First, how awesome is it that the Thunder is on the cover of Sports Illustrated’s NBA preview issue? Not LeBron and his two friends. Not Kobe and the champs. Nope, instead it’s the little kids from Oklahoma City splashed across the cover of SI.
But the question is, what the heck is Nenad Krstic and Thabo Sefolosha doing on the cover? Kevin Durant we get (or at least I hope you get). But Thabo and Nenad? Where’s Russell Westbrook and Uncle Jeff? Serge Ibaka and James Harden? Why go with two players that while starters aren’t really recognizable?
I’ve got a theory and I tried to sort of explain it at CBS Sports in probably a not-so-clear way. The word is that KD didn’t want to be on the cover alone, so he asked for teammates. Whether he chose Nenad and Thabo or that’s who the Thunder sent is another thing. But really, the SI cover is just another example of OKC’s team first philosophy.
Durant, re: Green extension:
http://nba.fanhouse.com/2010/10/20/kevin-durant-hopes-jeff-green-joins-him-in-landing-contract-exte/
Apparently DJ White and Lord Byron were too busy?;)
My wife came across Nenad at Target! First, I've done an excellent job of training my wife so that she can recognize him as someone other than a freakishly tall man purchasing detergent with his wife and mother-in-law. My wife verified that he was Krstic and then promptly asked him what happened to his hand then got a picture and sent that picture to me while I was sittin at home on my duff. He also signed the back of a birthday card :) Go Krstic!
man, I live on the west coast so i will get the Lakers cover. Wish I could get the THUNDER'S cover, just have to get the NBA champs cover. lol
Plus Nenad is dribbling down the court smiling. I'd like to see that in a game.
Jello, you stole my line! I was thinking that Nad should be hurling a chair straight at the camera, 3-D style.
I'm not so sure that's Nenad...there's no chair.
Not everything. It's still an awesome cover.
KD looks like he's whistling.
That's a funny image though, thinking of KD doing the whistle stop as he crosses you over on the way to a dunk in the open court.
@RonMexico
Oh. Well that kind of ruins everything.
John Schuhmann of nba.com is reporting (http://twitter.com/johnschuhmann) that the other regional covers all feature a team's star and two role players. Lebron and Kobe both are, in fact, on their region's cover.
i dont want to get jeff green too hyped up by putting him on too many magss