Russell Westbrook made an appearance on The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon, where he explained the idea behind his “rock a bye baby” celebration.
Continue reading Thunder At A Glance – 05 December 2018
Tag Archives: Nick Collison
Thank you, David West
On Thursday morning, two-time NBA champion David West announced his retirement from the NBA. West retires from the game as a two-time All Star, with per game averages of 13.6 points and 6.4 rebounds. His ability to step out and hit the mid-range jumper, while also being a banger in the post became the archetype for big men in this pace and space era of today’s NBA.
West will likely be remembered for his time with the Indiana Pacers or the Golden State Warriors. But it’s where he started his career that has the most impact for Oklahomans. While Chris Paul was Oklahoma City’s first superstar, West was OKC’s first cult hero. Take the first eight seasons of Russell Westbrook (the ultimate sidekick) and merge those with the no-nonsense play of Nick Collison, and you had David West to a tee. Continue reading Thank you, David West
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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
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NTTB Rumblings – 14 May 2018
Jeff Olalo (CluthPoints) on Russell Westbrook releasing some shoes that were inspired by his son, Noah: “With the release of his signature performance shoe the WhyNot Zer0.1 “Noah” – the seven-time NBA All Star credits his son by not only naming it after him, but also using an Emerald colorway inspired by his birthstone. Even better, the launch date is just around the same time of Noah’s birthday, which is on May 16th and is inscribed on the inside strap.”
Berry Tramel (NewsOK) on what others are saying about Nick Collison’s retirement: “But time is merciless, and eventually it relegated Collison to a lesser role. By the 2014 playoffs, even against Memphis, the team for which he was born to play against, Collison’s value was diminished. He hadn’t even played in Game 7 of the first-round series against the Grizzlies, and through five games of the West semifinals against the Clippers, Collison had played only 37 minutes, some of it garbage time.” Continue reading NTTB Rumblings – 14 May 2018
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NTTB Weekend Programming
Hair Jordan, forever.
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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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NTTB Rumblings – 12 April 2018
Nick Gallo (OKCThunder.com) on Russell Westbrook achieving hist0ry for a second straight season: “After accomplishing something that no one had done in 55 years by averaging a triple-double in 2016-17, Westbrook followed it up by doing it again. On Wednesday night, Westbrook became the first player to ever average a triple-double more than once. Even more incredibly, he did it in back-to-back seasons.”
Royce Young (ESPN) with another perspective on the Westbrook feat: “Westbrook grabbed eight rebounds in the opening 11 minutes and hit double figures before halftime, heading to the break with an interesting stat line of 1 point, 11 rebounds and 12 assists. With the game in hand, Westbrook grabbed five rebounds in the opening three minutes of the third quarter. Early in the quarter, a loose ball rebound bounced a few times and Carmelo Anthony ran it down, turning around to yell “Russ!” with a big smile.” Continue reading NTTB Rumblings – 12 April 2018
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NTTB Rumblings – 11 April 2018
Jon Hamm (Bleacher Report) on the Thunder’s wild ride this season: “In true Thunder fashion, clinching the franchise’s eighth playoff berth since 2008 on Monday night came with requisite drama. Sewing up a playoff spot required OKC to battle back from an 18-point first-quarter deficit against the Miami Heat. It was par for the course for a Thunder squad that stumbled to an 8-12 start then spent the rest of the season playing catch up.”
Ben Mertens and Chris Grenham (WTLC) with a detailed breakdown of the Thunder’s playoff scenarios: “I said in previewing the final stretch of the season that OKC doesn’t deserve to be a playoff team if they can’t even beat a mediocre Grizzlies team with nothing to play for. That’s still true, even though OKC has locked up a spot. Beyond improving their seed, OKC needs to win this game just go into the playoffs with momentum, following the nice wins over Houston and Miami. A deep playoff run starts with taking care of this putrid Memphis team.” Continue reading NTTB Rumblings – 11 April 2018
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NTTB Rank: 15-12
Player Rankings: 16-20
We continue the NTTB Rank with the players that I think should be on the Thunder’s 15-man roster. Because of contract situations, this is not likely how the roster will shake out. But, in a vacuum, these are the 15 best players on the roster from here on out.
15. Semaj Christon
| Year | Team | Min | FG% | 3pt FG% | FT% | Rebs | Asts | Stls | Blks | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16-17 | Thunder | 15.2 | .345 | .190 | .548 | 1.4 | 2.0 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 2.9 |
Continue reading NTTB Rank: 15-12
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Daily Thunder Rumblings – 21 August 2017
Let’s start things off right this week. Wait, why has the sun disappeared??? Here are the Rumblings for Monday.
Billy Donovan gave a coaching clinic this weekend and here are the highlights from it.
One of Sam Presti’s assistant GM’s, Michael Winger, has been offered the GM job for the Los Angeles Clippers: “Winger, a lawyer and salary cap expert, has been with the Thunder for seven seasons after coming over from the Cleveland Cavaliers and is one of the most well-respected young executives around the NBA. He would work directly under new Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank, who was recently hired into that position. The Clips have shaken up their front office this summer, promoting Frank and bringing in NBA legend Jerry West while sending Doc Rivers back to just a coaching role.” Continue reading Daily Thunder Rumblings – 21 August 2017
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