Monday Bolts – 10.19.09
First and foremost, U2 was fairly amazing last night. I had no idea what to expect and wasn’t even planning on going
until about an hour before. But we went, got excellent seats and enjoyed the heck out of the two-plus hour show. The stage was… incredible.
NBA assistant director of scouting, Ryan Blake, breaks down the rookie class: “Another guy I see making a major impact is James Harden. I’m really high on this kid. I think he’s going to be able to not only put numbers up on the board, but he makes other players better. I think he’ll be that combo guard as well. He’s going to be able to get the ball to the right people’s hands, he’s going to D up. He’s going to get inside and really be versatile and command a lot of attention and hopefully open up it up for other players on that young talented team.”
Darnell Mayberry writes about the Thunder’s tweeting habits: “Half the Thunder’s roster has active Twitter accounts. Kevin Durant owns bragging rights with more than 75,000 followers. The team’s mascot, Rumble the Bison, even has an account. The furry creature doesn’t talk but does of course tweet. Some players use it as a free marketing tool. Others use it to stay connected. For many, it’s just quick, clean fun. By following Green’s updates, fans can learn little details they can only get from him. For example, did you know Green enjoys relaxing pedicures? Or that the 23-year-old is perfectly content with a night at home watching the Disney classic “Aladdin?””
Nick Collison is getting closer: “Nick Collison played limited minutes in the scrimmages, highlighted by a dunk. “He’s getting close,” Brooks said. “He did a lot of good things today. You can tell when he runs it’s still a little tender. But he’s out there and competing. That’s one thing about Nick, if he’s out there he’s going to compete. He’s showed that the last two days in practice.”
Scott Brooks says Kevin Durant’s defense is getting better: “In training camp, and our four exhibition games, you’re seeing Kevin is a better defender,” Brooks said. “Kevin is a long, active athlete who can get his hands on a lot of balls and challenge a lot of shots. It’s hard to make a shot over someone who has long arms, is 6-10 and can jump.”
As you’ve probably heard, Kevin Durant and James Harden were at the Red River game this weekend. And after the game, by complete luck, KD walked right by my wife and me. Of course my wife started hollering to get his attention and he turned around and was extremely nice. Shook both our hands and I asked him if he’d ever heard of Daily Thunder and he said, “Yeah, yeah. I’ve read that before.” So that’s neat. And that means you better watch what you say about KD in the comments.
An interesting review of Sonicsgate: “Do those moments, though, justify the expense? Will our joy in watching the Sonics compete for the ’19-’20 championship override the guilt in knowing we did to another city what we criticized Oklahoma City for doing to us, in knowing that we, as a people, spent more than a billion dollars on three stadiums – Safeco, Qwest, KeyArena – in the same time as we ran up tremendous deficits, causing all sorts of devastating cutbacks to crucial services? It’s a tough, tough question to answer. The makers of Sonicsgate may not have intended to ask those questions, but their film certainly contributed to at least one person thinking about them.”
Jared Dudley, not a Thunder fan: “Sitting on the bus with my teammates heading to shoot around.. I dunno why okc wanted to leave Seattle.. What city needs a NBA team.”
Brian McKitish for ESPN.com has his fantasy loves and hates: “Russell Westbrook, PG, Thunder: Better than Derrick Rose (in fantasy only, of course). Yep, I said it.”
Thunderers recount their favorite preseason moments: “Kevin Durant – Our first game here in the Ford Center was my favorite. It was my first time to see the fans here in Oklahoma City. They came and cheered the whole game. We lost, but it was a good game for us. The fans showed how much they appreciate us.”
10 days people.