Wednesday Bolts 9.29.10
It’s Kevin Durant’s birthday today. So from now on, when you talk about how amazing he is, be sure to add a number and say, “And can you believe he’s just 22?” This is really a reminder for myself more than anything.
KD says success is defined by good practices: “Of course you’re not going to have a great practice every day, but if we have more great practices than we do bad practices I think that’s when we can say we’re having a good year,” Durant said. “Because I think great practices lead up to wins. Great shootarounds lead up to wins. Those are things we can control, and I think if we do that you never know what will happen.
The team announced yesterday that Nick Collison is out for at least the beginning of training camp with a bone bruise in his left knee. It’s nothing all too serious, just something that requires rest. It hasn’t been determined if he’ll be available for any preseason games.
Desmond Mason is coming back to OKC after he won an art competition: “Former NBA star Desmond Mason, who played with both the Hornets and the Thunder at Ford Center, will be opening an art studio at Plaza Court in MidTown as part of a competition to bring more retail to the neighborhood. MidTown Renaissance, which developed the landmark and dozens of other MidTown properties, announced Tuesday that Mason had won the competition, which comes with free rent for the first of the three-year lease and one year of free membership with the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber.”
According to Ziller’s “Watchability Index,” OKC is the second most watchable team.
A good media day recap from HoopsWorld.
Darnell Mayberry with some practice observations: “One thing I was curious about was whether Brooks is more demanding now than he was this year. It’s a potentially telling trait to watch as the preseason moves along. The Thunder now has a pleasant yet potentially perilous mix of lofty expectations and a nine-man rotation that has returned intact along with an upgrade in talent. That can put a lot of pressure on a coach. Should be interesting to see how Brooks manages it going forward. Said Green: “When you’ve got a set of guys who’ve been here a couple of years, you expect the best out of them. He expects us to help him. That’s what we’re here to do. We have a lot of new faces, and we’re trying to get them on the same page as us.”
I’ve been watching The Wire lately with the wife, and I can’t say enough how terrific that show is. I know lots of people often talk about it, but seriously, it’s the most well-thought out, well-written show I’ve seen. The only reason I’m telling you this is because I finished up Season 3 last night and it was so ridiculously good, I felt like I had to tell someone. So there.
Kevin Durant’s cover game, NBA Elite 11, may be getting the death penalty. What a bummer. Maybe I’m not that proficient of a gamer, but I played the demo and it didn’t seem all that bad to me. It took some getting use to with the new controls, but I thought everything else was fine.
Remember, the Thunder’s holding a Blue/White scrimmage at Yukon High School Friday night. I hear there might be free t-shirts for everyone in attendance.
