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Vegas game 1: Memphis 86-OKC 57

by Joe on July 12, 2009 at 7:35 pm 15 Comments

Well, I am glad that’s over.

It wasn’t the most entertaining game in the world that’s for sure. It was a lot of running around, turning the ball over, getting beat on the boards and knuckle ball jump shots. I guess the explanation was that it is just summer league, but I have to admit it was a bit of a letdown after some of the good play on display last week in Orlando.

Anyway, I don’t want to get too down about this. The summer league is a tool first and foremost. It lets the coaching staff see how the new guys play with and against their peers. It gives them starting points to work on with these players.

Box Score.

Some random observations:

None of the “regulars” got big minutes. Harden, White and Ibaka all got less than 20 minutes, and Westbrook and Livingston got less than 25.
The Turnovers as a team were really pretty bad. It was a lot of sloppy plays and disjointed offensive execution. Russell was the “reckless” Russell that we see sometimes; driving into traffic and getting swarmed and swiped. He had 4 turns in 23 minutes. By my notes, two were his fault, two were not.
Ibaka was knuckleballing most of his shots tonight, but he’s been very efficient in the Summer league prior to tonight. He airballed a two foot hook shot.
Speaking of Ibaka, I think the team is looking at him with a mind to see if he can get a few garbage minutes at the 5 next year. He’s a real run/jump kind of guy with a nose for the ball around the basket. If the Thunder want to play small/fast for a stretch he could be an option. He can make shots, but he’s not a pick and pop guy like White, Krstic and Mullins.
D.J. White is a smooth offensive player who never seems to be in a rush, and doesn’t really force anything. He did have four boards in his 17 minutes. Keep Reading…

Vegas Summer League Preview

by Royce Young on July 12, 2009 at 12:27 pm 87 Comments

Onward to Vegas. The Thunder Summer League roster will shed a few players and pick up some replacements. (If you want to watch the games, you can get all Summer League games for the low, low price of $14.99 by clicking here or you could click here… shhhhhhhhhhh.) Westbrook is just playing one game Sunday and Tony Durant is a late addition, likely stepping in for Kyle Weaver who is doubtful after injuring his thumb in Orlando.

ROSTER
Russell Westbrook
Shaun Livingston
D.J. White
Serge Ibaka
Moses Ehambe
Robert Vaden
Byron Mullens
DeVon Hardin
James Harden
Kyle Weaver

Marcus Dove (F) – VOO Verviers-Pepinster/Oklahoma State
I’ve always liked Marcus Dove for some reason. Watching him shut down Adam Morrison was almost as fun as seeing a guy go off for 50. Defensively, he’s an extremely gifted player at 6-foot-9, which is why I’m a little surprised he hasn’t gotten much of a look. But as good as he is defensively, he’s as bad offensively. At OSU he took bad shots and was incapable of putting together consistent stretches of offensive play. He played last season in Belgium and averaged 10.8 ppg and 6.0 rpg, shooting 56 percent (but was just 1-13 from three). He’s got ability and I hope one day he catches on with someone. And he’s worth watching if for nothing else because of those incredibly thick, almost mutant eyebrows. Keep Reading…

Thunder signs Harden, Mullens and Ibaka

by Royce Young on July 11, 2009 at 1:46 pm 15 Comments

Press release from the official site:

The Oklahoma City Thunder have signed guard James Harden, center Byron Mullens and forward Serge Ibaka to contracts, it was announced today by Executive Vice President and General Manager Sam Presti. Per team policy, terms of the deals were not disclosed.

As far as Ibaka’s deal goes, according the story we had earlier this week, it looks like a four-year, ballpark $4 million deal (around $1M per).

Saturday Morning Cartoons: Serge Ibaka must break you

by Royce Young on July 11, 2009 at 8:00 am 32 Comments

(Morning party people. Thank you for your support of Daily Thunder. Talk amongst yourselves.)

With the Sergeant of Slam, Serge Ibaka, knocking our socks off with his skill in Orlando last week, he’s kind of all I’ve been thinking about lately. And while he won the Spanish League slam dunk contest back last September, this video is sort of relevant again. There’s really no way to describe his winning, TRUE free throw line flush. Majestic? Soaring? Freaking long? Behold Ibaka’s awesomeness starting at the 1:42 mark.

Rumbling, bumbling, stumbling… fast break style

by Royce Young on July 10, 2009 at 4:04 pm 32 Comments

It’s Friday afternoon and I’ve watched five straight days of Summer League basketball, writing nearly 10,000 words total about it. My brain needs a release…

I haven’t heard Serge Ibaka speak yet in an interview, but we can only hope he sounds like Dikembe Mutombo. I’d be thrilled at the prospect of hearing that voice for at least the next four or five years. But I think it’s very cool that Moses Ehambe has been serving as his makeshift interpreter. Just another wonderful example of how on top of things this franchise is. They’re bringing over a guy that speaks little to no English and so what do they do? Add a teammate to the roster that speaks his language and can help him feel comfortable while he learns English. The Oklahoma City Thunder: Ahead of the Game.

