Henry Abbott of TrueHoop with an interesting thought: “A thought about running sports leagues, inspired by the NFL and the rage it is inspiring today. Yes, big business often demands tough decisions, and drawing hard lines. But it’s a great thing to treat people well, and chief among the people who ought to be treated well are the fans who are the lifeblood of the sport, the players who star in the sport, and the referees who keep it all working on the field. Sending out inferior referees, in a money making business … just seems indecent.”
The OKC Zoo has a newborn red panda and they named it “KayDee”: “She was born the night the Thunder won the Western Conference Championship so as a team we thought it was an appropriate name to have something Thunder related and KayDee just seemed to work,” said Chrislyn Newton, the zookeeper who works closest with the Red Pandas.”
New DT-Shirts are coming Oct. 20. Check out the first six designs.
Evidently there was a fake story yesterday that Kevin Durant had died. People are the worst.
Sam Presti has his preseason media availability today so get excited about some non-comments about James Harden.
Jonathan Tjarks of Real GM on Harden: Culture, more than even money, may have made the biggest difference in their decision-making processes. Johnson made the quintessentially American call: at the age of 24, he was eager to test the limits of his own game and prove that he could stand on his own. Ginobili, meanwhile, never left the proverbial nest, comfortable sharing the load with his friends, passing up individual accomplishments to pursue a greater communal goal. From the outside, there’s no way to say who made the right or the wrong decision, not on a choice that personal. As Harden will soon find out, there are trade-offs to every decision we make in life.”
Former Thunderer D.J. White has signed to play this season in China.
Tom Ziller of SB Nation on David Stern: “And that’s the difference between Goodell, Bettman and Stern, I think. Stern acts like he doesn’t care and comes off as an incredibly cold assassin during negotiations. He’s an excellent poker player — he had writers from coast to coast raging against him a year ago. Ultimately, he cut a deal and got back to the important work of administering the world’s best basketball league. Goodell and Bettman are seriously just incredibly cold assassins who either gladly do the bidding of their bosses or have little say in the matter. As an NBA fan, watching what loyal NHL fans and committed NFL fans are going through, in addition to the safety issues facing NFL players — it makes me glad that the NBA has Stern.”
Lol,
I'm suing for copyright infringement on shirt number 2. (not really)
I believe I've inspired two dailythunder shirts now.
Hey- quick question: I've seen links in the comments sections before to FULL Thunder game replays (I think on YouTube?) but can't find them anywhere. Does anyone know where these are? It's raining here and I want to get pumped about the season. Thanks!
KD is immortal everyone know that
@OkcBaby is that why he seems to "play it cool" a lot, and doesn't look like he is giving 110% in the finals a fair amount? or is it because he is mortal and his energy is limited and he think he is doing enough already? may take more KD. on defense and taking control of the offense from Russ.
http://www.dailythunder.com/2012/09/thunder-to-wear-alternate-uniform-this-season/#comments
Presti: "Jay-Z's Reasonable Doubt: that was a really good one."
The lyrics are just a glorification of thug attitude, IMO. Harder to enforce a certain culture if you come out and say this crap was good.
@Crow This is ridiculous. Honestly hope you are joking right now.
@OBoymuzik Nope.
@ThunderChick2010 @OBoymuzik but control / save yourself i guess...
@ThunderChick2010 @OBoymuzik I try to remember that each generation has its own music / rebellion and not to be high and mighty and my way or the highway. But I know that some things that music does (like what rock did to glorify drugs) really hurt millions and millions that buy into the messages. Just to make a buck, for fun and / or to piss off the authorities.
@ThunderChick2010 @OBoymuzik not all culture has to be "positive". i am sure some of the culture i ingest isn't. to each their own...
@Crow @OBoymuzik
Which is what makes you Crow . . .
:)
@ThunderChick2010 @OBoymuzik i generally ignore it and most everything... because railin against "it" rarely does any good...but sometimes i say somethin because i can't help it...
@OBoymuzik true. lots of non-positive stuff in lots of "culture".
@OBoymuzik @Crow
Won't you just let us go on pretending our guys are Boy Scouts? (It's easier that way.)
:)
@Crow i posted the youtube video because it is junk lol. Much worse things than Jay-Z in the rap world.
@OBoymuzik Jay-Z knows "the game" and won at it. That might motivate folks to play that game. Maybe better ones. A lot of the crap rapped is not going to help the community though.
That youtube video is junk. Just what the rich powers that be want the underclass to be doing. Be satisfied with the bottle or the weed or the music. Leave the power structure in place. If you find a niche to join it, aight. But leave the main power structure in place.
Just my take.
@Crow Jay-Z made Resonable Doubt in 1996, it was his first album and he was a drug dealer. It's considered a classic hip hop album. Not my favorite of his because I was 6 years old at the time (didn't hear it until i was 18)
Now Jay-Z is worth 460 Million and got it off building his own company. And many of his songs are very motivational.
