Tuesday Bolts – 10.27.09
Top pick Blake Griffin is out as much as six weeks with a stress fracture in his knee. How did he get this injury you ask?
By getting drafted by the Clippers, that’s how. Not only is this a shame for the NBA, but out six weeks means he won’t be ready Nov. 15th for his Oklahoma homecoming. I’m so peeved. We can only hope he switches on Wolverine mode and heals this thing in four days like he did with his injuries at OU.
picks OKC 13thin the West: “If this were a 25-and-under league, you’d really like their chances. Kevin Durant, who just turned 21, now must do the hardest thing of all: turn those stats into wins. Russell Westbrook, 20, and Thabo Sefolosha, 25, might be the game’s most athletic backcourt, with versatile Jeff Green, 23, alongside Durant. That leaves them one center and another year or two away.”
Jeff Green and Kevin Durant have been named captains. Captain KD has quite a ring to it. Captain Uncle Jeff… not so much.
He’s learning. HE’S LEARNING: “But one small development in his game has stood out and could have a major impact on the Thunder this season. Westbrook is now coming to get the ball following defensive rebounds rather than relying on a risky outlet pass in traffic. It’s a small quirk Westbrook didn’t exhibit last season but one that could cut down on turnovers this year. “I learned,” Westbrook said. “Last year, I was running out and things like that. And after watching other point guards, you’ve got to come back and get the ball and run the team. I watched a lot of film of myself this summer and it’s just me seeing what I can get better at.”
Marc Stein’s power rankings and OKC stands pat at 21.
The OKC Thunders are my favorite team.
The Ottawa Citizen asking questions to itself: “Is the Oklahoma City Thunder playoff-ready? Kevin Durant is a future all-star and perhaps a scoring champion; Russell Westbrook is a frenetic guard who can get to the rim with abandon; Jeff Green has the makings of a do-it-all utility forward; Rookie James Harden is the prototypical shooting guard the Thunder needed. But calm down, Thunder fanatics: the team has no proven power forward — it passed up on signing David Lee and Paul Millsap — and will be starting Nenad Krstic at centre. Oklahoma City will be fun to watch, but wait another year for the post-season.”
Darnell Mayberry says stop following Thabo Sefolosha’s Twitter. What you thought was Thabo is actually an impostor. Thabo is not on Twitter. Very strange considering Thabo has a verified account.
Sham Sports breaks down OKC’s spending plan: “This summer saw a team that could have had nearly 8 figures of cap room opt not to use any of it. The Oklahoma City Thunder did pretty much nothing with their offseason once draft day was completed, and having won a total of 23 games last year, it’s justifiable to ask why that was. There follows some exploratory maths, which get a bit dull and confusing.”
Gov. Brad Henry for the Edmond Sun: “Oklahoma’s star is rising. That fact is evident not only in reports and rankings, but in the announcement early this month that Tulsa soon will be home to a WNBA team that will play in the world-class BOK Center. The announcement came just as Oklahoma City readies for a second season of NBA action with the Oklahoma City Thunder.”
Get yer Big Country t-shirts! Getem now!
The Book of Basketball is out today. Be a real fan and go buy it.
The season starts tonight. We kick things off tomorrow. Remember when we thought it would never get here? Well, it’s pretty much here.
