Monday Bolts – 7.5.10
Summer League starts today. Oklahoma City’s first game is at 4 PM. You can watch on NBATV or buy a broadband stream from NBA.com. Or you can check back here for another (free) path to watching the game.
Russell Westbrook has been offered a professional soccer contract? News to me: “Westbrook has long been targeted by football giants Manchester United, Real Madrid, and AC Milan, with an offer of a $35 million from Sir Alex arriving at Ben Howland’s office in 2005. Contracts were signed and moneys transferred out of the soon to be indebted United treasury. But, when August’s training camp began, there was no sign of Russ. Thus began a bizarre cross-Atlantic saga. The UCLA administration claimed never to have received the money while lawyers from Manchester furiously prepared for the courtroom, convinced they were being had by some slick Hollywood types. Guns were nearly drawn until John Wooden came in to cool things down and put everyone in their place. Nevertheless, there has been no direct contact between the Scot and Pauley Pavilion since, and Giggsy and co. have been left to wander to what might have been. Murky, he-said-she-said territory to say the least.”
Thunderground Radio talked to a couple bloggers about the Thunder’s recent transactions.
The Lawrence Journal World talked to Nick Collison about Cole Aldrich: “Cole’s a great fit for us,” Collison, Kansas University’s second-leading scorer and third-leading rebounder of all-time, said of Aldrich, KU’ s No. 2 shot-blocker of all-time … Cole’s the type of guy Sam (Presti, OKC general manager) usually likes to get. He’s a good teammate, works hard, is long, athletic and young. He’s the same age as most of our guys. He’s a good pick-up for our team.”
Darnell Mayberry on the issues with this free agency period: “The most crucial component OKC is waiting to come into focus is the dubious details of a new collective bargaining agreement between the NBA and NBA Players Association. The Thunder, like every other team, has no clue what the new rules will bring. But the current deal is set to expire June 30, 2011, and it appears likely the new agreement will shrink the size of player contracts, team payrolls and perhaps even institute a hard salary cap. It’s one reason why — in addition to the Thunder being quiet in free agency — we haven’t heard anything of substance on Jeff Green’s contract extension this summer.”
Frank Hughes of SI on what all this spending means: “Enjoy this frenzied summer of free agency. You’re probably never going to see anything like it again. Lost amid the feverish maneuvering of NBA owners and front-office personnel to recruit individual members of the best free-agent crop ever is that next summer these same men are going to claim they can’t afford to pay the contracts that they will so proudly distribute over the next few weeks.”
KD will be in Orlando watching his guys today. I continue to be in love.
Assistant coach Brian Keefe will again head the Thunder’s summer team.
