Daily Thunder Rumblings – 15 June 2017

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Bill Haisten of the Tulsa World looks at what a difference five years can make: “June 12, 2012, is a date that ranks among the more significant in this state’s sports history. That night, Game 1 of the NBA Finals was played on Oklahoma soil. StubHub’s ticket prices ranged from $312 to $10,140. With Thunder Mania at its zenith statewide, Oklahoma City defeated LeBron James and the Miami Heat 105-94. In Tulsa and the surrounding area, the ABC telecast was seen by 277,000 viewers. Kevin Durant scored 17 of his 36 points during the fourth period. Russell Westbrook finished two rebounds shy of a triple-double. OKC limited the Heat to 41 second-half points. With young superstars, that Thunder team improved to 9-0 in the postseason at home and had the homecourt advantage in the Finals. That Thunder team seemingly was destined for championships. The fifth anniversary of the Thunder-Heat Game 1 — June 12, 2017 — will not be remembered as having been locally significant.” Continue reading Daily Thunder Rumblings – 15 June 2017 →

Daily Thunder Rumblings – 14 June 2017

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So Russell Westbrook won the MVP yesterday. Unfortunately (or fortunately) it was for Shaqtin-A-Fool.

Russell and Nina finally introduced Noah to the world yesterday. And lil’ man did not disappoint.

The Charlotte Observer reviewed the recent history of the No. 11 pick, which is dripping with Thunder past and present histrionics. Continue reading Daily Thunder Rumblings – 14 June 2017 →

Introducing the Future King

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Noah Russell Westbrook is officially one month old. The Westbrooks finally felt comfortable enough to unleash Noah onto the world’s eyes. With his fists clenched, Noah wasn’t happy about it. Already following in his father’s footsteps.

Even his attire was Russell-like.

Time To Move On…

Offseason Beat, Random Thoughts
Kevin Durant
Ben Margot – AP Photo

On July 4th, 2016, Kevin Durant took a calculated risk. He weighed the pros and the cons of his different options, and made a decision. His choice to join the Golden State Warriors was viewed negatively by many around the league, but after winning his first title yesterday, he can look back on his decision and smile, knowing he made the right choice.

Durant can finally sit at that table. The Table of Champions. Any time someone talks about what it’s like to win a championship, Durant can now slam his hand down on the table like he has the winning domino and show them the bling that is the secret password to gain entrance into the vaunted club. Continue reading Time To Move On… →

Daily Thunder Rumblings – 13 June 2017

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Here are the rumblings for Tuesday.

He may have won a title, but Kevin Durant will never be able to escape his decision. Never change, Alex Trebek. Thank you, Jeopardy!

Rumble visited Rohan Rajeev, a 14 year old Edmond kid who finished second in the lastest national spelling bee. Continue reading Daily Thunder Rumblings – 13 June 2017 →

Daily Thunder Rumblings – 12 June 2017

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This is DTR and here’s your Thunder news for this Monday.

Brett Dawson wrote a great article on the 365-day scouting process that culminates on draft night: “There was no shot at the kid from Indiana. Oklahoma City held the 12th pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, and he would be off the board long before that. By the second pick, as it turned out. There was never a chance he’d fall so far. But at the Draft Combine in Chicago that spring, the Thunder met with Victor Oladipo anyway. “Because you never really know what’s going to happen down the line,” said Will Dawkins, OKC’s director of college player personnel.” Continue reading Daily Thunder Rumblings – 12 June 2017 →

Daily Thunder Rumblings – 09 June 2017

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Forbes ranks the world’s highest paid athletes: Russell Westbrook comes in as the 13th richest athlete and the 5th richest in the NBA. Who said you couldn’t get paid if you played in Oklahoma City?

Apparently, the Westbrooks finally got a night out on the town. As a veteran of several children, I know how appreciative new parents can be of their “we” time.

Steven Adams is back in New Zealand. And his beloved camo jacket is back on Steven Adams.  Continue reading Daily Thunder Rumblings – 09 June 2017 →

Thunder Draft Options: Trade Partners

Draft
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Layne Murdoch-NBAE/Getty

The Oklahoma City Thunder own the 21st pick in the upcoming 2017 NBA Draft, which is due to take place on June 22nd. Players selected with that pick usually aren’t viewed upon as franchise changers. If a team hits on a star with the 21st pick, then good on their scouting department. For the most part, though, teams picking in this range are looking for cheap role players to fill out their roster.

But the thing about the draft is it’s not just about the players getting drafted. More than any other sport, the NBA draft turns into a sort of swap meet where teams wheel and deal on players and assets in an attempt to set themselves up for the future. For teams who may not have the clout to be aggressive during free agency, the draft presents a different avenue to better their team. Continue reading Thunder Draft Options: Trade Partners →

Thunder sign Semaj Christon

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On Saturday, the Oklahoma City Thunder signed guard Semaj Christon. The 2014 2nd rounder played last season with Consultinvest VL Pesaro of Lega Basket Serie A, the top professional league in Italy. While there, he averaged 14.3 points, 3.7 assists, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.6 steals in 33.2 minutes of playing time. Previous to that, he spent his first two professional seasons with the Thunder’s D-League affiliate, the Blue. In addition, he has also been a member of the Thunder’s summer league team the last three seasons.

