Friday Bolts – 8.30.13
Darren Currin of The Journal Record: “Not more than 15 years ago, Oklahoma City barely registered as a major blip on the national commercial real estate radar. A majority of national investors and industry experts viewed Oklahoma City as a secondary market. It was seen as stable, but lacking high-growth potential. That perception has dissolved in recent years. A stable local economy fueled by the energy sector, the tremendous success of the revitalization of downtown thanks to billions of dollars from both the private and public sectors, and the emergence of the Oklahoma City Thunder as one of the NBA’s premier franchises have created the perfect storm for a city that has been forever changed. The rest of the nation could not help but take note.”
Nike is releasing Doppler colorways. Here’s what Patrick of The Lost Ogle says about them: “You know you’re an Oklahoman when you see Doppler radar inspired shoes for the first time and then immediately try to spot a hook echo… and actually find one. Take a look underneath the curve of the Nike swoosh in the third shoe. That has to be maxi-wedge grinder debarker, right? If you live anywhere near the talus, take your tornado precautions. Seriously, those may be the ugliest shoes I’ve ever seen. The only people who should be allowed to wear them are Kevin Durant, Mike Morgan and the kid at school that wants his lunch money stolen.”
Anthony Slater is joining the Oklahoman’s Thunder beat.
The Big Lead: “Fox Sports 1 has TV rights for college football and the NFL, but adding the NBA is an absolute must for the nascent channel to expand its live sports portfolio. FS1 does have college basketball and soccer, but a partnership with the NBA would provide steady programming from November-May. With no other major sports TV rights on the immediate horizon (see chart below), the big winner, of course, will be the NBA.”
Found this interesting from Ethan Sherwood Strauss of TrueHoop: “I went through video of LeBron’s 419 restricted-area baskets from last season, and found only six such plays. He did it in December against the Magic, twice in January against the Bulls and Lakers, thrice in March against the Bucks, 76ers, and Pacers. There were also three unassisted dunks when LeBron wasn’t quite driving from the far out perimeter (Blazers, Lakers and Magic). In the playoffs, LeBron uncorked a nice perimeter driving dunk against Milwaukee, and we have the cool camera angle to prove it. Again, these plays were once relatively commonplace. Subjectively, younger LeBron appears trimmer, quicker. He accelerates in the half court and semi-transition as though shoved by an invisible hurricane gust. The older version has ebbed on speed and gained on power.”
