Wednesday Bolts – 6.15.11
Michael Kimball of the Oklahoman says the Thunder could move into the new practice facility in August: “The Oklahoma City Thunder’s new practice facility may be about a year behind schedule, but it’s under budget and should be ready for the team to move in by August, city officials said Tuesday. The practice building, located north of Britton Road at the Broadway Extension, was originally slated for completion last August. But the interior should be ready for the team to move in by Aug. 15, and perhaps as soon as the middle of July, said Wayne Courville, Project Director for the city’s Public Works Department.”
ESPN.com 5-on-5 which includes an interesting take on building a team from Rob Mahoney: “The value of nontraditional team construction. Some stars are easy to build around, but Dirk Nowitzki is not one of them. It took Mark Cuban and Donnie Nelson some time to figure out what worked, what was needed and what was possible with Nowitzki at the core of this team, and once those things were established, they acquired the pieces they needed, convention be damned. The Mavs’ talent on paper isn’t overwhelming, but the pieces click perfectly in this system with this context, and for the purposes of building a champion, that’s all that really matters.”
Speaking of, check out Rob’s new book commemorating the Mavs’ title.
Loved this set of What Ifs from Kevin Arnovitz about the Heat.
Steve Aschburner of NBA.com picked his most outrageous performance of the playoffs: “Russell Westbrook‘s 12-of-30 shooting night in Oklahoma City’s Game 4 loss to Denver in the first round was a glimpse into Westbrook’s brash game. It was a sign, too, of how this incredible athlete, more lively than heady at times, still can be a love-him-or-hate-him player who can dominate a game in ways good and bad. Sure, he scored 30 points, but he was 0-of-7 from the arc and had no business jacking up 12 more shots than Kevin Durant. As Denver’s Kenyon Martin said afterward: “We’ll take that. Jeez boy. We’ll take that. If he can get 30 up and miss 18 of them, we’ll take that every day.”
The Goodman League could be moving indoors as well: “A new indoor league called the Goodman Coalition will start on June 18 in Washington, D.C. It will be the first indoor run for the Goodman League, but a reinstatement of sorts of the old “Urban Coalition” indoor league. Just like the outdoor version, the indoor league is expected to feature NBA pros, and possibly college players, says Goodman League webmaster Mac Williams. The indoor version will host games at D.C.’s Spingarn High School. Williams says he expects it to be just as competitive as the former indoor version.”
Chad Ford still has OKC taking Nikola Mirotic.
Jenni Carlson devoted a whole column to tattoos: “But really, tattooed or not tattooed, what does it matter? Does it change the way you feel about K.D.’s jumper? Does it have an impact on your opinion of Perk’s defense? Does it change the fact that all of these guys have been fantastic on the court and every bit as good off of it? These guys have avoided trouble, save Nate Robinson and his tiny bladder. They haven’t filled the police blotter or dominated the headlines with tomfoolery. They haven’t embarrassed themselves, their team or this city. Tattoos do not bad guys make. These are the same players that Oklahoma City has come to love. They’re just a little more colorful than they used to be.”
I have to ask: Who really would have their opinion changed of the team because of a few tattoos?