The 6’3″ point guard out of Xavier has shown a penchant for getting into the lane and causing havoc once he gets there. His sturdy frame and long arms allow him to finish in traffic, while his floor game allows him to find teammates for higher percentage shots. His jumper, while not the best, has improved over the past 3 seasons to the point where he has a pretty solid mid-range game.

With the signing of Ronnie Price earlier this offseason, the Thunder’s roster currently sits at 15 guaranteed contracts, with 3 of those contracts belonging to point guards (Russell Westbrook, Cameron Payne, and Price). So why did the Thunder sign Christon, if their roster is already at max capacity with contracts and points guards? The reasoning for that could be two-fold. Number one, the Thunder don’t appear to be done wheeling and dealing. The roster, as it currently stands, is a weird mixture of bruising big men, offensively challenged wings, and athletic guards who aren’t great at shooting. They have a sizable expiring contract in Ersan Ilyasova, and a young big they may be ready to move on from in Mitch McGary. If the right deal comes along, they could also feature Payne, who could net something substantial from a point guard starved team.

The second reason for signing Christon is to play the long game with him. While his contract can’t be guaranteed because of the Thunder’s 15 other commitments, there could be guaranteed money attached to it if he gets waived before the season starts. Then the Thunder could sign Christon to the Blue and see how the season plays out in terms of roster moves. If the trade deadline leaves the Thunder with an open roster spot, you can almost guarantee that spot will go to Christon. Another issue that is clouding the water in terms of Christon’s future is whether Price’s 2nd year is fully guaranteed.

If anything, the Thunder have secured themselves another weapon to throw at guard happy teams, while maintaining roster flexibility. Christon’s strength and wing-span could make him an asset on the defensive end of the floor, similar to what the Thunder saw from Dion Waiters in the playoffs last season. And while Christon’s offensive repertoire may not necessarily be what the Thunder need, it’s not like he’s offensively challenged. In the end, his contract is not currently guaranteed, and the Thunder have time to see how everything plays out in these next two months before the season starts.

Oklahoma City Thunder acquire Randy Foye from the Denver Nuggets

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The Oklahoma City Thunder acquired Randy Foye from the Denver Nuggets on the trade deadline. The Thunder gave up DJ Augustin, Steve Novak, and both of their 2016 2nd round picks (theirs and Charlotte’s, which was acquired in the Jeremy Lamb trade this past offseason). In Foye, the Thunder get a combo guard who is a good (not great) defender and someone who can knock down open shots. This season, Foye is averaging 6 points and 2.1 assists in nearly 20 minutes of action per game. He is shooting only 29.6% from deep, but has shot 37% from that distance over his career. He shoots much better when he is wide open. He rarely got that opportunity in Denver, but will get a lot more looks in Oklahoma City with attention grabbers like Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook on the floor.

The Thunder’s M.O. is usually to have three point guards on the roster. Foye is a good enough ball-handler to be a 3rd string point guard, while also being a good enough shooter to be a spacer off the bench. He will help the bench unit defensively and will add another ball-handler to that line-up. But his biggest value may be as a go-between for Cameron Payne as he gains experience in this, his rookie season. Payne has performed well this season, but when the lights were brightest (the Warriors game) he looked wide-eyed and shaky. Which is exactly what you’d expect from a rookie. The Thunder trust Payne, but if the stage gets too big for him come April, Foye is the perfect back-up plan to bridge the gap between this season and next season.

Many people will pan this trade, but I thought it was a good play by the Thunder. Augustin and Novak were out of the rotation and on expiring deals. Instead of just sitting on that, the Thunder decided to get a player that could possibly have an impact in the near future who was also on an expiring deal. In addition, the move generated a $3.75 million dollar traded player exception (TPE) and opened up a valuable roster spot for the Thunder.

That roster spot could be used on a buyout candidate later in the season. Names that have been thrown out as buy-0ut candidates are Kevin Martin, Joe Johnson, Lance Stephenson, and Andrea Bargnani. Players that won’t necessarily take over a starting spot, but could play a role for a playoff team.

In addition to the roster spot, the move also shaves off over $8 million dollars from the Thunder luxury tax bill. There was never going to be a move that brought the Thunder above the tax line. But any move that could lessen the blow a bit was always welcomed.

In the end, the Thunder felt they were good enough to stand where they currently were. The addition of Foye could prove to be the type of move that helps them against a Golden State in the postseason or it could just be a lateral move where the Thunder traded away two end of the bench players for another end of the bench player. Either way, what the Thunder received outside of Foye (the roster spot, the TPE, the smaller tax bill) could have bigger ramifications for the Thunder moving forward.