Tag Archives: Russell Westbrook

Daily Thunder Rumblings – 28 July 2017

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img_4133-5Hello, Friday. Thank you for getting here. On to the weekend. Here are the Rumblings…

When in the presence of teammates and a hot mic, you will get roasted for your (recent) past trangressions.

Fred Katz looks at if Russell Westbrook can take a step back next season: “Russell Westbrook made sure last season went his way. He may not have that control this year. Westbrook and four-time All-Star Paul George, whom the Oklahoma City Thunder traded for earlier in the month, will have to learn to coexist. And the two may have only one year to do it. Both are looking at the possibility of becoming free agents in 2018. It’s possible no one else understands Westbrook, the player, better than longtime Thunder veteran Nick Collison, who has been his teammate all 10 years of the reigning MVP’s career. And with Westbrook coming off a season during which he governed a team’s offense as much as any individual ever, Collison is confident his point guard can scale back the workload with a different roster around him.” Continue reading Daily Thunder Rumblings – 28 July 2017 →

Daily Thunder Rumblings – 27 July 2017

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img_4133-5Those new uni’s look nice. Wonder what the other two uniforms will look like? Here are the Rumblings for this Thursday.

Fred Katz looks at the unsigned contracts of Russell Westbrook and Terrance Ferguson: “Yet, the reigning MVP has made the Thunder wait almost a month, already. And it could end up being longer — maybe forever, though the organization remains cautiously optimistic about the prospects of Westbrook signing for the long term before the start of the season. The reasons for the Thunder’s optimism along with the ones for Westbrook making the organization wait are still unclear. Yet, they’re consistent with the past. Westbrook waited a month last summer to sign an extension that was effectively for one season. And that was during a time when putting off re-signing tangibly affected the organization. The Thunder had to stay under the salary cap last summer to account for the raise in Westbrook’s 2016-17 salary after renegotiating it. Because of that, the team wasn’t able to bring in free agents and had to let former OKC guard Dion Waiters walk to the Miami Heat.” Continue reading Daily Thunder Rumblings – 27 July 2017 →

Daily Thunder Rumblings – 26 July 2017

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img_4133-5Middle of the week. Let’s push through. Here are the rumblings for this Wednesday.

Russell Westbrook is organizing workouts in Los Angeles for his teammates.

Brett Dawson looks at the Thunder players who can’t be traded this off-season: “The Thunder might not be finished making personnel moves this summer. But there are some restrictions on the ones it can make. A report from The Ringer’s Bill Simmons on Monday said that the Thunder and Carmelo Anthony were “circling each other,” and that sparked a fresh round of fan-made trade proposals for ways to bring Anthony to Oklahoma City. What some armchair general managers seemed not to understand, though, is that not every player on the Thunder roster is eligible to be traded. The NBA’s collective bargaining agreement puts some limitations on the movement of newly signed players.”

Berry Tramel tries to figure out what Kyrie Irving wants and questions whether Russell Westbrook wants the same: “Reminds me of an Olympic epiphany I had during the 1996 Atlanta Games. I talked to boxers who wanted a gold medal so they could buy their mom a house, and I talked to gymnasts whose parents had mortgaged their house to fund a gold-medal odyssey. Durant at least hadn’t experienced the other side of the hardwood. He’d always been the face of the Thunder. Sure, Russell Westbrook was a worthy sidekick and often endured the blame for OKC shortcomings. But there was no question; the Thunder was Durant, and Durant was the Thunder. Durant was at least trying something new with Golden State.” Continue reading Daily Thunder Rumblings – 26 July 2017 →

Carmelo Anthony and the Thunder have a mutual interest. Is it realistic?

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anthony westbrook

At around 11 am on Monday, Bill Simmons of The Ringer decided to drop this little tidbit on the masses:

First off, what the hell does circling each other mean? I remember when I was in 5th grade, I got into a little tiff with another guy on the playground during recess and we connected at the shoulders and kept circling around talking trash to each other until our friends intervened. You know the whole, “Do something!”, “No, you do something!” type elementary brawl. So is that what the Thunder and Anthony are doing? I doubt it.

