Monday Bolts: 05.04.20

ICYMI: Sam Presti met with members via video conference on last Thursday, and Brandon Rahbar has your report of the conversation.

ICYMI: Before the season, Cray Allred made 21 “predictions.” With the season hanging in the balance, Cray decided to check his forecasts, and, uh, it did not go well.

Need something to watch this week? How about some games that have already happened?

Berry Trammel (The Oklahoman) asks: what if Chris Paul and the Hornets never left Oklahoma City?  “If Shinn had kept the franchise and kept it here, we have a clue on what awaited OKC. And it was nothing like the Thunder success. OKC has made nine of the last 10 NBA playoffs and was on track to make it again this season, before the pandemic suspended play. In that decade, the Thunder won 10 playoff series. Month of May basketball became our norm. Not so with the Hornets.”

Erik Horne (The Athletic) gives his four takeaways from Presti’s videoconference.

Could the New York Knicks make a run at Chris Paul this offseason? Ian Begley (SNY) thinks so.  “Some members of the New York Knicks organization see the the Oklahoma City Thunder point guard as the ideal addition to help build a winning culture under newly installed president Leon Rose, according to SNY’s Ian Begley. Those Knicks reportedly believe Paul, 34, could teach his younger teammates in New York habits necessary for success in the NBA. Begley also notes it’s ‘unclear’ whether the Thunder will make Paul available for a trade or how aggressively the Knicks would be wiling to pursue him. However, Rose is Paul’s former agent, and their relationship likely would influence New York’s potential pursuit of a deal.”

Tommy Beer (Forbes) doesn’t believe the Knicks should make a move for Paul.  “Yet, while I certainly don’t dispute the validity of those facts, the Knicks still shouldn’t trade away valuable draft picks or young players in exchange for Chris Paul. Here’s why: Chris Paul will make $41,358,814 next season. Worse yet, Paul also has a player option worth $44,211,146 for the 2021-22 campaign. If CP3 had just one year left on his deal, then it would be a far more feasible scenario for New York. But that massive player option (which we all know he’ll exercise) should be a deal-breaker.”

Adrian Wojnarowski (ESPN) reports that the league is looking into delaying the start of the 2020-21 season.  “The NBA board of governors on Friday voted to postpone two May events set for Chicago — the draft lottery and draft combine. The league hasn’t yet voted to delay the NBA draft on June 25, but there is an increasing belief that it’s just a matter of time, sources said. For the NBA, the crux of the idea to delay the start of next season centers on the ability to buy more time to get fans back into arenas for the most possible games, sources said. There are no imminent plans to make a decision on the calendar, and this discussion will continue, sources said.”

Danilo Gallinari appeared on the Oklahoma City Thunder’s official podcast and talked about the ongoing pandemic:

Looking for some new digs in the Houston area? CP3’s former home recently received a whopping $400,000 price cut, dropping the price to just $7.5 million.

CP3 also talked about the influence Michael Jordan had on his life:

Did you pre-order a Daily Thunder shirt from Shop Good? Keep on eye on your mailbox as the first print run has been completed. Did you miss out? Don’t fret, order yours today and appear fit and fly now and when basketball returns.