Friday Bolts – 10.2.09
Of course. It was all the media’s fault: “While playing in Poland for their respective national teams this summer, Krstic
and Gortat began what Krstic described as a friendly conversation in the presence of journalists. Gortat, Krstic said, mentioned that he could see himself playing with the Thunder. “He just said he wants to be here because he thinks he can fit here,” Krstic said. “He actually said he can fit with my game because he can play inside and I can shoot outside. We just talked and they put in the papers that he wants to be here and he’s coming here. It was a mistake.”
HoopsWorld recaps Scott Brooks’s comments from media day: “And not only is Brooks feeling settled in, he seems happy. “I like the city where I’m living. My family likes it. I’m very comfortable with being in Oklahoma City. I’m thrilled,” he said. “We have state-of-the-art facilities, and they are only going to get better. So it just gives all of us a chance to just focus on playing basketball, coaching basketball, so I’m very excited and comfortable to be in this situation.”
Kevin Durant, being awesome: “Pro basketball star Kevin Durant, who grew up in Prince George’s County and developed his skills at the Seat Pleasant Activity Center, is giving back to the community. Durant, who turned 21 this week and plays for the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder, donated $25,000 to the center that he started attending 11 years ago and where he participated in the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission’s Xtreme Teens programs.”
Charley Rosen previews the Northwest Division. I would paste in a section, but it was like the anti-Simmons piece. I think Rosen wrote the thing in haiku.
Dime asks: Who is better, OKC or Memphis?: “Who will finish the year with a better record is hard to say. You know the Thunder are definitely going to improve their record by at least 10 games. The question is, how well will the Grizzlies gel? Because on paper, they could be a playoff team. If O.J. steps up his game and Iverson and Randolph fit in well with coach Lionel Hollins’ system than they could very well step ahead of OKC in the power rankings. Since Memphis ranked last in the West for points per game (93.9), getting two proven scorers will help. I also think the Grizz are a better defensive team, so if I were a betting man, I’d have to give the slight nod to Memphis having more wins come April.”
News of the Coincidental: Emeka Okafor has sprained his toe and will miss at least the team’s first two preseason games. Something about NOLA, big men and toes.
Shaun Livingston hurt his knee. And he’s trying to come back. Did you know?
I swear, I said the exact same thing when I saw the trailer: “At theatre to see The Informant.Watching previews. Wondering if its smart to advertise ure movie as”from the creators of WildHogs””
Chris Silva with a practice report from yesterday: “Forward Jeff Green was the man of the moment at the end of practice. The forward showcased his precision passing by becoming the only player to successfully bounce pass a basketball into a ball rack, thus saving the rest of the team from running sprints.”
A feature on D.J. White and his first camp: “D.J. White can get after it. He can scrimmage, he can bang bodies in the post, he can play. Anything his teammates do during training camp, White can, too. Last year, White couldn’t do much of anything. A jaw injury wiped out training camp for the former Big Ten Player of the Year and relegated him to bystander status. Sure, he watched every practice, was in every team huddle and participated in every meeting, team function and community event, but doctor’s orders prevented him from playing.”
Viva El Trueno! All 41 Thunder home games to be broadcast in Spanish on both TV and radio. Eleno Ornelas, Spanish voice of the Texas Rangers, will be on the mic.