Instead, I think this is just a case of someone within the Syracuse inner circle putting out that Weaver and Anthony have spoken and the Thunder are interested if Anthony is interested. Nothing more, nothing less. If anything, I think this is more of a play by people in Anthony’s camp to leverage Houston into actually getting the deal done. Continue reading Carmelo Anthony and the Thunder have a mutual interest. Is it realistic? →

Daily Thunder Rumblings – 25 July 2017

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img_4133-5If this off-season goes on for any longer, the Thunder will be rumored to be acquiring Michael Jordan from the Charlotte Hornets. Here are today’s Rumblings…

Soooo, Carmelo Anthony and the Thunder reportedly have have mutual interests: “For all that Melo has said about wanting to live in big cities and command large markets, this is a plausible possibility. The Knicks, now under Steve Mills and Scott Perry, could be asking for a lot in Melo deals with Houston or Cleveland. Just a week ago, Melo was all but wearing Rockets red, but after a change of leadership in New York the momentum on such a deal seems to have slowed. It’s probably a good sign for the Knicks as they try to either keep Melo or maximize his value in a trade.”

How Carmelo could fit with the Thunder: “Getting Anthony to OKC would have some of the same issues of the Blake Griffin trade that never happened. Even with questions about fit, Anthony would be a potentially lethal addition to the Thunder offense. Before Griffin, an Oklahoma City native, decided to re-sign a max contract with the Los Angeles Clippers, any deal he was involved in would have had to have been a sign-and-trade in which he’d said “send me to OKC.” Like Griffin, an Anthony trade hinges on the desire to play in Oklahoma City.” Continue reading Daily Thunder Rumblings – 25 July 2017 →

Daily Thunder Rumblings – 24 July 2017

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img_4133-5Hello, new week. Don’t be mean. Here is Monday’s edition of DTR…

Fred Katz looks at how the Ronnie Price signing and subsequent cutting will come back to haunt us this season: “The Thunder signed Price to a two-year, $5 million deal last summer, thinking they’d bring in the at-the-time 11-year veteran to be the team’s third-string point guard behind Russell Westbrook and Cameron Payne. The market didn’t dictate giving a second year to Price. It didn’t demand handing a desired third-stringer more than the minimum, either. But Presti had longed for Price for a while. In many ways, Price is the exact type of player Presti tries to keep around in Oklahoma City. He defends hard. He knows the league and the game. He’s extraordinarily bright. Just about anyone who’s played with him describes him as a tier-one teammate. He could probably lock down a coaching job tomorrow if he wanted to stop playing.”

The Thunder pre-preseason team bonding begins in Los Angeles this week: “Paul George certainly isn’t immune to hard work. Every summer George has worked to improve and expand his game. He’s come back from the horrific leg fracture of 2014 which would have ended many players careers. The fact he’s back on track showcasing marked improvements speaks to his work ethic and talent. Sporting a different uniform on a new team, George looks to write his next chapter. For George this season can’t help but feel strange since he’s spent each of his 7 years as a pro with one franchise.  And, with all due respect to George Hill, Lance Stephenson and Roy Hibbert ,George has never had a player of Russell Westbrook’s ilk to share the NBA court with.” Continue reading Daily Thunder Rumblings – 24 July 2017 →

Scheduling Conflicts: Why hasn’t Russell Westbrook signed his extension?

Offseason Beat, Random Thoughts,
Russ camp
Alex Roig – NTTB

With each day that passes, the fan base of the Oklahoma City Thunder grows a little more worried that Russell Westbrook hasn’t signed his Designated Veteran Player Extension (DPE). Now that Stephen Curry, James Harden, and John Wall have all extended their contracts using the DPE, Westbrook is the only one left that has the eligibility to sign that type of extension this off-season. The extension, which could pay him as much as $229.5 million over the next 6 seasons, to include this upcoming season, would be the richest contract in sports history in terms of average per year.

The fact that Westbrook hasn’t rushed over to Thunder headquarters and signed the contract yet has given many in the fan base a little bit of pause. Why would someone leave that much money on the table for that long? If any of us were in that position, we would’ve signed the contract at 11:00:01 pm CST on June 30th (remember, the NBA operates out of the Eastern Standard Time Zone, so free agency began at midnight on the East Coast, but 11 pm in Oklahoma).

That’s the problem, sometimes, in thinking like a fan. We tend to look at the fortune and the fame, and forget that athletes are people too. And like many of us, their schedules are sometimes so chock-full of commitments, that it makes it difficult to do something as simple as signing a piece of paper. I know, I know. Making a 5-year commitment to anything should never be compared to just signing a piece of paper. But in essence, that’s all Westbrook has to do to ensure his future. Continue reading Scheduling Conflicts: Why hasn’t Russell Westbrook signed his extension? →

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 →

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 →