Beckley Mason of ESPN.com on if the Nuggets can contend: “The Nuggets are deep with speed. There won’t be many lineups that don’t have a decided collective advantage in end-to-end quickness against just about every team. But speed isn’t like size. Andrew Bynum is the biggest guy in the league whether he wants to be or not on a given night. But a fast player is only as fast as he chooses to play. For the Nuggets to max out their ability, every player will need to commit to playing at that intense pace because though they have loads of skill, the peak talent on the Nuggets isn’t anything to shout about. This team is all about motor, about using effort level to unleash wave after wave of talented athletes toward the rim.”
FIBA is considering adding 3-on-3 to the Olympics and Ben Golliver of CBSSports.com looks at what America’s team might look like: “LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Chris Paul. Undersized, sure, but with premier play-making, shot-making, excellent defense and commitment. Could struggle on the boards but a match-up nightmare sporting three of the best five players on the planet. The presumptive gold medal favorites.”
Serge Ibaka posed for another magazine.
Chris Mannix of SI.com on Team USA’s Rio roster: “Team USA’s top scorer at the 2010 FIBA World Championship (22.8 points) picked up right where left off in London, leading the gold medalists with 19.5 points and making 52.3 percent from three-point range. Durant’s fluid perimeter stroke removes the need for a shooting specialist, and his size gives the U.S. lineup versatility. They don’t get more selfless than Durant, who didn’t offer a trace of annoyance when initially benched in favor of Anthony while Krzyzewski experimented with different combinations during pre-Olympic exhibitions.”
The problem with Bleacher Report.
Dan Devine of BDL: “Now, what do you think about Dwight Howard going to the Lakers?” Fallon asked. The guests met the question with shrugs and silence; the audience met the silence with laughter. “Come on, though, that’s major — the Lakers are getting a crazy team,” Fallon pressed. More silence. And then: “Good for them,” Harden said, with the disaffected tone of a man who hasn’t forgotten beating the Lakers four games to one just three months ago. “Yeah, man,” Durant added, barely even registering it. Man, can I not wait for the start of the season.”
Chad Ford of ESPN.com revised his offseason grades and OKC stuck with a B: “Every year, I write the same opening paragraph about the Thunder. Every year it proves to be true. The Thunder tend to be overly conservative during the offseason. In their case, it’s a virtue. Too many teams panic and believe they have to spend all their money or the offseason is a failure. Oklahoma City GM Sam Presti waits and waits and waits for the right deal to come to him. When it does, he pounces.”
Check out my friend Jake Trotter’s book. Not Thunder related, but some of you will enjoy it.
http://www.dailythunder.com/2012/08/new-clip-from-kds-thunderstruck/#comments
Oklahoma City GM Sam Presti waits and waits and waits for the right deal to come to him. When it does, he pounces.”
Like Perkins? SMH.
@Crow This is a solid rant. I like his draft picks as much as the next guy, but I think we all should be a bit worried about what's going on with Presti, or rather, not going on.
@Lasers thanks for the view
@Crow Man, this board has really gotton weird.
@Lasers @Crow I'm also slightly worried. I don't mean to say we should sound the bells and seem like the world is ending; however, I don't like that we're maintaining the status quo. I've said previously on other boards that although our 3 are amazing, but I feel like Presti should have his eyes open for some potential moves. Nothing big, but at least better than he did.
@Crow My primary complaint was your assertion that if the Thunder don't have a title within 2-3 years, we need to ask what Presti did wrong. Using that yardstick, I don't think there's a GM in the league who would pass the test. That's what I was calling "crazy". Hell, Pat Riley wouldn't have been around to put together the current Miami team under those guidelines. And we'd have to fire the GM's of the Spurs, Lakers, and Bulls, wouldn't we? Yeah...that's crazy. Also, some of what you consider "screw ups" are only so when gifted with hind-sight. If you were Presti and had a choice between Perkins...a solid, yet injured, young center who has a championship ring, has shown he can not only handle the best of the East (including Dwight Howard), but can also negate Andrew Bynum (our biggest hurdle at the time) or Tyson Chandler, who is also injured, but has none of the above and costs about 3-5 million more per year...which is the better choice? You'd be a fool to choose Chandler. Sorry...but EVERYBODY is an expert on Monday after all the weekend games have been played.
@TaoMaas the rant might be a little crazy but that is what seemed worth saying to me as counterpoint to the genuflection at Presti's already christened "genius" effort.
@TaoMaas of course nothing is certain and everybody makes mistakes and every team but one makes too many. until they win a title, it is just a nice team and an above average performance.
@Crow Sorry, but that's a little crazy, man. Nothing is certain in this game.
