Tag Archives: Russell Westbrook

NTTB Podcast (Episode 15) – Westbrook (finally!) signs his extension

podcast, , ,

IMG_4109On Episode 15 of the NTTB podcast, we discuss the following topics:

  • Westbrook signs extension
  • Blue and White scrimmage
  • Hoodie Donovan
  • Thunder season preview
  • Preseason games
  • D-Wade chooses the Cavs
  • Lottery reform approved

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 under the NTTB Podcast. Make sure you leave us a 5-star review if you can. As always, Thunder Up!

Russell Westbrook signs a 5-year extension to stay in OKC

News, Offseason Beat,


The long-standing national nightmare is finally over. On of all days to sign his extension, Russell Westbrook chose to sign his 5-year Designated Veteran Player Extension (DPE) on Kevin Durant’s birthday. Some may call that petty. I call it military grade psy-ops genius. Including this season’s salary, Westbrook essentially signed a 6-year, $233 million deal. This deal goes through the 2022-23 season.

Westbrook was eligible to sign the deal on July 1st, but instead chose to wait because of scheduling conflicts. Westbrook has been on a bit of a world tour this summer, going from MVP recipient to fashion icon. During media day, Westbrook was asked why he hadn’t signed the deal up to that point. “Man, it’s been a long, long summer. Had a baby, so I’ve been working on a little fatherhood. But like I said before, man. This is the place I want to be.”

As the summer progressed, there were questions whether Westbrook was going to sign the extension. Even with the acquisition of Paul George, many thought George’s cloudy future could have been giving Westbrook pause in signing such a long extension. But the mood during media day felt like this union, to include Carmelo Anthony, could be something that goes on longer than a year. With Westbrook’s extension in hand, that reality is that much closer to coming to fruition. 

Daily Thunder Rumblings – 29 Sept 2017

NTTB Rumblings, , , , , , , , ,

img_4133-5

Ian Begley (ESPN) says Carmelo Anthony was nearly a Rocket and also nearly a Cavalier: “Actually, it was funny because me and PG was supposed to be in Cleveland on draft night,” Anthony said. “We were communicating about that. The deal was actually done, and it got called off on draft night, so me and PG stayed connected throughout the course of the [offseason]. We never even talked about OKC, though.”

David Purdum (ESPN) on ESPN’s odds going up with the acquisition of Anthony: “After acquiring Paul George and Carmelo Anthony in an active offseason, the Oklahoma City Thunder’s odd have moved from 60-1 to 16-1 to win the 2017-18 NBA championship at the Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas. With George and Anthony joining reigning MVP Russell Westbrook in Oklahoma City, the Thunder have narrowed the gap with the other top tier of contenders in the Western Conference. The Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs are each listed at 15-1 to win the championship at the SuperBook.”

OKC will be Thunder Up Tulsa in preparation for their preseason game on October 3rd.  Continue reading Daily Thunder Rumblings – 29 Sept 2017 →

Daily Thunder Rumblings – 28 Sept 2017

NTTB Rumblings, , , , , ,

img_4133-5

I asked Carmelo Anthony a question on the lack of media coverage on Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria and this is his response (around 11:37 on the video). I urge my readers, whatever you can donate or give, please do. There 3.5 million AMERICANS that need your assistance on the island.

Vince Ellis (Detroit Free Press) on Reggie Jackson foreseeing the Paul George trade happening: “George and Jackson are good friends and share an agent in Aaron Mintz, who told both that the Thunder was a team to watch in the George sweepstakes. “We were actually on the video game when a few destinations popped up. I remember just joking with him, ‘There’s a sleeper in there,’ ” Jackson said. “Our agent kind of called it and he ended up there.” Continue reading Daily Thunder Rumblings – 28 Sept 2017 →

Daily Thunder Rumblings – 27 Sept 2017

NTTB Rumblings, , , , , , , ,

img_4133-5

Royce Young (ESPN) on Carmelo Anthony being okay with playing the power forward position: “No, he’s going to start the power forward spot for us,” Donovan said. “That’s what he’s going to do.” Anthony has played the majority of his career as a small forward, but with Paul George already slotted into that position, the 10-time All-Star said he’s ready and willing to slide down a position in the Thunder’s starting five.”

