Tag Archives: Oklahoma City Thunder

Daily Thunder Rumblings – 29 June 2017

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So Houston actually got Chris Paul. I wonder what this means for the Thunder and Blake Griffin? Let us explore on this edition of DTR.

It’s no secret the Thunder like Blake Griffin. But to make it work, Griffin needs to like OKC: “It’s uncertain what the move means for the Thunder, but it’s another power play for a Western Conference team in a relatively quiet summer (so far) for OKC. What could be revealed soon, however, is the fate of Blake Griffin – the Oklahoma City native and former University of Oklahoma All-American who the Thunder has reportedly had interest in for more than a year.”  Continue reading Daily Thunder Rumblings – 29 June 2017 →

Daily Thunder Rumblings – 28 June 2017

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Are you still buzzing off the Westbrook MVP win? I know I am. Here are the Thunder happenings for this Hump Day on DTR.

The Westbrook extensions looms large on the mind of Oklahomans: “Some 1,500 miles away, the reporter’s question still lingered in Oklahoma City: “Saturday you have a chance to sign a long-term extension and be with the city for a long time. Is that something you’ve thought about or are you ready to commit to stay with the Thunder for the long-term?” Monday night marked the second time since the end of the season that the All-Star point guard has evaded questions about whether or not he will sign the so-called super-max extension this summer, which would pay him an additional $201 million and keep him in Oklahoma City through 2022-23.”

Fred Katz looks at the difficulty in bringing in another superstar: “There may be a deeper meaning when general manager Sam Presti boasts about the talent already on the Oklahoma City Thunder. Reach back to almost two months ago, when Presti spent much of his end-of-season exit interview discussing continuity, the value in keeping together a youthful group that was actually the NBA’s youngest playoff team this past season. He was signaling more than just faith in the present talent when he explained the Thunder’s offseason prospects.” Continue reading Daily Thunder Rumblings – 28 June 2017 →

Daily Thunder Rumblings – 27 June 2017

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In case you didn’t know, Russell Westbrook won some sort of award last night. Here’s some Thunder news related to that and other things on DTR.

Royce Young’s write up on Westbrook MVP coronation: “It was a goal to win, and while Westbrook’s focus of course remained on the Thunder winning games, as he closed in on the MVP, he wanted it. In year one without Kevin Durant, Westbrook produced something memorable, something that will stand the test of sport history. It was a season that transcended the game. It was a total eclipse, something probably seen only once in a lifetime. Westbrook didn’t erase the pain and heartbreak of Durant’s leaving, but he did somehow make it seem less important. Which was maybe his greatest achievement of them all. But with all of that done and the book finally closed on his 2016-17 season, hardware in hand, it’s the same two words Westbrook asked following the departure of his All-Star teammate: What’s next?” Continue reading Daily Thunder Rumblings – 27 June 2017 →

Russell Westbrook wins the 2016-17 NBA MVP

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The NBA held their inaugural NBA Awards Show and the Oklahoma City Thunder racked up their fair share of accolades. First up, Russell Westbrook won the Best Style award voted on by the fans. I mean, was there even a debate with this award. This was the first of three fan awards the Thunder would win.

Next up, Victor Oladipo won Dunk of the Year for his viscous two-handed double pump on Dwight Howard in Atlanta. The dunk was so savage that Hawks’ management moved Howard to Charlotte under the assumed identity of Hight Doward.

The third fan award won by the Thunder went to Russell Westbrook who won Gamewinner of the Year for his 35 foot bomb in Denver that knocked the Nuggets out of playoff contention and capped off Westbrook’s record setting 42nd triple double.  Continue reading Russell Westbrook wins the 2016-17 NBA MVP →

Daily Thunder Rumblings – 26 June 2017

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Hello, Monday. Don’t be mean. Let’s Thunder Up with some DTR.

ESPN’s Royce Young looks at the Thunder selection of Terrance Ferguson: “If he had gone to college, maybe Ferguson would have caught more attention and shot up draft boards. He certainly wasn’t that impressive in the NBL, averaging just 4.6 points on 38 percent shooting while playing only 15.2 minutes per game. But Ferguson’s size, length, athleticism and speed made him an attractive prospect, especially to Oklahoma City. The Thunder prioritize certain qualities in players, such as size at their position, and Ferguson checked a lot of boxes.”

Oklahoma City signed OKC native Rashawn Thomas to a partially-guaranteed contract.

