Daily Thunder.com Retrospective: Oklahoma City unveils logo and team name

Today marks the one-year anniversary of the “official” creation of the Thunder franchise. At Leadership Square last year, Chairman Clay Bennett announced the team’s name and colors and unveiled the logo the team would stand by. There was a lot made of it back then as people critiqued it in every way possible. Any time something new comes out, people are going to criticize and critique. I was one of those people. I didn’t care for the name (still don’t, but I’m used to it and over it) and didn’t really love the logo (I actually think it works just fine now). So I thought it would be interesting/embarrassing to look back on the post that kicked this whole thing off for me: “The Name Doesn’t Totally Thundersuck.”

Originally published September 9, 2008

It sucks, but not that bad.

Regardless of the name I have a favorite team. When a team is yours, they are your favorite no matter what they are called by. It’s unfortunate that ownership went with such a cheap, corny name, but hey, at least a ball will bounce in the Ford Center this fall. They could have called them the Oklahoma City Cuddlestorm or even worse, the Oklahoma City Energy and I’d still be calling the box office getting my Loud City seats.

Let’s face it though – it’s a WNBA name. It’s true. I know it. You know it. The Sky, the Storm, the Fire. The OKC Thunder vs. the Atlanta Dream… TONIGHT! But that doesn’t mean I won’t support them. It’s just a name. It doesn’t count toward wins or losses. Maybe it makes for an easy target during a drunken bar argument, but as far as I know, nobody has walked out onto the court and before tip-off the ref said, “OK, Portland wins because honestly, that logo really sucks.”

The point is, the name is new. It stinks because it’s new. I remember a few years ago when Charlotte called itself the Bobcats, everyone hated it. That’s the way it goes. The colors, the logo, the name all suck because it’s new and different. In 10 years it will be as household as the Orlando Magic and we’ll forget all about it. Toronto Raptors. Toronto… RAPTORS. Worst. Name. Ever. But you know what, it works now. Because it’s just become a household name. We’re used to hearing it, we’re used to reading it, we’re used to seeing it. And in time, the same thing will happen to “Thunder”.

The logo has some issues though. First off, why is Thunder above OKC? Are we the Thunder Oklahoma City? It isn’t grammatically correct. Secondly, I wish there was something “Oklahoman” in the logo. Instead of the shield, why not put the outline of our great state? Maybe something pulled from the state flag? A peace pipe, an eagle feather or even olive branch. Just something to identify it with Oklahoma.

But one thing I’d recommend for all fans is to put the Thunder logo next to other NBA logos. It might make you feel better. For instance:

What is it? Anything? A basketball that is moving with a name through it?

Or this:

Strikingly similar to the one above. Same font, same idea… but yet, somehow this is considered classic. Know why? Because it’s stood the test of time. And “Laker” doesn’t even have anything to do with Los Angeles. It was just brought over from Minneapolis in the Lakers’ move. You know why they work? Because the Lakers’ logo is from 1960 and the Clippers from 1978. We’re used to them.

Management chose to go with a neutral logo that could *fingers crossed* become a classic one day. They didn’t bust out some corny logo a la the Washington Wizards or Golden State Warriors. Those two stink. Besides, what do you do with something that isn’t tangible like Thunder? Wrap “Thunder” around an image of God bowling? I do hope the mascot is buffalo related though because that will at least tie it back to Oklahoma. I don’t know if Clay Bennett knows this but tornado does not equal thunder. Thunder happens everywhere, not just the Oklahoma. I get the severe weather idea, but I kind of hope the play up the thundering bison herd thing in a way.

The point is, get over the name and appreciate the team for what it is. If you live in the Sooner State, it’s your top squad. I’d have called them something different but oh well. I’d have chosen black and yellow for Thunder because when I hear Thunder (the name, not the actual thing) I think nighttime (dark/black) and lightning (yellow). But that’s me. Check out other names and logos and really think about them. The Nets’ logo is bland. The Heat logo isn’t real creative. The Bobcats’ logo just plain stinks. Besides, with most expansion/new teams, the logo changes in a few years anyway. So maybe it won’t matter at all.

The key to making it work is:

1. Good uniforms. They need a solid, simple design that can be considered classic from the get-go. You know you’ve got a good uni when 20 years from now it’s throwback night and you’re still wearing the same duds you had on 20 years ago. One major thing: they need to read Oklahoma City on the front and not Thunder, at least on the road unis. Most NBA teams have their city/state name across the front away from home, not their nickname. And with a nickname as lame-o as Thunder, cut your losses and just put OKC.