Gideon Lim (Thunderous Intentions) on the perfect playbook for Carmelo Anthony: “Ten years ago, the NBA saw its first inorganic coalition of superstars – the Boston Celtics’ Big 3 of Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and homeboy Paul Pierce. Under the guidance of Doc Rivers, the Celtics found a way to rack up wins while keeping their alpha-male small forward happy. Sound enticing? Billy Donovan has probably spent the last 48 hours devising a system where Carmelo Anthony can pummel opponents for points without killing ball movement.” Continue reading Daily Thunder Rumblings – 27 Sept 2017 →

“I’m coming!” – The two words that galvanized a franchise.

Offseason Beat, Random Thoughts, , , , , , , ,

westbrook durant

“I’m coming! I’m coming!” A simple exchange in what was basically a blowout in February, set the stage for what we’ve seen this offseason from the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder could not do anything when Kevin Durant left them on July 4th, 2016. By the time he made his decision, most of the top notch free agents were already off the board. Instead, the Thunder strategized from that point forward and hoped opportunities would arise from a turbulent NBA landscape. And arise they did.

The summer of 2016 basically set the stage for what happened in Oklahoma City this offseason. When every team was infused with an extra 20 million, moves were made that were almost immediately regretted once the ink dried on those contracts. Finding an extra $20 million in your team’s salary cap is like finding $1000 in between your couch cushions. Some people will make wise decisions with that extra money. But others will treat it like house money and YOLO the hell out of it. Many teams made bad decisions that summer that eventually led to their salary caps being tied up for the next 2-4 seasons. Continue reading “I’m coming!” – The two words that galvanized a franchise. →

Daily Thunder Rumblings – 26 Sept 2017

NTTB Rumblings, , , ,

img_4133-5

Royce Young (ESPN) on Russell Westbrook and Paul George being extremely important in Carmelo Anthony’s decision to join the Thunder: “News of the trade broke on Saturday. The deal became official Monday, with the Thunder sending Enes Kanter and Doug McDermott to the New York Knicks in return. Anthony spent 6½ seasons in New York. After then-team president Phil Jackson publicly announced in March his desire to trade the 10-time All-Star, the relationship with the front office deteriorated, culminating in Anthony’s trade.”

Sam Amick (USA Today) on Paul George’s feelings for the Thunder after making the Carmelo Anthony trade: “Just hours before on a sleepy Saturday morning, right about the time George and Olivia were working their way around the local lakes, the Thunder pulled off a blockbuster trade by landing 10-time All-Star Carmelo Anthony and surely upped their odds of retaining George and fellow co-star/Southern California native Russell Westbrook in the process. Yet in the George household, a three-story beauty where poles and tackle are strewn about the living room and his closest family and friends are visiting in the kitchen, George is too focused on fishing to worry about free agency just yet.” Continue reading Daily Thunder Rumblings – 26 Sept 2017 →

Recapping Thunder Media Day

News, Random Thoughts, , ,
IMG_6353
Alex Roig – NTTB

Media days can sometimes be an exercise in repetition. The same 2-3 questions can be rinsed, washed, and repeated for every player. What do you expect your role to be this season? What do you think about “latest talking point in the country”? What are the team expectations?

You can probably fill an entire article just with the answers from those 3 questions alone. The difficult part is trying to cut through all that player-speak and listen in to what the real themes are for the team. For the Oklahoma City Thunder, the one theme that consistently permeated throughout the entire day was winning.

But every team heads into the season talking about winning. Even those teams looking at an entire season of ineptitude find ways to think of sunshine and rainbows before the season starts. The Thunder’s talk of winning felt different though. It was talked about with brazen confidence. And for good reason, too. The brand new Big 3 of Russell Westbrook, Paul George, and Carmelo Anthony gives the Thunder a collection of players they’ve never had since they moved to the Great Plains.  Continue reading Recapping Thunder Media Day →

Daily Thunder Rumblings – 24 September 2017

NTTB Rumblings, , , , ,

img_4133-5

Now That’s Thunder Basketball (NTTB) is going to be at Media Day on Monday. Please check back for more content on what is sure to be an eventful media day.

