: “Singler remaining salary will still be on the Thunder’s team salary when he’s waived, but the Thunder would be able to “stretch” the contract over twice the number of remaining years on Singler’s deal, plus an additional year. The Thunder has until Aug. 31 to stretch Singler’s contract. Singler has two guaranteed years remaining on his contract, and a third year which is a team option. That means the remaining $9.66 million guaranteed over two years (2017-18, 2018-19) could be stretched over seven seasons in even amounts. Singler’s cap hit this season would be lowered from $4.66 million to $1.38 million, saving the Thunder $3.28 million this season.” Continue reading Daily Thunder Rumblings – 17 July 2017 →

NTTB Podcast (Episode 2) – Adapting To The Times

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On Episode 2 of the NTTB podcast, we (Alex and Anthony) discuss the following topics:

  • The Paul George welcoming party and presser
  • Are the Thunder evolving to keep up with the times in the NBA?
  • NBA rules changes
  • Nick Collison’s contract extension
  • All Russell Westbrook does is win
  • And news and notes around the NBA

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!

Thunder re-sign Nick Collison

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Jim Mone – AP Photo

The Oklahoma City Thunder re-signed 14-year veteran Nick Collison to a one year deal on Friday afternoon. The terms of the deal have not been disclosed, but it is expected the deal is for the veteran minimum. Shams Charania of The Vertical was the first to report the deal, also adding that this will be Collison’s final season in the NBA.

In trading for Paul George and signing Patrick Patterson and Raymond Felton, this has been a whirlwind of an off-season for the Thunder. But re-signing Collison brings back a player that has been with the organization his entire career, and is the only other player besides Russell Westbrook to have been on the Thunder since they landed in Oklahoma City in 2008.

Collison played in 20 games last season, averaging 6.4 minutes, 1.7 points, and 1.6 rebounds. During exit interviews in April, Collison was asked if he planned to be back the next season. Collison’s response was, “I plan to play, for sure. I wasn’t sure going into the season how I would feel at the end of the year. But I still enjoy playing. I enjoy being around the group. I enjoy being on the team. And I still feel I have a lot to offer.”

Daily Thunder Rumblings – 13 July 2017

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Had a great time at the Paul George welcoming party and introductory press conference. Hopefully next year, at this time, we’ll be celebrating his contract extension. Here are the Rumblings.

Royce Young looks at the year long recruitment the Thunder are about to undertake with Paul George: “George was supposed to arrive at 1 p.m., and word had circulated on social media. Thunder fans, as has become their tradition, deployed to meet at their usual spot. On what was of course the hottest day yet of summer in Oklahoma, George’s flight was delayed an hour and a half. Bottles of water were passed around. A dozen or so pizzas showed up. Fans chanted, played music, fanned themselves with homemade signs and exchanged conversations that mostly started and ended with some variation of “Paul George? Paul George!” But George was here now, and he walked to the fence and pressed his hand up against it, dragging it from one end of the line to the other. Fans chanted “P-G-O-K-C!” as he posed for a selfie up against the fence. He waved and jumped in a black SUV. Fans hustled their way to line the road that exited the hanger and waved at George and his family as they were chauffeured off into OKC. And thus began Day 1 of a one-year recruiting trip.” Continue reading Daily Thunder Rumblings – 13 July 2017 →