But my question is do you think Eric Maynor, Russell Westbrook, Cole Aldrich are going to turn into Delonte West, Javaris Crittenton, and Chris "Birdman" Anderson overnight?
Oh by the way here's one of the most popular rap songs of the summer, all of our players love it http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WcRXJ4piHg
@OBoymuzik I push you to the limit when I'm needing the wealth
Jay-Z or Mitt Romney or Gaddafi or selfish power mad crazy of your choice?
@OBoymuzik @Crow
If Presti would just give us some better non-news to get non-excited over, we wouldn't have to pick apart his feeble offhand comments. And Crow don't joke . . . much.
But at least he opened up a bit about myself and music.
Dark Side of the Moon has some merit but is way overrated. Lots of it is boring. Especially when heard 1000+ times.
@Crow Love Dark Side, but give me Piper at the Gates of Dawn any day.
I guess. Not interested though.
RUSH and Floyd are two of the top getting high bands, I hear.
Wonder which camp Presti was in.
@thunderatom probably better that way
@Crow lol id stick to basketball statistics.
@ThunderChick2010 My mind is infested, with sick thoughts that circle like a Lexus, if driven wrong it's sure to hurt you
I sold it all from crack to o-pium, in third person I don't wanna see em, so I'm rehearsin
@ThunderChick2010 change his color and age and more people would call that s* out. but not Sam.
@ThunderChick2010 mainly the violence, but also the i want it all and plan of stickin it in your face as much as possible attitude.
@Crow
So which part do you have a problem with? :)
are these Jay-Z lyrics "really good" Sam?
I got extensive hoes, with expensive clothes and I sip wine, and spit vintage flows
Ain't no stoppin the champagne from poppin the drawers from droppin, the law from watchin, I hate em
[gunshots] OKAY, I'M RELOADED!!! You motherfuckers, think you big time? Fuckin with Jay-Z, you gon' die, big time! Here come the "Pain"! [gunshots]
@Crow There are ways to make Dark Side of the Moon not boring, even after 1000+ times.
Presti said the Thunder will be wearing an alternate uniform this season!
@BallSoHarden WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA????????
@C-Wil @BallSoHarden http://www.dailythunder.com/2012/09/thunder-to-wear-alternate-uniform-this-season/
@C-Wil @ou_sas @BallSoHarden LOL, Whatever gets us a ticket oak
@ou_sas @BallSoHarden I hope it says "Oak City" across the chest.
@ou_sas @C-Wil Damn, that was quick! Thanks.
Had a thought (rare!) - We see Thunder players around the city quite often, but do we ever see Sam around? Other than games, I've never heard of anyone seeing him about town.
@Tronchaser You mean he goes anywhere other than Thunder HQ and the games? I thought he just lived there with his mp3 player.
@ou_sas @Tronchaser I saw Sam at Game 4 vs Dallas last year... and me in all my first-NBA-game-excitement could only muster up a really awkward "Yeah! Sam!" scream! Hindsight I should have gone and shook the man's hand and conversed with him a little bit.@Sam Presti - if you read this and remember me - give me a shout out!
Ya gotta love just how polarizing Westbrook is for non-Thunder fans. They're just so butt hurt.
Major season breakdown here: http://www.hoopsworld.com/2012-2013-oklahoma-city-thunder-season-preview/ Nice job Ms. Bible
Wade is better than Kobe and Westbrook right now... Kobe still getting overrated.
@justin_mia Wade's injuries (especially compared to Russell Westbrook, Iron Man) are the biggest thing holding him down, I think.
Kobe is definately overrated... people act like he scores 81 points EVERY game
@RodneyRosavelRusanWilson Might even put Westbrook ahead of him too.
So the thunder, heat and lakers all have two top ten players...
I wonder who the favorites are this year...
Via Royce and Darnell:
Sam Presti says he decompresses by watching music documentaries and watching VH1's "Classic Albums."
Presti: "Jay-Z's Reasonable Doubt: that was a really good one."
Presti when finally asked about Harden said, "Well as I was saying about Dark Side of the Moon, it's a really great album"
Presti on Harden's negotiation: "I wish I could tell you how it would it end up." Suuuuurrre you would.
@ou_sas With....without...And who'll deny that's what the fighting's all about
@ou_sas is there a link to this?
@ThunderBelize
http://newsok.com/live-oklahoma-city-thunder-sam-presti-preseason-press-conference/article/3713264
@ThunderBelize http://probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/09/26/quote-of-the-day-sam-presti-loves-classic-pink-floyd/
@ThunderBelize They're live tweeting it. I'm sure Royce'll post a recap later on, but check their respective twitter feeds.
More from Royce... Presti on Perk's Harden comments: "We've had an assistant GM opening ... but I think Perk's going to spend a little more time on the floor."
@ou_sas
I just wish he'd quoted some Rush lyrics. That would've been awesome. :)
@ThunderChick2010 Hush! You're talking about Presti's secret Basketball philosophies! No one can know!