Sam Amick (USA Today) interviewed Paul George after the Carmelo Anthony trade: “This feels like a championship team,” George told USA TODAY Sports. “I’m in a good place. I know Russ (Westbrook) is in a good place. Melo is motivated more than ever…You put us three together, who all have something to prove still, (and) we’re going to be a special team. We have a young group, a lot of talent here, an unbelievable coach (in Billy Donovan), (and) as you see, a front office that’s willing to do whatever it takes to improve the team. It just has all the makeups to be a great organization and a chance to put championships together.”

Weston Shepard (Daily Thunder) with 5 things about the Melo trade: “Could this result in a disastrous train wreck? I mean, yeah. It could. It’s not a perfect union at face value, as three of last season’s top ten isolation scorers now reside in the same starting five. Anthony also comes with a hefty price tag that gives the Thunder a luxury tax bill of $27.8 million. There’s also the whole “Russ, PG, and now Melo can all leave after this season” thing. But at the end of the day — it’s Melo. And because the Warriors still exist, it’s going to take some Hail Mary’s to compete.”

2K with a look at the new Thunder.

Who said Russell Westbrook doesn’t recruit?: “Westbrook and George reportedly played key roles in convincing Anthony to agree to come play with them. After they did that it was up to the Thunder to get a deal done, and that’s exactly what they did. Now that Anthony is heading to OKC it’ll be up to those three to make it work on the court.”

Moke Hamilton (Basketball Insiders) says it’s all on Westbrook now: “Instead, Durant’s decision to leave was seen as a rebuke to Westbrook, who he is as a player and his style of basketball. At the time, the implication was that Durant didn’t think he could win with Westbrook. For someone as fiery and fierce as he, Durant’s decision to bolt and the subsequent questioning as to the reasons why was the quintessential poking of a bear with a stick. In the end, Westbrook roared. No matter what happens from here, a part of Westbrook’s legacy will be that he averaged a triple-double for an entire season and he was named the Most Valuable Player the year after the one who was deemed to be his Batman abandoned him.”

Dieter Kurtenbach (The Mercury News) on the Thunder becoming the Warriors’ biggest threat: “Is that roster good enough to beat the Warriors? Probably not. But it is good enough to make a seven-game series between the two as interesting as it could get in the Western Conference. The Warriors are still prohibitive title favorites and were 4-to-11 favorites to win the Western Conference before the Melo trade, but rest of the Western Conference continued it’s significant paradigm shift on Saturday.”

Sam Presti put on a clinic on super-team building this offseason: “Kanter and Oladipo, though young and talented, were also signed to large, long-term deals that the Thunder have now wisely gotten off their cap sheets. McDermott and Sabonis, both on their rookie deals, have potential, but their ceilings are certainly questionable. Turning the four of them into two stars — and in the case of George, arguably a top-15 NBA player — is a huge success. The deals also don’t rid the Thunder of all that much depth. Players like Steven Adams, Patrick Patterson, Andre Roberson, and Raymond Felton are all rotation-worthy players who are still in place. The cost of building a super-team is often sacrificing depth — the Thunder have largely avoided that.”

Fred Katz (Norman Transcript) says the Thunder are hoping they got Olympic Melo: “Anthony goes from ball-dominant in the NBA to efficiency-dominant during the Olympics, from dribble-happy to swish-happy. It runs counter to his earned reputation as a ball-stopper. Granted, it’s far easier to knock down shot after shot against Nigeria than it is against the Golden State Warriors. Still, it’s worth noting the way Anthony sticks to his strengths when he’s on a team with talent that he recognizes as elite — even if he’s never actually implemented that style into his NBA habits. The Thunder are hoping he will.”

Jason Concepcion (The Ringer) on Anthony’s legacy in New York: “The no-trade clause you conned Phil into when you re-signed in 2014 is your Pietà. That was Jackson’s undoing. When you became — as everyone knew you would — an impediment to Jackson’s beloved triangle, there was nothing Phil could do. Trapped in a prison of his own design, unable to deal you, Jackson resorted to trashing you in the media. His buddy and alleged personal blogger Charley Rosen took his shots.”

Never changed, Enes!

Several teammates stopped by on Saturday at Kanter’s last kids’ camp and it was a tear-jerker for those witnessing. (Seriously, I’m going to miss the big guy). This tweet shows Westbrook and Andre Roberson, but Patrick Patterson, Josh Huestis, and fellow ‘Stache Bros. Steven Adams all stopped by.