I have come to the conclusion that cycling is far more impressive than NASCAR. Blah, blah, blah they’re going 200 miles per hour and it’s super hot in their cars. I don’t care. Watch 15 minutes of those guys pedaling like crazy at speeds of 35 miles per hour while two inches away from each other. All while slamming down some water and eating a Gogurt or whatever the crap that stuff is. AND THEY’RE NOT JUST PUSHING A PEDAL SITTING ON THEIR BUTT. They’re riding like 75 miles a day on a bike. Tell me that’s not impressive. Boring to watch, yes, but impressive nonetheless.

Five things we learned this week in Orlando: Keep Reading…

Orlando Summer League in review

by Royce Young on July 10, 2009 at 11:03 am 49 Comments

Oklahoma City lost its last game in Orlando to the Utah Jazz 70-60 to finish at 3-2 for the week, but instead of looking at that disaster of a game, let’s just get some overall thoughts and put a bow on this week. (Cumulative stats from the week.)

James Harden – 14.8 ppg (25.6 per 48), 3.6 rpg, 1.8 apg, 2.4 turnovers per game, 53 percent from the field, 40 percent from three (6-15).
Grade: A+

Well color me giddy and happy and tingly all over. Harden looks like he’s ready to make a major impact on this team. He slashes, he passes, he scores, he shoots. But wait, there’s more! He’s just so cool and collected on the court. He played a little point guard Thursday and a lot Friday. I think that’s one of the advantages to Harden’s creating ability – you can move Westbrook off the ball if you want to play them together or Harden can just run point and you can move any and everybody around. Oklahoma City may have the most versatile roster in the league this year. No really. (One interesting stat: Harden actually led the team in defensive rebounds. Now Ibaka and D.J. White just played four games and Harden played four and half, but still.)

Serge Ibaka – 12.3 ppg (26.4/48), 3.3 rpg, 1.5 bpg, 68 percent shooting
Grade: A

Nobody was more surprising in Orlando than Serge Ibaka. He went from fringe D-Leaguer to possibly a certain rotation player in just five days. You can’t say enough about how polished his offensive skill set looked. He had post moves, he had an elbow jumper, he could put the ball on the floor and he could face up. You would’ve loved to have seen his rebounding numbers been more in the 5-7 a game territory but I’ll take what we got. I know I’m ready to buy my Serge Ibaka replica jersey. Keep Reading…

Friday Bolts – 7.10.09

by Royce Young on July 10, 2009 at 7:39 am 79 Comments

The Las Vegas Summer League starts today, but Oklahoma City doesn’t play until Sunday. The Thunder do play at 10 thunderbolt236 a.m. today to wrap up the Orlando Pro Summer League. Russell Westbrook will not be playing, I’ve heard. Let’s just be economical and make this an open thread for the game as well as your typical bolts. (Click HERE to watch the game.)

James Harden says he’s not intimidated by Kobe: “When he starts trying to defend the likes of Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade, he may find himself a little more blistered than he thinks. “Kobe is the best player in the world, but he laces up his shoes just like I lace up mine,” Harden said earlier this week. “Sure, I’ll get a welcome-to-the-NBA moment, but it’s just basketball. I’ve played against him before [in the summer]. I won’t be intimidated.”

Susan Bible of HoopsWorld on Robert Vaden: “He’s counting on the Thunder recognizing his value. “Hopefully I can make the final roster,” he shared. “I’m just going out there, trying to play hard, make sure I’m playing good defense because that’s a lot of questions a lot of teams had about me was my defense. Everybody knows I can shoot the ball, so I’m just trying to make sure I can play on that end of the court.” Keep Reading…

Summer League wrap: Thunder 83, Scrapple 62

by Royce Young on July 9, 2009 at 2:36 pm 29 Comments

BOX SCORE

Make that 3-1 in Summer League play everybody. Are we going to get a trophy for this?

I can’t say enough about Serge Ibaka (15 points on 5-8 shooting, two rebounds, two blocks). We knew he was athletic but he really runs the floor well. Russell Westbrook dropped a sweet assist on The Big Congo and Ibaka flushed it with authority without missing a step. He also had two monster rejections and showcased three or four sweet post moves, including a nice little baby hook in the third quarter. I really think Ibaka has a good shot at making the opening night roster. Vegas will be big for him, but I’m sure he’s really impressed Thunder management.

Russell Westbrook had another fantastic game (19 points, nine assists) and one thing about his seven turnovers – I think you can realistically cut them in half. A very good number of them just weren’t his fault. Teammates weren’t anticipating a pass, dropped it or gave it away before they secured it. Russ also hit a pretty three in the third quarter. And if you noticed on it, he was ready to shoot when he caught it. His feet were totally set, his body squared and he went straight up with it. No wasted movement, just a pure stroke. If he hits that shot this year, he’ll score 20 a night, easily. Oh yeah, and don’t forget about Westbrook’s back-down, turnaround fadeaway jumper. That was saweet. Keep Reading…

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