@Eggs_Benedict @Lasers and you will find stuff
@Eggs_Benedict @Lasers yeah. if they don't have a title in 2 years, 3 tops, you almost have to go back and ask what did Presti / Brooks do wrong?
or Chandler?
missed out on bidding for Scola and Brand for real cheap because he gave too many minor scrubs given contracts and contract extensions (e.g. Cook- paid in between what Scola and Brand now cost)
@dancassidy35/FreeFestusFromGSW! ok
@Crow Lat yes, pleiss no
pounce on available former star wings for cheap? nope
pounce on the lowry giveaway or bargain lou williams? nope
pounce on getting guys more summer league playing time in vegas or looking at more players there? nope
pounce on extra draft picks that were for sale? nope
pounce on getting help for ibaka from hakeem? nope. serge dawdles but the organization should have pushed him to say yes before the olympics. he could have practiced what he was taught
pounce on lat or pleiss? nope...
get a new assistant coach off the magic or somebody else? nah just stand pat
pouncing on the chance to extend harden and ibaka...
oh wait, it is 7 weeks in and not a peep about either deal...
pouncing on re-signing brooks after a year of negotiations when stan van gundy and others were available
pouncing on fisher by paying several times what anyone else will pay him now or probably then
@Crow pouncing on the chance to get rid of draft pick mistakes by trading white and mullen to charlotte after years of failing to develop them or get something more for them
pounces on hayward when kahn offered and was probably shocked to get a bid
pounces on thabeet and orton when nobody else was known to be bidding
Josh Harrelson is available (laughter probably). Decent enough boxscore stats and neutral RAPM in his 500+ minutes (2.5 time what Cole has gotten). Appears to be a very good 1 on 1 defender.
@ThunderBelize check your email :)
KD recorded a rap song with Steven Jackson, that equals a bump in TSN right @ElPrez
@OBoymuzik @ElPrez
El Prez might have been more impressed if KD had teamed up with Michael Buble. (Not kidding.)
I love Michael Buble. He reminds me of a cross bewteen Tony Bennett and Frank Sinatra. I'd love to see him in a small venue. If KD could hang with Michael Buble vocally--he'd be near Nick Collison at the top in my TSN standings. Have you ever seen the group...Straight No Chaser?
I really wish Serge would pose with a Cheetah pelt draped around his shoulders and a spear in hand...that could quite possibly make him the biggest BAMF of all time.
@Bryson That kinda seems racist. Yup, it's racist.
@BrockSuede Not sure I'd say it was racist, but definitely stereotypical of native Congolese tribesmen.
@BrockSuede @Jax Raging Bile Duct
Well actually the long-forgotten Thunder Games version--and when I say "first" I mean right after I thought of the cheetah pelt and the shoulders and . . . .
@ThunderChick2010 @Jax Raging Bile Duct As you should have. And yeah @Jax Raging Bile Duct , you hit what I was thinking on the head. Racist was the wrong word.
@Jax Raging Bile Duct @BrockSuede
I thought of The Hunger Games first . . .
@BrockSuede @Bryson
I really want to like that comment . . .
@ThunderChick2010 @Bryson Yeah, I kinda ruined it. I say, go nuts, don't worry about it. Hot Serge imagery is hot Serge imagery.
Any more so than the posing with the strange fox ears and mitts?
@ThunderChick2010 I'm probably being overly sensitive, but the whole spear thing made me raise an eye brow.
Sup peeps, long time no talk. I'm just getting over the finals, so will be posting more again. TBR article was just one big lol.
@Remify you haven't missed much...btw, have you seen Sullinger lately? Dude looks like he's lost weight...like he dropped about 20.
@Remify WHAAAAAAAAAAAAATS UP @Remify ! Miss that knowledge you used to drop on us. Bring it back!
@Remify Welcome back! You missed a whole bunch of in-jokes, the DT birthday threads, the Summer league brouhaha, and a lot of nerdery.
Personally, I thought the Bleacher Report article was spot on.
@bmuelle21 I didn't even need a sarcasm font for that one.
@Jax Raging Bile Duct @bmuelle21
He might oughta quit reading with that one creepy eye.
@Barry Amenema @Jax Raging Bile Duct
Speaking of that mental imagery . . . I still think you're a good candidate for a screen name makeover. :)
@Jax Raging Bile Duct (i mean, really....the guy who calls himself Barry Amenema is complaining about mental imagery...)
@Jax Raging Bile Duct a nod's as good as a wink to a blind bat, eh?
@Barry Amenema Nah, she was just wiping the lunch from her chin, and winking really enthusiastically at the waiter.
@Jax Raging Bile Duct Not Safe for Barry - Imagery
@ThunderChick2010 @bmuelle21 True story; every time I see that little mascot, I can't help but think of that scene from bridesmaids where Kristen Wiig is trying to impersonate a dick.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bL1Ja3cQmjI
(NSFW - language)
@bmuelle21
Are you testing me?
@ThunderChick2010 you failed the test btw...