Monday Bolts – 9.28.15

John Wall on KD

: “There’s gonna be an opportunity to throw a pitch at him to try to get him to
come back home,” Wall said. “But I know one thing of just knowing him he’s going to be very focused on taking care of Oklahoma City this season, and I’m going to be focused on taking care of the Washington Wizards. But when the time is right and he can get away from all that, yeah, we’ll probably have some conversation and throw a pitch, but I know what he’s focused on, and I know what I’m focused on.”

Anthony Slater: “Down in Norman, OU’s football team remains well-known for its crisp traditional look. But last season, for the first time, it debuted a flashier “Bring the Wood” alternate jersey. Bob Stoops called its occasional use a “nice change.” Some fans loved the Sooners new look. Some fans criticized it. But everyone was talking about it. And a bunch of them were purchasing the new merchandize. That’s how it’s been with the Thunder’s alternates. Walk into the arena pregame and you’ll spot a kid in the navy blue look. Look around and you’ll find someone in the sleeved whites or one of the many Christmas threads OKC has worn over the years. The Thunder can call it sunset. Cowboy fans can refer to it as OSU orange. Kevin Durant can pretend it’s an ode to his Longhorn roots. Dion Waiters can pretend he’s back at Syracuse. Billy Donovan may think he never left Gainesville.”

If you missed it, the new jersey.

10 big training camp questions.

Dan Feldman of PBT on Dakar Johnson:  “Oklahoma City must have offered Johnson the required tender – a one-year contract, surely unguaranteed at the minimum – to keep his rights. Johnson could have accept that and gone to training camp.The Thunder almost certainly would have waived him. In that event, they could have assigned his D-League rights to their affiliate. So, Johnson would have been in the same boat as he is now – in the D-League on a D-League salary. (And that’s ignoring the remote, though realistic, possibility Johnson would have played so well in training camp that Oklahoma City would have waived a guaranteed player to make room for Johnson on the NBA squad). But that course of events would have created an important distinction: Johnson would have been an NBA free agent, free to sign with any team.”

Some of the best Twitter clowning on the Thunder’s new uniforms.

Tim Bontemps of the NY Post: “Like 2010 was the Year of LeBron, 2016 is going to be the Year of Durant. With Durant set to be an unrestricted free agent next summer, this season is going to be spent speculating where he will go — if he goes anywhere — next July. But first, Durant needs to prove he is healthy after his entire 2014-15 season was marred by repeated issues from a fracture in his right foot. He has been cleared to return, and hopefully that doesn’t change between now and the end of the season.”