May 18, 2009 3 min read Commentary

Fast Break Rumblings

Over the weekend while watching some basketball and such, I had some thoughts. Here they are.

Shane Battier became a basketball cult hero this season with Michael Lewis’ Moneyball article on him and then with his outstanding defense on Kobe during the Western semis. So it seems to me that other GMs would be looking for a guy to mimic Battier. And so while I was thinking of college prospects that could be the next Battier, one guy popped in my head – Thabo Sefolosha. Both are 6’7″, both are extremely lengthy and both take pride in their defense. Battier has been in the league for four more years than Thabo, but I can definitely see Thabo becoming an elite defensive stopper for this team. And if he develops a nice three-pointer like Battier has, well then color me excited.

I absolutely can NOT wait for next season. I don’t know what the deal is right now, but watching the playoffs, I just can’t wait to watch my team again. I was excited for this season, but it was more of a shock I-can’t-believe-a-team-is-really-here type of excitement. Now I’m genuinely psyched for basketball next season. Almost as much as college football. Almost.

I really wish Oklahoma City’s in-game production people would take the Laker approach instead of the Cleveland one. Instead of clips of Kashmir and other rap and rock songs mid-game, I’d much prefer the more classic organ-ish music. I love the way it sounds. It’s much better than hearing the same stinking songs every game. The organ (thing) is so much more classy. And I think that’s the type of organization the Thunder wants to be. So drop “Sexy Back” and bring in an organ version of Rocket Man Benny and the Jets.

A lot of people seem to be curious about what Jeff Green’s potential role will be with this team based on what happens tomorrow night. But really, I watch a guy like Lamar Odom and see a lot of similarities between him and Uncle Jeff. Odom is more of a “point forward” that can handle the ball out front, but both are true tweeners that can go at the four or the three. Odom has been fine coming off the bench, starting at power forward or starting at small forward. Odom has been a bit of a disappointment throughout his career due to his insane skillset, but I think Jeff Green could learn a lot from watching Odom’s game – hit the boards hard, use your size to create mismatches, pass and handle the ball well on the move and knock down open jumpers with consistency.

Season finale of 24 tonight. Do you guys think Jack will save the world? I dunno… I have my doubts. Just seems like he never comes through.

I watched Kobe Doin’ Work Saturday night and I must say, I enjoyed the crap out of it. I got the feeling that Kobe was acting a bit with all the team love and such on the bench, but it made me want to see similar documentaries over people during games. What’s Kevin Durant like for 48 minutes? Is he that vocal? What about Jeff Green? What about other sports? I’d love to get that same look at say, Peyton Manning for a full game. But watch Kobe Doin’ Work – it’s pretty good. I think I’d like to watch more NBA games in that style.

Something I have always wondered – why don’t NBA players wear t-shirts under their jerseys like some college players do (James Harden is what got me thinking about this)? Is that against the rules? Or just “uncool” to do so? So I looked it up. It’s against the rules evidently. Who would have thunk it? Let’s hope Tony Crocker knows about this.

What’s the one team that if they win the lottery, will actually piss you off? I think it’s the Pacers for me. Seriously, screw them. I hope they don’t win it. What do they need Blake Griffin for?

TNT showed Stan Van Gundy’s pre-game pump-up speech yesterday and literally not a single player was listening. I actually think Hedo Turkoglu had headphones on. They were all taping ankles, looking around and basically just doing everything in their power not to hear a word he was saying. I really think that team is self-coached and everyone knows it… except Stan Van Gundy.

So this writer from Lawrence, Kansas wrote this little piece “remembering” Wayman Tisdale. It basically just states that Wayman was “on hand” for this net-cutting incident that happened at Allen Fieldhouse in 1984. Safe to say, it was a complete crock of crap. It pissed me off so much, I actually called the sports editor there. I never do that type of stuff. He was neither apologetic nor embarrassed about it, even though his writer and his paper is being ripped unmercilessly across the country. He kept saying, “I just don’t really understand how this is offensive to Wayman Tisdale.” And that sir, is why you’re an idiot. If you can’t understand why rehashing a negative story that happened 25 years ago by linking it with the horrible death of Wayman, then, well there’s no hope for your soul.

The Uncontested Podcast: How Do the Thunder Compete Next Year? + This or That