2. An interesting mascot. Something we don’t expect. I’m down with the thundering buffalo approach but not too much of it, or you’ll make me think we should be called the Thundering Buffalo. No lightning bolts, please. Thunder isn’t lightning. I know some people confuse the two, but they aren’t the same. Thunder isn’t really a tangible thing so it makes it hard, but don’t just cop out and put a really scary looking wall cloud or anything. Gary England would freak.

3. Win. Who cares what you look like when you’re beating the basketballs off people. As long as you win your mascot could be Rosie O’Donnell in a two-piece and it wouldn’t matter.

We weren’t going to blow anyone away with our logo. We’d tried to stay classy and not cartoony. Some across the country say we failed, but it doesn’t matter. I actually think it kind of has a classic, 70′s ABA look to it in a way. Most people weren’t going to like it regardless because they don’t like how we got them. Who cares. They’re ours and they’re here to stay.

J.G.

@Davis

@Warren
That was a horrible article. It's beyond clear that whoever wrote that thing (hoping it's not you Davis) has no idea about the Thunder's players, probable 2009-10 roster, last year's point totals or the NBA's bench points average AT ALL.

For the record, OKC averaged 27.7 points from their bench last year, good for 20th in the league and we all know how thin and ineffective their bench was. Do you know how awful your bench has to be to average only 20 points a game over 82 games with NBA caliber players on your roster? The answer: You have to have a worse bench than the Hornets did last year who were the rock bottom of the league in bench points, who realistically had NO ONE on their two deep outside of Posey and still managed 22.9 points a game off the bench.

Add on the fact that whoever wrote that article implied that the loss of Desmond Mason would significantly hurt OKC's point production from their bench and you begin to see my point. A) Desmond was THE starting SG before he got hurt and B) Desmond's value is not in points, AT ALL. He barely ever scored more than 6-7 points a game.

And since said writer doesn't even know that it's spelled SEFOLOSHA, allow me to correct the many wonderful errors in the article.

Thabo averaged 8.5 points last year for the Thunder, more than double the amount listed in the article (and let's be honest, Thabo's value is not in point production). DJ White averaged 8.9 points (a bit gaudy because of his small sample size but there it is). Collison averaged 8.2. Shaun Livingston averaged 7.8 (also hard to gauge because of the limited sample size). Kyle Weaver averaged 5.3.

So right there, if Harden does supplant Thabo as the starter (we'll see, but I'd say it would happen a little later than sooner), that would give the Thunder an average of 38.7 points from their bench, which is obviously high since Thabo played starter's minutes. So if you adjust him to 20 minutes, you come up with 34.7 points a game. Let's say that DJ and Shaun come back down to earth from the end of last year and only average 7 and 6 points...well that would still put the Thunder at 32.7 points a game. See my point?

Oh, and Krstic's numbers were comparable to the much more highly touted starting center Spencer Hawes, so since the writer didn't even realize he was back in the NBA, I'm not at all surprised at the ridiculous errors in that article.

All that to say...are you serious with that article? If he (or she) was going for humor and condescension, I'd say he got the second part right and missed on the first. If, in any way, he was going for accuracy or credibility then...wow. If a "writer" doesn't have the time or give the effort to check their facts and actually do some research on what they're discussing, then why should I take the time and effort to read a factually incorrect article?

28 comments

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dg3

I like this tweaked logo version better:

http://scenesteal.com/THUNDER3.jpg

Chas

troll

Davis

Robert Swift > Serge Ibaka

Was this satire? Trading Durant for Griffin would have been better than drafting Harden? Serge Ibaka might as well not take up a roster space? HATER!!!

Jax Raging Bile Duct

You could always go with the message board lingo...

[sarcasm]
That article is awesome. It's the awesome-sauce-on-rye kind of awesome. Its even more awesome than Chuck Norris.
[/sarcasm]

Warren

@J.G.
Yeah, I should use the * from now on. Haha.

@Warren
Haha. Yeah, sarcasm is one of the few things that I've found has trouble translating via this form of communication (or even text communication in general). I wonder if anyone has come up with some kind of symbol or phrase that people could type in when being sarcastic, like an * by the phrase or something.

@J.G.

I was joking about it "not being a bad read". My sarcasm sounds so much better in my head.

You still won't get more than 20 points a night off the bench with that lineup.

We should trade Jeff Green for some sort of package. Add more depth.

@Davis
Yes, I think he is on something. Not a bad read, but I do have 2 issues with it. They are both small, and somewhat nit picky. The first is not really important in an article talking about the Thunder bench, but.....
If you don't know the starting line-up, it makes it hard to talk about the bench. I know, I know, I may be missing the whole point of what he was saying but, Thabo is, as of right now, a starter. Nick, as of last season is a bench player. So with those two, minor adjustments, our bench gets a little better. The guy who "has to have the ball or he disappears" is now the first or second option on the 2nd unit. Problem solved there. That also puts the other 2 guys he liked in to play. Nick and Shaun. So a 2nd unit of Shaun, James, Nick, Thomas, and whoever plays the sf spot looks like a nice bench. Like I said though, it was a good read, and I honestly understand what he was saying. I personally don't think it is that bad of a bench.