Malcolm Hill, formerly of the Fighting Illini, will play for the Thunder during summer league.  Continue reading Daily Thunder Rumblings – 26 June 2017 →

The Terrance Ferguson press conference

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Terrance Ferguson had his introductory press conference today at the CHK Boathouse. While you could notice his youthful nervousness, Ferguson had an air of confidence about him that will likely fit in well with this team. Here are a couple highlights from the presser.

​On what Ferguson can bring to the Thunder

​​​​On what Oklahoma means to him and what the journey to get to where he is now means to him

On what it was like when he heard his name on draft night Continue reading The Terrance Ferguson press conference →

Daily Thunder Rumblings – 23 June 2017

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Honestly, I went into draft thinking the Thunder would draft like 8 guys, but they only came away with one. Here’s the Terrance Ferguson edition of DTR.

Tim Kiernan of Sports Illustrated grades the Thunder’s selection of Terrance Ferguson: “Ferguson shut down his workouts late in the predraft process and was believed to have a promise somewhere in the first round. The Thunder may have been that promise. OKC takes a nice upside swing here in a draft where three-point shooting is at a premium.”

Basketball Insiders looks at the Thunder’s selection: “Known for his athleticism and perimeter defense, Ferguson presents qualities that ideally fit today’s league as a “3-And-D” player. Oklahoma City will likely elect to use him at the shooting guard or small forward position, as he has a 6-foot-7, 190-pound frame. Ferguson has length that will allow him to disrupt passing lanes and contest shots, which will definitely help the Thunder get out in transition.” Continue reading Daily Thunder Rumblings – 23 June 2017 →

The Thunder select Terrance Ferguson at 21

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With all the build-up to this draft, the Oklahoma City decided to stay at 21 and selected hometown kid Terrance Ferguson. The 6’7″ wing last played for the Adelaide 36ers of the National Basketball League in Australia. He played in 30 games averaging 15 minutes per game. He scored 4.6 points on 39.1% shooting from the field and 31.3% shooting from deep.

Ferguson was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, but grew up in Dallas, Texas. After high school, he had many scholarship offers from different universities, most notably Alabama and Arizona, but instead chose to go overseas to pursue professional opportunities. He signed with Adelaide and played in 30 of their 31 games. The one game he did miss was due to suspension after striking Mark Worthington of the Cairns Taipans a player from another team. He helped lead the 36ers to the league semifinals, where they eventually lost to the Brisbane Bullets in the 3rd game of a 3 game series.  Continue reading The Thunder select Terrance Ferguson at 21 →

Thunder Draft Options: Dropping back and 2nd round

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Rainier Ehrhardt – AP Photo

As we head towards the 2017 NBA Draft, the Oklahoma City Thunder have a bevy of options at their disposal. I’ve looked at the Thunder moving up, staying put, or getting involved in a trade. But the team has a couple more directions they could go in. They could trade down and in the process pick up another asset. Or they could draft at their position and then buy or trade for a 2nd rounder later in the draft. Their original 2nd rounder was traded to Denver in the Joffrey Lauvergne trade from last offseason.

The team is at a little bit of a crossroads in their current development. They have a top-5 superstar that is currently in his prime, but the rest of the roster is extremely young. Last season, the Thunder had three rookies who played extensive minutes. In addition, the four best players on the team behind Russell Westbrook are all 25 years of age or younger. Of those 4 players, three have been signed to extension (Steven Adams, Enes Kanter, and Victor Oladipo) and the fourth will likely learn his fate by the middle of July. Continue reading Thunder Draft Options: Dropping back and 2nd round →

Daily Thunder Rumblings – 22 June 2017 (Draft Day Edition)

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Welcome to Draft Day. Let the madness begin…..

According to NewsOK, Sam Presti is the top draft day decision-maker in the league.

Brett Dawson looks at what the Thunder may do with their pick based on recent draft history: “There’s a school of thought that the Thunder has enough young players, so it should be looking to trade for a veteran – or, at the very least, take an older rookie who’s closer to contributing. There’s the notion that you can’t have too many good young assets, and so OKC should take the most desirable player possible in the hopes of creating a trade down the road. There’s plenty of debate about what the Thunder should be looking for. A backup point guard? A shooting wing? One of the many available big men with upside?” Continue reading Daily Thunder Rumblings – 22 June 2017 (Draft Day Edition) →