Thursday Bolts – 11.17.11
The Basketball Jones… TONIGHT. The Jones guys found their way to OKC and also a lovely meal at one of the finest eateries in town: “Now maybe this will end up being the pinnacle of our OKC adventures — cruising in a white stretch limo after eating at an old-timey steakhouse is the epitome of 1970s high class ballin’ — but I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the Sooner State’s capital. I am not sure what you guys do all the time, but this was a nice little excursion. Keep it up and we can reevaluate your not-so-great national image.”
Tom Haberstroh of ESPN.com on KD and LeBron working out together: “LeBron James and Kevin Durant worked out together in LeBron’s hometown of Akron last month, a development that has generated polarizing opinions. Some think these rivals shouldn’t be so darn friendly. Some think it’s great that the best in the game are pushing each other to new heights. Whatever your opinion, it’s clear that your workouts are nothing like the workouts of professional basketball players.”
Here’s some YouTube playlist properly announcing the Thunder roster. Most random thing ever?
Billy Hunter: “The players decision to blow up the union [decertify] was unanimous. They were high-fiving, sayin let’s get it on!”
KD talks about his recruitment to Texas and that he almost committed to North Carolina.
Ian Thompson of SI with another tremendous column: “Here is the last, best hope for the NBA. A small, empty ballroom is rented in a New York hotel. A single chair and a single television camera are placed in the center of the room. Commissioner David Stern sits. He invites any current NBA player, owner or union — excuse me, trade association — representative to visit him. They will come, trust me. They will come and they will talk to Stern, and maybe the 2011-12 season and the NBA can be saved from self-destruction. The TV camera is vital. Nothing can happen without the eye and ear of the camera. Anyone will be able to hear everything that is said, because all of the conversations will be broadcast live and without interruption on NBA TV and streamed on NBA.com.”
KD says Perk helped him become a leader.
Henry Abbott of TrueHoop: “Enter David Boies. Surely a huge part of his role on behalf of the players is to provide a name that commands respect, as well as expert legal advice. But he also comes with a big dose of something these talks have long lacked: Calmness. Hearing him talk — with the occasional smile, plain English, and grandfatherly sincerity, it’s stunningly evident how little warmth there has been from the other leaders of the process. Even when Boies is making his scariest comments he sounds like a nice guy trying to find a reasonable solution.”