Think this guy is on to something.

http://www.ihateclay.com/no-bench-equals-less-wins/

Royce

@DSMok1
I have definitely grown to like it. It's simple and I like that. The ONLY problem I have is that it's singular, which bugs me. But that's okay.

DSMok1

Thunder, I think, is the perfect name for here, the weather/meteorological capital of the world. More supercell thunderstorms here than anywhere else. Way more storms than the West or Northeast (just ask my wife!). And there were the thundering stampedes of bison, also.

Great name, I think. Lots of uses for the name, also.

oldsooner

Anyone who wastes time griping about the team logo, colors, etc, has a shallow life and too much free time in my opinion. Is that the most important thing that you have going? I happen to like what was chosen by those in the position to do so. Find something more important to jump on.

Danny

I personally hoped that we would become the "Outlaws."

I would have liked "Oilers" the most, but that obviously would not have worked for various reasons.

Either way, I'm a Thunder fan now, and I'm content. I do hope that the logo (and jerseys) are reconsidered in coming years though.

Kevin Durant Steroid Controversy

LOL @ Cuddlestorm.

@Steve H
Ha!

Steve H

Make that "Homicidal" maniacs- we get enough grief for being hicks without dragging the ACLU and gay-rights lobby into our choice of team names,

@Jax Raging Bile Duct
Come on, admit it- The "OKC Homocidal Maniacs" would have been both scary AND cool. We could have done something involving a chainsaw for the logo.

Always thought the team name was just fine. "Storm" and "Outlaws" also worked for me of the ones I remember hearing discussed- thought most of the other proposals were pretty lame. Was personally pulling for red and grey as the team's colors, but have no problem with what we have now. And for the record, every single blogger and media type complaining about the "non-plural" nature of our team's name should be smacked in the head with a smelly sweat sock. Plenty of "non-plural" team names out there that nobody else seems to give a crap about (Jazz, Heat,Magic)as well as some really lame ones (Lakers? are you kidding me? Clippers? Were the "Tug Boats" alredy spoken for? Knickerbockers...really? really?) Bashing our team name and unis is just another way of goofy hating on our team when the hater's real complaint lies elsewhere.

In my opinion, the subject of team nicknames, color schemes and logos should stay in where it belongs, in 7th grade.

I realize a team needs these things, but the fact that anyone really cares about it is beyond me.

I remember reading several times where people were opposed to the Thunder as a name because "Thunder doesn't scare anyone". Why this is important is again, beyond me. Maybe we'd have won 50 games last year if we were the OKC AIDS, or the Oklahoma H1N1, or maybe even the OK City Taxes, Lawyers, Needles, Heights or First Dates. Kobe would shiver if we were the AIDS, and Chris Kaman wouldn't take the floor if we were the First Dates.

Maybe we should have enlisted one of those heavy metal artists to design our logo. One look at it and your soul goes straight to Hell.

Whew. I feel better now that I've got that off my chest.

Colin

Haha... I was trying to think of a way to spin that phrase. You could also throw these out later in the game:

"DON'T go the distance."
and
"Ease your pain." (this would double as a contest in which people would throw the baggiest clothes they could find onto the floor)

@Colin
If she wears it, none will come.

Toronto Raptors is a bad name? On the contrary, the fact that the name was picked because it was inspired by "Jurassic Park" makes it a great name.

As far as your third point.... I don't care how much you win, if your mascot is Rosie in a two piece no one will show up. She would be like the opposite of the baseball field in "Field of Dreams."

Nix

Mascot of the year in his first year...BIG TIME

That should count as one win for our season...

Oh and one more thing, DON'T EVER MENTION ROSIE O'DONNELL IN A TWO-PIECE AGAIN!! Please.

I still don't like the name, and don't really like the colors. I love the team, and the players, and the fact that we have the NBA in OKC. I guess when it is all said and done, I will still be a Thunder fan, name and all.

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September 5, 2009 at 8:22 am

[...] Retrospective: Oklahoma City unveils logo and team name | Daily …It’s unfortunate that ownership went with such a cheap, corny name, but hey, at least a ball will bounce in the Ford Center this fall. They could have called them the Oklahoma City Cuddlestorm or even worse, the Oklahoma City Energy and … read more… [...]

Retrospective: Oklahoma City unveils logo and team name

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